Honest question; is there anyone else here who enjoys membrane/rubber dome switches (yes, I know they can be different, but are very similarly feeling) for typing?
I currently have some Cherry Blue switches with some sort of hard plastic keycaps (CM Quickfire TK), and for typing, I just can't stand it. My hands get tired after typing for over 5 minutes, so I try my best to avoid typing for long periods of time on this keyboard.
In comparison, my laptop (Dell 3147 and M4600) has some really soft keys which don't require a huge amount of key travel (but still have quite a bit, in comparison to most other laptops), so I can type on that for hours (which I have done in the past) without issue.
Is there anyone else out there like this, or am I alone on this? Heck, I've even debated on selling my mechanical keyboard and moving back to some rubber dome/membrane switch keyboard.
NOOOOOOOO... Many reviewers and tech gurus have stated, that if you don't use mechanical, you are not an enthusiast. They know you feel better with mechanical, no matter you don't. They know mechanical is better, no matter it is not. Rubber dome is for poor people, who can't afford Cherry MX, because Cherry MX is the best, and all other mechanical switches are knock offs and are crap... Oh wait...They are not...
Membrane fan here. I prefer the sudden "drop" when pressing the key. I was on rubber dome before, was also nice. Biggest advantage is the silence when typing.
It's funny how the most popular cherry keys at the moment are browns, that are the closest to the rubber domes in feel... Quiet with tactile feedback, the so called
It depends on the board itself. I have a Razer Blackwidow ultimate, but if I only had my 701+ and I was offered a brand new K120 or a bfly switch KB that was exact to an IBM 600X then I would be all over that.
I don't like Membrane because of how mushy they feel... that being said I haven't really put my hands to a mechanical keyboard either so I don't have an opinion either way on those. One thing I will give my opinion on is a Great scissor switch keyboard. Low travel, less fatigue, and an overall better feel than membrane.
May want to try a cherry mx red switch keyboard if you prefer the feel of rubber domes. Obviously you can just go back to membrane, but if you want to keep going mechanical just get the reds. Another option might be browns (personally my favorite cherry switch) its not loud but gives you a tactile bump that you can feel.
I'm a bit of a keyboard hoarder but I never understood the high horse people ride when they go mechanical. I beat people in games with a 1984 model m and watch people cry over their brightly-lit rgb mechanical "Gaming" keyboards (okay bit over dramatic but you get the point).
What I DON'T like about rubber dome is that they tend to get very mushy and require a lot of down force. Depending on the quality of the electrical contacts, they can also tend to start missing keys or double tapping after a year of use.
I prefer mx-browns. Very little down force required but you still get the drop out that dome gives you.
I've been using membrane keyboards all my life and never really thought about it much but last year I got a Masterkeys Pro S with MX Browns and I have trouble going back to membrane keyboards, they are too squishy and generally don't like the feel of them anymore. I know this kinda makes me sound a bit elitist but typing on a membrane now is horrible.
I guess at least some of this comes from that fact that I've had my mech keyboard for around 8 months now and I'm used to typing on it, and if I went back to a membrane keyboards for a sufficient amount of time I'd be good at typing on it again but damn do I love the feel of my mech keyboard when typing.
I'd compare it to the old CRT monitors. You switched from 30 Hz to 50/60 Hz and thought "hm, I don't see any difference, what's the point", but then a couple of months later you have to use 30 Hz monitor and WHAT THE HELL MY EYES AARGH HOW DID I PUT UP WITH THIS TORTURE?! and the same happened again when you switched to 100+ Hz.
I prefer rubber dome, becaue it's what I type on 90% of the time. Work keyboards, growing up, etc.
My laptop keyboard is obviously not mechanical, most of them aren't. Honestly, I find that I'm more accurate with the flex and bounciness of a rubber dome key,
I also type faster on them. I just picked up the new Logitech G910 for example. Many people hate the curved accented key faces, but I find them perfect for someone who is properly seating their fingers on the home row. There really is no objectively better keyboard for everybody, it's up to preference. Certainly, there's an objective, longer-lasting mechanical switch, versus a rubber dome, but that is neither here nor there, when it comes to accuracy and speed.
If they work for you then sure. Not me though. Gotta use shitty 5$ HP rubber dome kb at work. Those things suck balls and feel like I'm typing into mashed potatoes.
Can't wait till the end of the day when I can come home to my Corsair K70 with brown switches.
For me a quality membrane/rubber dome kb will do the same job for me as a mechanical kb. No way any keyboard will make me a better gamer and as for typing now yes on the horrible membrane kbs I have now I can't type as fast as I know I can but at this point it doesn't really matter. Now if I was going to school or had to use the keyboard for work I guarantee you there is a cheap MS membrane kb that would be just fine for me. I prefer to use membrane/rubber dome keyboards over mechanical because they are cheaper. That is the plain and simple truth.