Thought I'd create a thread on ranking vintage switches since I didn't see one elsewhere on the board.
Hopefully, this'll let others discover switches they may not have tried before that may be promising, or maybe just to allow us to bicker over each others opinions, who knows
To kick it off, below is my arbitrary opinion-based tier list. It's based entirely off of my preferences, what I have in my collection, and what I have used enough to feel confident to rank:
The rankings are in relative order to each other, so switches near the lower tiers aren't necessarily bad, just not as good as those above in my opinion.
Here's the tier site I used if anyone's interested in creating something similar, and attached below are the image files I used:
Below is the names of each switch in the picture, since some of them aren't really clear:
Tier S:
- IBM Beamspring
- Alps SKCM Blue
- IBM Model F
- Alps SKCM Orange
- Alps SKCL Yellow
- Space Invader, Linear
- BTC Dome with Slider (specifically in the BTC 5100C with an AT plug, some of the best tactile switches imo)
- ITW Magnetic Valve, Full Height Linear
- IBM Model M
- Alps SKCM Black, Pine
- Alps SKCL Green (I prefer stiffer linears, still great)
- SMK 2nd Gen, Clicky
- Fujitsu Leaf Spring, Third Gen (I prefer stiffer linears, still great)
- Futaba MA, Clicky
- SMK 2nd Gen, Tactile
- Mitsumi Miniature Mechanical, Tactile (see here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=24187)
- Fujitsu Peerless (only in mint condition though)
- NTC Oval, Blue Clicky
- Alps SKCC Green (these are too stiff )
- Alps SKCM White, Bamboo
- Alps SKCP (just not entirely my thing, even though I like Futaba MA and Beamsprings especially)
- Alps SKCM Black, Bamboo
- Alps SKCM Dampened White
- Acer Switch
- Fujitsu Dome with Slider
- Scorpius Dome with Slider (can't stand the squeak)
- BTC Foam and Foil, Linear (goes up a rank when Mitsumi modded though)
- Mitsumi KPQ Type