I realize one may prefer different key types for gaming vs. work, but overall I wonder what you all prefer?
Clicky = very loud click with noticeable bump
Tactile = bump but no loud click
Linear = no bump, very smooth
I use tactile for work and linear for gaming, although, my son keeps unplugging my linear keyboard and plugging in a super clicky one on that PC. He has much to learn.
My keyboard at work and home are identical: Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. Been using them for as long as they existed for gaming and work. Ergo keyboards are terrible if you need a lot of keys for gaming m/k, but I’ve somehow managed. In a m/k configuration, only my left hand is using the keyboard so getting a different one is pointless as it’d be more than half unused.
Wait, what was the question? Oh, does that make it tactile then? Not clicky like mechanical, but not linear like a laptop.
Tactile means you feel a little bump, clicky means you both feel and hear it.
I prefer clicky, tactile, and linear in that order for desktop use and just always linear for gaming because hall effect switches are all linear and they’re the only ones that will actually improve your performance to any degree at all.
Linear is fine to type on too, so I went with the Wooting full keyboard.
The old Microsoft keyboards are probably membranes, seen as the least pleasurable to use. There’s no mechanical or magnetic switch, you’re pushing down on a rubber dome that completes a circuit.
I like an audible click, but not obnoxious, so I think brown switches or equivalent usually fill that requirement. Currently using a Keychron Q5.
I used to use tactiles, but over time have shifted to linears, and specifically about as light of a linear as I can get. I apply a pretty high tenting angle to my keyboard, and don’t really have an issue with accidental activations.
Currently using a Moonlander with Kailh Box Spring switches (40 gf) for work, and a SteelSeries Apex Pro (adjustable Hall Effect switches) on my gaming system, though to be honest it’s kind of a waste since I mostly use gamepads for gaming these days.
Clicky all way. The louder, the better.
Oh, I should have guessed that it’s about mechanical keyboards and not in general. I looked into some but none grabbed my interest enough to give up on what I have for the price of them. Not like it’s cheap to try out.
Yep, this is me as well. If MS ever announces that they’re ending production I’ll be buying ten of them to ensure there’s always spares.
I HATE the clicks; always have since I was a little kid and my parents were pounding away on their keyboards. Linear is probably my preference (my current keyboard uses MX Speed Silver switches), although I’m not against tactile; I view them as clicky keys which have reformed their ways and now respect the rule of law.
I’ve finally managed to get split ergo mechanical keyboards for both work and home. Home keyboard is a Cloudnine with full keypad and MX Blue clicky switches; work keyboard is a clicky Kinesis Gaming split design sans keypad.
There were always rumors that Microsoft had been working on a mechanical Natural Keyboard; that would have been keyboard nirvana. But they never shipped such a thing before they canned their keyboard/mouse development (except for Surface stuff).
My accuracy is just way better with clicks.
I swear by the Keychron K4. I like the compact design and it includes a numpad (must have for work). However the best feature is that I can switch between MacOS or Windows with the flick of a switch on the side. I also primarily use it wired and not wireless. I own one for work and one for home. Brown keys are clicky enough for me.
Glad you posted that. Id’ been curious if there was a keyboard layout that got rid of the space between the key categories. That layout is pretty ingenious.
I would have to replace those key caps… it would drive me nuts to have symbols next to each other, especially for software development. I want to know what I’m getting when I hold down shift.
It’s certainly not ideal to have the symbols so small but it looks like all they did was move the shifted symbol to the right of the non-shift symbol. Not sure why they’d bother making another change like this unless it’s to differentiate themselves from ‘normal’ keyboards or something. Maybe they found the symbols didn’t wear off as quickly if they tucked them away from where the finger hits most often.
I looked at those Kinesis things and…yeah, I think I need one!
In defense of Razer … I do hate their software (Synapse) but have had a good run with their hardware.
I had a day with my old Razer Black Widow and my ineptness. This AM, no keystrokes were detected from it despite it running System Shock flawlessly at midnight last night.
After trading keyboards up and downstairs with the Amazon $20 keyboard special I got for work a year ago, I then noticed when I was coming back down with it and tilted it that … cough … some tea came out. And left a damp spot on the desk where I had it. I guess that teapot leakage that I wiped up yesterday AM, well gravity will gravity.
I’m sure the dried tea leaves that have gone in there along with chunks of crystal sugar and who knows what else that I shook out over the years didn’t help either.
Oh, well, I was pleased to see that it took my abuse for 8 years and nearly a month. RIP and the new numberpadless Razer keyboard will be here manana AM so all is well. At half the cost and then 20% off!