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
I do a mix of writing text, coding, and gaming. I like a noticeable tactility, but low force; typing on my old rubber-dome boards is just torture anymore, and even the Alps scissors in my Thinkpad T60p feel like excessive work to me these days.
I'm looking at this as I've never had the opportunity to really try out Topre-style switches before (and real Topre is way too spendy for that kind of experimentation for me). One of the things I'm looking for an improvement in (besides lower force) is faster repeated keypresses... from a shorter travel and/or an actuation point that's easier to flutter around (the actuation being just below the tactile point in the blues makes this just awkward for me, I basically have to do a full stroke).
So... anyone think I'm likely to be particularly happy or unhappy with this board?