Why Mechanical Keyboards
This should be one of the first things addressed, and if you don’t really agree with the why, you might want to save yourself a lot of time and money. But if you might agree just a little bit, then start small, or just check in with a friend who has a mechanical keyboard. See if you could borrow it (probably not), or if you could just try writing a quote on monkeytype.com with it.
Main Personal Reason: It feels good, really good.
To me, the feeling of a mechanical keyboard is the whole reason why I get a mechanical keyboard. Aesthetics are secondary, which might sound like total blasphemy to some. But I personally think that Mechanical Keyboards are one of the most feeling sensory things that I engage with as often as I can. It is that same feeling of drawing with a pencil on paper instead of writing on an iPad with an Apple Pencil. There’s just something missing there.
Standard built in keyboards are great, don’t get me wrong. I personally really enjoy typing, and that is essential enough for me to have purchased three Apple Magic keyboards in the years past. When I was enlisted in Singapore’s National Service, I brought my Dell keyboard along, because I needed to type a ton of emails, and that keyboard was the best one that I really enjoyed at that time.
So the feeling of a keyboard was what sold me for a mechanical keyboard. The day I got a full key switch tester, I went mad. I bought a Kailh Tester board, and it had clickies, tactiles, speed switches, everything. I pressed them all for days, just dreaming about having the switches to build a board with it. But it is that feeling that I am chasing.
A common parallel I always give is the difference between instant coffee and coffee from an artisan cafe. One will give you the hit of caffeine that you might need, and taste completely horrible. The other is something to be enjoyed. It costs a lot more, but you will get your hit of coffee plus a huge mood lift. Especially when you’re in a mood to work more. That’s what a mechanical keyboard is for me.
