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How to Choose a Mechanical Keyboard – From Beginner to Master

Andrew

April 21, 2024

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At first, I didn’t want to mess with the keyboard.
And when I started messing with the keyboard, it only meant one thing. Those things before were complicated to use and reached the limit of endurance.
At first, I was just dissatisfied with the feel of the laptop’s built-in keyboard, but I can still handle it when typing and chatting. And when I got into some games and started playing “XX, start!” every night until early in the morning before taking a “lunch break”, the experience problems of the notebook’s built-in keyboard quickly surfaced:
The key travel is too short, no!
The sense of confirmation is fragile, no!
The space bar is too soft and even the hand slides when jumping, it doesn’t work!
As for the unreasonable layout, I often roll my face over the keyboard, so accidents like this are even more common.
So, the laptop’s built-in keyboard is not easy to use. You can just buy an external keyboard. Why did you end up with a mechanical keyboard? I have also considered other categories, but either the material selection is not good, the feel deteriorates quickly, or the conflict problem is not considered, or the keystrokes must be bottomed out, which is very stressful. Yes, I am talking about you – membrane keyboard.

So after going through countless pitfalls, I finally focused on mechanical keyboards.
The most basic thing is that each key of a mechanical keyboard has an independent switch, which is what we often call a switch. It is inherently capable of solving the problem of key conflict. A large number of mechanical keyboards are inherently equipped with full-key rollover.

Moreover, the switch structure of the mechanical keyboard is very stable. It usually has a slider switch, a spring to provide rebound, and a pair of shrapnel to control on and off. In this way, the feel will be very stable, the strength of the keys will not change normally, the trigger point is generally in the middle of the stroke, and there is no need to absolutely bottom out, so it will be less laborious to tap.

——Why should you choose the keyboard layout first? What is a keyboard layout?
Before selecting the switch body, be sure to confirm the layout first!

If you simply look for information through search engines, you will find that they will all tell you that the complete layout of a keyboard is 104 keys. And when you actually choose, you will find that a large part of mechanical keyboards do not have 104 keys. Some have dozens of keys, and some have more than 104 keys.
The reason for this phenomenon is very simple. A complete 104-key keyboard often takes up more than half of the desktop, and many people may not necessarily use every key among the 104 keys. Therefore, according to different needs, keyboard manufacturers will adjust the 104-key keys. Adjustment and deletion of key positions have given rise to different types of layouts.
Therefore, at this time, you have to decide the layout based on your own needs. If you don’t understand what the needs are, then read on.
First of all, you can think about the most commonly used keys. Look at the picture below. Which keys do you have to use, which keys are used occasionally, and which keys have you never touched?

After clarifying your own tendencies, you can look at this and compare it to find a combination that suits you:

The percentage of the layout represents the ratio of the layout to the area of the 104-key keyboard. The lower the value, the smaller the size of the keyboard, the more portable it is, and of course the more dependent it is on key combinations. On the contrary, the less the key combination is needed, the more space it takes up.
If you often need to type numbers, especially accounting students, there is no need to consider anything else except the 104-key full size and 90% layout. If you don’t need a numeric keypad, the 80% layout of 87 keys is a very moderate choice. It ensures the portability of the keyboard without forcing you to change your normal usage habits.
As for the layout of 75% and below, it is a little too small, making the overall key position very compact, which can only ensure that the input method is not easy to overturn, and it is not easy to pursue more, and it is even more troublesome to use the direction keys frequently, and it is more difficult to adapt. So unless there are special needs, I generally do not recommend such a small layout.
——The most critical thing is coming, how to choose the switch?
There is no strict naming rule for the mechanical keyboard’s switch itself. It’s just that the influence of Cherry’s top 4 switch in terms of shipments is so great that all subsequent switch have followed Cherry’s standards.
What is a blue switch?
Many of the first mechanical keyboards for young people use blue switches. Even if you have never bought one, you have seen them in Internet cafes. They are the kind of switches with loud noise and constant “clicking”. This kind of distinctive Its characteristics made it once the representative of mechanical keyboards. Its structure is that the switch is divided into two sections, the upper half holds the keycap, and the lower half is a slider.
Those “clicks” you hear are the sounds when the slider quickly drops and resets, and the damping you feel when you press the button is what we often call “passage.” This is the source of the special sound and feel of the blue switch. In addition to the huge sound, the problems it brings are more likely to malfunction after long-term use. For example, the two-stage switch cannot be separated or reset normally.
In this way, the advantages and disadvantages of the blue switch are very clear.
The advantage is that the sound is extremely crisp, the hand-shaking feedback is particularly refreshing, and the sense of confirmation and paragraphing is obvious. The disadvantage is that it is easy to disturb others and can only be enjoyed silently. The life of the switch is shorter. Unless you play games occasionally, you will get tired easily when working for a long time.

