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Which Cherry MX switch?

W

WiL11o6

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Messages
478
Alright, I'm going to jump onto the mechanical keyboard train and I've been doing research on the different MX switches. I know it all comes down to preference, however, there are no mechanical keyboards nearby for me to try so I figure I'd ask here.

I will be doing 50% typing and 50% gaming, mostly FPS and some RPGs like Skyrim. After doing research, it seems like MX brown is the middle ground between black and blue for gaming and typing, but I keep seeing people say MX reds are the best now. I don't really mind the clicking per se, but I would prefer a quieter one I guess? Then I'm thinking maybe I'll get MX blacks because it's made for gaming.

I know all these switches can do gaming and typing very well, but I am going to shell out $100 for a keyboard, I want to make sure I made the best choice for my needs.

Also, I read that red switches are linear compared to the others. How does a linear switch differ from the others?
 
I have blues and like them a lot. They're better than rubber domes both in typing and gaming. There are people who feel browns are a middle ground, but I think it's a matter of personal preference. The click that comes with the blues is nice wherever you use it.
 
I just got my Leopold with reds and it's a great improvement over my Lycosa. I love the pressure of the switch. The only complaint I have is that I bottom out quite a bit. I want to get some rubber O-rings to help with that then it shall be perfect. Now that I have a real keyboard I want to have some fun replacing key kaps from WASD as well :D
 
I have a tenkeyless Leopold with blues myself. I love typing on it as we speak ahahha. Anyways I enjoy the click on it too.

I would advise you to get the cherry blue or the browns.
 
Of all of the switches that I have tried I prefer browns. I'm not too fond of plate mounted mx blues.
 
My 0.02 worth here. Just went shopping for my first mechanical keyboard yesterday. Tried out blues, blacks and browns. Overall for my intending use of typing and programming, I liked the blues the best. The black had zero feedback, however it had a very nice smooth feel that I think is suitable for gaming and also typing if you like it quiet. I was surprisingly disappointed in the browns. The tactile bump wasn't as pronounced as I was expecting.

So I came home with a CMStorm Quick Fire blue switch. :)
 
I've tried blues blacks and reds + reds with dampeners.

I own a das w/blues, and a poker w/dampened reds.

Blues are great, but i can type much fastter on reds, and even faster than that when the dampeners are installed on the reds. My fingers just lick the keys on the dampened reds. Also, theyre easier to press than blacks. I'd consider these a great blacks upgrade. And a faster than blues upgrade. However, blues have that great click. But its the tactile bump that slows me down,
 
I was in a similar situation, I think browns are definitely the way to go for you as they will give you the most bang for your buck in the applications you use most.

From cheapest to most expensive:
Das Silent
Ducky DK9008G2-B
Filco Majestouch-2
 
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Thanks everyone!

I went with the Filco Majestouch-2 Browns! I'll keep people posted when I get it.
 
WiL11o6 said:
Thanks everyone!

I went with the Filco Majestouch-2 Browns! I'll keep people posted when I get it.
Click to expand...

I just returned my Rosewill RK9000 with browns because it squeaked from stiff keys, let me know how it goes!
 
Im not really big on Blues for gaming. Ive got a Razer Black Widow Ultimate and while I havent really had a big problem with it, I find the point of actuation to be a little bit too high. Like I said, it hasnt been a big problem but it is if I have to tap the same button several time. Like in Dead Space 2, there are a couple scenes where something jumps out and grabs you and you have to hit the E key several times really fast to get them off, and I notice that if I go too fast, Im not letting it release high enough to register another click. Again, not a deal breaker or anything but could be a pain in the balls depending on what type of games you play.

I think Browns would be better for gaming.
 
Highly personal.

My first mechanical was a Filco with browns because they sounded the best for me. I replaced it a month later with a Steelseries 6Gv2 with black switches, and last month I got a Leopold tenkeyless with clears (high force tactile) for my living room/LAN party keyboard.

I prefer the ones that take a little more force, they're better for spamming keys in games and I also make fewer typing errors on them compared to the lighter switches. Again, that's just me, plenty of people type just fine with the touchy brown or even red switches.

It can be tough making a decision since the only way to know if a key is for you is to actually type on them with a keyboard that's plugged into a working computer. Typing on an unplugged one doesn't even give you a good idea of what it's like since they actuate halfway down, and in the case of the high-force keyboards you aren't even bottoming them out (where you get the most resistance) most of the time.
 
