TACTILITY(and clicky)

[A_Person]

Ima keep this concise. What is the most tactile, reasonably medium to high weight clicky switch that isn't too hard to get a hold of.

Thanks!


EDIT:If you want to continue to use this post to discuss other things, then continue to do so but as for the original post my questions have been answered by the helpful communities of deskthority and geekhack. Thank You!

(just in case, this post was not meant to give offense, only to signify the end of the thread, I have been given what many would call "hate" for more blunt posts in the past, and do not want this post to have a similiar fate.)

[Dingster]

BOX Navy switches?

[A_Person]

Yeah I've heard of that but the thing is its all out of stock on nk and on amazon it would take like a month to get here because its sold by ymdk and doesn't offer prime shipping

[A_Person]

Maybe I could get jades and then spring swap?

[A_Person]

Also thx for the super fast answer btw

[Dingster]

Jades with a spring swap could work as far as I know. Keep in mind some batches of BOX switches have ultra-wide stems!

[Muirium]

Box: the reason you kept all those shitty modern MX caps that came preinstalled on keyboards in the first place. Test and ruin those ones first. Protip!


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[Johnbo]

For what it's worth I've been using Box Navy switches from NovelKeys since last June and have not had any stem issues.

[Muirium]

It’s a batch thing. Good luck: get new switches. Bad luck: test test Test TEST!

[Tritian]

You may just like Pinks. I'm using Pinks right now with a few jades mixed in for things like spacebar/esc/enter on my id80 and they are great.

[kelvinhall05]

Box Navy from eBay.

[motoko]

Click-mod SKCM Black

[A_Person]

what is this click mod skcm black you speak of? And also how easy are blacks to get ahold of? Otherwise, I have some springs and jades on the way so that may work out. Wish me luck!

[Reshala]

kailh box if you are talking about something clicky and tactile that is still in production.

[motoko]

wiki/Alps_SKCM_Black in abundant Dell AT101Ws

They're rough and scratchy stock but become clicky and smoother by pulling the small tabs off the tactile leaves with pliers.
The spring is heavier than Alps White or Blue clickies. Could also be done with any tactile Alps switch (e.g. Salmon or Orange), which are nicer and more tactile than blacks. I'm currently using click-mod Oranges.

Easier to get Box switches, I guess, but I prefer Alps for the sound.

[hellothere]

For modern, Kalih Box Jade Thick Clicks with a Box Navy for the spacebar. I think they sound better than a Model M (don't fite me). I bought them through novelkeys.xyz. I know that they're often sold out, so I'd be happy to sell you my Box Jade KB for $1100. I'll even take care of shipping. (Forgot to mention: I'm using aftermarket Tai-Haos on my KB and I'm not having problems with stems cracking, etc.)

A Model F or M would be a good choice for a tactile clicky. Unicomp sells a new model that has been reviewed here. I think they're $120ish. Or, if you've got the cash, get a beamspring or the new F77.

The Sejin EAT-1010 and some Laser Futaba MA switch keyboards are quite nice, too. The Laser ones generally have Cherry-mount Futabas, so you've got a bunch of options for different keycaps. They're not incredibly abundant, but there are three or four on ebay right now.

White Alps keyboards are also somewhat abundant, but be careful not to get an Alps clone. Dell 101s with black Alps are also relatively common, but make sure you don't get one with rubber domes. One of the things that is good about the Dell 101s is that you can get aftermarket key caps from Tai-Hao.

[A_Person]

#1, thx for the info, and number 2, I'm not that stupid, I'm not gonna buy any keyboard for 1100 dollars, much less one that isn't even vintage. Nice try tho.

[A_Person]

and if you mistyped and meant to say 110$, then nm but I still don't need to buy it.

[Keybug]

I'm sure that was a typo.

My recommendation: Try Kailh box royals. They are medium weight, extremely sharply tactile and when the lube wears off after a couple of weeks they even become clicky. Excellent switches all round!

[Palatino]

He may have meant $12. Some people spend so much time at their computers they end up doing everything in binary.

[Muirium]

$12 was before even my day. We looked back at 2010 and beyond with such envy from our $25 SSKs and $100 Beamsprings.

As for a serious tip: the Unicomp SSK is very interesting. Definitely clicky with tactility so sharp it’ll give you paper cuts if you’re unready! Even comes dressed in half decent caps as stock. Thoughtful of them.

[A_Person]

He may have meant $12. Some people spend so much time at their computers they end up doing everything in binary.

haha

[A_Person]

As for a serious tip: the Unicomp SSK is very interesting. Definitely clicky with tactility so sharp it’ll give you paper cuts if you’re unready! Even comes dressed in half decent caps as stock. Thoughtful of them.

