Switch Try Bag Round 3. CONUS (Ended)

[vivalarevolución]

Sent switch bag back to Mr. Interface!


So Mr. Interface has graciously allowed me, prdlm2009, to be the tour manager for another round of the Switch Try Bag. I guess this would be Round 3. This round will be CONUS at the moment. Perhaps if we enough interest in Canada, we can ship it north of the border for awhile.

The switches in the bag are the same as the ones in Round 2.

http://deskthority.net/try-before-you-b ... t2983.html

Subscription starts : Nov 3, 2013.
Subscription ends : Nov 30, 2013.
Shipping starts: Early December.

Procedure
If you want to participate, PM prdlm2009 your name and address, and I will manage it from there. I will guide the process for you, I will tell you what to do and what I need from you.

When you receive the switch try bag, you will have 10 ten days to try out all the switches, and then please send it to next in line. If nobody is listed after you, perhaps you will hold onto the bag for longer. I would appreciate if you wrote a review about your thoughts of all the switches.

Surprise Bag
A SurpriseBag will be shipped with the sinklist item. If you like something that's inside, you are allowed to swap it for something equal in value, preferably more so the total value of the bag increases. The contents of the bag are for the sinklist manager so he can be rewarded for his efforts. So you DON'T need to put something else into it, if you have nothing as trade leave it as it is and the next one in line can use it(!)

Tour List:
-Manny completed tour stop
-fifted completed tour stop
-SpaceChild completed tour stop
-smferris completed tour stop

Sent switch bag back to Mr. Interface!


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Cherry Switches
ML
MY
MX:
Red
Black
Green
Clear
Blue
Brown
White
Linear Grey
Tactile Grey
M8
M7 , The Ancient One

Alps Switches
Cream simplified Clicky
White complicated Clicky
Orange complicated Tactile
Blue complicated Clicky
Black simplified Tactile
White simplified Tactile
Cream complicated Tactile
Grey complicated Clicky
White low profile

Other Switches
Futaba
Fake white clicky chicony MX
Monterey Blue
Hall Effect ( Including spherical keycap )
Model M ( Home mode, using Model F barrel, model M click leaf, model M spring )
Topre ( 55 grams, home made, keycap, housing, rubber, spring )
KPT
Mitsumi
Acer Clicky White
Acer Clicky Black
Orange Omron

Keycaps
thin ABS
thick ABS
thin PBT
thick PBT
POM
Lasered
Dye Subbed
Double Shot
Spherical keycap
Tall Spherical keycap

Misc.
Rubber O-ring 40A
Rubber O-ring 50A
Landing pad , type Soft
Landing pad, type Firm
Cherry MX stabilizer insert
Filco keypuller

[Muirium]

Highly recommended. Anyone curious about the Cherry MX family, let alone the maze of Alps will find plenty of surprises here. The first time I tried an MX clear was in one of these, and I was amazed to find it was the brown I always wanted. Some things you can only tell through touch.

[vivalarevolución]

I updated the OP to include an ending date for signup of November 30th. I will start shipping in early December.

[ray4jc]

Get the word out, this is definitely worthwhile!!

[adhoc]

This is a seriously awesome idea. I missed the previous one and seems like this one by just over a week as well. Maybe the gods will shine upon me and I'll be let in at the end of the waiting line, eh?

[Half-Saint]

CONUS indicates continental united states

[adhoc]

Ah, so no love for Europe then, eh?

[lcs]

CONUS indicates continental united states

Try living in Brazil

[Muirium]

I wouldn't mind, someday!

There was a switch try bag in Europe at some point. But never South America, I think. I bought a whole set from Mr. Interface earlier this year, which could go on tour if there was a good list of interested people.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

prdlm2009: your list of "other" switches is wrong.

[lcs]

I wouldn't mind, someday!

There was a switch try bag in Europe at some point. But never South America, I think. I bought a whole set from Mr. Interface earlier this year, which could go on tour if there was a good list of interested people.

I think there aren't that many people interested on mechs around here (I think there are 4 brazilians on GH). Also, the probable taxes to all the countries would suck.

[vivalarevolución]

This is a seriously awesome idea. I missed the previous one and seems like this one by just over a week as well. Maybe the gods will shine upon me and I'll be let in at the end of the waiting line, eh?

I will ship to Europe after the conclusion of the USA tour.

[vivalarevolución]

prdlm2009: your list of "other" switches is wrong.

Thank you. Changed made.

[vivalarevolución]

I wouldn't mind, someday!

