Mechanical keyboard: why I decided to have one and my experience

Right now, everything that surrounds the gaming world is quite popular. From peripherals to accessories, so companies have been investing heavily in both marketing and R&D . However, this does not come from recently. Already for a decade or so, video games and gaming peripherals took their first giant steps towards the general public.

Index of contents

Why did I buy a mechanical keyboard?

Newskill Hanshi Spectrum keyboard

To be honest, I bought the keyboard out of curiosity, whim, and the desire to have my own mechanical keyboard. If you were expecting a dramatic story of overcoming and a childhood wish that culminates in the fulfillment of this, well, I'm sorry to disappoint you.

It was a few years ago, but not that long ago. Approximately three years have passed, and it continues to function as well as the first day. But where does this desire come from?

Well, from my earliest childhood, my life has been linked to video games. I remember in just four or five years playing Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2. From there, I jumped to Half-Life, to a huge library of NES games , in a few years and years later I was with Counter-Strike: Source (although always offline). I have always been an old acquaintance of video games and for many years now I am a recurring player in the League of Legends.

As you can see, I am a geek and all those years I was playing, like most mortals, with a membrane keyboard. Basically, because they were the most affordable peripherals and you could find them in any computer store. In addition, we all fall into marketing and with those colors, special keys and bombastic shapes… Already in those days the gaming label was used to catch buyers.

The legend of mechanical keyboards

And as it happened a lot in the early 2010s, the rumors about video games and peripherals spread like wildfire. The internet was starting to become mainstream and people were sharing information between messenger, facebook and word of mouth. This is how my friends and I suffered from the first rumors about mechanical keyboards.

Types of Cherry switches

No one had one, but everyone was talking about them. Also, because among my friends we all played our things (Imperivm, Warcraft 3…).

The legend was somewhat intermittent. When someone mentioned something about buying a new computer and parts, we all wondered if they would buy a mechanical keyboard. To the annoyance of some, it never happened.

However, over the years and about to start a month of work in the family business, I had a revelation. I decided to get my own gaming set and it was vital that the keyboard be mechanical.

I was researching, looking for comparisons and reviews and adjusting peripherals to those that fit my budget. There were real beasts and most of them under the Cherry name, but the German company kingdom was over. In the moments when I opted for a keyboard, I decided to buy a slightly cheaper alternative, I chose the NewSkill Hanshi Spectrum.

Newskill Hanshi Spectrum

This mechanical keyboard has been with me for three long years and it still works wonderfully. I have used it for long periods of time with and without wrist rests and have been servicing it several times.

Newskill Hanshi Spectrum keyboard

Among the two or three candidates I had, I opted for this one since I wanted it to have a wheel to control the sound (which I use a lot today). But there is no deep reason behind it.

Since I knew I liked games, at first I thought about buying it with Kailh Red , but I preferred to opt for the Browns . At the time, I didn't know anything about switches, only that the Reds were fast and quiet, the Blue clickies were good to write, and the Browns were a middle ground.

It is a pretty good keyboard, for its price. Simple, but sturdy. And besides, the switches are up there with some good MX Brown Cherries . Having tested these and many other mechanical keyboards, I find no significant improvement in terms of click feel. On the other hand, it has never broken me, for those of you who wonder about the reliability of the brand.

But back to the topic: honestly, buying the keyboard was a whim. Membrane keyboards work well enough to live with. However, he had to settle that doubt from the past.

As soon as I bought it, I went home to try it and I would summarize it so it is a quite different experience. In contrast to membrane keyboards with little or no response, the Kailh Browns returned a very satisfactory energy when writing. Also, the sound they gave off enchanted me instantly.

Experience over the years

The first thing I did when I bought the keyboard was to play a game of League of Legends. I bought it together with a Natec Genesis GX69 mouse (with which I appreciate heavy mice) and the HyperX Cloud II, which I still maintain.

The first experience was disappointing since I lost the game. He hoped to play faster, be more efficient and precise, that is, be a better player overall (I think he was like Gold). No, I didn't improve instantly, but without realizing it, the feeling of typing was never the same.

Surface difference between mechanical and membrane switch

Switching from a membrane keyboard to a mechanical one is part of those changes in your life that you don't notice until you lose them. Something similar happens with good quality mice or 144Hz monitors. Ascending to the mechanical league is easy and you feel a better feeling, but you don't think it was anything out of this world either. However, when using another friend's membrane keyboard, I quickly noticed the difference.

The feeling was totally different. It felt weird. It felt wrong to type. It was like touching a jelly or an amoeba with a plastic helmet on it. And that's when I understood the value of the structure being made of mechanical switches rather than a large membrane.

