What 30,000+ hours of typing has taught me about keyswitch feel

A frequently pondered question is what type of keyboard key is the fastest to type on?

That's the wrong question. The right question is...

   what type of keyboard is the fastest to type on comfortably?

TLDR - For comfortable speed typing (120wpm+) the essential element is a way to avoid slamming into a hard key bottom - either by floating (avoiding the key bottom), or by bouncing off a cushioned key bottom, or both. 

As a 120wpm life long computer programmer, my personal two favorite key mechanisms are the Kailh low profile blue clicky switch, and the Keychron B1 series scissor-membrane switch. However, this is as much a product of muscle memory as mechanism. The thing that makes a key mechanism comfortable is that YOU can type on it without hitting any hard bottom.

What is my keyboard landscape? I am a 52 year old programmer, and I've been typing fast all my life. I can type 120-130wpm sustained on pretty much any standard-ish full size layout - as long as it's content from my brain (typing tests are..uh, weird). I can get near 100wpm on "split" keyboards (but i dont prefer them). I type for hours on end.. I have been known to code for 8-10 hours a day, for 25 out of 30 days. I will do 36 hour all nighters. Typing is my life.

You want to geek out on the mechanics?

It starts by realizing typing is BALLISTIC. When typing very fast, the goal is to avoid "hitting" any solid wall. There are two ways to achieve this. Floaty typing is when your fingers learn the actuation point they can feel (blue,brown) and backoff before you hit bottom. Bouncy typing is when your fingers push into a soft bottom (o-ring, membrane, bumper) and rebound off it.

Here is how the different keytypes achieve this:

Blue Clicky keys are like setting off a mousetrap. You push the keycap past the click-threshold, and the pre-loaded click-spring "fires" the internal slider past the actuation point automatically. The goal is floaty typing and infrequently hitting the bottom.

Membrane Dome (with or without scissor) are a different way of achieving a snap/click. The rubber dome underneath is not linear. The force curve rises to a peak, then the dome buckles and there is a "snap release". This is why many will prefer laptop membrane dome keyboards to expensive "true" mechanical switches. For years I used only the old IBM thinkpad membrane keyboard (with touchpoint) on laptops and desktops.

Brown Tactiles are giving you a bump to announce the actuation point coming up, but you have to push over it yourself. There is no force release or snap like Blue or Membranes. They are less expensive and quieter than blue. The goal here is float-typing like blue, and if you don't hit bottom often, it's working. If you do, try blue, a different brown, or an o-ring to soften the blow.

Anything with a spongy bottom (o-ring, membrane, laptop keyboards with flex or rubber bottoms) are more like punching a speedbag. You are absolutely hitting the key bottom out, but it's softer, so it's more of a bounce off the bottom. Some absolutely prefer this to clicky keyboards. 

And then of course, you can combine Floaty and Bouncy. Throw some o-rings on a blue or brown switch, and float and bounce your way to typing bliss.

Keyboards I personally own, ranked:

Favorites:

• (discontinued) GAMDIAS Hermes M3 RGB, Kailh low profile blue switch (PC)
• (discontinued) Redragon K621 Horus TKL RGB (PC), Kailh low profile blue switch (PC)
• (discontinued) Havit 87 Key TKL, Kailh low profile blue switch (PC)
• $40 - Keychron B1 Pro Ultra Slim, scissor membrane, premium aluminum feel (PC/mac)
• $70 - Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint Keyboard II, scissor membrane (PC)
• $56 - Samsers Full-Size Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard, scissor membrane, best for tablet travel
• $15 - CZUR keyboard w/trackpad - amazing value for $15. Great 10 foot/TV keyboard.
• 
  
  

Awaiting Delivery:

• $40 - Keychron B33 87 key TKL, elongated scissor membrane (PC/Mac)

Usable but meh:

• $86 - Apple Magic Keyboard - nice keyfeel, only white, the Keychron B1 is better at 1/2 the price. Main advantage is 100% apple-native layout matching their laptops.
• $70 - Samsers Tri-Fold Keyboard w/trackpad - Nice, but the bifold Samsers w/o trackpad is better, as the trackpad is solving a problem that a travel keyboard for a tablet doesn't have.
• $30 - Macally wired - Outclassed by the Keychron B1 Aluminum. Wired only. Plastic build.
• $190 - Cherry KW X ULP 2 - quality build, but the keys are too "harsh". Keychron B1 is 10x better at 1/4 the price.
• $70 - Logitech Touch Keyboard K400 - okay for a 10ft TV lap keyboard, but I prefer cheap CZUR or Samsers folding.
• $25 - Arteck wireless - outclassed by Keychron B1 Pro ultra slim.

Junk / Unusable:

• Hexgears A1/A3 $75ea - Unreliable. Spontaneously shut off. Terrible fn-key behavior. (sad because the low-profile blue click keys are great)
• INNOPRESSO $55 keyboard+trackpad - the shrunk keys and lack of keycap spacing kills it for me - though this keyboard is innovative as the entire surface of the keyboard is a big touchpad.