Need a keyboard with cherry MX brown switches

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zanderman

Weaksauce
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Jan 22, 2009
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I want a keyboard with cherry MX brown switches and had been looking at getting a Filco but it looks like elite keyboards is no longer carrying them. Not sure when they are getting their replacement product in, but was wondering what other keyboards are out there with brown switches that i could pick up?
 
Ya, im not a big fan of the Das keyboards. I'm hoping they get a replacement in soon, is there another way to get Filco keyboards?
 
Deck Keyboards has offerings based on Cherry MX Brown switches.
 
Dan_D said:
Deck Keyboards has offerings based on Cherry MX Brown switches.
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I'm not a fan of how the Deck keyboards look. Are there any other keyboards out there with brown switches that are readily available?
 
Pylon said:
You could buy a Ducky w/ Browns off Ebay. They're supposedly as good, if not better, than Filcos, and quite popular in Asia.
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cough, cough.....

It doesn't hurt to wait to see if these Elitekeyboards are any good.

The Ducky wasn't all it was quacked up to be - broken parts on the inside, keys the color of the BP oil spill, and a logo that makes Donald and Daffy embarrassed to be ducks. Maybe good enough for Asians but North Americans should wait a bit.
 
Ripster55 said:
cough, cough.....

It doesn't hurt to wait to see if these Elitekeyboards are any good.

The Ducky wasn't all it was quacked up to be - broken parts on the inside, keys the color of the BP oil spill, and a logo that makes Donald and Daffy embarrassed to be ducks. Maybe good enough for Asians but North Americans should wait a bit.
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You know when EK is going to start shipping Filco's replacement?
 
Just ordered a Das Professional Model S Silent. Decided I liked the form factor after shopping around for a few days. Wish I could get my hands on a keyboard with black switches to compare it to.
 
Well you are essentially comparing the blacks to the browns. The blacks take a little less force to push down. They are quieter but do make noise when they bottom out. The browns have a tactile bump about midway in the key press. They feel totally different.
 
Dan_D said:
Well you are essentially comparing the blacks to the browns. The blacks take a little less force to push down. They are quieter but do make noise when they bottom out. The browns have a tactile bump about midway in the key press. They feel totally different.
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The blacks actually take a little more force to push down. I owned both black and brown, and the browns are insanely sensitive. It's almost like you could sneeze and make a keypress. I eventually sold off my Filco with browns as I made more typing and gaming errors than normal. The cherry blacks in my Steelseries suit me much better (plus the Steelseries construction is better than the Filco), but that comes down to personal preference. I can see someone feeling the exact opposite in terms of switch preference.

I'll also say that you don't really notice the tactile bump in the browns when you are typing fast or in intense gaming. It all comes down to sensitivity, IMHO people should disregard whether a switch is tactile or linear since the bump is only really noticed when you are going slow.
 
Dan_D said:
Well you are essentially comparing the blacks to the browns. The blacks take a little less force to push down.
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Nah, as Serpico pointed out, the Blacks are the stiffest. Blues are lighter than Blacks and Browns are lighter still.

Serpico said:
I'll also say that you don't really notice the tactile bump in the browns when you are typing fast or in intense gaming. It all comes down to sensitivity, IMHO people should disregard whether a switch is tactile or linear since the bump is only really noticed when you are going slow.
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I agree that the Cherry Brown bump is less noticeable when you're typing fast, but as you know Cherry Blues are tactile and you always feel their click no matter how fast you're typing. You probably realize that, but technically your last sentence is incorrect since Blues are categorized as tactile and I think people should absolutely consider whether a switch is linear or tactile when it comes to choosing a keyboard. If someone chose to rule out the Blues immediately due to the noise or because they didn't want the tactile click, then I agree that when choosing between the Browns and Blacks you shouldn't concern yourself with linear/tactile since (as you pointed out) the bump is noticed most when going slow and the biggest deciding factor is going to come down to whether you want high or low resistance.

On a side note, I love the fact that more people are becoming interested in mechanical keyboards these days. Just a few years ago it seemed like the only people who bought them were old schoolers who had used the Model M keyboards. Due to their increased popularity, we're seeing them catch the interest of younger people who otherwise might not have heard of them or would have chosen a flashy gaming board with lots of whiz-bang gimmicky features instead. Thanks to GeekHack and the fact that a few people here bought mechanicals and saw the light, we have more threads and interest in mechanical boards than I've ever seen on [H]. :)
 
I finally found the right mechanical switch for me: Cherry Blue. Too bad I didn't figure it out before EK dropped the Filco line. :(

I'm using the Razer Black Widow and am thrilled to be newly converted to mechanical after 5+ years with laptop-style boards.
 
imyourzero said:
I agree that the Cherry Brown bump is less noticeable when you're typing fast, but as you know Cherry Blues are tactile and you always feel their click no matter how fast you're typing
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Interesting, I didn't know that. I only have experience with brown and black switches, as I have no interest in a clicking sound when I type. Either way, I didn't know that the bump was more pronounced with the blue switches, thanks.
 
imyourzero said:
Nah, as Serpico pointed out, the Blacks are the stiffest. Blues are lighter than Blacks and Browns are lighter still.



