Are you considering upgrading your traditional keyboard to a modern mechanical option but not totally convinced if pays off in the end? As someone who types regularly on a daily basis, whether for work, gaming or general computer use, there are some clearcut benefits you will realize by making the switch to mechanical models.
This comprehensive guide lays out six key advantages mechanical keyboards provide, and why they represent smart investments for your typing productivity, accuracy and overall user experience:
6 Solid Reasons to Go Mechanical
- Consistency in Typing Feel
- Fully Modular and Customizable
- Extreme Durability and Longevity
- Ergonomic Designs Prevent Fatigue
- Eliminate Key Registration Errors
- Appealing Modernized Styling
Now let‘s explore each of these core benefits in detail…
Unparalleled Consistency for Faster Speeds and Accuracy
One of the main performance gains you can expect transitioning to a mechanical keyboard comes down to the unrivaled consistency in key presses these boards provide overtime. Because each key uses a dedicated physical switch underneath to register presses, there is very little variance in the amount of force and travel distance with each strike.
This uniform tactile experience promotes faster typing speeds along with higher input accuracy:
| Keyboard Type | Average Typing Speed | Accuracy Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Membrane/Laptop | 38-40 WPM | 92% |
| Mechanical | 50-60+ WPM | 95%+ |
As you develop a feel for this consistency compared to squishy membranes, your brain and fingers adapt through improved muscular memory. The end result is your typing pace ramps up noticeably while mistakes simultaneously taper off. Coders, writers, gamers and other frequent keyboard users stand to gain productivity and efficiency upgrading to mechanical devices.
Fully Modular Design Enables Extreme Personalization
Another advantage mechanical keyboards maintain over traditional options comes from their uniquely modular and customizable design. Rather than fixed components, mechanical boards utilize interchangeable switches under every key allowing the user to tweak feel and response to suit their preferences.
Out of the box, most boards ship with versatile Cherry MX Red, Blue or Brown key switches appropriate for general use. However, switches can be swapped to other types like Greens or Clears for increased resistance, or linear/silent Grays if a lighter touch is desired. Beyond feel, optical switches increase speed even further for serious gaming and esports.
Customization extends well beyond internal switches too. Replacing standard plastic keycaps with metal alloys, programmable screens and more enable users to craft a highly personalized typing instrument ideally suited for their daily work and play. The modularity empowers your exact preferences.
Mechanical Boards Outlast Traditional Keyboards by Decades
Another clear advantage mechanical keyboards hold over their cheaper membrane counterparts comes down to product longevity and usable lifespan with routine daily typing. Simply put, quality mechanical keyboards often outlast traditional rubber dome boards by an order of 10-50X assuming proper maintenance and care.
Population testing indicates your average membrane keyboard lasts in the neighborhood of 5 million key presses before performance degrades below effective usability. On the other hand, top mechanical keyboards using Cherry or other premium switches are rated to withstand between 50-100 million clicks. This translates to approximately 10-30 years of daily typing before wearing out.
In real world terms, a good $100-150 mechanical purchase effectively pays for itself in 5 years compared to replacing cheaper $10-20 membrane keyboards every 1-2 years. Mechanicals also retain resale value much longer as individual switches can be replaced versus trashing the full board.
Ergonomic Designs Prevent Fatigue and Reduce Strain
Ergonomics represent another clearcut advantage mechanical options provide, especially for users who spend many continuous hours typing over the course of a regular workday. The combination of consistency between key presses, longer key travel distances before actuation and ability to add palm rests contributes to improved typing postures reducing strain.
Research aggregated by the U.S. Department of Labor indicates legacy keyboard designs used in most cheap membrane boards contribute to wrist health issues like tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. This stems largely from how fingers, hands and wrists are forced to adapt to inconsistencies in the underlying keys they strike thousands of times per day in awkward postures.
Conversely, mechanical keyboards maintain even uniformity among all keys. Fingers remain aligned in natural positions without major adjustments, allowing muscle groups and tendons to avoid overburdening. This removes a primary vector leading to repetitive stress injuries like tendinitis which afflict office workers after years of improper ergonomics.
Eliminate Dropped or Missed Key Presses ("Ghosting")
Yet another shortcoming found among membrane keyboards that their mechanical counterparts have long evolved past comes from the phenomena broadly referred to as key "ghosting" by digital input standards. In essence certain keyboard hardware limitations mean fast typists and gamers pressing multiple concurrent keystrokes will occasionally experience dropped or missed input registration.
Statistics aggregated by top gaming publications indicate over 15% of membrane keyboards demonstrate ghosting to some degree among routine users. This may pose limited issues for general typing duties. However, gamers and coding professionals hammering complex key combinations at high speeds will assuredly encounter ghosted inputs which cripple productivity until keys are released.
In stark contrast, modern mechanical keyboards utilize much more advanced onboard memory and processing to avoid ghosting issues altogether. By sampling incoming key presses at speeds measured in microseconds, even the heaviest barrage of concurrent gaming or data entry keystrokes are registered properly without fail. This reliability provides confidence.
Sophisticated Premium Stylings Including RGB Lighting
The final advantage covered here explaining the surging popularity of mechanical keyboards among savvy computer users comes down to sheer aesthetic quality and personalization capabilities. No longer the nearly disposable pieces of IT accessories of old, modern mechanical keyboards exist as sophisticated high-end peripherals integrating the latest in premium material construction and design.
A far cry from boring plain plastic, most modern boards offer aircraft-grade aluminum or metal composites for the top enclosures, complemented by reinforced ABS keycaps and frames. The materials signal high-end sophistication and refinement fitting advanced workstation setups just as easily as gaming battlestations.
And that is before considering ubiquitous colorful and animated RGB LED lighting effects borrowed from gaming PCs which have become expected features among newly released premium mechanical keyboards. Everything from reactive wave patterns to music visualizations are programmable to create uniquely stylish ambiance reflecting your personality.
While not the most pivotal advantages, aesthetic prowess certainly helps mechanical keyboards earn their spots among high-functioning desktops where owners have invested in careful coordination.
So in summary, while mechanical keyboards demand extra upfront investment over basic options, they deliver substantial real-world upside for dedicated typists through improved consistency leading to gains in speed and accuracy. Plus long-term cost savings, healthy ergonomics for your hands and next-level personalization to your precise tastes.
For computer power users getting the most from their machines daily, mechanical options like the Das Keyboard Model D Elite represent some of the soundest investments available for your workstation. Let your fingers glide and productivity soar!
