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Mechanical keyboard for mac and pc

After he discovered the dead bracket key, however, he chose to exchange the board through Amazon where he purchased and his replacement worked perfectly. This full-size keyboard offers an unmatched combination of a Mac-standard layout, great custom switches, a good number of Mac-specific keys, solid construction, and exceptionally useful key labels.

Our Favorite Mechanical Keyboards

Though we generally recommend models without a numeric keypad for ergonomic reasons, the layout of the full-size version of the Tactile Pro feels truer to traditional Mac keyboards. In my experience, numpads also seem to be popular on the Mac side, and Matias told us that roughly 65 percent of Tactile Pro Mac models it sells are full-size; only 35 percent of Mac users buy the Mini Tactile Pro —a similar keyboard without the numeric keypad. The Tactile Pro offers the feel of a great mechanical keyboard in a great Mac keyboard.

It starts with unique switches: Rather than using the popular Cherry-class key switches, the Tactile Pro incorporates the same Alps switch mechanism used in the original Apple Extended Keyboard. After using several Matias keyboards over the years, I really miss this feature when using other keyboards. F-key overlays include controls for screen brightness, Mission Control two modes of your choice , media-playback control, volume, mute, and eject.

You also get 18 F-keys rather than 12, so if you use a macro program such as Keyboard Maestro , you have more keys to work with than on most keyboards.

The keyboard also has a three-port USB 2. More on this below.

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The ThermalTake even has a gaudy glowing blue logo on its space bar. Like the Code, the MasterKeys S PBT has four rubber pads that keep the keyboard firmly planted, and it also has two rubber-coated flip-down feet. Plus it has cable routing built in the bottom of the case, just like the Code, so you can route the USB cable out the sides or the middle of the keyboard. Because the keycaps are a standard size, you can easily replace them when they wear down. Exercise caution with the ring, because it can scratch your keycaps.

Mechanical Keyboard for Mac: agfox.com

If you want a budget mechanical keyboard with a number pad, get the Logitech G Orion. The G Orion had one of the least gaudy designs of the budget keyboards we considered. The effect can be distracting, but you can change animation styles with the special Lighting key above the function row, combined with the numbers 0 through 5.

The G has dedicated media buttons and a delightful volume roller. You can also assign and record Macros for the F1 through F12 keys using the Game Center software, and choose which keys to disable when Game Mode is toggled using the button above Print Screen. The legend looks a bit like a joystick on top of a turntable.

Perhaps a golf flag? Everyone loved the scroll wheel at the top to control volume—it might be a bit too fun, though, because I find myself playing with it constantly. If you want to make your mechanical keyboard a bit quieter, we recommend installing some sound-dampening O-rings. Instead of the smooth, crisp tactile response characteristic of mechanical keyboards, the MX Silent keys felt mushy and resistive, like pressing down into a thick cushion.

So, what can you do if you work or game in a shared space, and need to keep your keyboard quiet? Option one is, of course, to consider a nonmechanical keyboard. The next-best solution is to install little rubber O-rings on underside of each keycap to dampen the sound each key makes when you press it down. Tactile switches like MX Browns add a little more noise to each keypress, and clicky switches like MX Blues will make a racket no matter what.

But our panel testers unanimously preferred O-Rings on regular switches to MX Silent switches and found them more pleasant to type on. Our recommended switch tester comes with a set of six Red and six Blue O-rings from WASD keyboards, so we suggest getting the switch tester and trying out those O-rings on a cluster of keys. If you like how they feel and sound, then buy some. None of our panel testers could tell the difference between Red and Blue in our tests, and the Red O-rings will have the least impact on key travel. There are lots of different types of O-rings, many of which are cheaper.

When your keyboard first arrives, we recommend testing every key and making sure every LED works. If you get a dead switch or light, contact the seller right away to arrange an exchange or repair. Mechanical keyboards need a little more tender loving care than most keyboards, because dust, skin particles, hair, crumbs, and all kinds of nasty stuff can and will fall into the spaces between the keys during everyday use.

Once a week, you should unplug your keyboard, flip it upside down, and shake that grossness out into the trash, then blow out the rest of the gunk with some compressed air. If your fingers leave an oily residue on the keycaps, give them a quick wipedown with a microfiber cloth. I personally use these ones , but any will do. For a deeper clean, you should pull off all your keycaps and follow this fantastic cleaning guide by Ripster.

Several Wirecutter writers, including myself, have fallen deep into the custom keyboard rabbit hole and found it to be a rewarding hobby, but there are drawbacks. Boutique and custom boards often cost substantially more, are harder to find, and sometimes require you to assemble them yourself. Most people will be happier with our main picks. Many boutique keyboards include partial programmability, meaning you can create custom function layers, which comes in handy when the boards lack all the physical keys of a full-sized one. Some—like our typing pick, the Code—include DIP switches on the bottom to toggle on different preprogrammed layouts.

Boutique boards tend to have better build quality and hardware features than easier-to-find mechanical keyboards. Almost all boutique boards have removable cables and standard or very close to standard key layouts for easier customization companies like Corsair and Razer often use odd key sizes and cabling.

