Author Topic: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?  (Read 4089 times)

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Offline Rossytaylor

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Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 09:37:27 »
I have a poker II with Cherry Mx Blues on currently, i've heard from alot of people that the reds are horrible to use however i love the sound of them over the blues but im not too sure if i want to invest the money into a keyboard with different keys as i dont want to waste my money if i dont like them, so are key samplers worth it ( one with each key type) i heard browns are nice but they just dont have the same sound as red :D

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00I0VX4VS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=UCNXQRGALW19&coliid=I2AL8Q6HWH540Z

Offline hotdogseller

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #1 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 09:44:13 »
if 9 pounds is too much you may have found the wrong hobby

Offline esoomenona

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« Reply #2 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 09:47:05 »
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« Last Edit: Mon, 21 September 2015, 10:37:08 by esoomenona »

Offline Eszett

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #3 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 10:19:17 »
Not worth the money, because you can’t simulate a kb full of e. g. MX green, when pressing on one MX green key only. One key is easily to press even with 120 g springs. A kb full of 120 g is another story.
« Last Edit: Wed, 01 October 2014, 10:21:02 by Eszett »

Offline Kmynis

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 10:23:32 »
I think they are worth the money. At least I'm glad I did it.
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Offline JaccoW

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #5 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 11:25:31 »
It would have been fun to know what I would have chosen based on a switch tester. Alas, I already had a keyboard at the time and I never switched...
They are fun though. And simply tapping them lightly will give you a general feel of the switch that nothing but a real keyboard can.
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Offline Defect

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #6 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 12:23:07 »
Worth money, but most I've seen are overpriced.  And most testers only include 1 of each switch type.  Pressing 1 switch over and over does not give you a good feel of what a full board of that switch feels like.

Also it's important that the keys actually tie to some input.  Typing on a disconnected keyboard is very different from having immediate visual feedback.  Example: MX black is a heavy switch but you only need to press it down half way, not all the way.

Best is to find an old cheap board (under 25 USD) and make your own tester or get someone to make one for you.  At least use 4 - key clusters.

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Offline Razor Lotus

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #7 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 13:07:36 »
Worth money, but most I've seen are overpriced.  And most testers only include 1 of each switch type.  Pressing 1 switch over and over does not give you a good feel of what a full board of that switch feels like.

I agree with this. 4 keys and a bunch of keycaps by themselves are really quite cheap but most places sell them overpriced.

I bought a switch tester before I got my board and I'm really happy I did. After a week or so of playing with it and letting some friends try and all that, I pulled the trigger on the red switch. Again, this was based on how 1 switch felt by itself and not a cluster to press together.

If you're new to this hobby and am interested in going deeper, a switch tester would be useful in letting you feel the difference between each keys. For example, if you only have a keyboard with reds, when someone talks about how small the tactile bump is on a brown switch and how people should really try clears instead of browns, you'd have no idea how tactile a brown switch really is etc, even if it's just an individual switch and not a whole board


Offline shifted

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #8 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 13:36:23 »
Personally, I don't think so unless they come with a board and are mounted.  Even then I am not sure they are.  I bought a sampler before I bought any mechanical keyboard and since then I have owned black, red, brown and clear switches trying to decide which I like and the sampler didn't help at all.  My samples were not attached to a board though so it was really hard to get any idea of how they would really feel.

Best Buy typically has a board with Blue Switches and a board with Brown switches on display.  I'd check those out first.  I live near a Microcenter as well which is where I'd go next.  It's hard if you have no option though.
« Last Edit: Wed, 01 October 2014, 13:56:02 by shifted »

Offline Smasher816

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #9 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 14:02:59 »
A switch tester is very helpful especially if you are about to spend a lot of money on a new keyboard.

However, better than one key is trying an actual keyboard. If you have a Microcenter or Fry's you can find keyboards for the most common switch types. Or maybe there is a meetup in your area.

Offline notsonerd

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #10 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 16:26:20 »
I got this sampler off of Amazon for $20 to help me make a decision on a switch, and even after trying them out I debated on which switch for two whole days (not even kidding--I refreshed geekhack.org to check my posts five times a minute for twelve hours straight) and still barely came to a conclusion.

What I found is that a switch sampler can't really tell you which switch you want, but it'll help you decide the switches you don't.