I agree that the Cherry Brown bump is less noticeable when you're typing fast, but as you know Cherry Blues are tactile and you always feel their click no matter how fast you're typing. You probably realize that, but technically your last sentence is incorrect since Blues are categorized as tactile and I think people should absolutely consider whether a switch is linear or tactile when it comes to choosing a keyboard. If someone chose to rule out the Blues immediately due to the noise or because they didn't want the tactile click, then I agree that when choosing between the Browns and Blacks you shouldn't concern yourself with linear/tactile since (as you pointed out) the bump is noticed most when going slow and the biggest deciding factor is going to come down to whether you want high or low resistance.

On a side note, I love the fact that more people are becoming interested in mechanical keyboards these days. Just a few years ago it seemed like the only people who bought them were old schoolers who had used the Model M keyboards. Due to their increased popularity, we're seeing them catch the interest of younger people who otherwise might not have heard of them or would have chosen a flashy gaming board with lots of whiz-bang gimmicky features instead. Thanks to GeekHack and the fact that a few people here bought mechanicals and saw the light, we have more threads and interest in mechanical boards than I've ever seen on [H]. :)
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You say that but the Blacks seem to press easier than browns in my experience. The Blues are the lightest though. Which is again why I prefer them.
 
Serpico said:
Interesting, I didn't know that. I only have experience with brown and black switches, as I have no interest in a clicking sound when I type. Either way, I didn't know that the bump was more pronounced with the blue switches, thanks.
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Yeah, it's WAY more pronounced (both in noise and feel). You should give them a shot sometime if you ever see a board with Blues on display somewhere, so you can know exactly what I mean. I love the click when gaming, as it allows me to tell exactly when the key will actuate and allows for more precision IMO because I don't have to guess or learn the actuation point as I would with Blacks. But like you've said in several threads lately, to each his own and no switch is for everyone so that's why it's great that we have choice! :)
 
Dan_D said:
You say that but the Blacks seem to press easier than browns in my experience. The Blues are the lightest though. Which is again why I prefer them.
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Really? Interesting. You're about the only one I've seen who says Blacks were easier to press, and it contradicts the specs listed for the Cherry switches but I'm not going to argue with you because I know you keep that 1911 close and therefore I'll willingly concede to you every time. ;)

My Das Keyboard has Blues and my Filco has Browns, and the Filco's keys are definitely lighter. I don't own a keyboard with Blacks. I guess it's possible that the Blacks are initially lighter during their initial travel, but they should definitely get progressively stiffer as you bottom the key out. Maybe we could do some sort of test by stacking dimes on the keys until they bottom out and compare results? This is interesting.
 
I've tried keyboards with the Cherry MX Browns and I own a keyboard with the Cherry MX Blues and one with Cherry MX Blacks. The Cherry MX Blacks are easier to me than the Cherry MX Browns due to the "bump" in the middle point of the key switch. Spring rates may in fact be lighter for the browns but to me the blacks were easier to press down. There is no resistance at any point in the key travel. The Cherry MX Blues have that "click" point but they seem to require less force than either.
 
Dan_D said:
I've tried keyboards with the Cherry MX Browns and I own a keyboard with the Cherry MX Blues and one with Cherry MX Blacks. The Cherry MX Blacks are easier to me than the Cherry MX Browns due to the "bump" in the middle point of the key switch. Spring rates may in fact be lighter for the browns but to me the blacks were easier to press down. There is no resistance at any point in the key travel. The Cherry MX Blues have that "click" point but they seem to require less force than either.
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The part that counts is that first two millimeters of travel, since that is approximately where all Cherry switches activate. The level of resistance up to that point is the least with the browns. I used them on both my computers and I was far prone to mistakes with the brown because they were so sensitive compared to my Cherry brown or my Apple keyboard with scissor switches. I could probably activate those brown switches by sneezing on them.

Anyway, you're the first person I've read to claim that the black switches are more sensitive. I suppose I get that there is no "bump" in the blacks, thereby decreasing resistance, but in my experience the bump didn't hold back my fingers at all, it was just something I felt.

