deskthority

Hi. It seems my fingers are sensitive enough that any tactile bump or hard-to-press keys bothers them. I have a keyboard with Cherry MX Reds that works for me. I'd like to try a different linear switch with keycaps that allow fingers to slide around a bit (vs having a rough texture that forces your fingers to go straight in and out for each keypress).

Matias linears sound interesting but I've only found them on their 60% keyboard which doesn't work for me because I also need a control key on both sides of the keyboard (I palm them with the opposite hand, example right-control with c for control-c)

Are Matias linears or anything like them (light actuation force, linear) available on pre-assembled keyboards?

allthumbs wrote: Hi. It seems my fingers are sensitive enough that any tactile bump or hard-to-press keys bothers them. I have a keyboard with Cherry MX Reds that works for me. I'd like to try a different linear switch with keycaps that allow fingers to slide around a bit (vs having a rough texture that forces your fingers to go straight in and out for each keypress).

Matias linears sound interesting but I've only found them on their 60% keyboard which doesn't work for me because I also need a control key on both sides of the keyboard (I palm them with the opposite hand, example right-control with c for control-c)

Are Matias linears or anything like them (light actuation force, linear) available on pre-assembled keyboards?

From what people have said, Matias linears are extremely light, so much so that most people really hate them.

Sounds like you are really looking for different keycaps rather than different switches.

Perhaps. What MX red board exactly are you using now?

Caps can make a lot of difference. POM (the black plastic Cherry uses on its dark keyboards) is as slippery as hell, for example. And many ABS caps are slippy, too. Some key profiles are rougher than others, too. Signature Plastics DSA profile is especially rough textured, while SA is smooth.

As for alternate switches: good luck finding anything lighter than MX red. There is a wealth of nice vintage linears out there, but they're almost always heavier than red, often much so.

Gateron Clears are noticeably lighter than MX Red, and smoother than both MX Red and (new) MX Black. The light weight might not be for everyone, though. I got mine in a Noppoo Choc Mini from Corus KB. Note that the Choc Mini keycaps are made from different materials depending on board color -- the black boards have POM keycaps, the white have PBT (at least from Corus).

I'm using a QuickFire TK.