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Delving into the world of mechanical keyboards, you might have heard people talking about hot-swappable mechanical keyboards. These are keyboards that have loosely connected switches that can be removed from the socket with a switch puller. For more information on hot-swappable keyboards, check out my in-depth look at this technology. The alternative to a hot-swappable keyboard is one that has switches that are soldered to the printed circuit board. However, you might wonder which is better. Let’s assess the differences.

	Soldered	Hot-Swappable
Switch Connection	Permanent	Transient
Tools Required to Change Switches	Soldering Iron	Switch Puller
Stability	Highest	Varies
Price	$–$$$	$$–$$$
Socket Durability	Highest	Medium
Best For…	All Use Cases	People Who Change Switches Often, Repairability

Who Should Use a Soldered Keyboard?

Let’s assess use cases for soldered keyboards.

People Who Don’t Need to Change Their Switches

Maybe you don’t have a desire to try out different switches every week. If you don’t need to change your switches, there’s no need to spend the extra money on a keyboard designed for yanking switches out at will. However, there is a downside. Keyboards without hot-swappable switches are much harder for user self-repairs. To self-repair a keyboard with soldered switches, you have to disassemble it, de-solder the switches and sockets, and only then can you change the configuration.

People Who Don’t Hit Their Keys Very Hard

Another demographic best suited to soldered switches are light typists. Light typing rarely ends up breaking the switches and sockets. So, unless you need to change the switches, there’s no need to worry about repairs if you type really lightly.

People on a Budget

Soldered keyboards tend to be less expensive than hot-swappable ones. Hot-swap technology isn’t new, but it is a premium feature. Budget hot-swappable keyboards like the XISOGUU 61% Hot-Swappable Keyboard are an option, but there’s always a catch. I’ve had several budget, hot-swappable keyboards and all of sockets started going bad after a few months. Your mileage may vary though, depending on how hard you hit the keys.

Who Should Use a Hot-Swappable Keyboard?

Let’s assess use cases for hot-swappable keyboards in-depth.

People Who Need to Swap Their Switches Often

The most prominent use case for hot-swappable keyboards is anyone who is going to be changing their switches often. If you’re a keyboard junkie who wants to try every possible switch before settling on a personal favourite, a hot-swappable keyboard is practically a necessity. It’s far cheaper to buy a batch of switches than a whole new keyboard. Additionally, if you’re using new switches in the same keyboard, you’ll have a better idea of the functional differences between the switches. You don’t want to introduce too many variables when trying out new switches.