Either way, this is why it's a good thing that there are so many choices in switch types, given that everyone has difference preferences and perceptions.
 
I have a really old mobile data terminal keyboard with blacks and I've used a Kinesis with browns. I find the browns easier to press than the blacks. I've used IBM and other "clacky" keyboards but I don't believe I've used Cherry MX Blues to compare.
 
Ended up getting a das since filco got vaporized, lovin me some sweet browns :cool:
 
Serpico said:
The part that counts is that first two millimeters of travel, since that is approximately where all Cherry switches activate. The level of resistance up to that point is the least with the browns. I used them on both my computers and I was far prone to mistakes with the brown because they were so sensitive compared to my Cherry brown or my Apple keyboard with scissor switches. I could probably activate those brown switches by sneezing on them.

Anyway, you're the first person I've read to claim that the black switches are more sensitive. I suppose I get that there is no "bump" in the blacks, thereby decreasing resistance, but in my experience the bump didn't hold back my fingers at all, it was just something I felt.

Either way, this is why it's a good thing that there are so many choices in switch types, given that everyone has difference preferences and perceptions.
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Yeah, I understand the ratings. I'm just talking about how the keyboards feel to me. I do a lot more typing than most people and I've spent countless hours with Cherry MX Blue and Black based keyboards. I've got some keyboards that feel really similar to the MX Browns, but I'm uncertain what switch they actually use. They could be Alps switches, but they are similar to the Browns in that they have a tactile bump part way into the key travel just like the browns but without the audible click.
 
Are there any keyboards other than the Optimus Maximus with low profile mechanical switches? I've been using Logitech Illuminated and Logitech Wireless Illuminated keyboards lately, and I found find it hard to go back to standard tall keys.

For example, if I could find something with a keyboard that feels as nice as my Envy 14, I'd be in love. I've considered the Apple keyboard, since many people say it's excellent, but I wish it came in black.
 
Curse The Sky said:
Are there any keyboards other than the Optimus Maximus with low profile mechanical switches? I've been using Logitech Illuminated and Logitech Wireless Illuminated keyboards lately, and I found find it hard to go back to standard tall keys.

For example, if I could find something with a keyboard that feels as nice as my Envy 14, I'd be in love. I've considered the Apple keyboard, since many people say it's excellent, but I wish it came in black.
Click to expand...

As far as low profile and mechanical, your only options really are scissor style mechanical switches.
 
Curse The Sky said:
Are there any keyboards other than the Optimus Maximus with low profile mechanical switches? I've been using Logitech Illuminated and Logitech Wireless Illuminated keyboards lately, and I found find it hard to go back to standard tall keys.

For example, if I could find something with a keyboard that feels as nice as my Envy 14, I'd be in love. I've considered the Apple keyboard, since many people say it's excellent, but I wish it came in black.
Click to expand...
I used nothing but laptop style keyboards for years and never thought I could get used to a mechanical board with regular keys. WRONG!! After just a couple of days with my new Black Widow (Blue switches), my typing accuracy and gaming greatly improved. I think you'll surprise yourself if you try a Blue or Brown switch mechanical board.
 
Mr. Wolf said:
I used nothing but laptop style keyboards for years and never thought I could get used to a mechanical board with regular keys. WRONG!! After just a couple of days with my new Black Widow (Blue switches), my typing accuracy and gaming greatly improved. I think you'll surprise yourself if you try a Blue or Brown switch mechanical board.
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+1. Like Mr. Wolf, I used laptop style keyboards exclusively and didn't think that I could get used to regular keys again. That all changed after getting my Das Keyboard with Cherry Blues. It was a revelation and although I still have to use regular keyboards at work, nothing less than a mechanical will suffice at home. I could use a regular keyboard, but it would be much less satisfying. ;)
 
Got my Das Keyboard with Cherry Browns in the mail today and so far it has been a dream to type and game on. I wasn't sure about how I would end up liking the glossy finish but it looks great on my desk. Just wish I would have picked one up earlier :)
 
imyourzero said:
+1. Like Mr. Wolf, I used laptop style keyboards exclusively and didn't think that I could get used to regular keys again. That all changed after getting my Das Keyboard with Cherry Blues. It was a revelation and although I still have to use regular keyboards at work, nothing less than a mechanical will suffice at home. I could use a regular keyboard, but it would be much less satisfying. ;)
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I just ordered a Das Cherry Blue after my brother agreed to buy my Black Widow. He's much more of a gamer than I and wants a board with lots of macro capability. I never use the M keys so won't miss them. :D
 
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