What is your favorite switch and why?

[daedalus]

Cherry Clears with the springs from Blues? Surely these are the same as Browns?

[runeazn]

somebody can tell me how to emulate a cherry clear?

[javifast]

A cherry brown keyboard with cherry black springs...

[IanM]

somebody can tell me how to emulate a cherry clear?

I'm sure one of the gurus will confirm shortly, but I believe it's not possible emulate Clears - due to the profile of the protrusion on the side of the stem that rubs against the spring. Pinched from the geekhack wiki:



The 'bump' on the side of the Brown switch stem is smaller, so you can change the return spring for something stiffer but it still won't be the same as a Clear.

[itlnstln]

The 'bump' on the side of the Brown switch stem is smaller, so you can change the return spring for something stiffer but it still won't be the same as a Clear.

In fact, I have found that browns end up feeling just like blacks when you put a black spring in them. The extra force needed to depress the switch completely negates the subtle tactile bump they have.

[ripster]

[ Pinched from the geekhack wiki:

The BESTEST Wiki on the InterToobs. Note that all this stuff, including the newly discovered "Ergo Clear" Mod is there.

[Julle]

...aaaaaaaaaand it's time for another round of "Spot the hemorrhage"!

ripster_reaction.png (119.05 KiB) Viewed 7176 times

[ripster]

Is it April 1 there yet?


This GMT thing is confusing.

[webwit]

Not yet, but in just over a day I'll be giving away my entire keyboard collection.

[guilleguillaume]

Actually I already tried/owned Buckling Springs, MX Black, Topre 45g, MX Brown and MX Blue.

My favorite one is the Topre one. I have to admit that I miss a bit my Steelseries with blacks...last weekend I went to a Lanparty and the friend who I sold the keyboard carried it and I played with it. I noticed that I really like them a lot more than I thought.

I miss my blacks!

Sixty do the PCB mounted ones feel so much different than the Plate mounted ones? I tried only 2 spare MX Blacks PCB mounted from the 90's and they feel so great, better than the steelseries ones.

[sixty]

Sixty do the PCB mounted ones feel so much different than the Plate mounted ones? I tried only 2 spare MX Blacks PCB mounted from the 90's and they feel so great, better than the steelseries ones.

Personally I prefer plate mounted for MX Black. A great keyboard with older blacks and a very solid construction are the old WYSE PCE Terminal keyboards. The only problem is that they have to be converted to work with a modern PC.

[Julle]

Recently, I've really grown to like Cherry MX reds so much that they're officially my favourite switch. Ever since I got the Linear R majestouch, I've stopped yearning for any other keyboard. I guess I'm finally GAS free. I'd like to try the Kinesis with red switches though.

Whenever I use the reds I feel the typing just flows very nicely. Whenever I use a tactile switch, I feel as if I have to think about the tactile bump or click and how my finger hits the switch. What's surprising, I don't bottom out as often with light linear switches as I do with others.

My switch ranking thus far of the switches I've tried:
1. Cherry MX red
2. Topre variable
3. Cherry MX brown
4. Cherry MX black
5. Complicated white ALPS
6. Buckling spring
7. Topre uniform 55 g
8. Cherry MX blue

It's funny how I had Cherry blues in my first ever mechanical board. Somehow that switch is now at the bottom of my list.

[csm725]

I like Browns but I wish I could have a TKL Red.

[Minskleip]

I like these black cherries I'm typing on now. I feared that linear switches would be like MY, but thankfully they're not! They're a bit stiff though, so it'll be interesting to try reds.

[JC.]

By now, MX Yellow is my favorite switch

[Findecanor]

Have Cherry actually manufactured real MX Yellow switches, or are these only made by east-Asian manufacturers?

somebody can tell me how to emulate a cherry clear?

The other day, I started wondering if not this would work: take a Keytronic foam-and-foil keyboard with buckling rubber sleeves and replace the foam and foil with coiled springs. I am afraid that the rubber sleeve might be too hard, though. The keyboard will of course no longer be functional.

[Zelaxe]

For typing: Topre Variable
For RTS gaming: Cherry MX Blues
For FPS gaming: Cherry MX Reds

Can't say I have a clear favorite.

