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Anyone who works at a computer all day knows how important it is to find a keyboard that is comfortable and not a strain on your wrists. Software developers mostly use Mac computers and also a vast majority of people who are in graphic design use them as well. Usually, serious jobs require serious hardware, so it’s important to find products can keep up with the workload.
If you’re looking for the best mechanical keyboard for Macs there are plenty to choose from. Through the years, keyboards became quieter, with softer keys to reduce the amount of clicking in a room. However, some people are coming back to the old-school keyboards with louder clicks for a quicker response. There are also gaming keyboards now, so depending on what you need, there are a ton of options.
Parts of a Mechanical Keyboard
We have the Keycap, which is the top cap on the key with the printed letter. We have the Stem which is stick that the keycap mounts on, different keyboards can have different stem shapes and sizes and even lengths depending on how the keys are raised. You also have the switch housing which holds all the components. There is the slider component of a mechanical keyboard which pushes against the spring and interrupts the metal contact. The metal content leaves are what register the keystroke itself when they strike one anohter. Then there is the spring which wraps around the slider and pushes the switch back to resting position after releasing the key.
Rubber Dome Switches have more limited parts including the Keycap, Slider, a silicon membrane and a printed circuit board.
Keyboard Switch Colors
So you may hear Red, Blue, Brown and other colors for mechanical keyboards in reference to the switch type. There are many switch types and colors and the color has an impact on the feel and often the volume of the switch while typing on the keyboard. Here are some color items and this is not a comprehensive list.
- Cherry MX Red – Good standard tactile feel, response and volume of each click.
- Cherry MX Black – Often the most quiet and are often billed as “stealth mechanical switch keyboards” also don’t give that clickiness compared to Blue/Red switches.
- Cherry MX Blue – These are the “clickiest” of mechanical switch keyboards often having the most feedback and loudest sound. Most like a typewriter in my opinion.
- Cherry MX Brown – Often a hybrid of response/volume of red and some of the volume reduction of Black.
- Romer-G – proprietary Logitech Switches, most are clones or use the Cherry style switches, but Logitech created their own. To me they are closer to feel/sound of the Cherry Brown personally.
The Best Mechanical Keyboards
There are some mechanical keyboards that are rated as the best ones for Mac users. One is Das Keyboard for professionals, where there are two choices, one is Cherry MX Blue that has an audible click and a tactile feedback while the other one is Cherry MX Brown that also gives a noticeable tactile feedback but is much quieter. Here, you can gain a complete keyboard experience with the number pad, volume knob, and proper media controls. You can work with the numbers and also control the tunes. The instant sleep button will help you to save on power.
Code 104-key keyboard is another choice. This mechanical keyboard is perfect for you if you want a smooth and a quiet type. There are seven brightness levels in the white LEDs and therefore, you can work in any light comfortably and there is memory onboard that saves the previous lighting preference. This will enable you to see the alphabets when you work in the night. A good feature of these keyboards is they can work with Mac as well as PCs but do not possess Windows key.
How to Choose the Best Mechanical Keyboard
From the vast range of options available to the users, it is really very difficult to choose the best mechanical keyboard for Macs. If you search the internet, you can find a variety of choices and it can be hard to pick from the available options. In such situations, you have to make a choice depending on your requirements and your budget. One great solution is to read the reviews of the certified buyers and based on the reviews and the ratings given by the buyers, choose the best one that suits your needs.
Also consider the extra keys besides the standard 104-key arrangement, do you want volume controls, custom macro keys? If you are on a Mac and use video editing software, having some macro capable keys could help speed up time in performing functions, if you do a lot with multimedia having a volume slider, buttons, or even multimedia controls on your Mechanical keyboard could also save time. I personally also love the Logitech G910 Orion Sparc as it has a volume slider and you can see a review of the G910 Orion Spark on this site as well.
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