We have a large number of gaming keyboards in the market, but not all of them are the same. There are different formats, different designs and also different types of drives or switches. We can find different types of mechanical switches as needed, but there is also different manufacturers which directly affect the price of the gaming keyboard and we will talk about it a bit.
Although there are many manufacturers of mechanical switches, we won’t cover them all, just a few. We have categorized them between external and internal switches. External refers to switch manufacturers that sell to different brands and internal refers to brands that manufacture their own switches.
Most common mechanical switches on the market
There are a large number of manufacturers of mechanical switches on the market and, in addition, they offer different ranges. We are not going to go into the models and the ranges, we are more interested in giving you a few brushstrokes of these manufacturers. Some are quite well known, as they are the most used and others are a little less known, but important.
- Cherry: this German manufacturer is the the largest and oldest when it comes to mechanical switches for gaming keyboards. Currently, it is the largest manufacturer of this type of keyboard mechanism and one of the top reviewers. This manufacturer offers linear, tactile and clicky type switches, In addition to offering complete and reduced format solutions
- Outemu: we now move on to chinese manufacturer more mechanical switches important and known. They are very similar to Cherry, but the unit cost is much lower, so it is used in entry-level keyboards
- Kyle: we did not leave China, talk about another of the gmajor switch manufacturers for gaming keyboards. popularity of these switches has increased a lot in recent years due to the great leap in quality they offer
- Gateron: would become the third party manufacturer the most reputable in terms of mechanical switches for gaming keyboards and also chinese origin. The good thing about these switches is that they are the most close in quality to those offered by Cherry. They offer an excellent balance between quality, durability and price
- including tax: surely this chinese manufacturer does not seem like much to you, since it is little used Currently. They have a good range of products, but outside of the Asian giant it’s hard to see them. In terms of quality, they are worse than the previous ones, but the one they offer is a good product
- ZealPC: let’s go now to Canada meet a quite mechanical switch manufacturer a strangerbut very well valued between the keyboard assemblers. They offer fairly good quality products, in addition to offering other items to develop custom keyboards
Keyboard manufacturers producing their own switches
Some keyboard manufacturers have decided to develop their own switches. These feature slightly different mechanics and features, such as custom actuation curves. It is really a strategy to totally control the final product and offer the best quality to the user according to the standards of each brand.
- Logitech: is currently the largest device manufacturer Currently with excellent rating by users. This makes develop and manufacture your own mechanical switchess of high quality with personalized services. These are called Romer G and are very popular among eSports professionals.
- Razer: it’s a maker peripherals WE which is characterized by offering solutions high quality. The company is characterized by offering two major Switching groups: mechanical and optical analogue. At the mechanical level there are no great changes with the solutions of other manufacturers, but the analog optics are quite interesting. These optical switches house a laser which, when we press the key, activates a detection cell and the pressure is registered
- Steel Series: another big device manufacturer who chose to develop his own switches. The brand has the QX2 switches with linear, tactile and clickable paths. They have some technical differences from the Cherry, especially in the actuation curves
- Corsair: Although little known, the American device manufacturer It also has its own mechanical switches, well, sort of. Sometime ago Corsair partners with Kailh offer its own mechanical switches. These are really Kailh lightly customized switches for their entry level keyboards.
