What’s the difference between tactile, clicky, and linear
Tags: keyboard, switch, tactile, linear
Published: 2021-05-11 09:56:32

Buying your first mechanical keyboard can be a pretty daunting experience if you're not familiar with the different types of switches, the different terms, and options that are out there.

So what are mechanical keyboards? Mechanical keyboards use physical switches under each individual key. When you press the key, it’ll send a signal to the computer. The keyboards you're probably used to seeing are membrane keyboards. These keyboards typically come with computers and they would be what you would use in school or at your local library. These membranes run the entire length of the board and they include all of the keys on a single sheet. Mechanical switches are all separate from each other, eliminating the possibility of the wrong key being activated during a press. This is also called rollover. In the simplest terms, it means how many keys can be pressed simultaneously and still send unimpeded to the computer. This can be something very basic like holding a switch and hitting a letter key when typing, or all the way up to hold multiple keys down when gaming. 
Commonly on gaming keyboards, you might see around ten-key rollovers, which is one for each finger. But on some higher-end keyboards, you will see N-key rollover, which means you could press every key on the keyboard at once without any issue. So why does all this matter? What's so great about mechanical keyboards? 

Mechanical keyboards offer a superior typing and gaming experience over membrane keyboards. They're more reliable because of the individual switches that we just talk about. And these switches can last a lot longer than membrane keyboards. The mechanical key switch can last from fifty to eighty million clicks. Another big advantage to mechanical keyboards is the ability to choose the switch type that feels best for you. And while each switch does have its own distinct feel, I want to stress that there's no right choice. The purpose of this article is to help you choose which switch you might enjoy the best. But let's get one thing clear, you're the one who's going to be using this keyboard. So if you like the way a particular switch feels then that's the switch you should go with.

When it comes to switch types, there are three basic types of switches out there. There are different kinds of switches, but we're trying to keep this super simple. So for the purpose of this review, we're just gonna go with the three most commonly available types of switch.

The first type of switch we're going to talk about is clicky switches. Now clicky switches are probably what you think about when you think about mechanical keyboards. They offer a crisp click that you can feel and hear when the switch actuates or sends a signal to the computer. Clicky switches are a favorite among gamers and typists alike for their satisfying sound and feel. The only thing I would really steer somebody away from clicky switches would be for streaming. Loud clicky switches and a mic over the course of a stream can be really annoying to your audience. You can kind of get away with this by using a noise gate on your mic, but that can take a lot of time and issues to really dial everything all in. And if you are looking at getting a keyboard specifically for streaming, I typically recommend just going with tactile or linear. Some examples of these switches are Cherry MX blue or Razer greens, typically any blue or white switch variants will be a clicky switch.

Next up, we have tactile switches. Now tactile switches are very similar to clicky switches just without the click. They have the same tactile bump at the point of actuation, they just don't have the click that comes with it. They can range from super light bumps that are barely noticeable all the way to super snappy hard ones that you really need to push through. Tactile switches are a nice balance of a noticeable bump while still being smooth enough to use for gaming. Tactile switches are by far my personal favorite. In my opinion, they're the most versatile and well-rounded switch for both typing and gaming. Some examples of tactile switches are Cherry MX brown, Razor orange, or Logitech's Romer G switch. Pretty much any clear or brown switch variants will be a tactile switch. 

And lastly, we have linear switches. Now linear switches get their name because they don't have a bump in there when you actuate it. So it's a smooth linear keypress all the way down when you bottom out the key. But this doesn't mean that you won't feel the precise moment that the stroke registers in the computer. Linear makes for a more smooth experience when playing games like FPS or action games where you're controlling a character's movement. They tend to be quieter than their tactile or clicky cousins, especially if you don't bottom out the keys. Linear will definitely be the quietest variant even if you do bottom out the key. You can also look into Cherry MX silence which are just linear switches with built-in sound dampening for an extra quiet typing experience if you're really trying to keep things super quiet. Keep in mind though that linear tend to have a lighter actuation force too. So bottoming them out is actually a lot easier to do than on the clicky and the tactile variants. The downside of the linear is that they are a little bit harder to get used to due to the lack of tactile feedback. Some linear examples would be cherry MX red, black, or silent, or razer yellow switches. Pretty much any red black or silver switch variant is going to be a linear switch. But keep in mind that these aren't hard rules so always double-check what switch type it is. 

The one thing that I always recommend is to try to get hands-on with these switches before you buy a keyboard. So if you live down the street from something like a BestBuy, it's always a good idea to try to go down there. Because they usually have a couple of different keyboards on display that you can just play around with. 

You can also order a switch tester from Amazon. They're usually about ten bucks. It'll have six different types of switches in it and that will give you an idea of which switch type you think you might like. You can also refer to this article to see how to select mechanical switches.

Source: https://vissles.com/blogs/news/how-to-choose-the-perfect-mechanical-keyboard-switches