What is a brown switch?
Brown switchs can also provide a sense of paragraphing, but the switch of this kind of switch is a complete whole, and its sense of paragraphing is produced by the protrusions of the feet of the switch. When this protrusion passes through the shrapnel, your fingers will feel a certain amount of damping, which is not as strong as the blue switch. The passage feeling is very gentle, the sound is not loud, and it is very durable. No wonder it is called a “universal switch”.
Then, the advantages and disadvantages of the brown switch actually arise from this. The advantage is that it has a sense of confirmation, a delicate and soft feel, is suitable for long-term tapping, and does not need to be harassed by strong noise. The price is that the sense of paragraphing is relatively weak and the hand feel is relatively weak. mediocre.

What is a red switch?
The characteristics of the red switch are very obvious. Its stroke is linear, there is no sense of paragraphs in the whole process, and its pressure is very light. It is mainly aimed at coders who keep the keyboard in their hands for a long time. The purpose is to reduce the burden on their fingers, and it is similar to The sound of the red switch is very quiet, which is especially suitable for quick key triggering. The shortcomings are here, there is no clear physical feedback, lack of impact feedback, it is not suitable for games, but it is very suitable for daily code use, and your hands will not be tired after long-term use.

What is black switch?
The black switch is the same as the red switch. The stroke is also linear. The difference is that the pressure grams of the black-like switch are very high. They are two completely opposite extremes from the red-like switch. They are very suitable for real players who like high-speed show operations and are overweight. The rapid rebound brought by the spring will give veteran players an extremely comfortable feeling, making it impossible to accidentally touch it.
Therefore, the black switch is a keyboard specially designed to serve gamers, and there is no need to consider other things.
Generally speaking, there is no special requirement. For daily use, you can’t go wrong with choosing brown switches or red switches. Gamers who like to enjoy the sense of impact must choose blue switches. More advanced players can try it. Black switch.

——Besides this, what else should we pay attention to?
Keyboards are not only different in layout and switch, but now more and more subdivided keyboards have also distinguished themselves in other aspects.
Because the delay is definitely not as good as wired, I generally don’t recommend that you use wireless keyboards. However, if there is a necessity, such as frequent plugging and unplugging, or switching between multiple devices, you must take the wireless specifications into consideration, especially the stability of Bluetooth— —It is best to support Bluetooth 5.0, and Bluetooth 4.0 is not unusable. As for Bluetooth 4.0 and below, it can be thrown into the trash can. Of course, exceptions can be made if it is cheap enough.
2.4G connection is also a wireless solution. The difference from Bluetooth is that it requires a receiver. If you have enough budget and frequently use mobile devices such as Pads, it is best to choose a keyboard with three modes: wired, Bluetooth, and 2.4G.
RGB lighting is actually not a necessary option. After all, keyboard lighting does not have many functions. The biggest use is to help position the keyboard and key positions at night, followed by desktop decoration. If you do not believe in RGB, you can choose monochrome backlight or no Backlit keyboard.
At present, there are two main materials for the keycaps of mainstream keyboards, ABS and PBT. PBT keycaps are more wear-resistant, but have poor light transmission. ABS has better light effects, but is easy to wear and oil. If you are practical and don’t care about light effects, I actually recommend you to replace the keyboard with PBT keycaps.
switch hot swapping has become very popular in recent years. It originally originated from the needs of Internet cafes. The consumption rate of the keyboard switch in Internet cafes is much faster than our normal use. However, the time and labor cost of desoldering and replacing the switch are too high, so there is a hot swap. The solution to plugging and unplugging is actually to add a sleeve to the pin of the switch body. When replacing the switch body, the sleeve remains on the circuit board.
Later, a hot-swappable base was developed on this basis. The solution was different, but the idea was similar. I don’t recommend that novice users buy a hot-swappable keyboard just to fiddle with the switches, but again, if it’s cheap enough, I didn’t say that.

–Products Recommended
In fact, after all the above-mentioned inventory and popular science, everyone can basically choose a good keyboard. With a budget in mind, choosing the layout, choosing the switch, and knowing what the various additional functions are, you generally won’t fall into any trap. If it’s still unclear, next I will consider the price and some special functions of the keyboard, and make some specific recommendations for users who need it.

