I have an old Logitech UltraX Premium low-profile scissor switch keyboard. Unfortunately this one’s dieing, as one of the keys is now broken.
I’m not well versed in mechanical switches and I’m not native English, so some of the explained terminology is a bit harder to understand when I’m looking for the subtle differences in the switches.
I’m looking for the right switch that is somewhat similar to my current keyboard. On any given key I can apply some pressure, but the key will not press down. When I push a little harder, the key goes down to the bottom. What kind of switch am I looking for in this case? Linear, clicky, “tactile bump”, …?
I’m currently interested in the Keychron K5. It has similar dimensions with regards to height of the keys (around 2cm) and is a full layout.
Thanks in advance.
That would be tactile. You could have a look at mow profile switches like choc v1 and v2, cherry ULP, gateron lowprofile. Mind you, they aren’t compatible with one another, even choc v1 and v2 have slightly different pinouts.
Best tactile lowpro switch I would recommend are the sunset choc ones.
What you are looking for is tactile feedback. There are switches with a tactile bump - which are more on the silent side - and there are clicky switches - which are pretty loud, but they also offer even more tactile feedback.
The switches with only a tactile bump behave almost like linear switches, but you can feel a little bump (higher resistance) when pushing down a key.
Clicky switches have a so called click bar. They are spring loaded and they trigger themselves right after their “tactile bump”. This behaviour comes close to your keyboard. However, clicky switches are very loud because of their click sound.
I have tried the K5 Pro (tactile), recently. It feels good, but you may accidently miss-type during the first hours of using. The spring force is a little weak.
I would prefer Logitech MX mechanical, and I know it is pricey. But, it is worth it.
You want a tactile switch, likely something with a bigger tactile bump to mimic those switches. Maybe a low profile one to also mimic to lower travel on the scissor switches.
On any given key I can apply some pressure, but the key will not press down. When I push a little harder, the key goes down to the bottom.
Virtually all keyboards do this, have a peak in resistance that then falls off, regardless if whether they are rubber dome, scissor switch, buckling spring. Most mechanical switches.
The only key mechanism I can name off the top of my head that doesn’t do this is Cherry MX Red keyswitches (“linear resistance”), which are uncommon and in my experience only used for certain gaming-oriented keyboards. So you are pretty much guaranteed this behavior regardless of the keyboard you get.
Oh, and the very early Macintosh membrane keyboards, back in the mid-1980s, didn’t either, and I’ve used those. But that probably isn’t going to be a factor here.
