What Keyboard Features (Besides Mechanical Switches) Make Your Life Easier?
Are you obsessed with mechanical switches like the rest of us? Discover the must-have keyboard features that can add convenience to your daily life. From shortcuts to lighting options, find out what other features are worth considering when choosing your next keyboard.
#KeyboardFeatures #MechanicalSwitches #LifeMadeEasier
What Are Your Must-Have Keyboard Features?
Backlighting Options
– Customizable RGB lighting
– Brightness control
Media Controls
– Dedicated media keys
– Volume control wheel
Programmable Keys
– Customizable shortcuts
– Macro recording
Don’t just focus on mechanical switches – explore all the features that can enhance your typing experience!
If the keyboard has RGB, I won’t buy it unless I can turn it off.
Nonetheless, I usually avoid RGB-keyboards anyway.
As for must-haves… Removable keys for cleaning purposes.
A few:
– Dedicated volume keys. They can be functioned but ideally dedicated volume keys are handy in the age of autoplayed ads or ads that have silly high volume.
– Media keys in general. Playing music and need to pause it without finding the window or pausing/playing YT/Netflix/Plex instead of reaching for the mouse is handy.
– If the keyboard is wireless, the ability to re-pair it to a dongle. I’ve lost or left too many in different systems and not being able to pair it over again means a useless keyboard. I’d say most these days support this, but that wasn’t always the case.
– Ergonomic functions. Detachable wrist rests. Adjustable feet. Ability to replace these items as they wear out or get gross.
– Easily replaceable keycaps. I used my keyboard everyday and as text wears off or keys get slick, replacing the caps makes an old looking keyboard new again. This double functions as a cleaning method. Remove the caps to clean under them.
It used to be mechanical switches, but no longer.
– low activation energy is most important, and I want a quiet keyboard. I’m not convinced the loud blue noise really changes my typing. I owned brown for years.
My mx keys is better than all the mechanical keyboards I have owned.
My mx mouse is better than all the gaming mice I have owned.
It’s kinda gg for me. Mx products are just so damn good. Full size for at home, portable for when I go into the office.
Move that fucking caps lock key away from the A key.
Controversial take but quiet as fuck keys that I can breeze over with no effort.
I want to work in a zen environment not somewhere that sounds like a 1950s secretary’s office.
Media keys are always welcome. I also appreciate when common apps can be launched too (calculator, mail etc.).
I’ll also always buy a keyboard with a numpad. It’s just faster for punching in numbers, which I do a lot of.
Low profile (either caps or switches) for me. Can’t stand how tall some of these mechanical keyboard are.
Also Bluetooth, and the ability to switch devices, if you have a home + work laptop that are separate
Adjustable legs. The higher they go, the better.
Ergonomic… especially Microsoft one with padded as opposed to plastic wrist rests.
Ease of use is one thing but saving your wrists is a priority. So many forget about RSI. those that have it suffer silently.
No macro keys on the left side I need left front to be ctrl. I need windows keys on both left n right so no fn key. And a numpad.
– Multi-PC/phone wireless switching via key combo
– 10keyless with Fkeys/custom keys
– slightly V shape angled (to match natural shape of arms toward keyboard) (Microsoft natural keyboard style) and maybe a small touch pad in the middle of the broken in 2 keys space bar
– Volume dial with a proven system so it doesn’t fail after 1y and 1M (made of an easy to replace part) or no volume dial
– Low profile mechanical keys or wrists rest bar made of a durable material than will not get dirty or replaceable (false black leather?)
– A cheaper option without the RGB so I can have long battery life as well
A button to toggle display resolution. I am presenting my screen in many online meetings and have to manually change the resolution to match who I am presenting to constantly.
Bluetooth and switching between multiple laptop connections
Dedicated multimedia controls. Not the FN hotkeys and not custom hotkeys, the standard multimedia keys that work in everything. Also big giant MUTE button when I get a phone call I just slap that and pick up.
No, not everyone obsessed over mechanical switches.
Volume scroll wheel.
Who obsesses over mechanical switches?
No Volume wheel is a deal breaker for me now.
I want a big store where I can go and try loads of different keyboards and mice. Like a toy shop for adults.
Not a very popular feature in the mech keyboard scene these days, but a numpad is a must for me! On my work keyboard for sure and even on my gaming PC, I need a numpad. And even my 96% keyboard I sometimes wish I’d gotten the 100% version of it, need those extra keys. Fn layers just don’t do it for me.
Trackpoint.
It’s a pointing device, better than touchpad, it’s good enough for anything including gaming unless you play competitive FPS’s. It is a tiny knub on your home row so it adds no extra footprint. You can have both your hands staying on the keyboard. No need to move your right hand between keyboard and mouse/touchpad.Â
Tex Shinobi and Shura have it. There is a USB keyboard from Lenovo that has it but it’s not mechanical and dies quickly. ThinkPads are traditionally where trackpoints are. But it’s a disappointment how little trackpoints are used. It’s literally like Lenovo, one mechanical keyboard company (Tex) and a couple other isolated examples.
Low profile >>> mechanical. For me the importance of being low profile is worth more than being mechanical. I’d much rather have a low profile membrane keyboard than a regular height mechanical keyboard.Â
For most stuff, my primary requirement is low travel keys (like a laptop but in a separate keyboard).
Absolutely no sleep or power button for the PC. I bought my own keyboard for work after one too many times of knocking my notebook and having it shift onto my keyboard and power off my computer.
A calculator and volume/mute buttons are very handy, though. I don’t use the other media or email buttons.
I don’t like any keys above or to the left of the escape key. I use Vim at work constantly and just blindly hit the upper left corner of the keyboard for escape. I didn’t want to run macros by mistake .
For gaming I have a mechanical keyboard without a number pad. Mechanical because of the stress in the WASD keys. No number pad because I use my mouse a lot more with games than I do with work tasks and want it more central as I have shoulder problems.
A 5-foot extension cord… Darn.
Being compact enough/angled correctly to reach the number keys without moving my wrist. Really kills typing speed.
Rotary encoder is a life saver for scrolling.
My must have is a full numpad.
Logroll style volume, i cant go back to buttons and dials. Every time i adjust volume i feel like a beastie boy
Maybe not must-have, but I love a USB passthrough on a keyboard. Very handy for quick USB stick swapping or better connectivity with a wireless mouse.Â
As someone who bought a small laptop for uni….a delete key. Plus a the option to have it backlit
Custom keys for muting microphone and maybe a knob for volume.
I won’t buy a new keyboard unless it supports any form of rapid trigger like on the wooting or Steelseries. This and the ability to change the activation point are the real game changers.
I miss the merc keyboards. They had the game pad on the left that made my life so much easier playing dota2.
I went all-wireless years ago, and I can’t go back. Being able to just move things around my desk without worrying about cables is so useful so often.
And my current keyboard is a Logitech K780, which a chiclet 80% board with circular keys. I’ve used several mechanical boards, but I appreciate this board’s thinness, a *nice* chiclet board (such as this one) does indeed feel really good to type on IMO. The cool Logitech features, especially Flow, are also super nice. Zero plans on going back to mechanical.
Split in half. Its so comfortable!
few extra keys on the left side 😋
NOT mechanical. Too loud. Just normal or slightly quiet is fine.
I need to have atleast 1 rotary dial….
Ok… I will see myself out…..