Red vs Brown switch for office/cubicle use

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soulesschild

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I'm looking real hard at the WASD Custom keyboards and the price seems right for the ability to pick different options. What switch would be best to use in an office cubicle environment? Red or Brown? Any opinions between the two?
 
Brown, I would say.

The "tactile" element is very mild but still noticeable, which makes it very comfortable for typing. It's not obnoxiously loud unless you hammer on the keys and bottom them out, but that's not the keyboard's fault...

Reds are a great option for gaming, but you can't actuate them by feel (without bottoming them out and making more noise) unless you're Superman as they have no tactile bump.

If the Deck Legend (Frost or Ice tactile) wasn't so much more expensive, I'd recommend that as cherry clears have a more noticeable tactile bump (without being clicky) and are thus probably even better than browns. Then again, a backlit office keyboard is a bit tacky, and Deck doesn't offer non-backlit options.

One other thing to look at is something like a Leopold with or without a numpad. It's a few bucks cheaper than the WASD, and I struggle a bit to understand how critical custom keycaps are for an office keyboard. But hey, whatever works.
 
Add the optional o-rings and either one would be fine. It's dulls the noise of the keys bottoming out. I have a WASD with brown switches and it's of the utmost quality.
Since this is an office environment, which require accurate typing for work purposes, the brown switches will be the best choice. The reds will causes unwanted typing errors because the keys are very light and register with minimal force.

Here's a video demonstration with and without o-rings:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lFkl1Vet1eU

I can see the custom key caps being used as hotkeys for office work. There are many programs that people use that require them to use F keys etc. and customizing the keys allows them to be found easily.
 
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Like WorldExclusive I'd say go Brown with the o-rings. I have a board with reds and like it for gaming but have a hell of a time typing on it with any kind of reliable accuracy.
 
I second the suggestion to consider clears. IMHO they have a superior feel for typing, and actually are quite good for gaming too. I have a brown and clear TKL and honestly could go either way. I actually prefer the clear for typing, but since I primarily game on my PC I want to stick with the brown... the end result is I've held onto both KBs for a couple of months now :)

Ruahrc
 
The problem with clears is finding them. Other than TKL (Deck), I don't know anyone who makes much use of them. Getting a Deck Legend with clears means ponying up at least $180, and there isn't a non-backlit option.

Again, it's just me, but I feel like a backlit keyboard in a cubicle is a tad tacky. I love them for gaming (and other dim-room use), but in a brightly lit office, they send a fairly loud message, and one a professional might not want to send (e.g. immature, showy).

I really, really wish more keyboard makers used clears.
 
Yea clears sound really interesting but having a backlit keyboard will draw some weird looks....lol

Great video on the sound differences with the o-rings and without. I sort of regret I didn't save my money and get one of those instead of my BlackWidow sometimes....:(
 
You need the o-rings, I bought my first mechanical keyboard it was browns on a das keyboard and it was alot louder even when I did not bottom out than most of my dome switches. I cannot imagine what blues must sound like, well actually I can since I tried them at a best buy. Everyone would try to get you fired.

Backlit should be fine with offices if that is your option but obviously since it should never be dark won't help much either. I do not get why anyone would care.
 
I say fug it and go with cherry blue's for an office/cubicle setting, who cares what people say. It tells people you're busy working. :)
 
Whatever you do, don't go with blacks. My coworker has blacks and while the sound of the keys is cool at first, it gets horribly annoying when he has to type a lot.
 
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