If you do decide to get a sampler, get one with all Cherry MX switches. Or you could build your own. Mechanicalkeyboards.com sells individual switches.

I thought about being an ass and ordering a few boards of different switch types, then returning the ones I didn't like. Didn't want to be an ass, though.
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Offline mogo

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #11 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 16:36:19 »
I'm waiting for Maxkeyboard's 8-switch sampler to arrive. I want to repeatedly press on each type with each of my fingers for a minute each, and hopefully I'll figure out what I like, but being in a little rural town, I can't exactly go to an electronics megastore :(

I recall seeing a sampler-swap thread somewhere on the board, where people sign up to mail a sampler to one another. You may wanna look for that. I would have but... I really wanna keep a sampler for myself, I think it's a satisfying widget, sorta like having a squeezy stress ball or something. It's hard to explain  :rolleyes:

Offline notsonerd

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #12 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 16:49:06 »
I'm waiting for Maxkeyboard's 8-switch sampler to arrive. I want to repeatedly press on each type with each of my fingers for a minute each, and hopefully I'll figure out what I like, but being in a little rural town, I can't exactly go to an electronics megastore :(

I recall seeing a sampler-swap thread somewhere on the board, where people sign up to mail a sampler to one another. You may wanna look for that. I would have but... I really wanna keep a sampler for myself, I think it's a satisfying widget, sorta like having a squeezy stress ball or something. It's hard to explain  :rolleyes:

I brought it with me to work. It's that fun to mess with.

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Offline Lethal Squirrel

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #13 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 17:15:48 »
I have the 8 switch tester from maxkeyboard, and I think it was well worth the $20 price tag.
Not only to see how every switch feels but to show other people and have a neat desktop toy.
I do agree that it's hard to feel the different spring rates just with one key alone. green and blue barely feel different.


Offline mogo

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #14 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 17:38:42 »
I have the 8 switch tester from maxkeyboard, and I think it was well worth the $20 price tag.
Not only to see how every switch feels but to show other people and have a neat desktop toy.
I do agree that it's hard to feel the different spring rates just with one key alone. green and blue barely feel different.
Yeah, they aren't terribly different. Though, I must say that whites are absolutely a joy for me. Came for the clicky, stayed for the weight.  :))

Offline notsonerd

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #15 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 18:33:39 »
I have the 8 switch tester from maxkeyboard, and I think it was well worth the $20 price tag.
Not only to see how every switch feels but to show other people and have a neat desktop toy.
I do agree that it's hard to feel the different spring rates just with one key alone. green and blue barely feel different.
Yeah, they aren't terribly different. Though, I must say that whites are absolutely a joy for me. Came for the clicky, stayed for the weight.  :))

Inconsistency isn't an issue for you?
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Offline mogo

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #16 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 18:52:37 »
I'm not exactly a connoiseur, I don't have the greatest knowledge or experience to feel possible minor differences (much like I don't yet have the taste to distinguish wines like a pro can), but I have no problem with any bit of my KBT Pure's keys. The resistance feels nice across the board.

Offline jacobolus

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #17 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 21:07:52 »
Don’t bother with switch samplers; they’re all Cherry MX switches anyway: meh.

Find some folks in your area who have a bunch of keyboards and try typing on a full board for at least a few minutes. I recommend trying a Model M, an Alps/Matias keyboard, a Topre keyboard, etc., or whatever you can find.

Offline speedygonz

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #18 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 21:41:55 »
Yeah, I would really love to have a sampler to try out the Alps and Topre keys, but they don't exist AFAIK. The only way is to find people in the area who actually owns such keyboards.

Offline PointyFox

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #19 on: Wed, 01 October 2014, 21:42:45 »
Don’t bother with switch samplers; they’re all Cherry MX switches anyway: meh.

Find some folks in your area who have a bunch of keyboards and try typing on a full board for at least a few minutes. I recommend trying a Model M, an Alps/Matias keyboard, a Topre keyboard, etc., or whatever you can find.

^

Offline johndavis33

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Re: Are key switchsamplers worth the money?
« Reply #20 on: Thu, 02 October 2014, 09:26:22 »
I know exactly what all of the MX switches feel like, and already know the only ones I really like are whites and sometimes greens.

That said, I really want that max keyboard tester because it looks very fun to mess with
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