SA keycaps are best with?

[zewcq]

Hi,

I was wondering if you guys could recommend a cherry mx switch that would go best with SA keycaps. I thought that switches with greater actuation force would be better due to SA being heavier (cherry mx clear/green), but what do you guys think?

[alexjd99]

Hi,

I was wondering if you guys could recommend a cherry mx switch that would go best with SA keycaps. I thought that keycaps with greater actuation force would be better due to SA being heavier, but what do you guys think?

In my opinion SA is best with heavier non-clicky switches (clears, blacks, I also quite like 67g zealios with SA).

[zewcq]

Hi,

I was wondering if you guys could recommend a cherry mx switch that would go best with SA keycaps. I thought that keycaps with greater actuation force would be better due to SA being heavier, but what do you guys think?

In my opinion SA is best with heavier non-clicky switches (clears, blacks, I also quite like 67g zealios with SA).

Ah thank you!

[yinzer]

I think this, like every other question about switches, is going to come down to what your preferences are.

Though, anecdotally, I had used MX Clears for about two years .. and then when I switched to SA keycaps, found that they were fatiguing to type on, so I switched to Gateron browns.

[bocahgundul]

Don't listen to us man what you need is try and see what's the best for you

[zewcq]

I think this, like every other question about switches, is going to come down to what your preferences are.

Though, anecdotally, I had used MX Clears for about two years .. and then when I switched to SA keycaps, found that they were fatiguing to type on, so I switched to Gateron browns.

Ah interesting, yeah right now I'm typing on OEM profile with mx browns and I enjoy it. Im' going to buy an SA keyset in the near future and didn't know whether it would be too mushy. Thanks for the info

[zewcq]

Don't listen to us man what you need is try and see what's the best for you

Yeah I figured that it would boil down to personal preference. I guess I'll just have to find out in the coming months haha

[rowdy]

I've found heavier switches are best, blacks and greens.

Preferably with Costar stabilisers - the keycaps never feel quite right on Cherry-stabilised switches.

[zewcq]

I've found heavier switches are best, blacks and greens.

Preferably with Costar stabilisers - the keycaps never feel quite right on Cherry-stabilised switches.

Interesting, I didn't even take into account different types of stabilizers. Time for more research!

[zslane]

I was in the same position last year when I was picking up my first SA set(s). I am an MX red guy. It was suggested by folks in the mech community whose opinions I respect that a heavier switch might be better with SAs. So I bought a board with MX blacks.

I now have a Filco Majestouch-2 with MX black I need to sell.

The heavier SA keycaps did not feel better to me on MX blacks. I discovered that I'm an MX red guy no matter what keycap style I install.

The lesson is that you simply can't know until you try for yourself. Nobody's else's experience is going to be of much help in the end.

[fog]

Personally I prefer SAs on black stems. I'm currently using 62g springs in all switches except for pinky finger keys. These get 60g. This makes all springs feel about the same on this board. Space bar is 80g.

[xtrafrood]

I know for a fact that I like the sound of cherry mx blue with SA caps but I've only come to that conclusion after watching a few youtube videos. AFAIK greens sound the same as blues so I guess I lean towards gateron greens for SA.

[zewcq]

I was in the same position last year when I was picking up my first SA set(s). I am an MX red guy. It was suggested by folks in the mech community whose opinions I respect that a heavier switch might be better with SAs. So I bought a board with MX blacks.

I now have a Filco Majestouch-2 with MX black I need to sell.

The heavier SA keycaps did not feel better to me on MX blacks. I discovered that I'm an MX red guy no matter what keycap style I install.

The lesson is that you simply can't know until you try for yourself. Nobody's else's experience is going to be of much help in the end.

Yeah I agree, I think the best way for me to find out my preference is to just test out different switches.

Personally I prefer SAs on black stems. I'm currently using 62g springs in all switches except for pinky finger keys. These get 60g. This makes all springs feel about the same on this board. Space bar is 80g.

Different actuation force for multiple keys seems really awesome; I'll definitely have to check this out in the future.

I know for a fact that I like the sound of cherry mx blue with SA caps but I've only come to that conclusion after watching a few youtube videos. AFAIK greens sound the same as blues so I guess I lean towards gateron greens for SA.

