It is sometimes surprising that things that you are so closely in touch with, on a daily basis, end up being things you least know about. If you are reading this, you are a computer/laptop/tablet user. If not more, you must have been using a computer for at least a decade now. You must have typed on many different types of keyboards. Did you know there are different types of keyboards? Did you know there are mechanical keyboards and that the ones you use often on your laptops and computers are not mechanical keyboards?
There is nothing too fancy about mechanical keyboards. They are nothing out of this world, but they are surely something you must know about. Mechanical keyboards are called mechanical because they have more mechanical parts on them. Every switch (or key as you may call it) on a mechanical keyboard has several different parts it is working with. These parts can be separated if you pull out a switch. The main parts of the switch are the key, housing, spring, and metal connectors. When you press a switch the housing moves downwards on the spring. Almost half way down the connectors make contact and a keystroke is registered.
On the other hand, the keyboards you use mostly today are known as rubber dome keyboards. They are called rubber dome because that’s how their switches work. These switches have a rubber dome underneath that needs to be pressed to the bottom to register a keystroke. Now, when you compare a rubber dome and mechanical keyboard side by side, you will notice many differences. The first difference you will notice is of the weight of the two keyboards. Because of their many mechanical parts, mechanical keyboards are much heavier than rubber dome keyboards.
When you buy a computer you get the keyboard as part of the package. Which keyboard do you think you will receive with your package? If you use your common sense you can answer that easily. Your suppliers want to save money and increase their profits and hence you mostly get rubber dome keyboards. Mechanical keyboards are greatly preferred by gamers because of their satisfying presses and sounds. They also have a better response time which helps them greatly with their gaming. Not to mention, they are much more reliable than rubber dome keyboards because of their durability and longevity.
It is not to say that rubber dome keyboards are bad keyboards but they are not as long lasting and durable as mechanical keyboards. There are many different types of keyboards with different feels of the keys even within the mechanical keyboard category. If you are someone who wants to take part in professional gaming, you are highly recommended to go with a mechanical keyboard as most gamers have. There is much more that you should know about mechanical keyboards to know their great benefits. You can go on MechType to get some great knowledge about mechanical keyboards, how they work and a lot of other useful information about them.