Cherry MX Blue switches a Review

[LiquidEvilGaming]

Continuing my series on reviewing switches i own/or have used extensively.   Up for discussion this time around is the oh so famous clickity clack MX Blues.

[UnFocused]

I used blues on a QFR for four years until that high pitched click started driving me insane and I've come to loathe clicky Cherry (and clone) switches. I enjoy the sound of my Model M and Model F, but that MX blue click drives me crazy.

I wound up swapping the blues in that QFR for linear switches.

[Zar7]

MX Blues are a joy to type on....at least in the beginning. Similarly, after only two months of using Cherry MX Blues, I started to dislike the click although
I do appreciate the feel of typing on it. After trying out MX Reds (my primary choice for both gaming and typing) and MX Browns, MX Blues just felt wrong
for me. The extra force required is fine, but the clicks just puts me off entirely.

My whole armada of mechanical keyboards usually follow these criteria:
1) Build quality must be excellent
2) Has to be on the heavier side
3) No backlighting (except for Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, Windows Lock, etc.)
4) Detachable cable
5) MX Reds or MX Browns (Gaterons are fine, but I prefer Cherry MX)

That's it. So long as it satisfies the above criteria, it is a green light for me.
Not saying MX Blues are bad, in fact, I enjoyed it. But the click is definitely not for me.
My next target: Topre

[z3r0_k00l75]

Have to agree. Don't care for the sound of MX blue switches at all. I enjoy Outemu blues. I enjoy white alps. I avoid cherry and kailh blues. Course I've found I'm a linear kinda guy.

[valro46]

My first keyboard uses Cherry MX Blue, and after i use some other switches, i found different uses of some kind of switch
Blues was good for typing, of course if u do typing individual, not in the office or with some colleagues that hate the sound. Because it's loud and sometimes annoying
Brown also good for typing because of the tactile feeling, but after cherry MX Brown, i prefer Matias Quiet
Red/Nature White is linear switches, they good for gaming that requires double keypress quickly

[falkentyne]

I understand that this review was sort of necrobumped, but something NEEDS to be said about the RGB MX blue switches.

There is a MASSIVE difference in quality between batches, with older batches being completely abysmal, which led Corsair to suspend production of the original K70 RGB MX Blue, and even with the Lux and Strafe RGB Blues, they only do limited runs, as they can't get enough switches to pass QA.

I have four samples of RGB MX blues so I hope this puts a slamdunk to the topic of "blues are annoying."

Two samples: iKBC F108 RGB MX blues:
The blues are very loud and quite inconsistent, some switches are scratchy, and some have strange, weak clicks, and they do sound a bit...annoying.  It definitely gives that "annoying to use for a long time" sound feel.

Ducky Shine 6 RGB MX blue:
Heaven.  The switches sound as if they are SILENCED.  The clicks are there, crisp but yet muted.  It almost feels like a completely different switch.  The switches are much more consistent.  What's even stranger is, the bottom out sound sounds dampened and quieter, even though there are no O rings installed.  It's similar to comparing a YOTG RGB MX Brown to a Shine 4 (or shine 3 or G710+) MX Brown...the YOTG is much quieter.

Ducky Year of the Monkey RGB MX Blue: Similar to Shine 6.  Same feel, oddly enough the shine 6 sample seems even more consistent than my YOTM.

I highly suspect Cherry finally upgraded their 20 year old machines and started to improve their MX blue switches finally.

Note:
EXACT same keycaps used on Shine 6 and on iKBC F108 (Ducky floating black ABS DS keycaps).

P.S. My old Ducky Fire 69 with MX greens on the alphanums sound loud but much more clean, sort of like a loud version of the Shine 6, but without the dirty feel of the iKBC, feels more like a typewriter (the sound is closer to an Outemu blue, but more clean; an Outemu blue sounds like the click tab is plastic, while the MX Green/Shine 6 MX blue sounds like the click mechanism is metal).

tl;dr: Before hating MX Blues, either get much older samples (like 2013 or older), or try a Shine 6.

[LiquidEvilGaming]

I understand that this review was sort of necrobumped, but something NEEDS to be said about the RGB MX blue switches.

There is a MASSIVE difference in quality between batches, with older batches being completely abysmal, which led Corsair to suspend production of the original K70 RGB MX Blue, and even with the Lux and Strafe RGB Blues, they only do limited runs, as they can't get enough switches to pass QA.

I have four samples of RGB MX blues so I hope this puts a slamdunk to the topic of "blues are annoying."

Two samples: iKBC F108 RGB MX blues:
The blues are very loud and quite inconsistent, some switches are scratchy, and some have strange, weak clicks, and they do sound a bit...annoying.  It definitely gives that "annoying to use for a long time" sound feel.

Ducky Shine 6 RGB MX blue:
Heaven.  The switches sound as if they are SILENCED.  The clicks are there, crisp but yet muted.  It almost feels like a completely different switch.  The switches are much more consistent.  What's even stranger is, the bottom out sound sounds dampened and quieter, even though there are no O rings installed.  It's similar to comparing a YOTG RGB MX Brown to a Shine 4 (or shine 3 or G710+) MX Brown...the YOTG is much quieter.

Ducky Year of the Monkey RGB MX Blue: Similar to Shine 6.  Same feel, oddly enough the shine 6 sample seems even more consistent than my YOTM.

I highly suspect Cherry finally upgraded their 20 year old machines and started to improve their MX blue switches finally.

Note:
EXACT same keycaps used on Shine 6 and on iKBC F108 (Ducky floating black ABS DS keycaps).

P.S. My old Ducky Fire 69 with MX greens on the alphanums sound loud but much more clean, sort of like a loud version of the Shine 6, but without the dirty feel of the iKBC, feels more like a typewriter (the sound is closer to an Outemu blue, but more clean; an Outemu blue sounds like the click tab is plastic, while the MX Green/Shine 6 MX blue sounds like the click mechanism is metal).

tl;dr: Before hating MX Blues, either get much older samples (like 2013 or older), or try a Shine 6.

Forgive the super late response, however while not RGB my new Ducky ONE I have also noticed a BIG quality jump in the switch.   Both in feel and definitely consistency every single switch feels consistent and clicks perfectly.