True Mechanical Keyboard vs Mechanical – Feel Keyboard vs Membrane Keyboard
A keyboard’s a keyboard; right? Well… not quite. To effectively determine which keyboard is the best we should first try to understand how each keyboard works and what they offer you.
What is a True Mechanical Keyboard?
These are keyboards where each individual key has a single dedicated switch underneath it, much like the click button switches on a quality mouse. Usually, these keyboards are made from metal and quality plastic and fitted with a key switch underneath the keycaps. This means each key provides tactile feedback to the user that the key has been successfully activated. They are usually recognisable by a distinct “click” sound when the key is depressed. Not only do True Mechanical keyboards offer precision when touch-typing or playing games, but they also offer faster and easier typing, increasing the users’ typing speed. True Mechanical Keyboards offer the following benefits; They are more durable with the ability to replace a single switch should any fail, they require less pressure on the keys to activate, they offer Anti-Ghosting which means that multiple keys can be pressed simultaneously and all the signals will go through to the computer, they offer a much quicker reaction time.
In many cases, True Mechanical keyboards will also include individual lighting elements under each key which can be programmed to show different lighting patterns, colours, and intensity.
What is a Mechanical Feel Keyboard?
These are the keyboards that you will most likely find on your laptop. They are not as bulky as True Mechanical Keyboards. They offer some key feedback to the user and make less noise than the usual clicky keyboards they are cheaper alternatives to True Mechanical Keyboards.
With Mechanical Feel Keyboards, the keycap sits over a rubber dome that provided some of the resistance for tactile feedback. These keyboards are not as ergonomic as True Mechanical Keyboards and offer less precision when typing extremely fast. Mechanical Feel Keyboards do offer a significant noise reduction for users who do not like the clicking sound from keyboards.
What is a Membrane Keyboard?
These are the keyboards that you will most often find in offices. They are not as bulky as True Mechanical Keyboards. They work purely on a rubber dome system similar to the Mechanical Feel keyboards, but the main difference is that the control system on these work in a row of keys all on the same controller matrix so there is a limit to how many keys can be pressed simultaneously with instant control signals sent to the computer. These are produced with the entire frame holding the keys in 1 process, so are much more economical to produce. They will not offer the speed or tactile feedback of a Mechanical Keyboard but are substantially cheaper. These keyboards typically do not have any lighting effects, but in some budget gaming keyboards with membrane keys, there is a strip of coloured lights under the keys giving a rainbow lighting effect with a limited variety of colour or intensity.