Do the switches in that kb come seperately? I am building my own keyboard from scratch so I need switches rather than a whole keyboard if I can get them(this is for in production switches, obviously its better to get vintage switches from a board since they weren't sold separately from the chassis very often)

[A_Person]

My recommendation: Try Kailh box royals. They are medium weight, extremely sharply tactile and when the lube wears off after a couple of weeks they even become clicky. Excellent switches all round!

I did buy 10 of them for the modifier keys on my keyboard, and I really love the tactility of them, which was the reason why I am not going to use the other switches I bought for the rest of the keyboard, use those in another keyboard, and get a more tactile switch. But I have never heard of tactile switches becoming clicky. Can you explain?

[Muirium]

Switches quickly changing character as their factory lube wears off sounds like a red flag, not a recommendation to me!

Unicomp / IBM buckling springs are not modular. So no, you can’t use them in your custom (without extraordinary engineering effort). Same goes for Topre. You’re stuck with discrete switches. MX and clones are the most available choice. The caps they’re compatible with (when they’re not warped) are a major plus as well.

[A_Person]

Ok, I think I know what I need for now, but thanks for all the information everyone!

[Bjerrk]

Ok, I think I know what I need for now, but thanks for all the information everyone!

A_Person, don't take this the wrong way, but I think that a bit of research may benefit you in the long run. Do some reading, try some classic keyboards. For example, you're asking if IBM-type buckling spring switches come as discrete switches. Those are some of the most famous and revered switches in any mechanical keyboard, known from e.g. the IBM (and Unicomp) Model M and from the IBM Model F keyboards. Many keyboard enthusiasts regard them (especially the capacitive version) among the best switches of all time.

I think it is very unlikely that a thread like this will simply reveal your favourite switch.

But given that you're interested in clicky switches, I'd say you should try these (even if you wont necessarily be able to use all of them in a custom keyboard build):
* Membrane buckling springs (as in the IBM Model M)
* Capacitive buckling springs (as in the IBM Model F)
* Clicky Alps SKCM switches (blue Alps, for instance. But others exist - look in the wiki)

Take a look at this video by chyros to gain some background:

[Tritian]

Originally, you wrote:

Ima keep this concise. What is the most tactile, reasonably medium to high weight clicky switch that isn't too hard to get a hold of.

The answer is:
Buckling Spring: Capacitive or Membrane
MX platform: Kailh Box clickbar switches
Alps platform: Blue or White switches

-- HOWEVER --

My recommendation is to ignore mx/alps and buy a Unicomp Mini M or New Model M. If you have the money, get a model f repro from Ellipse.

MX platform is modular and fun to customize. However, It's not going to be the best feeling or sounding switches. And IMO, it's not even close.

Alps platform is a huge pain in the ass unless you are buying NOS and then it's gonna be expensive or lucky.

[A_Person]

Ok, I have to come clean. My plan was never to find my dream switch right off the bat, although theoretically I think that I did(keyword theoretically). I think that as you said, buckling spring and blue/white alps would be the best for me. What I actually planned to do with the information though, was first of all gain some insight on what would be the eventual best switch for me, and keep a lookout for an opportunity with that, and second, find the switch that I would use in my first ever mechanical keyboard. I fell suuuuuuuuuuuuuuper deep down the custom mechanicl keyboard rabbit hole and ended up with a handwired, completely custom board as my first ever mechanical keyboard, slightly cad designed object, soldering job, and much more firsts. I think that I will stay in the mkb community for a while, whether it be the ergo nerds of the split keyboards and thumb clusters, or the vintage keyboard community here at deskthority and their model m/f's and blue alps. I think that I accomplished both goals of this thread. I have recieved the box jades that I bought so far, and what do you know, I like them a lot, especially compared with the pale blues. I don't think that I would go as far as to call the jades/navies the best clicky switch, but they definitley hold the title of the best modern mx switch for me for now. Also, I now have the best of both worlds. I am in on both sides of the mechanical keyboard enthusiast, which has been a great experience so far. I don't know what I'll find a long the way of both journies, but I definitley know what to look for, so if I happen to find some super valuble vintage keyboard down the line, I will pick it up. Honestly, before this saga of finding keyswitches, I wouldn't have given it a second look. So thanks for that. This post is getting pretty long, but I will end by thanking the community of deskthority for this great insight into vintage keyboards.

[A_Person]

And one more thing. I just put a box jade and box pale blue to my ear to compare the sounds, and the box jade sounds so twangy when its up at your ears. It might just be my batch, but try it. It's almost like a stringed instrument!