Mechanical Keyboard Switches
Switches are the heart and soul of any keyboard. They define how it'll feel and sound to use. Picking the right switches is maybe the most important choice you can make when selecting or building a new keyboard.
What’s the difference between mechanical and non-mechanical keyboards?
Switches are the primary difference.
“Mechanical” generally refers to Cherry-style switches. They use a spring-loaded mechanism instead of a membrane, or a beam of light, or whatever else.
Cherry is a computer peripheral company. Cherry emerged as an early innovator in the field of keyboard design and manufacturing, when keyboards were bigger, louder, and more expensive to make. Cherry MX switches in particular, which form the backbone of the modern mechanical keyboard hobby, were first introduced into the keyboard market around 1985. Almost everyone in the space today is iterating on their core design.
But what are they?
Mechanical switches have a number of basic components. At the core of each switch is a stem, a piece of plastic that sits at the center of the switch. The stem is encased within the top housing and the bottom housing, two boxy, interlocking pieces of plastic that seal together to hold in the switch. Your keycaps connect to a cross-shaped protrusion at the top of the stem. (You can learn more about keycaps here)
Each stem is held up by a spring, which you compress by pressing on the keycaps on your keyboard. When you press the stem down, the stem's legs press two parts of a metal leaf spring together. This connection completes a circuit and sends a signal through the keyboard's circuit board, letting it know that a key has been pressed.
The leaf spring is typically attached to the bottom housing. The bottom housing is soldered onto the circuit board (the PCB) via pins on its underside. The pins can also be connected to the PCB via special modular sockets that allow you to swap out switches without soldering--these are called hotswap sockets, and keyboards that include them are called hotswappable.
There are three types of mechanical switches: linear, tactile, and clicky. At Keyboard Concierge, I'll help you figure out what sort of switch best suits your needs and desires, but in the meantime here are some basics to keep in mind.
First, a few more terms to know:
Actuation point: The point in a keypress where the circuit is complete and the key is, you know, properly pressed.
Bottoming out: The point in a keypress where the stem impacts into the bottom housing and can't be pressed down any further. In most mechanical switches, the actuation and the bottoming out are two different moments in the keystroke.
Travel distance: the full length of the keypress, from the very start to bottoming out.
Linear Switches
The simplest type of switch. Linear switches, as the name suggests, travel downward from the key press in an uninterrupted motion.
Like all key switches, they actuate when the pressure from the descending stem causes the two parts of the metal spring leaf to touch, completing a circuit.
Linear switches are known for being the quietest, the simplest to get used to, and for being comparatively smooth and resistance-free.
Great for entry-level users, or for those trying to control the volume of their build.
Typical Recommendation: Cherry MX Reds
Developed by Cherry as a switch for gaming, the MX Reds are light and straightforward, easy to use and fast on repeated presses. With gaming being a common entry point to the mechanical keyboard scene, they've become the most common mechanical switch around. If you've tried one type of switch, it's probably this one.
But Maybe Try: Gateron Yellows
Gateron Yellows are a bit heavier than Cherry Reds, but make up for it in smoothness and comfort. One common term used to describe comfortable linear switches is "buttery.” Imagine the ease at which a sharp knife slices through a softened stick of butter, and you’ll be imagining Gateron Yellows. Yellows are known for providing the type of feeling enthusiasts pay a lot of money for in linear switches, but at budget prices. Ideal if you want typing to feel like dancing on luxurious finger clouds.
Tactile Switches
Tactile switches are similar to linears, but for one small and important change.
In tactiles, the legs of the stem--that is, the part of the stem that comes in direct contact with the leaf spring--have bumps on them. When pressed down, these bumps produce a feeling of resistance and friction. To continue pressing down the switch, you must overcome this resistance.
This “tactile bump” two purposes: one, it can help you know when you've hit the actuation point, and; two, it's fun.
Think of it like a speed bump while driving. The intensity and duration of the bump can vary from switch to switch. Like, you know, the difference between going over a speed bump in a Smart Car versus going over that same bump in a Hummer. What type of bump is right for you is a matter of preference and typing style.
Typical Recommendation: Cherry MX Browns
Seeing a pattern with these typical recommendations? The Browns have a lot going for them as entry-level tactile switches. The bump is small and subtle, which can help ease you into this style of typing. They’re pretty light, too. But those are also the drawbacks: a small, subtle bump might not be noticeable if you're a heavy typist. These might prove unsatisfying pretty quick if you end up liking a tactile bump.
But Maybe Try: Kailh Box Browns
I still do think an entry-level tactile is a good idea, though. I'd recommend the Box Browns from Kailh, as they're a bit firmer and a bit less scratchy, which is a common complaint leveled at the MX Browns. They also feature Kailh's box design, which among other things includes a notable border around the stem, which can make it a lot less wobbly. They do come with risks, though--early runs of box-style switches have been known to crack certain keycaps, so buyer beware if you get some old ones on the aftermarket. And if you really dig tactility, maybe try some Glorious Pandas.
Clicky Switches
Clicky switches are like tactiles taken up a notch.
They introduce a third element in the body of the switch. Typically, this is a click bar, an insert that when pushed down produces a tactile bump, and a sharp, audible click sound. Different designers have different implementations, but that's the basic idea.
Clicky switches come closer to that typewriter or retro keyboard vibe than anything else around. They can be extremely appealing if you want your keyboard to be noisy and make a bit of a statement.
The problem, of course, is that they are by far the loudest switch type. Not recommended if you have sensitive roommates, but ideal if you want to live out your fantasies of being the writer protagonist in a Stephen King novel.
Typical Recommendation: Cherry MX Blues
Completing the Cherry trifecta, Blues are the prototypical clicky switch: loud, responsive, and a little shrill. Some people, even clicky enthusiasts, loathe the way they sound, but you can't deny the satisfaction of that feedback. If you're after that click, you're going to get what you're looking for.
But Maybe Try: Cherry MX Blues
I'm going to be real with you, I'm no expert in clicky switches. Unfortunately, they tend to be the least popular of the three types, which means that if you're an enthusiast your selection is a bit more limited than with the others. If you don't like the sound of the Blues, I hear Kailh Box Jades are heavy and satisfying as heck.
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