http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?ti...+Keyboard+Guide+-+Includes+Glossary+and+Links
rough overview of keyboards
rubber dome/membrane - the majority of keyboards, rubber dome under key, press key rubber collapses onto polymer sheet, or if membrane the keystem hits a rubber or graphite contact.
scissor-switch - laptop style, kinda works like scissors with the key pressing down, starts closed, when you press opens up (from scissor view)
mechanical - actual mechanical switch systems with springs I.E cherry mx, ml, my switches along with ALPS switches and buckling springs as the most common (other stuff is rare and mostly expensive)
these are the mechanical keyboards OcUK stocks
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-005-TT&groupid=702&catid=23&subcat=1258
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-053-RA&groupid=702&catid=23&subcat=1258
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-026-ST&groupid=702&catid=23&subcat=1258
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-006-TT&groupid=702&catid=23&subcat=1258
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-000-XM&groupid=702&catid=23&subcat=1258
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-004-ZW&groupid=702&catid=23&subcat=1258
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-054-RA&groupid=702&catid=23&subcat=1258
they're all cherry mx switches
the TT and steelseries are cherry mx black,
the razer and qpad are cherry mx blue
the zowie celeritas is cherry mx brown
browns need 45cN of force to actuate (send the keypress signal) are tactile (you feel the point it actuates as there's a change in force required to move over that point, usually referred to as a 'tactile bump') and don't click
the blues require 50cN of force to actuate, are tactile (more so than the browns) and click (kinda a soft high pitch click, similar to a pen except usually quieter)
blacks need 60cN of force to actuate, aren't tactile (usually referred to as being 'linear') and don't click
additionally the release point on the cherry mx blue is above the actuation point so if you don't fully let go of the key before pressing again it won't register a second keypress, this is referred to as hysteresis (supposedly buckling springs also have this but i can't back this up from experience due to not having used buckling springs)
other switch types - you can get buckling spring keyboards second hand occasionally, or you can order unicomp ibm model M clones (made form the original factory as well so it's about as authentic as you get)
and alps switches are split into two types before the switch is mentioned 'fake/copies' and 'real/true' basically meaning if they're copied and altered from the original alps design or if they're actual ALPS switches, i'm not even going to attempt to write the same detail as cherry mx switches here, firstly i don't even know anything about half of them, secondly what i do know i'm not sure of, thirdly you're probably not going to find many around anyway.
If you want to know anything more (and promptly see the next month of your life fly past until you realise you just spent a month reading about keyboards) then visit
www.geekhack.org
