Best Mechanical Keyboard

What’s so special about mechanical keyboards that have got nearly everyone making it their preferred choice for a keyboard?

Is it the durability it offers when compared to a membrane or scissor switch keyboards? Perhaps it is the functional customizable features? It is probably the switches. There are a lot of reasons to upgrade to a Mechanical keyboard if you’re not using one. Employing switches that range from tactile, clicky, and linear, it is geared to promote efficiency and make your keyboard experience pleasurable.

There are over a hundred mechanical keyboard brands that offer ergonomic benefits and other incredible features that are highly customizable and making a choice can be very difficult. No matter the reason that you’re browsing for a mechanical keyboard, there is a brand that serves the purpose, and having them at the tip of your fingers will place you a step ahead.

Let’s dive in!

Our Top 3 Picks For The Best Mechanical Keyboard

Pictek RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

Gaming Mechanical Keyboard

If you are a die-hard fan of games and you don’t have a mechanical keyboard as a buddy, then you should take a long hard look in the mirror (it’s a bitter pill but you’ve gotta swallow it – sorry).

The sounds and touch typical to a gaming Mechanical Keyboard is second to none. It provides a pleasurable gaming experience that makes you nostalgic when you try something else and the Pictek RGB mechanical gaming keyboard is a good one! It has an ergonomic design that flaunts two anti-slip rubber feet, integrated wrist support, and two foldable stands on the bottom that keeps the keyboard in a comfortable position.

The keys provide enviable tactile feedback with a lifespan of 10 million keystrokes. It has twenty-five anti-ghosting keys that are outfitted with interchangeable WASD and arrow keys. Typical of a functional mechanical gaming keyboard, this keyboard has five RGB backlit modes, four RGB lighting modes, and eight customizable single colors for the lighting modes.

To accentuate your gaming sounds, it has a volume wheel that is designed to control the volume for a thrilling gaming experience. It also has nine independent multimedia keys, (sadly, this function is not accessible to users of Mac OS) and a phone holder. This wired mechanical gaming USB keyboard has eight draining holes at the back that makes it spill resistant. This keyboard also has an eighteen month warranty and a forty-five day refund on it.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• It has twenty-five anti-ghosting keys
• It has an ergonomic design
• It is spill-resistant and easy to clean

Cons

• It has a short wrist rest
• Its multimedia functions are not available for Mac operating systems

Check it out on Amazon

Code V3 Mechanical Keyboard

Typing Mechanical Keyboard

If you’ve been dreaming about a mechanical keyboard that can help you type faster and more accurately, then hold your brakes and let the Code V3 mechanical keyboard take the wheels. It has a programmable key mapping function and macros on over four customizable layers through its hardware. It also has a detachable 70.8 inches type A to type C USB cable with cable ties and a five-way cable routing system.

Thanks to its Cherry MX switches, this keyboard is geared to give your typing experience a balance between speed and accuracy. It comes in different varieties of Cherry MX switches, providing an actuation force unique to each switch and a high-quality gold plated switch that is rated at 50 million cycles. It has a wired keycap puller and a rubberized flip-out foot. To add spice to your typing experience, this keyboard has customizable RGB LED lock indicators, white LED backlighting with seven levels of brightness, and onboard memory that saves your lighting preference.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• It has a multichannel cable routing system
• It can be fully programmed through its hardware
• It has a backlighting option with seven levels of brightness

Cons

• It has a mini USB connection
• It is not ideal for gaming

Check it out on Amazon

Das Mechanical Keyboard 4 Professionals

Programming Mechanical Keyboard.

The feel of a mechanical keyboard cannot be compared with any other. There’s no close or perfect substitute for it. Take your programming skills to the next level by using the Das Mechanical Keyboard 4 professionals. It is well designed by a team of professionals to provide a remarkable programming experience that is second to none.

It uses Cherry MX Brown switch (it is also available in a Cherry MX Blue Switch) that provides a soft tactile bump upon every keypress. It has a lifespan of over 50 million keystrokes and uses an N-key rollover for faster typing and programming. The fonts on the keycaps are laser etched with a sleek design that provides audio feedback with anti-ghosting features.