1. CHERRY MX3.0S red switch
   When it comes to mechanical keyboards, Cherry cannot be bypassed. This is the originator of mechanical keyboards, and it has always had excellent workmanship and relatively stable quality.

If you don’t have a high budget and want to buy a Cherry keyboard, Cherry’s popular classic MX 3.0S is the most suitable one. It adopts the family appearance of the MX 3.0S series, and I prefer black. The three-mode model will have an extra power switch, while the wired version recommended to everyone only has a Type-C interface, which is more concise.

The most classic part of it is the one-piece aluminum alloy craftsmanship of the shell, which does not use steel plates and looks like a suspension. There is also a common satellite shaft design, the overall feel is very good, the feedback is crisp and the rebound is strong. There is a vague arc design at the bottom of the space bar. With the five-legged shaft of the original German MX, the pressing stability is very strong and the fingers are comfortable when tapping.

As for the switches, as mentioned before, as a keyboard novice, I still recommend the red switches for daily use. They have a straight up and down linear experience, but there is no sense of paragraphs. The feel is delicate and the triggering is quick. It also allows a lot of daily office work outside of gaming. significance. The 109-key full-size design is obviously designed to take care of most people’s subconscious choices. The advantage is that the functions are clearly distinguished.

Only in terms of keycaps, CHERRY MX3.0S uses ABS keycaps, which are indeed inferior to PBT keycaps, but as a CHERRY product, there is no problem at the price of more than 500 yuan.

2. Logitech K845 Brown Switch
   I would like to recommend another low-profile mechanical keyboard.

Logitech K845, which focuses on simplicity, is a must-have keyboard that meets working requirements in the office and can be played games when out of the office.

Logitech K845 is a 104-key standard full-size keyboard with a white backlight. The arrangement and key positions have not been modified, so you can use it directly without any adaptation process. Logitech K845 also uses ABS keycaps, but the surface of the keycaps has a matte texture. The feet on the back of the keyboard can adjust the tilt angle of the keyboard, while the front end of the keyboard is slimmer. Coupled with the ergonomic design of the curved keycaps, the typing posture is comfortable and you will not feel tired when typing for a long time.

I prefer the TTC brown switch. As I said before, it is a “universal switch.” If you don’t like the straight up and down “softness” of the Cherry MX3.0s red switch just now, you also have to consider whether the sound of the green switch will annoy the next door. is angry, then the Logitech K845 brown switch, which retains the sense of paragraphing and makes the sound quieter, is a compromise choice.

Obviously, this is a keyboard for new entry-level players, a keyboard that can handle everything they need at work and off work. At this price point, it is worth choosing it for its good reputation, restrained appearance, and solid feel.

3. Razer Black Widow Spider V3 Green Switch

After comprehensive consideration, I prefer Razer’s Black Widow Spider V3, which can be regarded as “buy a light and get a keyboard free”.

It adopts a 104-key design that supports RGB lighting effects. In order to make the light show more eye-catching, the Razer Black Widow Spider V3 also uses a transparent shaft shell to better display the colorful lighting effects. In addition, the high keycaps adopt a two-color injection molding process, and there is also a frosted coating to delay keyboard oiling.

Among this series of products, I prefer the green switch. This is Razer’s own green switch body, with a total stroke of 4mm, a trigger stroke of 1.9mm and a trigger pressure of 50g. The key life is 80 million times. In fact, Razer’s green switches are similar to green switches, and are very similar to Cherry’s green switches. They both have a crisp and crackling feel. There is basically no problem except that they are noisy.

In addition to the 104 keys of a standard full-size keyboard, there are two multi-function digital dials and multimedia keys in the upper right corner of the keyboard, which can be set to play, pause, adjust volume or brightness through the Thundercloud 3 driver. There are three commonly used LOCK indicators on the left side of the keypad, as well as a macro definition and game mode indicator. Related functions can be triggered by Fn+F9/10. Thundercloud 3 has been said to be good by everyone who has used it. Each button supports custom mapping, as well as macro definition, game mode and other functions.

4. Rapoo V500PRO black switch
   This is a mechanical keyboard that you can definitely afford, and the price is only 99 yuan.

Rapoo’s V500 has always been a very high-selling series, for no other reason than that it is too cheap. What I recommend here is the wireless version, V500PRO, which uses a 2.4G wireless solution, and it is also a 104-key full-size keyboard. Taken together, it may be the cheapest 2.4G full-size configuration currently. Wireless mechanical keyboard.

