Which switches are a better choice for typing?Īs I mentioned before, if the main purpose for which we want to use the keyboard is typing, the blue or brown switches will be the most popular. When typing, however, it could mean more accidental clicks and typos. This is a big advantage for games as it allows us to react faster. You don’t need as much force here as in the case of blue switches. This means that they are much easier to press. What speaks more for me in the statement that linear (red) switches are worse for typing is the fact that these switches are “faster”. I have never achieved this level of typing… Even though I use brown switches every day, I keep pressing the buttons all the way 🙂 However, it is not for me to judge how effective such a technique is. Since the moment of activating the button is imperceptible, we will usually press the button all the way. In linear switches, this is also possible but more difficult to achieve. Consequently, it should let us write it faster. In that case, since we can sense such a moment in the case of blue and brown switches, we can also shorten the path down and the return of the button. In theory, we don’t have to press the button all the way down to make it work. This means that the resistance is the same all the way through the button and we cannot clearly say when the button was activated. As the name suggests, they operate in a linear fashion.

Many people find that linear switches are not as easy to write as they have completely different operating characteristics. In the case of the blue button, you will also hear a characteristic click. If you press one key slowly, you should be able to feel the moment when it activates. In the blue and brown switches, there is a noticeable actuation of the button. Why red switches are bad for typing?Įach switch has a specific operating culture. It’s partly true that blue switches are the worse choice for gaming and red switches for typing. From my personal experience, however, it appears that writing on linear switches is a bit worse.Īre linear (red) switches bad for typing? I believe that the selection of switches is a very individual matter and may depend on subjective preferences. During my adventure with mechanical keyboards, I have already tried many different switches with different operating characteristics. This means that I spend at least half of my day in front of the keyboard.

Professionally, I am a programmer, and in my spare time, I am blogging. It makes them more suitable for work in, for example, an office, than blue switches. However, they have one big advantage in the case of writing, and it is quieter work. Additionally, due to the slight pressure needed for activation, it is easier to accidentally press a button and make a typo. This lengthens the distance that has to be traveled, which has a negative effect on the writing speed.

For linear switches, the moment of button actuation is not perceptible, so we usually unnecessarily press it all the way down. Linear switches (red) are not the best choice for typing. One of the popular statements, however, is that the linear (red) switches are bad for typing.

It is true that choosing the right switch is very subjective. There is a lot of discussion on this topic in online forums. If you are the owner of a mechanical keyboard or are just about to buy it, you probably know how big a problem is choosing the right switches.

Clicky vs linear