Choose the right mechanical keyboard for your daily work and entertainment

Choose the right mechanical keyboard for your daily work and entertainment

Mechanical keyboards always bring valuable experiences to our daily work and entertainment, from gaming, typing, coding, graphic design, ... every job requires high accuracy and fast typing speed that mechanical keyboards bring. Therefore, choosing and investing in a mechanical keyboard for work is never too late. So how to choose a mechanical keyboard that is suitable for the nature of work and entertainment?

Which key layout do you prefer?

Actually, to talk about keyboard layout, we will have quite a few problems, especially the two concepts "Form factors" and "Layout", these are two basic concepts if you are really interested in the structure of a keyboard.

However, in this article, I will use the term “key layout” for you to visualize better instead of saying “Form factors”. You can refer to the detailed article here: Things to know about Layout and Form factors of mechanical keyboards | Mechanical keyboard (banphimco.com)

• Fullsize

This is a fairly popular keyboard layout today with 104 keys, it has everything from character keys, number keys, arrow keys to all other remaining function keys. A mechanical keyboard with a full-size keyboard layout will be more suitable when placed on a fixed table, rarely moved back and forth, this keyboard layout is often used quite commonly by office workers, people who often have to work with numbers, such as accountants for example.

• Tenkeyless

A keyboard with an area of ​​80% of the standard area of ​​a full-size. Usually there are 88 keys depending on the layout. Tenkeyless keyboards will have the number pad removed compared to full-size. The tenkeyless size is very popular, especially among gamers.

• Layout 75%

This is a slightly smaller size than tenkeyless. But it does not remove more keys, it just crams the keys into a more compact space to fit 75% of the fullsize. Therefore, it is not really suitable for gaming or users who like comfortable typing or have large hands.

• Layout 60%

This is a tenkeyless size that has removed the arrow cluster and some function keys that are usually on the right side of the fullsize. This size has the great advantage of saving space, high customization and many design models to choose from. It always comes with a programming layer, the PN key, used with other keys to replace the lost function key. This size is specialized by gamers who play high-speed games such as MOBA or FPS.

• Layout 65%

It is about 60% + arrow key cluster. But the difference is that the arrow cluster is distributed in many positions to fit together with the character keys. So it may take some time to get used to it at first. It is also very compact in size, with a sophisticated and highly aesthetic design. But unfortunately, it is not very flexible and it is very difficult to change the keycap because the keycap size is sometimes a bit unusual.

Conclude: If you are a gamer, you can choose for yourself a full-size or TKL keyboard group. If you do not have any problems with the 75% key structure, you can still choose this keyboard for gaming. For work, programming, content writing, office, ... all of the above keyboard types are suitable for you, however, the 65% or 60% layout keyboard will not be suitable for those who often work on numbers such as accounting.

Switch – The Soul of a Keyboard

In this article, I will present 3 groups of switches based on the sound scale and the level of comfort when typing.

• Tactile and clicky Switch groups:

- This is the group of switches that make a clicking sound every time you press a key. This clicking sound signals that the key has received a signal. The switch gives the best hand feedback when the tactile bump is large, creating feedback on both the hand and the ear.

- These types of switches are usually “Blue switches”

• Tactile and non-clicky switch groups

- This is a neutral switch group, not as comfortable to type as the clicky group and not as smooth as the linear group when you need to overcome a small bump to respond to your hand. This switch group is suitable for both gaming and typing.

- These types of switches are usually “Brown switches”

• Linear switch group

- This is a switch group that tends to have a floating typing feel, with less mechanical feel, less hand feel, and also the least noisy feeling. Thanks to the translational motion mechanism, you can completely proactively reduce noise by typing without bottoming out. However, the trade-off here is a comfortable typing feel and ear comfort compared to the clicky switch group, but in return you can spam keys and type at a higher speed.

- This switch group is more suitable for gaming than all the above switches and is also suitable for typing.

- These types of Switches are usually “Red switches”

• Silent switch group

- Usually this is a linear switch group (Red and black switch) but a damper is added to help reduce the sound when the switch hits the bottom.

- If you have special needs for noise reduction or you often work in a shared room, you certainly don't want to disturb people around you when working at night, so this is the most suitable switch group for you.

- These types of Switches are usually “Silent Red switch, Pink switch, Topre silent,…”

• Low-profile switch group

- In addition to low profile, this switch group also helps the mechanical keyboard to be thinner, neater and more elegant than traditional mechanical keyboards. Not only is the height reduced, the Low profile switches are also more sensitive thanks to the switch receiving commands earlier as well as the key travel being shortened from 4mm to 3.2mm or even 2.5mm (with some new optical switches from Keychron) for faster response and typing speed.

- If you are an office worker, a coder and a gamer, this type of switch is very suitable for you because of its fast response speed and also allows your mechanical keyboard to look very sexy and neat. This is a group of switches that can be said to be suitable for everyone, a type of switch that is extremely suitable for beginners.

- Some prominent manufacturers include: Optical switch Keychron Low-profile, Cherry switch Low-profile and Gateron switch Low-profile.

• Top Switch

- This is the most unique and strange group of switches because they are not exactly mechanical switches nor are they exactly a regular rubber keyboard. In terms of pressing feeling, Topre is quite similar to a rubber keyboard but softer with a strange Soft-Tactile feeling when pressing down smoothly and releasing the key, the key bounces back very quickly and decisively.

- This is also the switch group with the most complex structure, some types of topre switches: Topre 55g, Topre 45g (only available on RGB line), Topre Variable (including 30g, 45g, 55g pressing forces arranged depending on the key area).

Conclude:

- If you are a gamer, Blue switch, Red switch or Low profile switch, Topre switch is best for you. If you are a gamer who plays shooting games, low profile red and Red switch will be best for you.

- If you are a programmer, office worker, designer, journalist, etc., you can freely choose the type of switch you like without any mandatory requirements. However, if you work in an office or an area with many people who need to limit noise, you should choose the Linear switch group or Silent switch.

Connectivity

- Most popular keyboards use wired connections to increase stability. However, current technology is developing rapidly, Bluetooth connections are also more stable thanks to the new Bluetooth 5.0 technology, some keyboard models are also equipped with 2.4G wireless connections, providing users with many types of connections for work convenience.

Conclude:

- If you are a gamer who requires high, absolute precision and no delay, then 2.4G wired and wireless connections are always the top choices. If you are an office worker or a basic keyboard user, you can freely choose the connection type you like depending on the keyboard model.

Hot-swap feature

- If you are a keyboard player, want to customize your keyboard with different types of switches, choosing a keyboard with Hot-swap feature is extremely necessary. However, this feature is not only for keyboard players, but also for office workers, basic users who want to change the type of switch to suit the nature of the job, should also choose a keyboard with this feature.

Some outstanding cheap mechanical keyboards that SiliconZ wants to introduce:

• Akko 3108 V2 - Fullsize

• Keychron K8 - TKL

• Anne Pro 2 - 60%

• NIZ Atom 65%

• Keychron K3v2 - Low-profile Hot-swap switch