Impossible to have a correct sound test if you do it on a keyboard with foam
Here's a short 'review' posted by KPRepublic:
It isn't very thorough, and seems to be where the 'sound test' is derived from. There is a sound comparison of individual unlubed and hand-lubed switches.
It interested me, because it seems like a honest attempt at a Brown-like switch. It will have a Cherry-like mid-bump placement, with linear pre-travel, and a nylon housing. It will likely end up as a smoother MX-Brown with a more clearly-defined bump.
Many Brown clones imitate the indistinct Cherry bump and inconsistent 60 G springs of modern MX Browns, or go too far in trying to create Ergo Clears. The Chazhu is going to try for the slightly more pronounced tactility and better smoothness that Vint Browns are remembered for. So I'm interested, especially if they come pre-lubed.
The 18mm [62 G?] spring is disconcerting, and shows that they aren't going for true Vint Browns. Feels like a shortcut to create 'poppy' switches instead of perfecting smoothness and consistent spring weights. I guess you could respring them, but who wants that hassle?
You can buy 35 switches from KPRepublic, so I may go with that option because I just want to see what they are like. Too few manufacturers actually try to make 'correct' Browns. Durock Light Tactile was supposed to be like Vint Browns initially, but they went with their own stem design and stupid 67 G springs. So the Chazhu seem like an attempt at 'good Browns,' even if the Vint marketing is nonsense.
Regarding your new comment, of course "Vints" are a relative measurement and everything becomes Vint.
But with regard to MX Browns, "Vints" mean something specific. Even if the perception is wrong. "Vints" in Cherry usually refer to the original decade or so that they started production in. So 1980s-1990s for Blacks and Clears, 1990s for Browns.
Cherry tooling did noticeably degrade starting around 2010 or so, and became pretty bad for some switches [e.g. Clears] mid-decade. People want Cherries from certain time periods because there's a perception that the tooling was in better shape.
The reputation of "Vint Browns" is that they were smoother and with a more clearly-defined bump than post 2010-Browns. Less sand and grit, and maybe a cleaner stem. Some people think the older Browns might have been a bit heavier or more tactile. Maybe none of this is true, but this is the perception. It's not well-documented, because not as many people care about Browns like they do about Blacks. I have typed on some "Vintage" MX Clears, and they were markedly better than any I tried from the past two decades.
So "Vints" in Cherry MX refer to those produced in a specific time period. The different "Vint" switches [Black, Clear, Brown] have their own reputations, even if they are undeserved. So yes, when sometimes says "Vint" when referring to Cherries, it refers to a specific time period and quality assumption. Nobody is selling MX Blacks, Browns, or Clears from 2015 as "Vints." They could try someday, but those switches have a negative reputation.
