Author Topic: EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX  (Read 65598 times)

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Offline Huntor0

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« on: Sat, 23 April 2011, 15:50:43 »
Has anyone tried these pads from EK by chance?
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,slpads
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Offline Tallon

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 23 April 2011, 17:17:28 »
Several of us have ordered them, but I'm not sure if anyone has actually received them yet. I should receive mine next week - after which I'll post my reactions to them.

We recently discussed this, see this thread - http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?17373-Silence!!!

Offline reaper

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 23 April 2011, 17:44:35 »
Just got mine today but haven't tried them on yet.. too nice a day outside. lol



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Offline Progear

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #3 on: Sat, 23 April 2011, 18:07:26 »
Looking at those, I have a sudden urge to play Connect Four.

Offline Tallon

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #4 on: Sat, 23 April 2011, 19:29:40 »
Did you just get the soft pads? I went ahead and got both, since I have no idea which I'd like better.

Won't come in till next week though ;(

Offline reaper

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« Reply #5 on: Sat, 23 April 2011, 19:32:11 »
Quote from: Tallon;336345
Did you just get the soft pads?

Yup, I got the soft ones, will try them on later.
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Offline Shazb0t

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #6 on: Sat, 23 April 2011, 21:23:34 »
Let us know how they feel.
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Offline reaper

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« Reply #7 on: Sun, 24 April 2011, 16:34:34 »
Sorry took me awhile.   I put some on today on a PLU ML-87 with blue switches and it does reduce the noise somewhat.  Please keep in mind that I got the soft pads and not the firm ones.  The key travel felt the same but basically it got rid of that bottoming-out sound when you type.

With the soft pad on:

« Last Edit: Thu, 28 April 2011, 22:47:15 by reaper »
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Offline guilleguillaume

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #8 on: Sun, 24 April 2011, 17:12:53 »
Would be nice to know if this helps MX Blue to redeuce the "hysteresis", I mean the gap where you can't activate the switch.

Offline reaper

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #9 on: Sun, 24 April 2011, 17:21:10 »
Hmm.. I don't know.  To me, it felt like that gap was still there and this just helps soften the landing part.
« Last Edit: Sun, 24 April 2011, 18:17:18 by reaper »
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Offline BaconKnight

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #10 on: Sun, 24 April 2011, 18:13:48 »
Think you might do audio clip samples? Just wondering.
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Offline reaper

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« Reply #11 on: Sun, 24 April 2011, 18:18:38 »
^ I don't have anything to record the sound with.  Maybe I can use my iPhone?  It's a 3GS so the camera kinda sucks. lol
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Offline Cata1yst

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #12 on: Sun, 24 April 2011, 18:31:36 »
Better than nothing :)

Offline guilleguillaume

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #13 on: Sun, 24 April 2011, 19:02:51 »
Quote from: ripster;336700
Won't change hysteresis.  As impossible as getting rid of hysteresis on a buckling spring.

Okey!

Was curious about it.

It actually doesn't bother me.

Offline reaper

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« Reply #14 on: Sun, 24 April 2011, 20:20:02 »
Quote from: Cata1yst;336698
Better than nothing :)

 
Here you go.  I recorded with that built-in voice recorder on iPhone.  Don't know if you could hear the difference much and since it was recorded using iPhone, you might need Apple's QuickTime or iTunes for playback.

Might wanna turn up the volume a bit.

Before:

http://hotfile.com/dl/115700406/28bdcff/Memo1.m4a.html

After installed the pads:

http://hotfile.com/dl/115700593/eee5854/Memo2.m4a.html

Please excuse my typing.  I'm not a touch typist. lol  Also I didn't install the pad on the space bar so that loud thock you hear is me hitting the space bar.
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Offline godofdeath

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #15 on: Sun, 24 April 2011, 23:37:26 »
does it remove the metal vibration sound from the metal place when you smack your keys too hard?

Offline reaper

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« Reply #16 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 00:42:32 »
Quote from: godofdeath;336795
does it remove the metal vibration sound from the metal place when you smack your keys too hard?

