What is your favorite switch and why?

zakazak · 04 Mar 2011, 16:49

hmm i never tried any mx switches yet.. but frm what i read i guess the mx brown will fit for me the best (writing alot, dont want it to be too loud but also playing alot of fast fps games).

also thought abour mx black but i read it should be aweful when writing alot ?

urlwolf · 04 Mar 2011, 18:38

I wonder if the people who hate mx blacks here have tried the two incarnations. The pre 1995 version is much, much better, my favorite switch by far. The modern day black is meh.

Mrinterface · 04 Mar 2011, 18:44

urlwolf wrote:I wonder if the people who hate mx blacks here have tried the two incarnations. The pre 1995 version is much, much better, my favorite switch by far. The modern day black is meh.

I still wonder what the difference between the two different switches are, Sixty might want to include the two cherry black incarnations for the Switch Try Bag

acfrazier · 04 Mar 2011, 19:16

Personally I'd say buckling spring, model F variety. The pleasant ping action is pleasing to my ears.

sixty · 04 Mar 2011, 19:18

Mrinterface wrote:
urlwolf wrote:I wonder if the people who hate mx blacks here have tried the two incarnations. The pre 1995 version is much, much better, my favorite switch by far. The modern day black is meh.
I still wonder what the difference between the two different switches are, Sixty might want to include the two cherry black incarnations for the Switch Try Bag

For the blacks its apparently both the slider and the spring. The other day I was actually about to send two sliders to a lab for testing to see how the material differs. Turns out that costs $600, so much for that plan.

Shazb0t · 04 Mar 2011, 19:36

sixty wrote:
Mrinterface wrote:
urlwolf wrote:I wonder if the people who hate mx blacks here have tried the two incarnations. The pre 1995 version is much, much better, my favorite switch by far. The modern day black is meh.
I still wonder what the difference between the two different switches are, Sixty might want to include the two cherry black incarnations for the Switch Try Bag
For the blacks its apparently both the slider and the spring. The other day I was actually about to send two sliders to a lab for testing to see how the material differs. Turns out that costs $600, so much for that plan.

Take one for the team!

laden3 · 04 Mar 2011, 19:39

I remember reading it somewhere that ML switches are made of POM (case or slider???), definitely not GH...
Not sure about the MX switches =P

Fuel · 04 Mar 2011, 19:42

Browns so far but it is the only thing I have tried other then a rubber membrane keyboard and scissor switches.

ripster · 04 Mar 2011, 20:14

J888www wrote:Monterey.
Why ?......Je ne sais quoi.

Credited to Ripster.
"You thiefing Monkey......."

Nice PIC!

Cherry MX Blues because Webwit hates them. 2nd choice would be the IBM M4-1 Rubber Buckling Sleeve.

sixty · 04 Mar 2011, 20:15

ripster wrote: Cherry MX Blues because Webwit hates them. 2nd choice with be IBM M4-1 Rubber Buckling Sleeve.

I see what you did there.

Bern · 04 Mar 2011, 20:44

Think my favorite is MX reds followed closely by MX browns.

Mrinterface · 04 Mar 2011, 20:47

Bern wrote:Think my favorite is MX reds followed closely by MX browns.

Is that based on the Switch Try Numpad you got?

Bern · 04 Mar 2011, 20:55

It sure is.

Mrinterface · 04 Mar 2011, 20:58

Bern wrote:It sure is.

Always nice to see my crazy idea somehow helps people decide

Bern · 04 Mar 2011, 21:00

It works really well. Nice to be able to play around with them before taking the plunge on a keyboard.

xshnoopy · 04 Mar 2011, 21:50

BLUE... click click click*

BababooeyHTJ · 04 Mar 2011, 21:56

Of the switches that I have used I would have to say that buckling springs are my favorite. As far as comfort goes nothing that I have tried touches them. The only downside for me is the noise. That is why I use a board with browns for my daily driver. I also really like the feel of browns since to me they feel like a lighter, quiet buckling spring. That is the best way that I can describe the feel.

I'm not really too fond of blacks and blues. I really dislike the sharp tactile point on mx blues. I also don't like how the activation point is different than where they deactivate. I also find the sound more annoying than a buckling spring since it is pretty high pitched. With blacks I found myself making a ton of typing mistakes. The combination of a heavy key, no tactile feedback, and an actuation point near the top of the key didn't work too well for me. I found myself hitting adjacent keys pretty often. I also found blacks a bit too heavy and that was coming from buckling springs.

