In late 2016 Plugable released our first mechanical keyboards with blue “clicky” Cherry MX style switches for typing enthusiasts and gamers. Today, we’re excited to announce the addition of two new models, both in 104 key “full-size” and 87 key “tenkeyless” (no number pad) form factors with Outemu Red linear switches! Visually our two new keyboards are identical to the existing lineup and offer all of the same great features and minimalist design that helped make our blue-switch variants a success: solid, quality construction (built on a sturdy metal base and utilizing double-shot ABS keycaps which resist fading) along with functional, tasteful white back-lighting controlled, which can be customized via keystrokes on the keyboard itself. No intense RGB color schemes or unnecessary software needed to manage how your keyboard backlight behaves.
If you’ve never tried a mechanical keyboard or tested red and blue switches side by side you may be wondering about the difference between the red and blue switch types. In brief, each “color” switch has different mechanical characteristics and performance. Our new red switches provide smooth and lightweight linear (straight up and down) action without the tactile “bump” or audible clicky sound produced by blue switches. This results in red switches producing a speedier keystroke and smoother typing feel with less sound than their blue counterparts. As such these keyboards are much quieter than our blue switch versions making them a suitable option for environments that would not normally allow for a louder, clicky-style keyboard, such as the work place or quiet office.
In addition, because of the lack of any tactile feedback (tactile bump/click), when the switch is actuated, this keyboard will give gamers a competitive edge compared to using clicky switches as the time and effort required to actuate a switch is less than other switch types. This is even more evident when rapidly pressing the same key repeatedly which is common in gaming, sometimes referred to “spamming” a key.
Where to Buy
Both new keyboards are available on Amazon for immediate purchase in the United States and coming soon to Canada. As a special thank you to our customers on Amazon.com, we’re offering a special $10 launch discount for a limited time (simply clip the coupon on Amazon.com and the discount will automatically apply). For more details, please see the product pages here (USB-MECH104RW) and here (USB-MECH87RW).
If you’d like to learn more about our existing mechanical keyboards, check out our original keyboard blog post here for some backstory!
As always, please feel free to comment below or contact our support team directly at support@plugable.com with any questions or comments. We’re happy to help!
