Results: Actuation Force
The final objective measurement we can take is actuation force, or the total amount of input force a user must exert to cause any given key to activate consistently. While the amount of force that it actually takes to press a key down is probably a bit less important than either ghosting or noise, over time it can have a pretty significant impact on usability in the long run. Keys that are too easy to press can be easy to accidentally trigger, while keys that are too stiff can be particularly exhausting after long typing sessions.
For this test, each board is placed on a completely flat surface and then adjusted so that the top of our test keys are perfectly level. We then add standard metric weights to each key until they activate. We tried this on five randomly-selected standard keys (i.e. not the space bar).
According to official numbers, the Osmium should require the lightest touch at 45 centinewtons, followed by the G710+ at 55 cN and the Razer BlackWidow at 60. In our tests, each board came in at just a little bit easier to trigger than the official numbers, which almost certainly accounted for by the weight of the keys themselves.