Mrinterface · 04 Mar 2011, 22:46

BababooeyHTJ wrote:Of the switches that I have used I would have to say that buckling springs are my favorite.

Aha! So you didn't try the topres yet????

YetAnotherDeveloper · 05 Mar 2011, 01:13

I have tried only a few different types; mx blue, mx black, topre (hhkb).

I like them all in a way, but i feel the blacks are to heavy for me and I have been fighting my years and years of muscle memory on the hhkb, while the key feel is nice, it still just feels like a rubber dome to me albeit a very nice rubber dome. So at this point i still favor the mx blues. I think that i want to try both the clears and the browns next.

TechwonV · 05 Mar 2011, 01:35

blue's = too much fun
Topre's = sex
brown's=too light

want to try blacks, reds, clears

keyboardlover · 05 Mar 2011, 01:47

Topre was my favorite switch for a while, but MX clears and reds are creeping up big time. I love all 3 SO much, I think it's gotta be a 3-way tie for me.

Koeitje · 05 Mar 2011, 02:27

I only compared black vs brown, and really didn't like the linear nature of the blacks. I really love the bump. I might like blue's more, but since I game quite a lot my team mates will probably hate me if I'd be spamming on a cherry blue board. I really want to try Topre once (or maybe not, cause ill probably end up buying it then ).

OrphaGn · 05 Mar 2011, 03:04

Cherry MX Reds are my favorite switch. I've tried Brown and Black and have yet to try Blue, Clear, Topre and BS switches.

BababooeyHTJ · 05 Mar 2011, 03:34

Mrinterface wrote:
BababooeyHTJ wrote:Of the switches that I have used I would have to say that buckling springs are my favorite.
Aha! So you didn't try the topres yet????

No, not yet. I would really love to try out topres since from the sounds of things they aren't like any other key that I have tried and there aren't any people who say that they just don't like them. I just need to stop spending money on Cherry based boards first and I have to admit that there are a couple more that are tempting me.

snerual · 05 Mar 2011, 05:17

I love to type on my Topre, followed by MX browns. Buckling spring is a close 3rd.

kidchunks · 05 Mar 2011, 05:22

BababooeyHTJ wrote:
Mrinterface wrote:
BababooeyHTJ wrote:Of the switches that I have used I would have to say that buckling springs are my favorite.
Aha! So you didn't try the topres yet????
No, not yet. I would really love to try out topres since from the sounds of things they aren't like any other key that I have tried and there aren't any people who say that they just don't like them. I just need to stop spending money on Cherry based boards first and I have to admit that there are a couple more that are tempting me.

I recommend the topre keychain! Saved me a few hundred

Although most will agree that you need to try an actual topre board instead of single key to come to a conclusion.

My favorite would have to be buckling spring. Why? It's a workout and it attracts many on lookers when you start hammering at the keys.

oyecomova · 05 Mar 2011, 15:29

I am still new to all this switchophile business, but thus far I have only tried:
- Alps "fooka" Clicky ORTEK MCK-84
- Cherry MX [new]Black - Desko POS "ELBOWGLUE"
- Keytronic Designer Rubber dome

And honestly thus far I still really like my rubber dome. The Cherry Black is way too stiff and contains none of the tactile bump that I realize I love. The Alps I do like, they are clicky and wonderful, but a bit wobbly and unprecise feeling. I still love the thunk of my keytronic board. So I think I would like to try out a topre next, or a cherry brown/clear.

routermonkey · 05 Mar 2011, 19:11

So far the only mechanical keyboard I've ever used is various Model M's with buckling springs (and original IBM PC Model F) - I guess that makes it my favourite by default.

I did have the opportunity to at least "feel" Cherry MX blue the other day at a store with Razer Black Widow keyboards in stock. I was surprised by how "quiet" they are compared to the buckling spring after hearing about how "noisy" they are, and especially how websites like Das Keyboard play up the similarity to the Model M... it didn't remind me anything of my model M.

I've got a "silent" Das Keyboard on order with the Cherry brown switches, so we'll see if that wins me over from the buckling spring or not.

Shazb0t · 05 Mar 2011, 19:25

Mrinterface wrote:
Bern wrote:Think my favorite is MX reds followed closely by MX browns.
Is that based on the Switch Try Numpad you got?

I've got to try one of these.

Bern · 05 Mar 2011, 19:28

They really are a great way to try out the switches before buying a keyboard.