By John Christopher Aquino and Jonas Ryan Nitura
The mechanical keyboard has been around for years, but it has seen a surge in popularity especially in the ongoing pandemic as people found a hobby in PC gaming.
The Philippines has a local company called RAKK Gears that have produced their own brand of mechanical keyboards popular among Pinoy gamers.
These keyboards have switches under their keys unlike the usual membrane keyboard.
The switches are what make the mechanical keyboards unique with that iconic “clicky’ sounds only found in these types of keyboards. “Besides its durability, these switches give off a different feel in typing and I really think that it’s the main difference of mechanical keyboards from the normal ones,” said Andrew Pamulaklakin, a long-time mechanical keyboard user.
“Mechanical keyboards produce clicky sounds or tactile sounds when typing. It can depend on what color your switches are. The keys in the mechanical keyboard can be pressed gently and will be registered right away, while in the membrane keyboard, you will need to press hard,” added Lance Ang-Santo who owns a RAKK Lam Ang Pro.
These types of keyboards have seen a rise in popularity due to the fact that it caters to gamers, its design, tactile feel, and a wide variety of customizability a user can tinker with.
Maui Arcilla, a mechanical keyboard owner, said that he likes keyboards that can be customized and have different designs, which a mechanical keyboard can offer.
“It’s all about my love for minimalist design, most mechanical keyboards have different designs to choose from, unlike the normal keyboards. You can also change the keycaps which can alter the design instantly in the way you want it,” said Arcilla.
Due to the design and material, mechanical keyboards tend to be pricey. Some brands such as Razer and Asus put out mechanical keyboards that cost around P10,000, but local brands such as RAKK have offered keyboards around the P2000 to P3000 peso range within its catalogue.
You can also build a mechanical keyboard from scratch as companies such as Glorious and RAKK sell custom kits like the GMMK Pro and the Lam Ang Pro BareBone that let you fully customize your own mechanical keyboard from the keycaps up to the switches.
A mechanical keyboard is not solely for hardcore gaming, though, as it can also be used for everyday work because it is still a keyboard after all. Its “clickiness” and feel make it more productive for some to do their work.
“I bought it for gaming, but I found myself very productive when using it in writing academic papers,” said Ang-Santo. “For some reason, I’m always productive and/or performing well if the keyboard is of quality.”