[grilkip]

1: Cherry Brown
2: Topre 55g
3: BS
4: Cherry Blue

Besides those I've used variable Topre and Cherry Black, which I think are both shit. Topre 45g seems like it might be perfect, still waiting for that ANSI version at keyboardco...

[Matuka]

It seems like literally no one likes ALPS.

I love Alps. I just need to expand my understanding on them. ))

[heliar]

apple extended II (Alps) and Cherry Red.

[Magna224]

ALPS are at the top of the list for me too. They just are heavier and feel more pronounced than MX blues. Maybe if I got around to trying monterey switches or blue NEC or something I would like them more. The Cherry Black is my second favorite and followed by MX Clear. The thing that all my favorites have in common is high force switches.

[MegalomaniaC]

Owning:

MX Black, MX Brown, MX Blue, ALPS Black, Acer switches from 6312TW, ALPS white from apple extended keyboard II (nonclicky) and Buckling Spring.


My personal list is:

1º Buckling Spring
2º Cherry MX Blue
3º ALPS Black
4º MX Brown/ALPS White non-clicky from my Apple EK II

There is no switch I dont like, just the ones I feel Im more confortable with and I like more. I still have a feeling that im going to love the ALPS White clicky and ALPS Blue, due to the softer feeling and less friction than the Blacks but having the ALPS bump with clicky sound.

[Southparkfan1999]

Switches I've tried
1. Rubber dome
2. buckling spring
3. cherry blues
4. cherry browns

My favorite Cherry blues for a few reasons one they have a click and tactile feel like buckling spring but aren't nearly as loud, two they aren't as heavy as a buckling spring board, and three its what i grew up with

[rich0d]

I've not tried them all yet - but I'd say, MX Brown, Black Alps (what I believe was used on Data General mainframe keyboards) and then MX Black.

Browns because they're the first switch used after ALPS Blacks, and have used them a bit more than my old DG MFs, ALPS blacks were nice - but the hardware that it was attatched too was a very love\hate relationship, I loved the fact that I was using machines that were built 2 years before I was born (1981) and they felt a nice to type on, even though I was only ever punching in command.

MX Blacks, I've only been using for a day - I think I'll prefer Reds more as the sapce bar requires a little too much force for me, although I'm sure if I use blacks all the time I will probably build up thumb muscles that could kill.

[courtesi]

Buckling Spring ( specifically the M2 ).

[Spotty1125]

I would say that since I love the clicky switches, there are only two of which I can list, the buckling springs and the Cherry MX Blues. (I haven't tried any Topre switches, which a lot of you love.)
The better one in my opinion between the Buckling Spring and Blues, is the Buckling Spring.
This is only because I find the Blues too light to type on for me.
I love to make a lot of noise, and make my fingers have to press down hard enough to strike a key, and the Blues just don't give me that nice feeling.
Buckling Springs are my favourite switch-and always will be.

[Hypersphere]

Topre 45g ~ IBM buckling spring >> Matias tactile/click > Cherry green > Cherry blue > Cherry brown > Cherry black > Cherry white

I prefer Topre and IBM buckling spring switches because they provide a greater sense of certainty and precision when typing compared to other switches I have tried.

EDIT: Update. My current favorites are IBM capacitive buckling spring (Model F) and Topre uniform 55g.

[urlwolf]

Tried:
- vintage black
- normal black
- red
- brown
- fukkas

Favorite for now:
- vintage black
- brown

I'm getting an ergopro and an ergodox. I wonder if the ergodox should be clears? Never tried them. They are heavy like the vintage black, and closest to the ergopro alps.
What do you think?
It seems like gateron (which ergodox EZ uses) does nice blacks, preferrable to the vintage. Maybe Black?

[seebart]

Not too much change in my switch preference; buckling spring(F), blue Alps, Alps SKCC, MX blacks from 1985, Montereys. Shockingly I have grown to like Topre 45g but only really on my Leopold.

[hammelgammler]

The first one is Buckling Spring (F) for me, second M. As for now I hadn't the chance to test Blue Alps, I think I would like them very much.

Tested 45g Topre on a Novatouch, HHKB and FC660C, and I don't really like either compared to BS...
Would like to try out 55g sometimes, as I would say Topre comes next to BS. I can't stand MX-Blues anymore.