Mechanical keyboards have keyboard switches that are made of various moving parts. The keyboard switches emulate a typewriter and make a clicking sound when you type.
The mechanical keyboards tend to have a spring-loaded switch for each key. Typists prefer them over membrane keyboards due to the feel and springiness. Moreover, gamers prefer mechanical keyboards as they enable faster speed.
Nowadays, only premium keyboards have key switches, while the majority are rubber dome keyboards which are a mix of mechanical keyboards and membrane keyboards. While mechanical keyboards have spring or metal contacts, the traditional rubber dome keyboards rely on rubber dome switch technology.
What is a mechanical keyboard made of
Mechanical keyboard features are designed to provide a better feel and are way ahead of the rubber dome keyboards. Made with durable plastics, they are sure to last longer than membrane keyboards and easier to clean.
Most mechanical keyboards have linear switches or tactile switches. With tactile switches, when your fingers press the keys, you do not need to go all the way down and quickly move to the next key.
Most mechanical keyboards have cherry switches nowadays. When your fingers press the key, the spring-loaded switches buckle outwards rather than pressing down.
For instance, the Das keyboard has Cherry MX switches, which may be blue or brown. The Cherry MX Blue switches make a clicking sound, while the cherry MX browns have a tactile bump.
In addition to the cherry MX brown and blue switches, there are other switches. For instance, the Cherry MX reds are linear switches that allow for a light touch and smooth clicking. These are suitable for gaming keyboards as gamers tend to prefer smooth keystrokes as they enable quick action.
Mechanical keyboard's application
The choice of keyboards mainly depends on user preference. However, as suggested, they allow for faster typing and make for good gaming keyboards.
You can customize mechanical keyboards in many ways. For instance, you can use programmable keys on the keyboard. You can also get backlit keycaps. There are mechanical keyboards with RGB backlighting to allow light to pass through the keycap.
Here's a great video by Linus on mechanical keyboards and why they rock!
