4 ms·
Am I the only one who doesn't quite fancy mechanical keys? For me, Mechanical keyboards cause fatigue as the key travel, regardless of which flavor of the key
by spectramax 7y ago
Am I the only one who doesn't quite fancy mechanical keys?
For me, Mechanical keyboards cause fatigue as the key travel, regardless of which flavor of the key type, is too much. I prefer using Apple's new magic keyboar with numpad. It has a 1mm or so travel and feels fantastic.
- bllguo 7y agoit's all preference in the end. I enjoy my mechs but I'm partial to shallow keys too. actually low-profile switches are becoming more of a thing - see the kailh chocs. still very niche though.
- bitxbit 7y agoI think some of it is gaming and NKRO (n-key rollover) as well as aesthetics and acoustics.
- chris_engel 7y agoYeah, I always scratch my head in wonder about the mechanical hype. I love keyboards with flat keys that are not required to press down a lot. Also I would love to have a keyboard with zero typing sounds.
- big_chungus 7y agoI've known those who preferred keyboards with much less travel. Personally, I type too hard for that to work. When I type on a mac book keyboard, I bottom out and then some every keystroke.
- cjbprime 7y agoIt's not just you. The main benefits are around aesthetics and reliability, and sometimes comfort/feel. I'm a faster typer on chiclet keys than mechanical (after years of practice on both), although I'm not sure I'd agree that the chiclets are better for my hands -- presumably less key travel means more force traveling into your fingertips. But! There are low-profile switch mechanical keyboards now, and they're very similar to your keyboard. They're still a little hard to find if you want customization (like a preferred switch type).
- spectramax 7y agoCould you please recommend if you know of any low profile mechanical keyboards? Are they made by Cherry MX guys?
- cjbprime 7y agoSure, I'm using this one, it's great: https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Keyboard-Extra-Thin-Switches-Rollover/dp/B0722GG88M https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Keyboard-Extra-Thin-Switch... Mostly they use Kailh switches, not Cherry MX but you probably can't tell the difference.
- ianhowson 7y ago+1 for the Havit. It's cheap and feels great. It's noisy, though.
- clarry 7y agoKailh low profile choc switches are a thing, but their key travel isn't that short.
- JoshTriplett 7y ago> Am I the only one who doesn't quite fancy mechanical keys? No, it's not just you. I prefer short-throw laptop keys, which require less distance and less pressure. I use a USB version of the ThinkPad keyboard at my desk. (And I personally prefer the older version that includes a trackpad.)
- Zak 7y agoI used one of those for a long time, and after breaking it, I went to a cheap mechanical keyboard. I prefer the longer travel, tactile bump midway through the travel, and key activation at the midpoint with the mechanical keyboard, but I miss the trackpoint. I'm considering the Tex Shinobi mechanical trackpoint keyboard.
- tracker1 7y agoThere are options if you want less travel, I prefer buckling spring, and my second choice is Cherry MX Brown (anything cheap is probably a knockoff and feels different).. You'd probably like a Cherry MX clear with a ring to reduce travel after the trigger/bump. For me the tactile feel is actually less fatigue as I'm not bottoming out like I am on low travel keyboards, I usually don't bottom out with them. I do know some that hammer on theirs and it gets crazy loud. There have been a handful of IBM Thinkpad keyboards I didn't hate, but generally don't like laptop and low travel keyboards... I did get used to my ~2010 macbook pro kb eventually, my mid-2014 I don't use much and won't have it anymore at the end of the month.