Mechanical Keyboard Sound Isn't That Simple
Figure 1: I couldn't think of a more literal way to represent this article if I tried... Looking back just a few years ago, there’s no doubt that the huge influx of people that joined the hobby at the peak of the COVID pandemic were drawn to keyboards by way of YouTube, TikTok, and other audio-visual content platforms. Even as the output from these content creators has waned in recent months, their collective impact and legacy on the keyboard hobby is rather firmly etched in the history books. As a result of all of their sound tests, build logs, and opinion videos, the message is clear to any new person joining the hobby: mechanical keyboards are all about the sound. Thock this, clack that. Whether it’s keyboards, keycaps, or even singular switches, seemingly everyone new to the hobby meticulously pores over each component of their keyboard not in an attempt to figure out how it will feel in hand, but how it will sound as they’re furiously grinding their way out from...
Mar 27, 2024
This is my keyboard:
You can see it in action here:
https://youtu.be/GHlgqIOg6_0
At the end of the day, you have to figure out if you want a 60%, TKL, full-size... Or maybe a 65%, even a 40%. It’s all personal preference.
Notable exceptions are Topre, Matias and Logitech Romer G keyboards. With these you have a much smaller range of options for keycaps.
To my mind, the best of all are Cherry MX compatible keyboards which allow you to replace both the keycaps and the switches - such as the Massdrop ALT or the GMMK. Then you can play with over 100 different types of switches as well as many dozens of keycaps.
It's worth a bit of googling to learn about keycap profiles, materials and so on before going too wild. It can save you a lot of money.