Bought two brand new CHERRY G80-3000 with mx clear. ($699+$20 hkd each)
Normally I would not consider buying fullsize boards since I love having the mouse closer, but since it’s pain in the neck to find TKL with clears (hunting in classified for Korean custom or phantom, or wait another 10 months to grab a code keyboard), I concede and get the G80-3000 just to try out the clear switches.
Another thing that draws me is the ease (so I was told) of opening up the switch to lube (and replace spring aka ergo-clear).
The G80-3000 is very light and doesn’t feel as solid (weight) as Model M or QFR. But once you have it sit properly on the table it doesn’t move around much, thanks to the four rubber feet (including the flip out ones).
I couldn’t decide whether to get the black or the white case, so I get both (I love the black case but prefer white keycaps).
Turns out they are quite different.
First a comparison of white thin PBT (top), thick black POM(bottom left) and vortex thick PBT (bottom right).
The vortex thick PBT feel more substantial than the stock QFR when I first replaced the keycaps.
The thick black POM, however, doesn’t give that impression when compared to the thin white PBT. They both feel pretty light but solid (no wobbling).
I definitely prefer the nip on the white PBT F&J keys than the scoop on the black POM since that’s what I’m used to.
The legend on the keycaps are absolutely beautiful though. Too bad these are not thick DS or PBT dyesub, but they are still 200% nicer than most stock keycaps.
This is the first time I try the mx-clear, and I was expecting the bump to be a lot more prominent than mx-brown, but it isn’t.
mx-clear feels a lot like mx-black to me than mx-brown. The weight is between brown and black but closer to black.
I did 50 runs on typeracer with 5-8 wpm improvement over mx-brown. It’s less prone to accidental key presses.
I have to agree that you don’t bottom out as much because of the heavier spring, and thus it’s quieter than mx-brown when I tried to type at full speed.
Overall I enjoy it but my original expectation is different (I expect a more tactile feedback).
Although it should be easier to mod with ergo-clear compared to other keyboards, I still dread doing that (seems like a lot of work and I don’t have that patience). But ergo-clear is definitely the last mx switch that I need to try before concluding which switch is best for me.
This keyboard is as big as the model M, and I just retire my model-M because of its size. Will definitely pick up a TKL with clear when CM gets around to produce the QFR version or maybe I’ll get the code keyboard.
For now, I eagerly await my Handarbeit keycaps so I can make my black G80-3000 to look like this
http://imgur.com/a/fQUYx
