I have been using buckling springs 90% of the time for the past year or more. I have an Acer laptop and use "good quality" rubber domes at the office (but this is only a few hours per week).
The "alternates" I rotate to, occasionally, are Monterey blues and black Alps, because I have them laying around. After a few hours, I always go back.
I recently sold my primary "alternate" board, a full-size Leopold with blues, not because I did not like it, I did, very much, but whenever I used it I could not stop thinking about buckling springs.
So, even though I still think that the blue switch is the "best" one Cherry makes, I have become indifferent to it. It is too close to my Model M/Fs to make me want to use it, instead of them.
I currently do not own a good white or blue Alps board, but am always on the lookout for one. My old Omnikeys were very nice, I need another one to put in my collection.
I had a board with black Cherries, long ago, but got rid of it before giving it an proper trial.
Internet Lad, I really like your format, so I stole it for my own use. Please don't be offended. I was not going to go as far as this, but you forced my hand.
* First Thoughts:
Browns- Exactly what I was expecting, if anything, I was hoping for a slightly more pronounced "You Have Now Pressed the Key" but this is probably just adequate.
Blues - I have used these, so I know exactly how they feel. I know them for what they are, and that that is NOT buckling spring "wannabes" but rather white Alps improvements.
Greens- Kind of an odd duck, I agree, but the sound is great in comparison to the blues, which became more annoying to me, over time and use.
Blacks - Not bad, feels like what I was expecting, maybe even a little stiffer. I can certainly see how people complain of typing fatigue on them.
Reds - Nice! They go down with a feather touch, and little or no sound until you bottom out. I really like light switches.
Clears - These are pretty good in feel, and the sound, I could live with it, easily. But, they are a little much for me. Very stiff, even though I am a big strong guy.
Ergos - Oh, these are nice! I never knew what all the love was about, but I understand now!
* Second Thoughts:
Browns- I could learn to love these. This will be my next board, and I will put pads or rings on them for a quiet and soothing experience.
Blues - Great switches. I will get another blue board one of these days, but not compelling for now.
Greens- These are growing on me. If I was building a whole board, this would definitely be my spacebar/enter/delete/etc switch. Much better sound than blue.
Blacks - No interest here. Even though I love buckling springs, I also prefer a light touch. I would love to find softer springs for my Model M/Fs.
Reds - Surprise! I never gave these much thought, but they are really nice. See above. I will surely get a red board + O-rings, for a true stealth experience.
Clears - Although I don't particularly like these, I might buy this board, someday, as a basis for the mod below.
Ergos - The other surprise. These are good. I don't know if I will get up the time and energy to do the ergo mod, but I can see how so many people think it is worth it.
- (note, however, that I do agree with Internet Lad, there is something about the ergos that feels "off" in the action, like there is a "catch" somewhere that should not be there)
* Day 2 Ranking:
I came into this thinking that, after blues, I would like the browns the best, then ergo clears, too, and was totally disregarding the blacks and reds for my purposes. I had never given the greens any thought before, to tell the truth.
1. Blue
2. Brown
3. Red
4. Ergo Clear
5. Green
6. Clear
7. Black
I too still have a strong preference for buckling springs whenever possible, and in comparison, my liking for Blue Monterey/White Alps has held up surprisingly well. I still think I prefer Monterey Blue over Cherry Blue.
The biggest surprise here, for me, is the thought that I might be a lot happier with linear switches than I had previously imagined.
But remember, I never game, so there are a lot of gaming-related issues that are not on the table when I make my personal evaluations.
thanks again, Hashbaz
