Buying a mechanical keyboard: how to choose the right one between switches, materials, layout and dimensions

More or less everyone, with a few exceptions, is here used to using keyboards that are uncomfortable, mediocre or just plain bad. And the years of the pandemic have not helped: forced into the house by continuous lockdowns and closures, many have bought new computers, especially laptops, to work from home or study from home. Very often characterized by keyboards of dubious quality.

There is a way to solve this problem, and it is a way that more and more people are realizing: to use a mechanical keyboard, which is able to give an experience (tactile, auditory and visual as well) decidedly more satisfying, whether writing or playing. These are the keyboards that existed before, understood as before the unstoppable diffusion of membrane keyboards, and which are now making a comeback.

Choosing the right mechanical keyboard for your needs is not easy though, as there is an impressive variety, with prices that can range from 70 to 100, 200 and even 300 euros and beyond. A mistake can therefore cost you dearly, which is why we thought of creating this guide to buying mechanical keyboards: without the pretension of recommending any specific model but with the intention of giving some practical advice on what aspects to consider to make no mistake.

Size matters

This is one of the main aspects to take into consideration: how much space do we have on the desk? We have to type many digits, so we need the numeric keypad? Will the keyboard often need to be transported? Depending on the size, traditional keyboards are basically divided into 3 large areas: full size, TKL and compact.

The full size keyboards, also called keyboards 100%, are the ones that have everything: function keys, arrows and even the numeric keypad. They are typical office keyboards.

The TKL keyboards (the acronym stands for tenkeyless, where tenkey is the numeric keypad and the suffix -less indicates that they do not have one), also known as 80% keyboards, they have everything except the numeric keypad: they are much smaller than the previous ones but require few sacrifices .

Compact keyboards are more or less those found in laptops: no numeric keypad, keys packed close together, and often no function keys. The most common are the keyboards 75% (the numeric keypad is missing, and the keys are closer together than the TKL) and the 60-65-68 keyboards, which usually also lack the function keys and the arrow keys. There are also smaller ones, the 40% keyboards, also without the row of numbers above the letters, but it is really difficult to get used to using them to type.

The our advice, if space permits, is to focus on a TKL keyboard, or on a 75% but with the arrows slightly detached from the block of letters (to the right of the Enter key, to be clear). Giving up the keypad also allows you to keep any mouse or trackpad closer, which in the long run avoids possible shoulder and neck fatigue.

Choose the right layout

Another fundamental point, probably even more important than the previous one: it is necessary to choose the key layout that is appropriate for your language. It’s not just about the usual and by now known QWERTYU scheme (from the sequence of the first row of keys, from left to right), but also about verifying that the layout is the right one for Italy. That there are accented letters, for example.

If that’s true mechanical keyboards are reprogrammable via software (starting from here)so that pressing a key may eventually return a different letter or symbol to the screen than the one shown, it is equally true that if some keys are physically absent some characters will be very, very difficult to type.

Simplifying, keyboard layouts are basically divided into two, Ansi And ISO: the first is the American one, with the horizontal Enter key, the larger left Shift (it eats up the major/minor key) and the total absence of any accented letter; the second is instead the one for us Europeans, in turn declined with the initials of the various countries.

The our advice is to look for mechanical keyboards with ISO ITA layout, which however practically do not exist: almost all manufacturers offer only the Ansi variant, with the exception of a few brands (Corsairs And Logitech, from our checks). However, there is a solution, because more and more companies are starting to offer ISO ITA key kit to replace those installed by default. And that brings us to the next point.

Hot-swap keyboards and customization

The advantage of modern mechanical keyboards, compared to those that were used years and years ago, is that anyone can get their hands on it not only above but also inside, without necessarily being a maker or in any case an expert.

You need a couple of tools (which are usually included in the kits you buy or even in pre-assembled keyboards), after which you can remove the keys that don’t fit to replace them with the correct ones. In order to do this, however, it is essential that the keyboard be hot-swap, which is a bit like saying that the keys are plug-and-play: you remove the key, put the new one in and everything works as if nothing had happened.

This obviously also opens the way to infinite customization possibilities, for color the keys as you wish, use some of one totality and some of another, highlight some specific letter and so on. Online, even on Amazon, there are dozens and dozens of letter kits for the most diverse tastes, with prices ranging from 20-30 euros and up.

The our advice is to choose a mechanical keyboard from a brand that offers already complete kits for converting to the ISO ITA layout, such as Keychron, and to prefer PBT keycaps over cheaper ABS ones, which are thinner, more sensitive to wear and generally noisier. However, this is an aspect also influenced by the next point of this guide.

A switch for every need

There customization of mechanical keyboards it depends not only on the size of the base and the keys, but also on what is in between. That is, from the individual switches that are under each letter or symbol. There is some on the market a dozen variants, different in sound, stroke and strength required to be activated (pressed, that is).

Obviously, the idea is not to choose the individual switches for each individual key (which you could do if you wanted to, because there are also kits of switches only for sale) but more simply to buy an already assembled keyboard that has the most suitable ones to the use that will be made of it. Until a few years ago, there was practically only one company producing them: her name is Cherry and she was known all over the world for it. In 2014, when the patents expired, many others jumped into the sector, making more or less faithful copies of Cherry switches, often even following their name.

In a nutshell, switches can be divided into 3 large families: linear, tactile and clicky, which are the noisiest ones. They are distinguished by color, and each is suitable for a different type of use: simplifying, i first are better for video gamers, i seconds to write, i third parties for those who want to have a bit of a typing feeling (and disturb the people around).

The our advice is to choose switches Red (in short, red) from brands such as Gateron or Cherry, suitable for both writing and gaming. If you’re more into writing, you can switch to those Brownwhile if you face many video games you can choose the Silver, lighter and quicker to press. The Blues are the noisiest, which is something to consider if working next to other people.

Wired or wireless?

Wireless mechanical keyboards, which connect to your computer (or smartphone) usually via Bluetooth, are more and more widespread: they have the advantage of not adding more cables to the desk and of being able to be easily combined with different devices. And yet, a wireless keyboard usually is heavier than a wired oneit will still need to be plugged in when the batteries run low and can (although rarely) suffer from typing delays.

The our advice is to choose a keyboard that can do both, i.e. both wired and wirelesshowever preferring the first option in case you can only choose one.

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The question of ergonomic keyboards

Even ergonomic and mechanical keyboards are more widespread than in the past: to understand each other, they are the ones that have a partial or complete division in the center (meaning the two pieces are physically separate), so that hands, wrists, arms and shoulders can be held at a more natural angle. It must be said that it is not easy to get used to using them, especially if you have used whole ones for a long time.

Also for this reason, the our advice is to leave them alone, unless you find yourself constantly feeling discomfort while typing.

@capoema