I like Cherry mx blue switches too. At first, I thought they would be too loud, but honestly I think they sound and feel better compared to mx brown switches. However, even though I enjoy browns, I want to experiment typing on something a little heavier, so I guess I'll buy mx green switches soon.

Thank you everyone for the info; you've all been a great help to me in knowing more about keyboards. 

[ika]

The only switches I've liked SA caps with are gateron linears with 62g springs, on an acrylic plate. Any other plate material and the sound is awful. Slightly heavier springs might be fine, too, like gateron yellows or blacks.

[zewcq]

The only switches I've liked SA caps with are gateron linears with 62g springs, on an acrylic plate. Any other plate material and the sound is awful. Slightly heavier springs might be fine, too, like gateron yellows or blacks.

Yeah linear switches are pretty awesome, but I love the feel of tactile feedback.

[Dernubenfrieken]

The only thing I can say is SA keycaps aren't very good on Zealios, the looser stem just makes the whole thing too wobbly.

I personally love them on vintage lubed blacks though. Feels smooth and solid.

[yaeger77]

I use SA on electro capactive switch. Similar to Novatouch I think the circle base supports a more firm fit for the keycaps. Less wobble for me.

[Rumblehotep]

I like SA best on lighter springs for pronounced clacking when you bottom out.  Heavy linears are kind of exhausting with them.
I also like them on Mod-Ms

[Kavik]

I have tried SA on MX Blues, MX Reds, and 67g Zealios.

IMO, they suck on Zealios. I'm assuming that goes for any tactile switch, but I can't be sure. SA reduces the feel and sound of the bump, and almost adds a delay to the sound (I know that must be in my head). DSA is much better on Zealios.

They give MX Blues a very cool, machine-like sound. I'm planning a build with Gat Greens with SA, which I'm hoping will be even better.

MX Reds are not really my favorite for typing usually, but SA definitely made them better. I'm not sure it's the ultimate experience for SA caps though.

[Wolf123rt]

SA feels the best on topre, it just feels bad to me on Cherry switches.

[rowdy]

SA feels the best on topre, it just feels bad to me on Cherry switches.

45g or 55g?

[Kavik]

After switching my MX Blue keyboard back to OEM profile, I actually prefer OEM to SA on MX Blues. So my current opinion is that SA is best on linear; although, it's been a couple of months since I tried that.

One really annoying thing I have noticed with SA is that the spacebar is extremely loud. On my MX Blue keyboard (with costar stabs) it created a high pitched hollow plastic sound. I had to put some folded facial tissues under the spacebar to stop the sound. On a Zealios board with zeal PCB mount stabs, it made a loud thocky sound, which wasn't necessarily unpleasant, but it was loud and different from any of the other keys. Maybe it was also due to the difference between an aluminum plate and brass plate.

[_rubik]

Personally, I find that SA caps are a very tall profile, and thus I shoot for a switch with less travel. So I would recommend a stiffer Kailh speed switch.

Again, this is all person preference. Maybe buy an assorted bag of switches and test them for yourself?

[Wolf123rt]

SA feels the best on topre, it just feels bad to me on Cherry switches.

45g or 55g?

55g since 45g with SA keycaps just feels too light

[zslane]

I remember when I first got into mechanicals, I asked about switch weights and it was suggested that a 55-60g switch would feel better with SA, but I found that the keycap didn't make a noticeable difference. MX blacks were still to stiff for my tastes, even with SA keycaps on them. So I've stuck with 45g switches and I've never regretted it. (My daily driver is a Realforce RGB board with SA keycaps.)

[rowdy]

SA feels the best on topre, it just feels bad to me on Cherry switches.

45g or 55g?

55g since 45g with SA keycaps just feels too light

That's what I suspected - 45g would be too light.  And 35g Topre would probably be crushed by the keycaps just sitting there

[thearctican]

I've got my SA caps on a WASD V2 with MX Clears, and I find it quite pleasurable. That said, my only gripe is the spacebar, it seems to get stuck. Anyone have thoughts on that? It's a Maxkey SA White on Black set.

[donkey]

Kailh Box Heavy switches. Box because of the wobble. Heavy because weight of SA keycaps makes regular Box switches feel too light.