There was a switch try bag in Europe at some point. But never South America, I think. I bought a whole set from Mr. Interface earlier this year, which could go on tour if there was a good list of interested people.

I think there aren't that many people interested on mechs around here (I think there are 4 brazilians on GH). Also, the probable taxes to all the countries would suck.

I have no problem with sending the switch bag to Brazil. But I have already promised a shipment to Europe after the US tour. We'll see what will happen.

[vivalarevolución]

Ok, the subscription is closed and I will ship tomorrow to the first member. I only had three residents of USA contact me, so it will be a short tour. After that, I will ship the package to Europe, and I hope a short tour will happen there for all those that are interested.

[vivalarevolución]

Oops mistake post.

[vivalarevolución]

So I guess I put my Filco keypuller in the Switch Try Bag. I was wondering what happen to that thing.

[passerby]

Damn, as a newbie in the mechanical keyboard world and one curious about what's available, I think this is an awsome initiative!

[fifted]

I just sent the switch try bag on to the next recipient, and here are my thoughts on it.

First off, the bag is awesome: what a great collection of cool switches! That said, I found it hard to imagine what each switch would feel like with a whole board of them, so I will probably have to try out a few boards anyway.

All in all, it was a good resource for being introduced to the variety of of switches there are, but more as a curiosity.

As far as my reaction to the switches themselves, I think the MX brown was my favorite because it was just so light, but I will try the ergo-clears first because I already have clears to modify.

Thanks to prdlm2009 for putting this round together!

[adhoc]

Will it come to EU once it's done with CONUS guys?

[passerby]

Actually, it does seem like it will, yeah!

[adhoc]

Any update on this? It's been nearly 5 months and this has reached only third person. This means almost 2 months per person.

[Candyflip]

I'd like to see this in EU too!

[fifted]

prdlm, the tour manager, should have more info than I, but I may have been the last to see it alive!

[smferris]

prdlm, the tour manager, should have more info than I, but I may have been the last to see it alive!

It was delayed getting to me, which sadly had it arriving amongst some travel plans of mine so now it's my fault for delaying the bag moving along. I'll post a review this evening and send the bag on it's way. Sorry for my part in the delay.

[vivalarevolución]

Yes, once it gets back to me, I will send it across the pond.

Also, sorry for delays that have occurred. I would have liked this to ship to Europe sooner. I urge people to be prompt in their shipping times, but I cannot control what people are doing 2000 miles (3218.69 km) away.

[smferris]

My main focus was on the MX switches, since most of the keyboards I've got my eye on right now require them. The blues reminded me of the old Apple keyboards, as expected, and are also way too clicky for me to ever use, also as expected. I expected to dislike the red, because it was too light, and did.

The brown surprised me, since based on everything I've read I was expecting to like it the best, but I didn't. It felt linear to me, with almost no tactile bump. My next guess was that I'd like the clear the best, but I was wrong again. It's too strong of a spring for me to want to type on, though an ergo clear may fix that. I ended up liking the black the best of the MX switches in the bag, since it was heavier than the red but not too heavy like the clear, and the tactile MX switches didn't feel all that tactile to me.

I got some useful data on what I'm looking for in MX switches, but I think I still need to try out an entire keyboard to really get a feel for which switches I'll prefer. If there's anyone in the vicinity of Minneapolis, MN who has keyboards with a variety of switches, I'd love to meet up sometime and try them out.

The ALPS were interesting. I may try out some of the Matias tactile keyboards and see if I like those better than Cherry-based boards.

The Topre 55g was an interesting switch to compare with the feel of my Leopold FC660c 45g. I'm not sure which I'd prefer on a keyboard, so it's another case where I'd really like to try an entire board rather than just a switch.

I was hoping the try bag would help me avoid having to buy a lot of keyboards and sell the ones I didn't like, but I suspect that's what I'll have to do.

[vivalarevolución]

Thanks for your thoughts! I think a lot of people have the same opinion of the Cherry switches as you. The ALPS were the most interesting, and really turned me on to ALPS switches. They generally have an actuation point higher on the key stroke than Cherry switches, when tend to actuate towards the middle of the key stroke.

Have fun joining the rest of us that buy a dozen or so keyboards just to get a good feel for the switches.

[vivalarevolución]

Ok, for any Europeans that were interested in the switch try bag, I have sent it to Mr. Interface, and he will decide what to with the switch try bag.

[jacobolus]

Is this coming back to the CONUS ever? If so, shoot me a PM [I don’t log in here often]; I’d be happy to add at least 5–6 other types of switches to the bag if it stops by.