Are Mechanical Keyboards Worth It?

If you’re wondering whether or not mechanical keyboards are actually worth it? You’re definitely not alone.

There will be a lot of people out there nodding their heads and agreeing when I say “Mechanical keyboards sure do seem expensive”.

They are – and there’s a lot of reasons for that – which we will get into another time.

However, for now – you’ve got to think to yourself is it actually worth it?

Let’s get into what to consider.

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Have You Ever Typed on a Mechanical Keyboard Before?

To actually work out, whether a mechanical keyboard is worth it for you.

You’re going to need to actually try out some mechanical keyboards out there for a period of time. Sure, you’re going to immediately know if some of the keyboards are not for you.

But you should definitely try them out.

There are a bunch of specialist stores that allow you to try different ones – or you can ask a friend if you can lend them their old keyboard for a while to see if it is something you like the use of.

The only ‘real’ way is you trying them out to begin with.

Then you’re going to know whether or not you like it. Generally it comes down to the following: overall experience, typing speed and typing endurance.

Those are usually the main benefits where a mechanical keyboard advocate will have over a standard membrane keyboard. If the benefits don’t make sense to you – then it’s likely the higher cost just simply means it is not worth it.

Three Main Types of Mechanical Keyboard

There are pretty much three main types of mechanical keyboard that you should be testing out. That’s a “Linear” version which is the most common and they have a linear keypress with no real feedback in terms of tactical or audible ‘clicking’. The pullback here is that it can be a little bit draining in terms of typing endurance.

This lack of feedback is subjective – some people prefer this – whereas some don’t. Getting feedback after a click I guess ensures that the key has indeed been pressed.

Then there is “Clicky” this basically offers the typical imagery of what most people think when you mention mechanical keyboards. They are pretty loud to be fair. They are ok if it is just you in the room – but it can get annoying pretty fast for other people.

Then my favorite which is the tactical keyboards that offer a little bump when you press a key that offers a bit of feedback but some complain that it can make typing a bit slower. I reckon you should definitely be trying all three though and see which speaks to you.

Can You Type Faster on a Mechanical Keyboard?

This is one of the many claimed benefits that you can get when you switch from a standard keyboard (membrane) to a mechanical keyboard.

You can type faster.

At least after you’ve got used to the mechanical keyboard – there was definitely an adjusting period for me.

However, I did notice after I started logging my words per minute after the switch start to increase. I like to use this “Free Typing Test” for that and I’ve noticed I’ve gone from around 80 words per minute to around 90 minutes per minute.

That’s essentially a 10%+ gain – which is pretty significant if you think about just how many words you type together on average over the course of an entire day.

I’m not sure it was necessarily my speed getting faster but my accuracy improved. But who knows, the more typing tests you do – the better you’re going to get.

But hey, if you’re getting better at typing – not a bad thing at the end of the day.

Can You Type for Longer?

One of the more anecdotal advantages that I have felt since switching to mechanical every now and again – is that I can just type for longer.

It’s less taxing with the immediate kickback on some of the keys – and that being able to type faster and more accurately makes the whole experience more fun.

I’m not the only one either – there are plenty of others out there – that seem to experience this same advantage. Granted, I think this only really works when you have found the right type of mechanical keyboard for you – so keep exploring till you find the right one.

The one that you thought would be the the best – it might not quite be the case.

Does it Feel Better?

If you are doing a lot of typing during the day –whether it is writing out blog posts – or just general chatting and emails amongst colleagues.

Investing in a keyboard that offers you a better overall experience – is definitely worth it. This can really be applied to anything in life in my view.

If you do something a lot – then it is probably worth getting the best of that thing. Whether it is mattresses, sofas and TVs – if you spend a lot of your time doing something – then chances are you should invest in a quality product to help you.

When it comes to keyboards – there’s no difference. Ultimately, a mechanical keyboard – at the right style for you (there are a lot of switches to test out there) will end up with a generally more enjoyable experience your end.

More Durable

Compared to your typical ‘membrane’ keyboard – the argument can be made that a mechanical keyboard is more robust.

They should last you a long, long time and often come with long guarantees – so that can help justify the money as well.

Plus, just the way they have built means that they can be easily replaced if something was to actually go wrong with any of the keys. The switch and key can all be switched out when necessary.

You Can Go Custom

Of course, another great advantage to mechanical keyboards is that you can pretty much go as custom as you want to. They do look pretty epic when you match the color of your gaming room with your keyboard.

Switch out the switches – switch out the keys – you’re only really restricted to the overall base. You should check a range of different designs out there to get some inspiration of just how far you can go.

Some look awesome. Then if you’re not liking a certain switch type, you can often change that out too. Just be sure to do your research into the keyboard you’re getting – so you know what you can and can’t do.

Comes Down to Personal Choice

At the end of the day it is a personal choice but hopefully with the above points – I’ve given you a few things to think about on whether mechanical keyboards are worth it – and at least a foundation for some more research:

Do you prefer your current tying keyboard set up?
What type of mechanical keyboard would suit you best?
Do you like the experience that it provides?
Are you getting better output in terms of typing?

Then ultimately, you can consider whether that it is something that you want to do when it comes to your overall typing. Personally, I actually find myself mixing it up a lot between my standard Apple Magic Keyboard that has a relatively low profile and my NuPhuy Halo65.

I think if you’re thinking about it but you’re not quite sure still, see if one of your friends has a mechanical keyboard and whether you feel like the overall experience was something you were interested in.

Then if that’s the case I would start out with something more on the budget end – but still do your research into the actual switch type – then over the course of the next few weeks, you should get a good base if you like them.

Then if you want to upgrade – sell your current one – and then invest in something a bit more substantial (again make sure to do your due diligence there).

Of course, I get that it is not super practical to go ahead and just test out every variation of keyboard – so it can come down to pot luck – but if you get chance to do your due diligence that will go a long way.

Please do reach out and let us know whether you think mechanical keyboards are actually worth it?