Hello and I think I just took the Red pill.

[gatorjon]

I've known I've wanted a mechanical keyboard for some time. I taught myself to touch type in Colemak years ago. But, since I've only used laptops for years I've had no reason to buy one.  Well, that all changed when I moved to the Surface Pro 3. I have the cover/keyboard thing and hate it with a fiery passion. So, thus began my quest for the perfect keyboard.

I do not game on the PC at all. I am strictly console. (I know, I know "PC master race" and all that ) I do, however, type extensively all day for work. Therefore, I searched for the ultimate typing experience within my budget of <$200. I turned to Amazon.com due to their relaxed return policies and purchased the following boards:

Quickfire XT Green Switches
TT Poseidon Blue Switches
CODE 104 Clear Switches

I immediately fell in love with the mx greens. I loved their sound. It was simply satisfying to type on. I had a hard time dealing with the heavier key press though.  The mx clears, however, gave me a speed boost that I have never had before ~10wpm on my first try. My fingers flowed over the keys like nothing I had felt before. The CODE is not without problems though; the keycaps are slick and the there is a persistent ping with each key press that is very annoying. The blues were far to light and I made many typo's on that board. I also did not like the sound, too high pitched click.

Ultimately, the greens were too heavy and  I had decided to forgo my love of the "click" and keep the CODE clear and get some o-rings to experiment with. That was until.... I read about buckling springs. Long story short; my Unicomp Ultra Classic Brilliant White arrives tomorrow. I hope that it will give me the feel and click I so desire. If only there were a cherry switch that combined the green assembly with the clear spring.

The wife says I can only keep one. So I will have to live with only one board for now.... for now.

This site has been extremely helpful in researching learning about the world of mechanical keyboards. I thank you all.

[Grim Fandango]

Headfirst into keyboard geekdom. I love it. Welcome 

It seems that you understood something right away that most of us only start to realize after a while: If you want to know what a keyboard feels like, you need to try it out. No amount of descriptions will give you a good idea of what you will and will not like.

[FrostyToast]

Well the good news for you is that the Poseidon uses cherry mx knockoffs from a company by the name of Kailh and it appears that you ditched that keyboard due to the clickiness.
Although Kailh has yet to be proved to be flat out worse than cherry, most people here would stay away from them.

[gatorjon]

Well the good news for you is that the Poseidon uses cherry mx knockoffs from a company by the name of Kailh and it appears that you ditched that keyboard due to the clickiness.
Although Kailh has yet to be proved to be flat out worse than cherry, most people here would stay away from them.

I have since learned that and I am considering giving the blues another chance with a FILCO majestouch 2. I'm waiting to see how I like the Unicomp.

[jalaj]

Welcome.
But it's sh1tty of you to abuse a reseller's return policy by unloading used test-driven products back on them merely because you do not like it
Perhaps you can resell the items here at near cost or trade for other items.
Many other alternatives to test drive keyboards as well, meetups, display units at electronics stores, borrowing a switch tester, etc.
good luck

[FrostyToast]

Well the good news for you is that the Poseidon uses cherry mx knockoffs from a company by the name of Kailh and it appears that you ditched that keyboard due to the clickiness.
Although Kailh has yet to be proved to be flat out worse than cherry, most people here would stay away from them.

I have since learned that and I am considering giving the blues another chance with a FILCO majestouch 2. I'm waiting to see how I like the Unicomp.

I would definitely suggest buckling springs over blues.

[rowdy]

Welcome to Geekhack!

You might find that buckling spring is heavy, like MX green.  I have two original Model M keyboards, and one QFS with MX green.  I would say the Model M are probably a little bit heavier.

But the noise is so much nicer

[gatorjon]

Welcome to Geekhack!

You might find that buckling spring is heavy, like MX green.  I have two original Model M keyboards, and one QFS with MX green.  I would say the Model M are probably a little bit heavier.

But the noise is so much nicer

I was concerned about that as well but I read somewhere that B/S activation force was between 60-70 making then similar to clears. Whereas the greens are 80. And... yes.... that noise

[gatorjon]

Welcome.
But it's sh1tty of you to abuse a reseller's return policy by unloading used test-driven products back on them merely because you do not like it
Perhaps you can resell the items here at near cost or trade for other items.
Many other alternatives to test drive keyboards as well, meetups, display units at electronics stores, borrowing a switch tester, etc.
good luck

I disagree. I live in a rural area and have no retail stores to try them in or meetups to go to. I considered the switch tester but I didn't think I could get the true feel of actually typing on the various switches without an actual board. Amazon's return policies exist for people like me that cannot readily tryout certain things. That's why they make is so easy. They even have a selection for "no longer wanted/needed" as a reason for return. Buying clothing through them is a perfect example of this. If it is the wrong size, or doesn't fit right, they allow you to exchange for the correct size for free.

Last but not least, I want to be sure to get my money back quickly before the credit card needs to be paid. Otherwise I would consider selling them to people on this forum.

[rowdy]

Welcome to Geekhack!

You might find that buckling spring is heavy, like MX green.  I have two original Model M keyboards, and one QFS with MX green.  I would say the Model M are probably a little bit heavier.

But the noise is so much nicer

I was concerned about that as well but I read somewhere that B/S activation force was between 60-70 making then similar to clears. Whereas the greens are 80. And... yes.... that noise

Deskthority wiki does say 65-70g for the Model M.

And although MX greens are 80g, they still seem lighter to me.  This was typed on MX greens

[gatorjon]

Quick update: The Unicomp is freaking amazing . It is the exact combination of click and feel I was looking for. The keycap finish leaves something to be desired (although the feel and texture is awesome) and the case seems to be cheap thin plastic (creaky and squishy) but I can easily overlook those cons for the typing experience. That glorious noise makes typing immensely satisfying. On top of everything else I have set my fastest WPM yet with it and with the least errors! Some have compared the greens to buckling springs but I think they feel and sound completely different.

[dante]

If you guys like MX Greens - be sure to check out the NMB boards w/ Space Invaders switches.  They feel like a very expensive and sophisticated MX Green

[rowdy]

Quick update: The Unicomp is freaking amazing . It is the exact combination of click and feel I was looking for. The keycap finish leaves something to be desired (although the feel and texture is awesome) and the case seems to be cheap thin plastic (creaky and squishy) but I can easily overlook those cons for the typing experience. That glorious noise makes typing immensely satisfying. On top of everything else I have set my fastest WPM yet with it and with the least errors! Some have compared the greens to buckling springs but I think they feel and sound completely different.

Excellent news!

I think I read somewhere that Unicomp are using a different plastic to the original Model M.

I'd use my Model M more, but my other half has given me a few specific looks about the noise )