What is price butcher? This is the keyboard.

In addition, if you want to experience the black switches, buy a game-specific keyboard to show your hand speed. This may also be the lowest-cost solution at present.

Moreover, just looking at the appearance, the Rapoo V500PRO wireless version of the mechanical keyboard is not cheap. It even has independent indicator lights, a black high-gloss decorative panel, and a power status indicator light. The lights do not leak light when they light up, so it does not look cheap.

At this price point, it is definitely an ABS laser-engraved keycap, but it is not wear-resistant, but it looks better than many two-color injection keycaps. It’s just a standard configuration, and you can change it to a higher-standard keycap at will. In addition, the details of the keyboard shell processing cannot withstand too picky and rigorous inspection. After all, for 99 yuan, what kind of bicycle do you need?

5. LANGTU GK85 gold switch
   This is another mechanical keyboard that both you and I can afford. The price is only more than 140 yuan, and it has all the essentials.

For example, Langtu GK85 has a moderate 85-key arrangement that I prefer. It removes the steel plate and adopts a steel-free structure and a transparent PC positioning plate. Therefore, it is obviously light and portable, does not take up space, and at the same time, the light penetration is relatively high. , coupled with 5 levels of light brightness adjustment and 19 lighting effects, it will be particularly beautiful at night.

Furthermore, Langtu GK85 also has three modes of wired, Bluetooth, and 2.4G that I strongly recommend as a priority. It even supports keyline separation and even sound-absorbing cotton soundproof pads.

Regarding the axis, I recommend the Langtu Golden Axis here. It is a linear axis similar to the red axis. The triggering force is 45g, the triggering stroke is 2mm, and the total stroke is 4mm. It is suitable for daily office coding.

In addition, Langtu GK85 supports full-key hot-swap and full-key rollover, and there is room for customization. If you have time and energy, you can further DIY.

Based on this price, the Langtu GK85 can provide these features and configurations. There is really no reason for me to reject it. Even if I buy it specifically to use the magic modification, it will not be a loss.

6. ROG Ranger 2 NX Xuewu white switch mechanical keyboard PBT version
   This keyboard is specially recommended for rich guys who have enough budget and want everything.

ROG products actually don’t need too much introduction. It’s hard to refuse at first glance at the appearance, especially this ROG Ranger 2 NX Xuewu white-switch mechanical keyboard.

98 layout, the key layout is compact, while retaining the small keyboard area, which is both functional.

In addition, it supports USB 2.0, Bluetooth 5.1, and wireless 2.4GHz three-mode, and the delay can be as low as less than 1ms. This is where big manufacturers differ from small manufacturers. ROG has its own SpeedNova wireless technology, which is a public version solution for small manufacturers. cannot be provided. I generally don’t recommend gamers to buy wireless keyboards, but ROG Ranger 2 is an exception.

In addition, this keyboard also supports full-key rollover and divine light synchronization. The keycaps are made of PBT material. It comes with a magnetic leather palm rest and a ROG Omni receiver, which supports the sharing of a receiver for the mouse and keyboard. If other keyboards are just piling up specifications, ROG Ranger 2 is full of specifications and details.

What I recommend here is the ROG NX Xuewu white switch. It is a linear switch without a sense of segmentation. It is pre-lubricated. It is equipped with a multi-layer silencer structure + integrated under-switch pad + sound-absorbing cotton. It has good percussion feedback. If you have other preferences, in terms of DIY, ROG Ranger 2 supports full-key hot swapping, and other switches can be replaced later.

Finally

Peripherals such as keyboards are already a highly mature and transparent category compared to mobile phones, computers and the like. Keyboard manufacturers that have survived to this day are all making good products. The keyboard itself is a product from the inside out. You can see all the details. So generally speaking, after confirming the layout and switch, you can quickly filter out the range of options with your budget. Just buy whichever one you like in terms of appearance, without getting entangled or worrying.

Of course, it needs to be emphasized that don’t put too much faith in “switch”. The various names of “switch” are just classifications of different axis structure routes. This means that the same switch can be made by different keyboard manufacturers. The feel may be different, and switches of the same color may be different if they are produced by different switch manufacturers.

This is just a keyboard guide for beginners. At best, it’s a guide for those who are just getting started without stepping into big traps. If you really want to choose a keyboard that satisfies you and best suits your usage habits and feel preferences, you still need more information. Buy and play more. Thanks for reading this. I hope everyone can choose a good keyboard that they like.