Alright, just got my Filco Majestouch with browns and I will say, typing on this is quite different than a regular keyboard. The build quality is quite superb, there's a lot of heft and the keycaps have a very nice feel to it. I don't know if it's just me, but the spacebar seems to be protruding out a little too much so when I press and rest my thumb on the spacebar, it doesn't feel that comfortable since the space bar isn't rounded off, it's quite rectangular. Also, the spacebar seems to sound kinda "dry"? It makes a slight scratchy noise sometimes like it needs to be lubed or something. Not sure how to explain it, but I am sure this is how mechanical keyboards work since the spacebar is so long and the switch is so small?
 
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Blues are my personal preference.

Browns if you don't want the click.

Tactile is where it's at on mechanical keyboards.
 
I love the blues but I don't know if I would want to be in the same room with that clicking sound while gaming.
 
MacLeod said:
Im not really big on Blues for gaming. Ive got a Razer Black Widow Ultimate and while I havent really had a big problem with it, I find the point of actuation to be a little bit too high. Like I said, it hasnt been a big problem but it is if I have to tap the same button several time. Like in Dead Space 2, there are a couple scenes where something jumps out and grabs you and you have to hit the E key several times really fast to get them off, and I notice that if I go too fast, Im not letting it release high enough to register another click. Again, not a deal breaker or anything but could be a pain in the balls depending on what type of games you play.

I think Browns would be better for gaming.
Click to expand...

Look at the way blues work.

761b0078_vbattach197802.gif


and then look at the force diagram
8846736e_785448034edc7cebb9ea660c5f11e288.jpeg


It's not a high actuation point, it's that they have a drastically different spot at which they actuate than that which they release at. So you get what you found out, that you can't easily quickly tap the same key over and over. You've got to move enough for that internal part that gives it the wonderful clicky feel and sound to change states.

Personally I'm in the OPs shoe's, trying to determine what I want for my first mechanical keyboard. Had a chance to try out blues and blacks at fry's the other day and currently am leaning towards browns. I think I want a bit of tactile feedback as to where the engagement point is, and the browns don't have the difference in activation/release points that you found with the blues. See:
f63f362e_cde2fb0a2dd06fefcc47ce1ed987f6a8.jpeg


That said the purely linear response of the blacks was very interesting and given enough time I could see myself learning to love that (or maybe reds... blacks felt a bit stiff). Maybe.

Anyways... really looking forward to what the OP thinks of the browns as he sounds like he has mostly the same needs I do.


Edit: Should note I'm shamelessly stealing the images from overclock.net's mechanical keyboard guide
 
Khanmots, THANKS for that overclock.net keyboard link!

BB
 
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I am disappointed with my Browns. They don't feel like anything special. Not worth it at $120 for a keyboard.
 
I was really hoping for rainbows and flames to shoot out of my fingertips as I breeze through typing a complete transcript of superbad! at a blazing 375 words per minute.

Instead, my keyboard makes way more noise than necessary, my typing speed decreased by 10 wpm and I am out $120.
 
I love me Deck Linear with black switches. I bought it mostly for gaming but I like typing on it too.
 
I wouldn't get blacks because they are label "gaming" they just don't have a tactile bump when you press them.
 
Well that sucks. The tactile feel is the whole reason I wanted a mechanical keyboard. I love the click and bump you get when you press the keys. If it wasnt for that, Id just use a standard $35 Logitech keyboard. Mechanical doesnt offer any benefits in gaming which is all I do with this rig. So I wouldnt see the point in getting Blacks if they have no tactile feedback. As far as feel goes, I think the Blues are the best for that.
 
Update on my Filco browns. At first I thought it was a waste of money because it was different...and I wasn't sure if it was a good different. I've been typing on a cheap keyboard for my entire life and typing on a mechanical keyboard for the first time was strange. I wasn't sure if it was $150 good, but after spending about a week on this, I think it's money well spent. $150 is a lot of money but all these mechanical keyboards are going to be pricey so I think it's worth it.

Typing in general is just more fun. I actually want to type and I do enjoy the click clack noise because it feels satisfying typing each letter. It's much easier to type as each key is easier to press and bounces back. Hard to explain...but I like it and as others, I wouldn't go back to a regular keyboard after using a mechanical one.
 
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