Mechanical keyboards are one of those accessories that once you’ve used one once, you can never again imagine life without one. For folks that spend a lot of time in front of their computers, writing all day for work or even PC gaming with mouse and keyboard, a mechanical keyboard is the kind of upgrade that will noticeably improve your life. Or at the very least, it’ll improve you’re perception of your life. This Keychron Q1 mechanical keyboard is available on Woot for a solid 62% off, bringing the price down from $210 to just $80.
The keyboard has a stylish color scheme in white, grey, or blue. The white is simple yet elegant. The grey has some fun accented yellow keys that pop, and the blue is wildly vibrant and fun.
The Difference Between Key Switches
Switches are what gives a mechanical keyboard its clicks and its clacks. You won’t see the color of them when they’re installed so you don’t really need to worry about how you feel about the colors in general, just what each switch it’s assigned to is designed to do.
The red switches have a linear behavior to them. Linear for keyboard switches means that the resistance you feel when pressing down on the keys are consistent from the when you start to press to when they meet the back of your keyboard. The red switches are also on the quieter side, so if you’re looking for something that feels good to use but is going to be for a shared space like an office or a house with roommates, the red switches aren’t a bad call.
The brown switches are my personally preferred option due to it’s tactile behavior. When you press down against a brown switch key, you’d feel the most resistance at the beginning of it’s path, which then smooths out once over that initial threshold. In my opinion, this feels the most satisfying to use whether you are typing or gaming. They have a gentle sound that isn’t too obtrusive, but still more noticeable than the red switches.
And lastly we have the blue switches. These are what mechanical keyboards are all about. They’ve got a clicky behavior and a clicky sound. This is the PC equivalent of a driver that mods their car exhaust to boom throughout the entire neighborhood. It’s obnoxious. It’s unnecessary. But damn does it feel good to be behind that wheel, errr, keyboard.
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