After that, I became more focused on the feel of typing and valued it much more. It was much more pleasant to write and write than with a common one. I noticed how the response of the switch (the click) is fast and more important, I have RGB. The theme of RGB lighting is very meme , since all the brands use it ("It has 16.8 million colors!") And I was no more than anyone. Basically I bought the NewSkill Hanshi Spectrum over the original Hanshi because it had better RGB.

The adventures of the mechanical keyboard

Newskill Hanshi Spectrum Mechanical Keyboard Body

With this mechanical keyboard I have survived two removals, three or four LAN Parties and have made several long-stay trips and here it goes. It has war marks, like a bit of grated paint through which the aluminum is seen, but nothing serious.

And in fact, during one of these LAN Parties I decided to use the mechanical keyboard without a palm rest. Since I had to carry everything in a backpack, I took the piece apart and put away the keyboard. When I got to the place, I was so lazy to take it out of the bag, that I decided to use it without. That was when I discovered that I preferred not to use these large pieces that were designed to be comfortable, but that I do not find them like this.

On the other hand, as I have previously commented, I have maintained the mechanical keyboard several times. Since it is not very cutting edge in technology, like many others, it tends to accumulate dust. Between simply existing and that sometimes I eat in front of the computer for work or study, because it ends up being crap.

Maintenance

So I do a maintenance every few months (and when I see that it is very dirty) . I take all the pieces apart, clean them one by one and clean the keyboard base. Unfortunately, I don't have the tool to help you disassemble keys, so I do it with my bare hands.

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It is certainly a laborious and slow job, but more important is to keep peripherals in good condition, if we really want them.

About the future of the mechanical keyboard

Now I know a lot more about peripherals (I cover a lot of them, oops), so I 'm interested in getting a better keyboard. My headphones seem good enough to me and I have an excellent Logitech G403 mouse, as I have already mentioned in other articles. As for peripherals, this leaves me with the only option to upgrade my mechanical keyboard to a higher one.

In addition, the times we live in are quite good, since refreshing and interesting technologies are appearing . If I had unlimited money right now, I would probably catch one in line with the ones I recommended in the top best keyboards of 2019.

SteelSeries Apex Pro mechanical keyboard

The adaptive switch technology of the SteelSeries Apex Pro seems very interesting to me. That, added to the implementation of OLED screens , I love it. However, the Thermaltake Level 20 RGB with Razer switches or the Razer Huntsman, in their normal version, also seem like good alternatives.

Mainly, because they have above average switches (Cherry MX, Kailh Pro, Gateron…) and because they have good looks and functionalities that appeal to me.

Newskill Hanshi Spectrum Numeric Keypad

Although yes, I am also attracted to the idea of using a TKL mechanical keyboard. I confess that I am a user who uses the numeric keypad often, but the reduced size seems very interesting and useful to me. It would not seem unreasonable to take advantage and buy a Wooting analog keyboard. You know, new experiences.

What do I recommend to you?

Both if you do not have a mechanical keyboard, or if you want to update it (like me) I would recommend you to carry out the following steps:

Read many tops from different websites and see which keyboards coincide in being the best. Read articles about mechanical keyboards to know, in general, how they work and which feature is more relevant than another. This way you will know which is better. Discard those that you do not like for their appearance or functionalities. Read reviews about those specific keyboards. Keep a selection of two or three keyboards and buy the one that you like the most and that best suits your needs and limitations.

The keyboard offer is very wide today, so you will not be short on alternatives.

You will have options from € 50 or less to tops of € 200 or a little more.There are also small and light keyboards, large and complete and others balanced. And we add the wireless ones, so everything will depend on your tastes.

Of course, keep an eye on marketing, since there are many features and specifications that are pure smoke. Sometimes, to attract users you need attractive slogans and a good example of them are the 16.8 million RGB colors.

Go ahead and separate what are really interesting technologies from what are beautiful words.

Final ideas

At the end of the line, the experience with a mechanical keyboard has been much more nutritious than I originally thought of them. Considering that this is a very simple one, you can see the relevance and difference between a membrane one and a mechanical one.

Although the most important change that a common user perceives is only the typing sensation, there are many other relevant sections. Among them we have for example:

Mechanical keyboards are stronger and more durable They have better technologies They tend to have better software, since they are thought together with other peripherals, usually Better construction materials.

If anyone were to ask me about it today, I would recommend upgrading to a mechanical keyboard. For both gamers and other users, the day-to-day experience improves. Writing becomes a much more enjoyable activity and the overall feeling improves.

And you, what do you think about mechanical keyboards? Do you think they are overrated? What is the best mechanical keyboard for you? Comment your ideas and others in the comment box.