Down the Keyboard Rabbit Hole - James Bow

Writers have a close relationship with the tools they use to write. Ernest Hemingway had his pen preferences. Stephen King wrote his first Dark Tower novel on an Underwood typewriter. Science fiction icon Robert J. Sawyer still composes his books on the WordStar word processing program, which was last updated in December 1992 (https://sfwriter.com/wordstar.htm). He’s even taken steps to preserve as much of the program as possible, posting the elements to his website as the “Complete WordStar 7.0 Archive”.

Modern computer keyboards don’t get talked about as much, likely because they are ubiquitous. However, any writer who composes all or part of their work on a computer uses their keyboard almost daily. It’s a critical part of their creative process. To improve my writing experience, I explored the world of better keyboards… and went down a rabbit hole. Like most writers, I’m not rich. When I switched from putting pen paper to typing words onto a screen, it was done on the least expensive computer I could find. When I earned enough to upgrade that experience, it was to purchase a laptop (Apple, of course), and the thrill of composing and creating anywhere in my apartment or the world outweighed any deficiencies my keyboard may have had. When I was working my day job, my keyboard was what my company provided for me: cheap if not necessarily cheerful. I didn’t care about the look or feel of the thing, as long as it got the job done. Then the pandemic hit, and the need to work from home. At the time, the company I worked for provided me with a work laptop and allowed me to sign in to work using my home computer. That home computer was an Apple Mac Studio with an Apple Magic Keyboard. My work laptop was a simple Dell. Both used flat, chicklet-style keys with thin scissor switches to register keystrokes. My fingers barely travelled a couple of millimetres before my typing appeared on screen.

As I switched between my Apple home computer and my Dell work computer, I noticed a difference between the keyboards. Apple computers were fancy and stylish, and their Magic Keyboard featured a fingerprint sensor that made me think I was living in a James Bond movie. However, the chicklet keys were so thin that typing on them was like drumming my fingers against the table. Dell’s cheaper laptop had keys that felt softer to type on. In that moment, I decided I needed to improve my home computer experience. That’s how the rabbit hole starts.

Like many things in computing, keyboards are a perpetual compromise. If you want things to be thin, light and small, you sacrifice key travel and feel. If you want your keyboard to feel like typing on a typewriter, but better, you need a larger keyboard, oftentimes investing in a palmrest to prevent carpal tunnel. Expect to pay through the nose if you want the premium feel in a small form factor. High-end keyboards can cost $300 or more, a shock-inducing sticker price for anybody used to seeing flimsy keyboards on sale for less than $50 at Staples.

My first step up the keyboard ladder was Logitech’s MX Keys S series keyboard. This flat, laptop-style keyboard uses nicely shaped chicklet keys and thin scissor switches and typically sells for around $170 CDN, although you can get decent used versions off of Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace for around $100. The MX Keys series offers enough audio and tactile feedback to let you know you’ve pressed the key without feeling like you’re drumming on the table. The keyboard is also quiet, which can be vital if you work from home early in the morning and don’t want to disturb your family.

As good as Logitech’s MX Keys series keyboards were, I wondered if further improvements could be made, so I explored the world of mechanical keyboards. These trace their lineage back to the early days of computing, and even to electric typewriters. The history of how mechanical keyboards evolved and the nuances of how they work are too long to summarize in this article, so I’ll try to keep it short. These keyboards are thicker and have keys that travel farther when pressed. They also make more noise, giving users the audio feedback they find essential when they type.

A mechanical keyboard uses a mechanical switch beneath each key to register a key press. Pressing it down completes an electrical circuit that signals to the computer that the key has been pressed. Technically, chicklet-shaped laptop keyboards also do this, but their switches are more complex. Mechanical keyboards are often (but not always) easy to customize, allowing you to change key caps and switches for a personalized keyboard experience.

There are many different types of mechanical keyboard switches, but three are the most common. There’s the clicky switch, where the switch emits a click as it’s pressed, providing audio feedback that some find satisfying (while others, particularly co-workers, may find infuriating). There’s the tactile switch, where a subtle bump in the switch provides resistance at the start of the key press, cutting down on inadvertent key presses. Finally, linear switches have no clicky or tactile feedback; you press them down, and the computer registers the keystroke. You get the sound and tactile response from the key hitting the bottom of the keystroke or returning to its starting position (tactile switches also provide this audio feedback).

Silent switches exist to deaden even the sound of linear switches, which some typists (and people living with typists) appreciate. Still, others dislike the lack of audio and tactile feedback to help them connect to their writing.

Key switch preferences are as individual as the typist, and exploring this world can be frustrating. There are no dedicated keyboard chain stores anywhere in North America. Staples sells inexpensive office productivity equipment, and Best Buy and Canada Computers’ inventories focus on gaming. Even online, gaming keyboards get more attention than productivity keyboards on social media — likely because gamers are more willing to spend money on improving their gaming experience. But this doesn’t mean writers and creative types should be left out in the cold.

So, I explored what I could find on YouTube and took the leap of ordering particular keyboards to test. I upgraded my chicklet-based Logitech MX Keys S to a Logitech Mechanical keyboard with tactile keys. I liked it, but there were still too many compromises in build quality and typing feel. Finally, I ended up trying two keyboards from China: the LoFree Flow and the Nuphy Air V2, and encountered a dilemma.

The LoFree Flow is an almost perfect keyboard for looks and feel. It has an aluminum shell and well-made keycaps that fit well with the sleek and minimalist Apple aesthetic. Its linear switches make for excellent typing; they move like I’m typing on butter, but bottom out in a firm but not uncomfortable way. Better yet, the sound of these keys is deeper, without the high-pitched metallic “ping!” that cheaper keyboards can have.

NuPhy’s Air V2 offers a similar experience and is less expensive than the LoFree Flow. It’s also more customizable, allowing users to change particular keys more easily depending on their needs. NuPhy also makes better use of RGB lighting to indicate whether the Caps Lock is on, if the battery needs recharging, or if the keyboard is paired properly with the computer. The NuPhy’s battery also lasts longer before needing to be charged.

The NuPhy is close to perfect, and the LoFree Flow has flaws, but the typing experience on the LoFree Flow trumped everything. Though it was one of the hardest decisions I had to make, I couldn’t let go of the buttery smoothness and deep audio feedback the LoFree Flow gives me, so I sold off my Nuphy Air. At least somebody else can enjoy what NuPhy has to offer.

I may be silly waxing on about my keyboard, but if you are writing long novels, imagine typing over 100,000 words on a loud and flimsy $20 keyboard. If you’re going to work eight hours at your home and office, don’t you deserve to work on something that feels good and sounds good to type on?

I’ve explored the rabbit hole so you don’t have to, but the exploration has been fun, so why should I deny you the same pleasure? A person’s favourite keyboard is as personal as the typist, so don’t be afraid to look around, see what feels good under your fingers, and invest in yourself and your writing.

James Bow writes science fiction and fantasy for both kids and adults.

He’s been a fan of science fiction since his family introduced him to Doctor Who on TV Ontario in 1978, and his mother read him classic sci-fi and fantasy from such authors as Clifford Simak and J.R.R. Tolkien. James won the 2017 Prix Aurora Award for best YA Novel in Canada for Icarus Down.

By day, James is a communications officer for a charitable land trust protecting lands from development in Waterloo Region and Wellington County. He also loves trains and streetcars.

He lives in Kitchener, Ontario, with his two kids, and his spouse/fellow writer/partner-in-crime, Erin Bow.

Find out more at https://www.bowjamesbow.ca.

Article published in The Relatable Voice Magazine - September 2025.

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