Somewhere on one of the forums that I continuously visit a person asked a very important question.
He said, I write a lot so what is the best investment I can do to enhance my writing.
I straight away answered, get a nice mechanical keyboard. I received a lot of appreciation you could say for suggesting something so simple and obvious.
However, a few days back the same guy replied to me, man I got the keyboard, I see the appeal but boy is it loud.
I immediately realized my mistake. I need to be more comprehensive with my suggestion. Now I cannot correct that mistake of mine.
But I definitely can make up for it by answering and clarifying one of the most important questions when it comes to mechanical keyboards.
Do silent mechanical keyboards exist?
Yes, you can definitely find mechanical keyboards that offer a quiet typing experience. Nowadays, manufacturers put a lot of effort and research into creating switches that cater to different user needs. And as such, switches beyond red, blue and brown exist that make the keyboard operate very silently.
Today there are so many variants of switches that are available and you can choose the ones that fulfill your need.
The most popular ones today still are reds, blues, and browns of course but you definitely don’t need to limit yourself to them.
So, what are some of the quietest mechanical keyboards you can get right now?
What are the best mechanical switches for a quiet keyboard operation?
Stick till the very end of this article and I will answer all these questions and many more keeping quiet mechanical keyboards in context.
Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will have received very well-rounded information regarding mechanical keyboards.
Given that you are interested in mechanical keyboards and pc hardware, here are a few more articles that you can open in a new tab and enrich your knowledge further
- Which mechanical switches are best for gaming?
- Are gaming routers worth it?
- Should you get a gaming or ergonomic chair?
- How to upgrade a pc for gaming and productivity?
- How long do pc parts last?
Now if for some reason your doubt doesn’t get clarified here, don’t feel shy in reaching me out via email.
Best Silent Mechanical Keyboards
Alright now that we know you can have all the advantages offered by mechanical keyboards minus the noise, what are some of the best silent mechanical keyboards that you can buy right away.
Other worthy mentions.
So, those were some of the best quiet mechanical keyboards that you can get your hands on right away.
I have chosen these keyboards by taking into consideration all essential factors that make a keyboard right and, in this case, silent.
We are going to look into all these factors in the subsequent section but before we do that let me quickly address if it is at all worth getting a mechanical keyboard?
So, I have made quite a few articles in the past where I relayed in no lenient terms how manufacturers use the tag gaming to extract extravagant prices.
Here are those articles,
And to a great extent, I have also discussed the context in,
And it is a serious argument that anyone who uses a pc and its associated hardware must be aware of.
So, what about keyboards, are mechanical keyboards worth it?
Many times, people who have not dabbled into mechanical keyboards tend to think they are only developed and used for gaming and thus call them gaming keyboards.
Well, mechanical keyboards are different from membrane keyboards in the sense that instead of having a conductive layer-based design, each key of a mechanical keyboard is a spring-actuated discreet unit.
For this very reason, there are so many variations possible when it comes to mechanical keyboards.
You can have red linear switches that are relatively quiet and on the other hand you can have blue clicky switches that will tell everyone around you that you are a typer.
So, are mechanical keyboards worth it?
Absolutely, if there is one pc hardware unit that I totally recommend using without failure is a mechanical keyboard. Among hardware enthusiasts, a quote goes that says, once you go clack you never go back.
Mechanical keyboards are sturdy, more robust, and last much longer than a membrane keyboard. That and the tactile feedback that you receive on a mechanical keyboard is hard to match on a membrane one.
The overall experience of typing takes such a significant shift upwards that you will find it extremely hard to go back to membrane keyboards.
The craze for them is so much that people start collecting different types of mechanical keyboards (with different switches and similar) for different purposes.
A few wild ones even become mechanical keyboard collectors.
Things to Consider When Buying Silent Keyboards
Okay then, now that we have seen what are the best quiet mechanical keyboards that you can get your hand on, let’s discuss different factors to consider while choosing a silent keyboard.
I am pretty confident that even if you research from your own side you will probably end up with one of the quiet mechanical keyboards I suggested above.
That being said there are so many more options available and I feel I must give you the right knowledge base for you to choose one on your own if you wish to.
So, take these factors into consideration when hunting for a quiet mechanical keyboard.
Emanating Sounds and Pitch
Since we are talking quiet mechanical keyboards the first most important thing is that they indeed need to be quiet.
One question that I do tend to get a lot is can mechanical keyboards actually be quiet?
The answer is yes, today the switch manufacturing process is at a place where creating relatively quiet switches and the overall quiet mechanical keyboard is at a manufacturer’s top priority.
The keyboards that I relayed above especially SteelSeries Apex M750 are some of the best options if you are looking for a quiet operation.
The whole hunt and development of a quiet mechanical keyboard is to bring the best of both worlds together.
The experience and robustness of a mechanical keyboard and the quiet disturbance free operation of a simple membrane keyboard.
Now if you are looking for a keyboard that is whisper quiet it may be wise to look into some high-quality membrane keyboards as well.
I created an article where I listed the best membrane keyboards that borrow a lot of features from mechanical keyboards and at the same time are quiet as a feather.
Switch Type
The core difference between a membrane keyboard and a mechanical keyboard is the presence of discreet spring-actuated mechanical switches.
It is the presence of these switches that you see so many and I mean so many varieties in mechanical keyboards.
The manufacturing process of membrane keyboards is repeatable, the technology is fixed, the processes are in most cases fixed and thus you can mass-produce them.
But if you wish to create a mechanical keyboard that fits your customized needs, mechanical keyboards are where you look.
So, switches. What kind of switches do you need for quiet operation?
As I said in an earlier part of this article that there are just so many varieties of switches out there.
SteelSeries Apex M750 have what the company refers to as QX2 mechanical switches that are crafted to operate silently.