Durable milled aluminum cases are common too. The group buy site Massdrop has made this less confusing, but you still have to wait weeks or months and the selection of available products changes on a daily basis. Mechanical keyboards come in many more sizes than just full size and tenkeyless. A 60 percent keyboard like the Vortex Poker 3 eschews the number pad, function row, and arrow keys for a smaller footprint—great if you have limited desk space or like to carry your board around.

These boards use function layers to make up for the missing keys. The less common but increasingly popular 65 percent keyboards add arrow keys and a few extras to the 60 percent layout. Most Wirecutter writers involved with this guide own at least one 65 percent keyboard. The Ergodox ergonomic keyboard , for example, consists of two hand-shaped halves.


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Then there are the enthusiast-favorite 40 percent keyboards like the Planck , which have only the alpha keys and modifiers e. They make heavy use of function layers to make up for the missing keys, and are highly portable. There are also custom-built boards in more common styles like 60 percent, 65 percent, tenkeyless, and full. Some of the most popular custom kits in this group include the Red Scarf various sizes , WhiteFox 65 percent , and KC60 60 percent. With a custom board you get full programmability, meaning each key can be customized to whatever function you like.

This is much more advanced than the programmable layers or DIP switches you see on other boutique boards, and something to consider if you value typing efficiency. Assembling your own keyboard also gives you complete choice in what switches you want to use. There are traditional Cherry switches, of course, but perhaps you want to go with something more exotic like the extremely light Gateron Clear a favorite of gamers or tactile Zealio switch prefered by heavy typists. The main problem with custom kits is availability. You usually have to wait for Massdrop or another site to run a group buy, pay in advance, and then wait months for them to arrive.

Compatible Mechanical Keyboard for Windows AND Mac ?

Like mainstream keyboards, the vast majority of boutique keyboards use Cherry-style switches. So, you can change out the stock keycaps—usually thin ABS plastic with lasered legends that will fade—for much more durable and stylish ones. You can read more about different keycap materials at the Deskthority Wiki. Most mechanical keyboards use Cherry or Cherry-clone switches, but some people swear by the much less common Topre switch.

They also have a stiff rubber dome for an extremely tactile experience. All these sites are great resources for mechanical keyboards, though you may find yourself off the deep end with the rest of us. For most people in the market for a new mechanical keyboard, one of our main picks should be a good fit.

I Found the Perfect Keyboard

At a glance, it looks like a 60 percent version of the bigger Code keyboards. The WASD V2 , made by the same company as the Code, is similar to our top pick and allows for even more customization: You can choose the color of every keycap on the board, customize the font and location top or side of the legends. But it lacks backlighting, a feature all the keyboards we tested had. The board is available only with Gateron Blue switches right now, though the company says Browns will be available later this year. If you know you want Blue- or Brown-style key switches, this is the Mac keyboard for you—it feels great to type on.

We also like that the 4 Pro includes dedicated keys and buttons for screen brightness, media playback control, eject, mute, and sleep that are more convenient to use than F-key overlays, as well as a fantastic volume dial along the right-hand edge of the keyboard. Go to the Quiet Click key switches page and listen to the audio samples of the two switches. On the other hand, the Laptop Pro is much quieter, and it does have Bluetooth.

Two versions of the keyboard will be sold: The Best Keyboard for Programming: NuPlsStahp , imgur, August 24, Sign up for our weekly newsletter Be the first to know about our latest recommendations every Sunday.

The research

Also great. Budget pick. Buying Options Buy from Amazon. Everything we recommend Our pick. Why you should trust us A quick primer on mechanical keyboards Our pick: Matias Tactile Pro Budget pick: Logitech G Orion Making your mechanical keyboard quieter Care and maintenance What about boutique keyboards? The Logitech G is quite a bargain for a full-size mechanical keyboard from an industry giant. A USB passthrough port is also on board. Bottom Line: One of the best bargains on the market. Its key features include an aluminum frame, customizable RGB lighting for its base and keycaps, two USB-C connectors, and an easily customizable key layout and functionality.

You can easily swap the keyboard's keycaps, too. The best option for enthusiasts. You can order the Das Keyboard 4 Pro with soft or clicky keys, depending on your preferences. A great option for both PC and Mac users, though we wish it had backlit keys. The Rosewill RKV2 is another affordable full-size mechanical keyboard with an understated design. It features multimedia shortcuts and rubber pads for enhanced stability. It o ffers no-nonsense design and solid build quality. The Logitech G is a wireless mechanical gaming keyboard, designed with high performance in mind.

The keyboard can deliver superb wireless experience, courtesy of Logitech's proprietary Lightspeed wireless tech. If you're looking for a wireless mechanical gaming keyboard, this is the one to buy. Its features include customizable RGB lighting, the ability to deliver in-game notifications, an aluminum frame, and proprietary QX2 mechanical switches by SteelSeries. A great compact option for high-performance gaming. The keyboard has backlit keys, a water-resistant design, and clicky switches.


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