It also has two 3.0 USB ports, an extra-long USB cable with a single USB type A cable. Once inactivity is detected, it is designed to enter into sleep mode to save energy and keep its battery life. This keyboard also has an oversized volume knob and a magnetically detachable footrest that can also function as a ruler.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• It uses an N-Key rollover with anti-ghosting features
• The Inscriptions on the keycaps are laser etched for durability
• It has two 3.0 USB ports

Cons

• It does not have a wrist pad
• It does not have a backlighting option

Check it out on Amazon

Other Popular Mechanical Keyboards

It is understandable if you’re not satisfied with my top 3 picks for the best mechanical keyboards, there are a lot of options! Here are some other top choices:

Things to Consider When Picking a Mechanical Keyboard

Switch Type

If you’re in the market for a mechanical keyboard, the first and most important factor to consider is the switch type. This factor underlines the purpose that you want the mechanical keyboard to serve and your overall feeling and comfort. Basically, there are two types of mechanical switches (Linear and Tactile) but the second will be subdivided into two. It is important to note that each switch is unique in its own way and it is largely advisable to try out a preferred switch type before purchasing it.

Linear switch

This mechanical switch requires less force to press down the keys (actuation force) and produces less noise when compared to a tactile switch. It gives off no feedback, has an actuation force of 45g, an actuation point of 2mm, a travel distance of 4mm, and a lifespan of 50 million keystrokes. It is mostly represented by the color red (lighter) and black (heavier, with an actuation force of 60g).

Tactile Switch

This variant of a mechanical switch requires more actuation force and produces more noise. There are two kinds of tactile switches. They are:

The soft tactile (usually referred to as Tactile):  This switch type produces less sound and is mostly favored by typists, writers and office workers. It has an actuation force of 45g, an actuation point of 2mm, a travel distance of 4mm and a lifespan of 50 million keystrokes. It is  mostly represented by the color Brown.

The clicky tactile switch (usually referred to as Clicky): This switch is mostly favored by gamers. It is quite noisy but does well to improve one’s gaming experience. It has an actuation force of 60g, an actuation point of 2mm and a travel distance of 4mm and a lifespan of 50 million keystrokes. It is mostly represented by the color blue.

Noise

The three types of mechanical switches produce sounds that are unique to each switch. The sounds are gratifying to its user and helps to identify them easily.

Linear switch: A linear switch features smooth keystrokes upon each keypress and requires less force. It gives off no feedback and the sounds produced are almost silent.

Clicky Switch: This switch type produces the loudest switch sound of all mechanical switches. It produces a clicky sound with a bumpy feedback on each keystroke. It is not ideal for an office environment because others may find the noise distracting.

Tactile Switch: This mechanical switch requires lesser force to actuate than a clicky switch and gives off a soft tactile feedback. The sound produced is relatively quiet and moderate when compared to a clicky switch.

Topre switches: The sound produced by Topre switches is unique to it. It gives off a “tock” sound upon each key press.

Travel Distance

This mechanical terminology refers to the distance a key has to be pressed before it is recognized. Keys with shorter travel distance requires less actuation force and the level of travel distance highly depends on the type of switch used. We’ll be discussing the three types  of switches and their travel distance particular to Cherry MX switches, Razer mechanical switches, Topre mechanical switches, and Kailh Mechanical switches.

Cherry MX switches:  Cherry MX Blue, Brown and Red mechanical switches have a travel distance of 4.0mm, with the exception of the Cherry MX Silver Speed that has a travel distance of 3.5mm.

Razer Mechanical Switches: Razer Green and Razer Orange Mechanical switches feature a travel distance of 4.0 mm, with the exception of the Razer Yellow Switch that has a travel distance of 3.5mm. Also, the Razer Optomechanical switch has a travel distance of 3.0mm.

Kailh Mechanical Switches: Kailh Blue, Black, Red and Brown Mechanical switches have a travel distance of 4.0 mm with the exception of the speed switches (gold, bronze, silver, and copper) which have a travel distance of 3.5mm.

Topre Mechanical Switches: The variants of Topre mechanical switches that require 30g – 55g of actuation force all have a travel distance of 4.0mm.

Other Factors to Consider when Purchasing a Mechanical Keyboard

N-key Rollover

Key rollover refers to the number of keys that can be pressed simultaneously and registered by the keyboard. N-key rollover signifies an unlimited key rollover. Each keypress is registered independently no matter the number of keys pressed at the same time. It is a very nice idea to purchase a mechanical keyboard with this feature because it could help you type faster and better.

Tenkeyless

A tenkeyless mechanical keyboard is a keyboard that doesn’t feature the numeric pad. It is a derivative of the ten numbers (0-9) present on the keyboard. This feature is common in keyboards with a compact layout. It has ergonomic benefits and it is highly preferred by gamers and small space users who do not use the numeric pad a lot.

Layout

This depends on the positioning of the keys on the keyboard. A mechanical keyboard can be standard sized, featuring a complete set of mechanical keys and some others can be compact, featuring as low as 40% – 75% of the keys of a mechanical keyboard. The number of keys contributes to the layout of the keyboard. Despite having a similar number of keys, the layout can be different. Examples are Happy Hacking Mechanical keyboard and Anne Pro 2.

