If I'm typing on a low travel chiclet style keyboard rubber dome works well for me since the travel distance is short and there's no noticeable sudden drop of the key. A big keyboard with long tavel distance and rubber dome fatigues my hands on the long run so, in that case, I prefer a low force linear switch.
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It depends on where I am. At home where I´m mostly gaming I prefer my mechanical Switches. At work where I am mostly typing I prefer the silent Membrane Switches. I think my coworkers would also kill me if I ever bring out a mechnical keyboard since I am typing a lot.
I myself dislike the tactile "drop" of the dome collapsing in rubber dome keyboards. Some keyboards are soft enough that I don't really mind while others, especially new ones, very nearly hurt to write on.
What I have instead is a very soft rubber dome for my old secondary computer (microsoft digital media keyboard 1.0A) and cherry MX red (func kb 460) with o rings on my main (linear, low resistance and no clack when bottoming out).
From what I've heard Kailh and other non cherry brands generally have equal quality switches to cherry. If anything it's the quality control of the keyboard maker that end up causing trouble. I know people who built their own keyboards with other brands on their switches without any problems.
I have a quickfire TK with blues, a cheap chinese 60% keyboard that uses Zorro switches and two IBM Model Ms. So far, they're all far superior imo to most (MOST) rubber dome switch keyboards. Model M > MX Blue > Zorro > almost everything else.
I say 'most' and 'almost' because I use a couple of laptops on a regular basis, and the keyboards they employ are treats to type on. Those are my MSI GE40 and my Lenovo T400.
So while I don't necessarily agree with OP, I do support 100% that rubber domes can be pretty darn good as well.
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My condolences. Had such abomination for a few months. It died multiple times and I had to zombify it.
I am using the Cooler Master Devastator... Can't recommend it enough. Compared to my old Bloody B140 it is way smoother feel, better plastic for the body, better feel while typing... The cheap plastic keyboard's keycaps tend to stuck and either don't want to get pressed, or after pressed they don't want to go back up again. Absolutely no issues with the Cooler Master. Never had a keycap issue. I have used all kind of crap - deluxe, genius, mediatech, a4, HP... Now I want to try the Master Keys Lite... If they really are RGB and I can just set them.to white - I want that keyboard...
nah, too much osmosis.
I just switched from a good rubber dome (Steelseries Apex 300) to a good mechanical keyboard last week (Gigabyte K85 Kailh reds).
Initially I stayed any from mech because I thought they would be too loud. Reds are clacky (not clicky) and not that loud. I actuation force is much less, springier and longer travel. What I am still getting used to is the long key travel and the actuation point. I am guessing that the key press it about 5mm.
With a rubber keyboard you have to bottom out the key and you feel the click and a soft bottom.
With the red switches the switch actuates at about 2mm, so you don't have to hit bottom and hitting the bottom is hard. What a person switching to mechanical keyboards has to learn is, you only have to touch the keys, not really press them all the way down. By only doing a half press, the mech kbd helps me to type faster.
I personally dislike mechanical keyboards, I bought the Corsair K70 and that keyboard is meant to be one of the go toe mechanical keyboards, so it's not like I bought a cheap mechanical keyboard. Well I disliked it a lot, especially for the price and how much people hyped up that specific keyboard, I was so disappointed, I was expecting to never make a spelling mistake or anything.
Truth be told, I'm able to type quicker and with more accuracy on a flat key style laptop keyboard, hence why I've decided to use the Logitech K780, I find that I'm much more accurate and much quicker when it comes to typing when using the keyboard. I also like how you can type really fast with this keyboard, and it DOESN'T sound like someone's trying to destroy your keyboard, which is another thing I disliked about the K70. I personally also disliked how the keys had very little spacing between them and due to the keys having no surrounding plastic, you could see all of the dirt and dust about 10 ft away.
I know a lot of people love mechanical keyboard, but I am not one of those people. Yes, not only do I dislike mechanical keyboards, but I also like wireless peripherals, so all the stereotype enthusiasts probably hate me.
Just encase you were curious, my mouse is the Logitech MX Master, I like how they both work with a single dongle, and I also love both device individually.
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I thought about starting a topic like this. Mechanical keyboards annoy the F&%&%# S%&^* out of me. Its as if the world has gone full retard. Why do people prefer meter long key press, unresponsive, loud ass keyboards. When I want to type I want it to be as effortless and silent as possible. I don't want to use a f%&^&* type writer from the 1880s. I don't want the keyboard to molest my fingers with some F%&%#^ actuation feel.
Using SteelSeries Apex M800, had to pay a bit for a keyboard I can use without getting a migraine. I know the M800 is mechanical but it is quiet, responsive, short key press and very little actuation force.
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If people actually type how the keyboards were intended, mecha-kb are not loud. Its when people bottom out with too much force is the excessive noise. Only really loud when bottoming out, versus touch typing.
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That would work if you no longer had to use any other type of keyboard, like on the job, that does requires bottoming out.
I would have loved to find a low profile, quiet keyboard on my latest keyboard hunt with the other features I wanted: backlight, media keys, AZERTY-layout and affordable. The only real contender was the K740, but after reading about problems with simultaneous keypresses on the latest revisions, I scratched it of my list.
The Cherry MX-board 3.0 also received a lot of my attention (-backlight), but it was rather hard to come by.
I could get a deal on a 2nd hand Logitech G810 and after I've seen the switches been described as MX-brown with o-rings, I went for it. The high keys take some getting used to and although I consider it reasonably quiet, my wife already remarked that it was a bit louder than my previous kb.
I'm happy about the purchase, it's low actuation force and backlighting of individual keys with a program that changes your lights on loading a game really seal the deal.
Someone reverse engineered the protocol so you can drive the lights from linux as well, no automatic switching though.
Still, the high profile bothers me. I had to start using a wrist rest, I could grab one from a Dell keyboard at work. I have to lift my fingers higher to clear the keycaps.
Depends on the resistance for me. I absolutely LOATHE cherry mx reds. So much nope. I like the model M keys, and cherry mx greens (even mx blacks are too light for me) but I dont so much type as close my eyes and bash away with my fists on my keyboard until stuff happens.
I have used a Razer rubber dome keyboard before and it was fine.
yes i too used to chiklet keyboard. i find myself not good with big keyboards