I've tried both Box Brown and Box White. Mostly happy with both except the weight. It just feels too light although I tend to prefer light switches and find MX Clear too heavy with low-profile (Cherry and DSA) keycaps and just borderline acceptable with OEM profile keycaps.

Now, problem with Kailh Box tactile switches is that their bump is way at the top which is noticeable when typing at high-speed using low-profile keycaps but much less so with SA keycaps, making them feel like linear switches. This is why joined group by for Hako Clear which is a tactile box switch with pronounced bump in the middle. It's likely scratchy but SA keycap reduces its effect just as it reduces effects of bumps and clicks.

Caveat: switches with stabilizers are not affected by the wobble so you can use anything with it. Just use a heavy switch on spacebars. I use MX Clear for spacebar which feels great.

[pixelpusher]

In general, I don't like SA with Cherry switches.  I find that switches will more wobble tend to work better with SA caps because they allow off-center presses better.  Try pressing sculptured SA keycaps at the top of the key and you'll see that on cherry stems have a lot of friction, almost not allowing a slow keypress at all.  Switches that are credited with having wobble, like Gateron and Kailh, don't have this issue. They press down just the same wherever you land on the key.

Of course it's all subjective. I have some very light switches with SA caps on them and they feel great to me.  I also have some 67g zealios that feel nice.  Move your SA's off of cherry and I bet you'll enjoy them more.

[zslane]

I personally find the "SA goes better with a heavier switch" claim to be a myth.

I also find that SA feels much better to me than DSA on Topre switches. For reasons I can't explain, the tactility of Topre switches feels less detectable under short keycaps like DSA than under tall keycaps like SA. Consequently, the ideal combination of switch and keycap for me is SA on (45g) Topre/TMX.

[donkey]

> I personally find the "SA goes better with a heavier switch" claim to be a myth.

I have SA keycaps and find the 'myth' to be a fact.

Think of keycaps as coins stacked on top of switches.
Then imagine pressing down on the keycap as coins as well.
Pressure one has to apply before switch actuates is less for heavier keycaps.
SA keycaps are heavier than Cherry keycaps.

[DALExSNAIL]

> I personally find the "SA goes better with a heavier switch" claim to be a myth.

I have SA keycaps and find the 'myth' to be a fact.

Think of keycaps as coins stacked on top of switches.
Then imagine pressing down on the keycap as coins as well.
Pressure one has to apply before switch actuates is less for heavier keycaps.
SA keycaps are heavier than Cherry keycaps.

Better is subjective in this case, it can't be a myth but it also is not a fact. It's just a preference.

[zslane]

All I can say is that MX blacks fatigued my fingers equally quickly and unpleasantly regardless of the keycaps I put on them. Likewise, MX reds felt equally usable to me regardless of the keycaps I put on them. Hence myth (to me).

[pixelpusher]

All I can say is that MX blacks fatigued my fingers equally quickly and unpleasantly regardless of the keycaps I put on them. Likewise, MX reds felt equally usable to me regardless of the keycaps I put on them. Hence myth (to me).

I prefer lighter for SA.  I like them on MX reds and also the Kailh speed bronze (clicky ones). 

[davkol]

> I personally find the "SA goes better with a heavier switch" claim to be a myth.

I have SA keycaps and find the 'myth' to be a fact.

Think of keycaps as coins stacked on top of switches.
Then imagine pressing down on the keycap as coins as well.
Pressure one has to apply before switch actuates is less for heavier keycaps.
SA keycaps are heavier than Cherry keycaps.

The weight difference is completely negligible; well within the margin of error. A keycap is what? 2 grams or so? SA doesn't even have that much more material compared to Cherry (which is a tad bit thicker, has a crossbar and on a different note may use a denser material more often than not)…

It really makes a difference only on large keys and only the big old standard spacebar is that large.

I mean, run the actual numbers! I did so. I'm not gonna look up my post from back then about it right now, but really, the difference on 1u keycaps is so tiny that it's irrelevant.

[subn3t]

I spent a lot of time and money trying out all the different switches that I thought might work for me. I started with MX browns and figured that it was time to grow up and move to clears or blacks. I had almost settled on clears before admitting to myself that they were kind of a pain to game on. And also type on for a long time.

Ended right back on my MX browns and am not sad about that. And I only use SA keycaps. Would recommend.