Keycaps

The type of key caps used will contribute largely to the durability of the keys. The two kinds of plastic from which mechanical keycaps are made are ABS and PBT plastic. A key cap made from PBT plastic is more durable than the former and is highly resistant to shine or wear. Although ABS keycaps are cheaper to produce, quiet to type on and have a smooth and shiny look, they are lightweight when compared to PBT keycaps that are well textured, more brittle and have a matte finish.

List of Mechanical Switch Colors

There are several colors of switch type. The color signifies the type of mechanical switch featured by the keyboard and it is highly dependent on the manufacturing company. Despite the numerous colors of switches, each of them is designed to represent either a linear, a tactile or a clicky switch.

Due to the vast number of switch manufacturing companies, a color used by two different companies might signify different switches and thus will have different actuation force. This said, let’s get ready for a festival of colors!

Red Switch

This color represents a linear mechanical switch. It is light and does not require a lot of force to depress. It is a very nice switch for fast gamers because it requires very little actuation force. This makes it very responsive, and relatively silent, providing no tactile or clicky feedback. It can be found in switch brands such as Cherry, Gateron, Outemu, Kailh, and Logitech.

Black Switch

This color represents a linear switch but with a heavier actuation. It requires 60g of actuation force, unlike the lighter linear switch that requires 45g of actuation force. The higher actuation force required makes it durable and easy to double-tap, although its user is prone to finger fatigue. It produces no tactile or clicky feedback and has a smooth feel to it. It is available in brands such as Cherry, and Kailh.

Brown Switch

This color of the mechanical switch is widely used to represent a tactile mechanical switch. It is considered as a middle ground and a multi-purpose switch that is nice for gaming, typing, and especially for office use. Its noise level is relatively moderate and gives off a tactile bump upon each keystroke. It is highly recommended for people who are trying out mechanical switches for the first time as well as people who touch-type. It is also perfect for people who prioritize accuracy over speed in activities such as gaming, programming, and typing. This switch color is offered by brands such as Cherry, Kailh, Outemu, and Gateron.

Blue Switch

Being the loudest of all mechanical switches, this color represents a clicky switch. It gives off a loud bump upon actuation and It is fairly resistant and doesn’t spring back as quickly as a tactile switch after actuation. It is highly appreciated by gamers and typists who like to hear the sound of each keystroke when depressed. This clicky switch is available in brands such as Cherry, Kailh, Outemu, and Gateron.

Yellow Switch

This is also a linear switch that requires minimal actuation force. It produces an almost-silent sound upon actuation. It is very fast and highly recommended for faster and frequent key presses during gaming sessions. It can be found in switch brands such as Razer and Gateron.

Green Switch

With this switch comes another flavor of a clicky mechanical switch.  It features a distinctive tactile / clicky sound upon key presses and is a nice option for gaming and typing. It is peculiar to Razer Switches as a clicky switch and Cherry MX switches as a tactile switch. The difference in switch stem makes the actuation force unique to each brand.

Orange Switch

A variant of a tactile switch, it is nice for typing and is peculiar to Razer Mechanical switches. Despite the similarities between an orange and a green switch, it gives off the typical loud noise of a clicky mechanical switch.

Purple Switch

Signifying different switches for different brands, it is relatively durable and generally nice for gaming and typing. It is available as an opto-mechanical Razer switch and also available in brands such as Kailh, and Outemu in shades such as light purple, dark purple and ice purple as a linear switch.

White Switch

This mechanical switch is very heavy and provides an audible tactile feedback and is very good for typing. The brands for which a white mechanical switch is available includes Cherry MX switches and Kailh box white.

Grey Switch

Unique to Cherry MX Switches, the grey color mechanical switch is a diluted version of the Cherry MX Brown switch. It produces a noticeable but noiseless tactile feedback but with a higher actuation force than the brown. It is highly suitable for a space bar with Cherry MX switches and heavy handed typists.

Pink Switch

Popularly known as silent red, this linear switch is very quiet and it’s noise level is quieter than a red mechanical switch. It is ideal for gaming and requires very little actuation force, making it smooth and very sensitive.

Conclusion

Without much hassle, a mechanical keyboard has become a popular keyboard choice that dutifully serves typists, gamers, programmers, and other dedicated users. Its amazing features are second to none and are geared to provide a pleasurable experience.

I hope that this article proved helpful and ended your search for the best mechanical keyboard. If you did not find what you were looking for here, there are other options on Amazon.

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