Which is better: membrane or mechanical keyboard?

In order not to get into trouble in the future, before you go to the store for a new purchase, you should understand how the mechanical keyboard differs from the membrane one? After all, if you make the wrong decision, irreparable, of course, will not happen, but the level of comfort when working at the computer can decrease.

It is likely that you have already encountered situations of sticky keys or, conversely, a lack of reaction to pressing from the side of the computer. This suggests that it is time to change your keyboard. To make the right choice, you need to figure out how they differ among themselves.

And although all keyboards are created for one purpose, namely data entry, but in their structure they are significantly different. Depending on the mechanism of the keys, a mechanical and membrane keyboard is distinguished.

Membrane keyboard - what is it?

Most office keyboards belong to this class. Membrane clavas became widespread due to the cheapness of the design. By pushing the key down, with the help of a special layer, you close the circuit, as a result of which a click is registered. After that, the elastic membranes return the key to its place.

Keyboards of this type are created without the use of hard elements, so they do not emit any sounds during operation. You can be sure that during work do not cause irritation to others due to the clanging of keys.

The main disadvantage of membrane keyboards is their short life. Most of them are designed for 1 million clicks, however, the use of modern materials can significantly increase the operating time (up to 10 million clicks).

However, no matter how good materials are used, gradually some of the keys lose their sensitivity, while others become too elastic. Therefore, over time, between the keys, you can observe the difference in response, they begin to jam, which can lead to skipping letters during quick typing.

When working on a membrane keyboard, it is difficult to feel the feedback from the touch, since the depreciation when pressing the keys is brought to perfection. Therefore, the membrane type is not popular among fans of touch typing.

Mechanical keyboards

A keyboard with mechanical key switches is considered to be of better quality because each individual key has its own switching mechanics. The contact is closed not at the moment of pressing, but when the key crosses a certain line. In most cases, it is in the middle of the key travel length. That is, you do not need to press the key all the way, which can be significant if you print large volumes, and your fingers often get tired because of this.

Thanks to the mechanism of enhanced resistance, after the key has crossed the response line, the sensation of contact when working with mechanical models is very strong. That is, accidentally not squeezing the key is almost impossible. Which is very important for fast printing, as you will know for sure that the word was printed completely. The increase in print speed is also facilitated by the fact that the keys return to their original position faster than membrane views.

During typing, mechanical keyboards emit a fairly clear and resonant click, which is useful when typing blindly, but can cause resentment from nearby people.

A great advantage of mechanical keyboards is their long service life, on average, their designs are designed for 50 million keystrokes, which is tens of times more than that of membrane types. Moreover, they do not lose their performance during operation, that is, after a few years, the keys will work just as well as on the day of purchase. Another advantage of mechanical keyboards is that they are easier to clean than other types. However, they become clogged more slowly.

So which keyboard is better?

Before answering this question, we summarize all of the above.

Membrane

Pros:

• relatively inexpensive;
• silent during operation;

Minuses:

• short term of operation;
• during operation, the keys may stick or not work;
• weak tactility.

Mechanical

Pros:

• long service life;
• reliable operation throughout the entire life cycle;
• different stronger tactile sensations when triggered;
• easy to clean, less dirty;

Minuses:

• great cost.

As with the purchase of any other product, before deciding on a particular model, you should decide why you need a keyboard. Since different users have different requirements for their devices.

If you need a keyboard for work, but at the same time you do not type tens of thousands of characters daily, then an ideal option for you would be a membrane keyboard. Of course, if you acquire mechanical claudia, you won’t lose anything, but you won’t be able to appreciate its advantages, as you simply won’t notice them. With the purchase of a membrane keyboard, you will at least save your money.

If your work is related to typing, and every day the number of typed characters exceeds tens of thousands, then the only right decision for you would be to buy a mechanical keyboard. This is ideal for touch typing. Its design will reduce the load on the hands, which will have a beneficial effect on typing speed and print quality. And thanks to its wear resistance, it will reliably serve you for many years.

If you often wonder which keyboard is better for games - membrane or mechanical, then know that mechanical is perfect for fans of online battles. Thanks to faster response and return of the keys to their original position, you can play to the limit of their capabilities, without being distracted by the hitch caused by sticking or malfunctioning keys.