Re: New keyboard, quiet mechanical?
Posted: 28 Mar 2020, 09:40
There are keyboards with Cherry MX Silent Red switches. Those have internal damping making them more silent than other Red switches. The downside is that these keyboards with genuine Cherry MX and especially "Silent" Cherry MX are a bit more expensive. Damped tactile switches exist, but only for those who build their own and that route would be even more costly.
Ducky and Varmilo are brands with good reputation that provide several models with Cherry MX Silent Red. Other brands also have keyboards with them, but I think those are often overpriced for the build quality.
Otherwise you could maybe get a cheap keyboard with anything but clicky switches and install O-rings for sound damping but that will probably not be as silent.
Keyboard enthusiasts have also modified their keyboards in various way to make them more silent: open them up and put sound-damping rubber, foam or bitumen sheets (adds weight for stability and is used for sound-damping in cars) into any cavities that there might be inside the case. If a space bar is noisy, that could sometimes help by lubricating its stabilising parts.
Proper rubber feet and a desk mat underneath the keyboard would also help.
Ducky and Varmilo are brands with good reputation that provide several models with Cherry MX Silent Red. Other brands also have keyboards with them, but I think those are often overpriced for the build quality.
Otherwise you could maybe get a cheap keyboard with anything but clicky switches and install O-rings for sound damping but that will probably not be as silent.
Keyboard enthusiasts have also modified their keyboards in various way to make them more silent: open them up and put sound-damping rubber, foam or bitumen sheets (adds weight for stability and is used for sound-damping in cars) into any cavities that there might be inside the case. If a space bar is noisy, that could sometimes help by lubricating its stabilising parts.
Proper rubber feet and a desk mat underneath the keyboard would also help.