I was considering a mechanical keyboard, but I have read several reviews where problems with keys not working after a few thousand keystrokes. This is on even different brands all with Cherry mx switches. I also have read that for some there does not appear to have any advantage over the dome membrane key. My cynicism has been triggered. For the price of these expensive keyboards there should not any question of keystroke failure. I currently use a cheap 20 dollar Amazon backlit special with Ps2 adaptor. In fact I have never had any standard old usb or ps2 keyboard experience key failure. It looks to me that rubber dome is simpler than mechanical switches. Simplicity equates to reliabilty You can also buy 4 to 5 replacement keyboards for the price of one mechanical. I almost think this is hardware scam thing and its more psychological than real........
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mechanical key board reliability
- Thread starter zalazin
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Skripka
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There are three types of "review" you read on Amazon:
A) *uncommon*, the person who had the widget for 5 minutes and likes it.
2) *common*, the lemon buyer. This person is so pissed at getting the one lemon in 100 that they feel their experience is wholly common of everyone buying the damn widget.
III) *common* the PEBKAC who could fail at boiling water. This person has less smarts that a bag of hammers..and thanks to their idiocy they more than likely broke the device without even knowing it. And feel the need to vent their imbecilic rage on the internet
A) *uncommon*, the person who had the widget for 5 minutes and likes it.
2) *common*, the lemon buyer. This person is so pissed at getting the one lemon in 100 that they feel their experience is wholly common of everyone buying the damn widget.
III) *common* the PEBKAC who could fail at boiling water. This person has less smarts that a bag of hammers..and thanks to their idiocy they more than likely broke the device without even knowing it. And feel the need to vent their imbecilic rage on the internet
KazeoHin
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But srs, I don't think the difference between Mech and Memb keyboards to be as drastic as people claim, but I love the feel of cherry greens. MAXIMUM CLICK!!!
Skripka
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KazeoHin
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You see, if I could find a keyboard that stiff, I would absolutely LOVE it. The Cherry Greens are too soft for me to consider 'perfect' and they are the absolute stiffest available. I could easily enjoy a keyswitch with twice the force.
Skripka
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Except worn membrane boards don't just have a stiffness point to surpass like a Cherry....you have to drive them all the way through to bottoming out to get them to log a keystroke. I don't joke that you need a hammer to use them. You can't touch type, and your typing speed suffers drastically. Cherrys do not need to be bottomed out as the actuation point tends to be only half way through the key travel, which combined with low force makes touch typing easy.
Using one is bad for your wrist/hand health IMHO.
KazeoHin
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Ah, see, when I type, the keys ALWAYS bottom out, pretty hard as well. I like to BATTLE with my keyboard.
Skripka
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Bad typing technique. Heavy, slow, and inefficient. Also bad for your hands long term if you're in any kind of data entry intensive field.
KazeoHin
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Not really in a data-entry role, but I've always been super cumbersome with typing, and the ONLY way I can type quickly is by smashing the keyboard like an ape. Plus, it feels sooo goooood.
Here is the thing, a good mechanical keyboard can and will outlast any "good" membrane based unit. Not only that but the mechanical keyboards will probably suffer from an electronic failure or suffer an accident that physically breaks them before they wear out. Membrane keys start degrading immediately. It doesn't take long before the keys on a membrane unit start to feel different than they did on day one. After about six months, any membrane unit I've used makes creaking noises, or the keys don't press down with the same level of actuation force they once did.
Think of it this way, point of sale systems often use Cherry MX based keyboards by companies like TG3 electronics because they fucking last and can handle lots of physical usage. The problem is that there are a ton of different mechanical switches out there and they are often paired with varying quality electronics. Corsair's build quality is exceptional, but they often have serious firmware issues. The software included with many of the units that support macros adds layers of complexity that again cause issues. Keyboards like the reviled Black Widow series were hated by many for their substandard build quality, firmware issues and high failure rates. There are also differences in keycaps, housings, plate vs. PCB mounting, etc. Plate mounting, key cap quality and general build quality do effect the typing experience.
Blanket statements about mechanical keyboards vs. membrane keyboards need to many qualifiers to be made casually, and contain accurate information. Mechanical key switches have the potential to outlast their membrane counterparts by two or three times as many keystrokes and do so without ever feeling worn out. If you enjoy the typing experience, or if you have to do it a lot (like I do) then you want the experience to be as pleasant as possible. No, it won't improve your gaming scores or any bullshit like that. But a good mechanical keyboard destroys membrane based units in virtually every measurable way. (Sometimes physically. Some models, are quite durable.)
Think of it this way, point of sale systems often use Cherry MX based keyboards by companies like TG3 electronics because they fucking last and can handle lots of physical usage. The problem is that there are a ton of different mechanical switches out there and they are often paired with varying quality electronics. Corsair's build quality is exceptional, but they often have serious firmware issues. The software included with many of the units that support macros adds layers of complexity that again cause issues. Keyboards like the reviled Black Widow series were hated by many for their substandard build quality, firmware issues and high failure rates. There are also differences in keycaps, housings, plate vs. PCB mounting, etc. Plate mounting, key cap quality and general build quality do effect the typing experience.
Blanket statements about mechanical keyboards vs. membrane keyboards need to many qualifiers to be made casually, and contain accurate information. Mechanical key switches have the potential to outlast their membrane counterparts by two or three times as many keystrokes and do so without ever feeling worn out. If you enjoy the typing experience, or if you have to do it a lot (like I do) then you want the experience to be as pleasant as possible. No, it won't improve your gaming scores or any bullshit like that. But a good mechanical keyboard destroys membrane based units in virtually every measurable way. (Sometimes physically. Some models, are quite durable.)
Right on. For me, the experience with the mechanicals are much better than their membrane brethren. I even buy mechs for use at work and have gotten another guy to do the same.
I've only been using the Cooler Master CM Storm Quickfires recently. I prefer the smaller footprint and don't really have a use for the 10-key (I really only miss the 10-key when I want to type in some ASCII alt-code characters, but that's not often). I'm typing on a cherry blue at the moment, but think I prefer the reaction of the cherry brown on the other computer even though they're "less clicky".
I've only been using the Cooler Master CM Storm Quickfires recently. I prefer the smaller footprint and don't really have a use for the 10-key (I really only miss the 10-key when I want to type in some ASCII alt-code characters, but that's not often). I'm typing on a cherry blue at the moment, but think I prefer the reaction of the cherry brown on the other computer even though they're "less clicky".