Similarly, manufacturers take their time in devising switches that cover different domains of operation, people, and use cases.
But taking on all of those switches will make the article unnecessarily long.
- I have covered so many things about switches and which ones are particularly good for gaming in this article.
So, the basics are that there are three main categories of switches,
- Linear
- Tactile and
- Clicky
Because switches are the fundamental units of a mechanical keyboard, the switch type will determine the character of the keyboard.
For instance, clicky switches are the loudest among the lot. But that doesn’t make them bad. As a matter of fact, the keyboard I am writing this on has blue clicky switches and I love them.
And I am also aware of the fact that many don’t. But I have a relatively open office and the sounds disperse well leaving me a pleasant experience of typing so blue switches are perfect for me.
If I were to choose a keyboard for gaming rather than typing, going with red linears would be a more viable option for me.
But when I type I need to know I am typing and pardon me, I feel everyone around me should also know I am typing. Lol.
But that’s just me and you can have totally different needs.
The linear switches are proven to provide the least amount of noise. Therefore, if you are looking for a keyboard that is quiet look if it has red linear switches.
Brown switches are something that are like a middle ground between red and blue switches. They aren’t as loud as blue clickys but do offer sound that isn’t as quiet as the red switches.
It’s a popular choice among people who don’t exclusively use their PC for gaming.
Tactile switches are the ones that provide you a very notable feedback when you push down at them.
These types of switches are particularly useful if you are a light and fast typer or are willing to become one as you won’t have to push down at the keys right down to the bottom.
So that was a basic overview of switches that should help you pick a keyboard for your needs.
Once again, these aren’t the only switches out there and mechanical keyboards are a niche on their own.
I will discuss so much more on mechanical keyboards and switches in my upcoming articles.
Don’t forget to subscribe or you will miss out on many such information nuggets.
Construction Quality of Mechanical Keyboard
The first thing that I noticed when I unboxed my first mechanical keyboard is how heavy the thing was.
And for good reason, most mechanical keyboards are robust and sturdy because of the materials involved in the construction.
Quality mechanical keyboards will usually have a metal (preferably aluminum) construction to hold discreet keys that are made up of metal springs thus making them heavy.
A high-quality mechanical keyboard from a reputed manufacturer should not rattle or shake while typing. This becomes even more true for keyboards you want to operate silently.
Keyboards made of plastic (though this isn’t the case always) are less sturdy and robust than steel or aluminum and thus carry the risk of making more noise.
So, if you want a keyboard that is quiet, preferably one with a sturdy metal or acrylic model.
Presence of Stabilizers
Another very important aspect of a good mechanical keyboard is the presence of stabilizers.
So, what do stabilizers do?
A stabilizer is a component that aids in reducing the rattling movement of large keys like the space bar, shift keys, enter key, and some numeric keys like the number zero.
The presence of stabilizers to a great extent will dictate how loud or how quiet your keyboard will be.
The better these key stabilizers are the quieter the operation of these large keys will be. Other side of the fact is true as well, weak and flimsy stabilizers will create more rattle noise because they will fail to reduce the shakiness of these large keys.
Best Quiet Switches for Mechanical Keyboard
So, I hope I have provided you sufficient knowledge base that you can use to find the right mechanical keyboard for you.
This, if for some reason the options that I relayed above don’t satisfy you.
At this point, I can wrap up the article, but let me briefly put forth some of the best active mechanical switches that offer a relatively quiet operation.
- Gateron Silent Switches
One of the quietest and the smoothest switches that you can get your hands on. Not to mention these switches are very budget-friendly, meaning you won’t necessarily see extravagant prices in keyboards featuring these.
- Cherry MX Silent Red/Black
The characteristic feature of these switches is the presence of a rubber dampener in the stem that keeps them relatively quiet.
These are linear switches with a total travel distance of 3.7mm. Now, what is the difference between the silent reds and the blacks?
The difference is between the reds and the blacks is that of bottom-out force. For reds, it is 45g and for blacks, it is 60g.
- ZealPC Healios
Healios switches too use bumpers to dampen the sounds and make the operation silent. The only difference is instead of using just one bumper like Cherry MX silent the Healios switches use two bumpers to dampen bottom out sounds and upstroke sounds.
They do offer some of the quietest operations across the scale but they also come with an elevated price point attached to them.
- ZealPC Zilents V2
Unlike Healios these switches offer tactile operation instead of linear.
So, if you are looking for a keyboard that you are going to use predominantly for typing, these switches will be beneficial.
Once again, they do come with a relatively big price point attached but they offer the quality to match it.
- Matias Quiet Linear
The matias linear switches are definitely one of the most popular ones deployed across keyboards for quiet operation.
If you are looking to get a keyboard that you can use in an office or someplace similar, the matias switches are probably the ones that will fit that need.
What makes them unique is their spring design. It offers more resistance at the beginning of the keypress and it decreases as the internal spring gets more compressed.
Relatively matias quiets are a bit louder than the other options discussed but still excellent picks for a quiet operation.
Final Thoughts,
I dearly hope that you now have a comprehensive understanding of what makes a mechanical keyboard quiet.
We started with understating do quiet mechanical keyboards exist and from there entered into know what are the best quiet mechanical keyboards that you can get your hands on.
Finally, I gave you tools and understanding to navigate into the world of mechanical keyboards and choose a good mechanical keyboard for yourself.
The first keyboard that I got for myself had blue clickys and while I to this day enjoy typing on it, I understand how in certain situations having a keyboard with mild or quiet operation is absolutely essential.
And therefore, I am pretty sure with everything that we have learned here you must have finalized the keyboard that would want to buy.
I will enlist them here once again for your convenience.
Other worthy mentions.
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