oh boy I've got some spicy ones today.
- Most people who bash MX browns are newbies who buy into the trend that more tactile = better.
I'd say the exact opposite . The only people who like MX browns are newbies who haven't tried anything better .
I'm definitely with Chyros on that one. I have been using mechanicals for years. I can't say that I have tried a ton of switch types, but I haven't encountered anything as bad as Cherry MX Brown (yet, I know they exist). It is difficult to discern any bump at all, and most of that bump is just increased scratchiness. My tactile alps experience is limited to a few test presses on an old recycling save board or two, and the experience was incomparably better. Tactile Kailh Box switches don't seem fantastic, but at least they're not scratchy, and there's definitely a discernible bump. I'm far from a tactile lover though.
I wonder if those who don't like clicky alps had really, really dirty boards. I replaced my model F AT at work with a Leading Edge DC-2014 once I tried the switches.
Cherry switches are actually pretty good. It's reasonably priced and doesn't have any quality issues (at least I haven't heard any). What other good linear options are there other than vintage black? Gateron inks have loose leaf. Gateron don't fit 7035 mill-max socket unless you rotate the socket to a specific angle. Good Geteron linears are all too expensive. Cherry is still a good choice for high end build.
I haven't put them in a board, but the Kailh Box linears seem pretty nice to me. I hear good things about Kailh Cream as well. Cherry MX Red is good enough for me, for gaming purposes.
My unpopular opinions:
"Vintage" Cherry MX is no better (in aggregate) than any other Cherry MX, other than maybe just the fact that they're more likely to basically be polished by years of heavy use. Maybe I'll be swayed on this some day, but I find it unlikely.
Cherry MX, in general, is the Honda Civic/Toyota Camry of mechanical keyboards today. They're not fantastic, but they're in no way substandard in any categories other than subjective feel/sound preference (that even goes for browns).
(This one might start a lynch mob) The IBM Model M is an inherently stupid and fragile design (plastic rivets) that doesn't seem to feel much better to me than average, at its best, and worse than Cherry MX at its worst. Before you come to burn down my house, I absolutely love the model F.
Windows keys (when running Windows) are almost indispensable when it comes to convenience and time savings, and buttons that disable them when gaming are completely unnecessary. I've never accidentally hit the Windows key before.
Corsair (at least the K65 and K70 variant boards) makes robust, aesthetically-pleasing keyboards, in spite of their non-standard key caps (And maybe some batches of poorly made caps? All of mine have held up for years worth of heavy use.)
There may be more. I can't think of them at the moment.