Keyboards are part of our everyday lives. They are one of the main ways that we interface with our computers, which we use every day. They are the means by which we submit our ideas to the global forum of the internet.

Shoes are part of our everyday lives. They are one of the main ways that we interface with the world, because we use shoes to help us travel to achieve what we need to do.

It is generally understood that shoes are worth spending on, because we use them so often. Skimping on shoes results in discomfort, health issues, reduced efficiency in travel, and short-lived shoes that need to be replaced often. When people buy shoes, they often buy the best they can reasonably afford.

Why is it not the same with keyboards?

For a few people out there, it is. And when it comes to buying the best, there is no question as to which that is; mechanical keyboards are the best.

Why are mechanical keyboards so good? To answer this question, we must first consider the difference between mechanical keyboards and your run-of-the-mill office keyboard.

Most regular keyboards are rubber dome keyboards. That means that when you press the key, it depresses a small rubber dome that, when depressed, completes a circuit and sends a signal to the computer indicating that a key was pressed.

https://sitesdoneright.com/blog/2013/02/why-my-mechanical-computer-keyboard-is-better-than-your-keyboard

The problem with this mechanism is that rubber isn’t the most consistent, durable, or responsive material for keyboard keys. They are most often described as feeling “squishy.” The force required to depress a rubber dome switch varies greatly between keys or even between different presses of a single key. The force required to depress a switch varies even more as stickiness and jamming develop. Overall, rubber dome keyboards are not pleasant; some even describe them as odious. To go back to our shoe analogy, rubber dome switches are the equivalent of generic Walmart flip flops.

Mechanical keyboards, on the other hand, rely on a spring as their switch mechanism.

https://betanews.com/2017/02/06/hyperx-cherry-mx-red-brown-switches-alloy-fps-mechanical-gaming-keyboard/

These are extremely consistent in force required for actuation and feel, and boy do they feel good. (I know, I just said a keyboard feels good. Don’t make fun of me.) They are usually rated to last for 50,000,000 presses, and could probably survive being typed on by a hippo. I’ve never heard of anyone needing to replace a mechanical keyboard because it wore out; people always upgrade because they realize they want an even better mechanical keyboard.

That’s the one small (or large, depending on the person) problem with mechanical keyboards: once you use one, there’s no going back, despite the dramatically increased price. Every rubber dome keyboard I end up having to use in campus computer labs feels to me like typing on under-cooked noodles. But that’s not too dissimilar to switching from flip flops to tennis shoes for daily drivers.

However, just like tennis shoes, mechanical keyboards range from the budget staples to premium standard-setters to extravagant collector’s editions that come out in batches of 100 with assembly required, imported directly from South Korea. These premium keyboards are the ones for the aforementioned people who have a large problem with collecting keyboards. However, if you’re just a regular consumer looking for a reasonable product, most mechanical keyboards can be found for between $40 and $100. This price is worth it, in my opinion and the many others who own one. However, be warned: once you try it, you can’t go back.