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Comment by jmspring | Hacker News Reader

The keyboards look janky. Why buy this over something like Das Keyboard which has mechanical keys as well and is cheaper?

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Because it’s a physical mechanism that has a unique feel that modern switches don’t mimic.

I like lots of keyboards and switches but this is a unique switch with deep historical roots that has been brought back to life by an enthusiast. I think it’s worth supporting (if you can afford it) on general principle.

MX switches are the entry point of the "mechanical keys". You can go into way too many rabbit holes beyond consumer brands like Das Keyboard.

There are topre capacitive switches (HHKB, Realforce etc) , buckling spring switches like the ones in this post (& older IBM model M, Unicomp), Alps switches (older mac keyboards, matias), and an endless selection of MX compatible customized switches. All with different tactility and sound profiles.

Merely "having mechanical keys" is a very basic criteria especially for enthusiasts who might have very specific requirements and preference for how their keyboards should feel and sound. This one is mainly targeted towards those enthusiasts.

It's a real shame that the world standardized on MX and ALPS has been left in the dust.

I think it's because ALPS stopped making keyswitches when rubber domes completely took over the market in the early 2000s, and Cherry kept making MX switches. When the mechanical keyboard market started back up in the early 2010s, Cherry was there and ALPS wasn't. I agree it's a shame. I think we've seen clicky switches become a niche and most of the market switch to linear switches mainly because MX style clicky switches are fundamentally incapable of feeling as tactile or having as deep of a click as ALPS style switches due to how they're shaped and how the components are arranged internally. I don't blame everybody for preferring linear if "clicky" means "high pitched plasticky sound and a barely perceptible bump in the middle of the key travel". At least Matias still makes modern ALPS style switches, they're one of the best clicky options available today.

> At least Matias still makes modern ALPS style switches, they're one of the best clicky options available today.

Would be great if they don't have chatter issues.. I'm typing on my third matias and all three started chattering after some use. Their quiet switches are the best tactile ones I've ever tried. Sound so nice too.

Their clicky switches (Matias Click) don't have this issue, I think it's only on the tactile ones (Matias Quiet Click). Agreed that it's a shame they've been selling them for so long and haven't worked out how to make them not chatter.

What does chatter mean ?

one key press resulting in multiple registers.

if my T key is chatttering my ttyping would look something like tthis.

Mechanical was always a dumb name. A collapsing rubber dome is a mechanism anyway.

Essentially every keyboard key is mechanical. Most "mechanical keyboards" are using Cherry MX or Cherry MX-like key switches.

The key switches in these are as different in design from a Cherry MX switch as a Cherry MX switch is from a rubber dome.

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