Quietest keyswitches available?

[keycap]

I use an iPad for school, and I've been wanting to use a mechanical keyboard for a while now. I've been working off of a scissor-switch dome keyboard which is virtually inaudible, but not much fun to type on. That and we can't use bluetooth anymore, so I feel like now is the time to start using a mechanical keyboard for school. But the problem is, my favorite switches (Blue Alps, Orange Alps, IBM Buckling Springs) are loud. I don't want to be that one guy who types so loudly that you can't even hear yourself think. I want some relatively silent switches.

I've been considering Matias Quiet switches, but even those are still somewhat loud. Are there any other choices that I have? Preferrably not Cherry MX unless they're vintage.

Thanks

[Laser]

If you have a sh*tload of money, then a HHKB Type S (Topre). Otherwise, maybe something like this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Plum-pl ... 60095.html (Topre clones). Both have silencing rings pre-installed AFAIK.

[seebart]

Alps SKCM damped are also very quiet.

[PollandAkuma]

Maybe Realforce silenced?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Menuhin]

Maybe Realforce silenced?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

+1

[Findecanor]

There are sound-dampened Cherry MX switches available on several keyboards these days, but the switches are unfortunately only in the linear Red or Black varieties. They have also been reported as being smoother than other contemporary Cherry MX switches.

If you don't mind spending a lot of money, any non-clicky PCB-mounted Cherry MX can be pretty effectively sound-dampened with QMX clips.
However, there aren't many PCB-mounted keyboards around as almost every Cherry MX keyboard these days has also a metal plate holding the switches - and a plate is not compatible with the QMX-clips.
You could get a Cherry G80-series (except for the MX-board 3.0 or higher), but most models are a bit bulky. The first versions of the 60% keyboard Poker (but not Pok3r) also did not have a plate. There are also DIY keyboard kits around that allow PCB-mounting.
Similar clips that are compatible with plates are available for a limited time, and at a higher cost, from Zeal PCs. He calls them "Zealencios". Those can only be pre-ordered, however and will probably not be available all the time after that either. The first run is shipping now.

BTW. The build of the keyboard case also has a large effect on the sound.

[keycap]

Are Cherry MX Silent Reds quieter than Matias Quiet Linears? I just realized that it will be hard to find blank PBT Alps caps for a reasonable price.

[Menuhin]

Spoiler:

There are sound-dampened Cherry MX switches available on several keyboards these days, but the switches are unfortunately only in the linear Red or Black varieties. They have also been reported as being smoother than other contemporary Cherry MX switches.

If you don't mind spending a lot of money, any non-clicky PCB-mounted Cherry MX can be pretty effectively sound-dampened with QMX clips.
However, there aren't many PCB-mounted keyboards around as almost every Cherry MX keyboard these days has also a metal plate holding the switches - and a plate is not compatible with the QMX-clips.
You could get a Cherry G80-series (except for the MX-board 3.0 or higher), but most models are a bit bulky. The first versions of the 60% keyboard Poker (but not Pok3r) also did not have a plate. There are also DIY keyboard kits around that allow PCB-mounting.
Similar clips that are compatible with plates are available for a limited time, and at a higher cost, from Zeal PCs. He calls them "Zealencios". Those can only be pre-ordered, however and will probably not be available all the time after that either. The first run is shipping now.

BTW. The build of the keyboard case also has a large effect on the sound.

+1

For example, the IBM Model M/F/SSK, as if its clicks are not obvious enough, the super sturdy and hollow case will help to resonate like a sound box, sometimes paired with ping sound. Those are just probably the holy grail of being clicky for subtly emphasizing one's presence with just typing.

If you like the IBM SSK or Model M/F, just be yourself. I think your classmates will understand.

[Menuhin]

Are Cherry MX Silent Reds quieter than Matias Quiet Linears? I just realized that it will be hard to find blank PBT Alps caps for a reasonable price.

Matias will have them soon, I hope before Q3 2017.
https://matias.store/collections/all/keycaps

P.s. And I keep my fingers crossed they'll be in "Cherry/DCS" profile (more favored by 'enthusiasts' in DT/GH), instead of the Filco/'OEM' profile. I don't mind if they provide also something similar to the DSA profile or the SA profile.

[keycap]

I can only imagine hauling around a Model F122 all day

[zslane]

If this is going to be hooked up to an iPad, you don't want anything bigger than a 60% board. That rules out a number of the above suggestions.

I should be receiving a Pok3r (RGB) with MX pinks tomorrow, and assuming it works with my iPad, I will be using it in place of the Pok3r I currently have hooked up which has MX reds. I expect it to be pretty darn quiet, though there is no such thing as a completely silent mechanical keyboard. I'll report on my experience with it here when I get the chance.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

My experience is limited, but Matias Quiet Pro is around the same level of sound as a traditional full travel rubber dome over membrane. The Matias Quiet Pro has a much deeper and somewhat sharper sound, but it's not loud, and it doesn't have to be too far away to simply not notice anyone using it at all (which really surprised me). The stabilisers are excellent, and the stabilised keys are barely louder than the non-stabilised keys, and even space emits a mere soft thud instead of the clang you'd expect from most keyboards. The superior stabilisation really helps with the noise level — I took a spare, comparatively modern Kensington keyboard just now and compared the sound, and with the cheap keyboard you really notice the stabiliser sounds. (Cherry stabilisers also have the same effect, but the space bar on my Poker II is still louder than that on the Quiet Pro.)

I made a whole batch of recordings just over two years ago that lets you compare Matias keyboards vs a fairly typical old-school rattletrap rubberdome and a fairly typical scissor switch:

keyboards-f2/christmas-2014-keyboard-so ... t9497.html

Scissor is of course far, far quieter!

[zslane]

Yeah, stabilizer rattle will probably become the predominant source of noise once a quiet switch is adopted.

As for Matias switches, there's no good source for quality keycaps except maybe harvesting vintage caps from an old keyboard. But unless one is prepared to lose oneself down that rabbit hole, I feel the ALPS mount is better avoided all together.