These are my recommended keyboards for serious typists:

• The Best Non-Clicky Mechanical Keyboard: Topre Type Heaven
• The Best Clicky Mechanical Keyboard: Filco Majestouch 2 (Brown Switch)
• The Best Wireless Mechanical Keyboard: Filco Majestouch Convertible 2 (Brown Switch)
• The Best Mac-Compatible Mechanical Keyboard: Das Keyboard Model S

The Best Non-Clicky Keyboard: Topre Type Heaven

The Topre Type Heaven is a solid, heavy keyboard made in Japan. People describe typing on this keyboard as “luxurious” and pleasurable. After testing this keyboard, I have to agree with these assessments, and I can feel a significant difference when I switch back to a regular keyboard.

The $140 Type Heaven is the only keyboard that uses the expensive Torpe switch. Most keyboards that use this switch are priced over $300.

The Topre switch combines a thick rubber dome with a conical spring, a design which provides the reliability and tactile feedback of other mechanical switches, but retains the smooth feel of a rubber dome design. It also makes Topre keyboard quieter than most other mechanical keyboards.

The Type Heaven is available on Amazon.

The Best Clicky Keyboard: Filco Majestouch 2

If you like your keys to have a satisfying click when you press them, you’ll probably enjoy the Filco Majestouch 2 more than the Topre Type Heaven keyboard.

Filco keyboards are also made in Japan, and they have a simple but very durable design. They incorporate the popular “Cherry MX” mechanism in their keys. When people refer to a “mechanical keyboard” they are generally referring to a keyboard with Cherry MX switches.

The keys on this keyboard have a mechanical and tactile feel. They are also fairly noisy — some people really appreciate this audio feedback and other do not.

Cherry MX keyboards come in a variety of types, the most popular for typists are the Brown and Red types. Here’s a quick comparison:

Cherry MX Red:

• No tactile feedback and it’s lighter so as to improve your double tapping motion
• You don’t have to bottom out the key to have it registered but since there’s no feedback, you don’t know when the key press is registered
• Some typists may have to re-read their output to check that they’ve made no mistakes

Cherry MX Brown:

• These have tactile feedback and they are heavier
• Improves typing experience as you do not need to bottom out a key to know that it has registered on the screen
• Heavier key means you need more force to press

The Filco Majestouch Convertible 2 (Brown Switch) is available on Amazon for about $230.

The Filco Majestouch Convertible 2 (Red Switch) is available on Amazon for about $160.

The Best Wireless Mechanical Keyboard: Filco Majestouch Convertible 2

The Filco Majestouch Convertible 2 is basically a wireless Bluetooth version of Filco’s Majestouch keyboard. It one of the few wireless mechanical keyboards on the market.

The Filco Majestouch is available on Amazon for about $230.

The post The Best Clicky and Non-Clicky Mechanical Keyboards appeared first on Reactual.