Nope, ripster is right.  It doesn't remove the sound completely but dampens it somewhat.
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Offline mjacob

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #17 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 01:31:33 »
Quote from: reaper~;336693
I don't have anything to record the sound with.


What you need is one of these. Expensive keyboards and expensive audio equipment go hand in hand. And the really scary thing is that $100 isn't even close to being expensive for a microphone.

Offline BaconKnight

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #18 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 01:34:45 »
Nice sound samples. Does seem to help lessen the sound. I was possibly thinking about grabbing some for the mx black choc I'm getting soon, just to have the absolute quietest mechanical keyboard I can get. I see you got the soft pads, do they affect the "feel" of the keys at all and if so how?
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Offline Tallon

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #19 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 01:58:27 »
I didn't listen to the sound bites yet - but if you want "super quiet", supposedly the firm ones are far better for that (but will definitely lessen key travel)

Offline elef

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #20 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 02:35:01 »
Quote from: reaper~;336657
With the soft pad on:

Show Image

I'm pretty sure the pad goes inside the keycap. It will basically fill the keycap around the round protrusion that mates with the keystem. If you just put the pad on the keyswitch like this and press on the keycap, it might not slide onto the round thingie like it should. Then it will get pinched between the keycap and the switch and it'll limit travel more than it should.

Offline CephalicCarnage

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #21 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 02:45:37 »
Thanks for the sound samples.  So what's the verdict?  Do you like having these installed?  Plan on keeping them installed or buying more for other keyboards?
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Offline reaper

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« Reply #22 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 08:53:41 »
Quote from: elef;336834
I'm pretty sure the pad goes inside the keycap. It will basically fill the keycap around the round protrusion that mates with the keystem. If you just put the pad on the keyswitch like this and press on the keycap, it might not slide onto the round thingie like it should. Then it will get pinched between the keycap and the switch and it'll limit travel more than it should.

I tried that too but it kept falling off when I flip the kepcap around to put on the stem. lol
 
Quote from: CephalicCarnage;336836
Thanks for the sound samples.  So what's the verdict?  Do you like having these installed?  Plan on keeping them installed or buying more for other keyboards?

You're welcome and like someone else said in another thread, to silent a mech keyboard is like putting a silencer on a Harley and that's never a good thing.  Personally, I prefer the sound without these pads.
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Offline elef

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #23 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 10:24:36 »
Quote from: reaper~;336898
I tried that too but it kept falling off when I flip the kepcap around to put on the stem. lol
 

 
Then the hole is too big. It's a shame, I might be interested in getting some of these myself.

Offline The Solutor

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #24 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 10:32:42 »
Quote from: reaper~;336898
I tried that too but it kept falling off when I flip the kepcap around to put on the stem. lol

 
So the haven't even managed to size correctly the hole, as I did in my (ten seconds) tests ?

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Offline reaper

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« Reply #25 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 10:49:29 »
Well, on EliteKeyboards homepage they show the pad on the switch itself so maybe that's the way it's supposed to be?  I don't know.

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Offline heedpantsnow

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #26 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 11:49:48 »
Hi, Reaper, nice keyboard :-)  Thanks for taking the time to do the samples, etc.

Quick question:  It was my understanding that these pads were adhesive, but then you said that they fall out of the keycaps.  So they're not adhesive, or it's just too weak?
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Offline marvkip

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #27 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 12:26:40 »
wouldn't this be more ideal for Black switches to reduce the sound of them bottoming out?

Offline Input Nirvana

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #28 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 12:59:02 »
Thanks for the sound samples...I thought there was a definite dampening, which I liked. My keyboards are Cherry browns, so I'm not too sure how the effect would be different, but I want to reduce the sound output as much as possible.
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Offline isp

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« Reply #29 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 13:40:20 »
do they actually do anything? how do they effect cherry reds?
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Offline elitekeyboards

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« Reply #30 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 13:56:18 »
Quote from: reaper~;336951
Well, on EliteKeyboards homepage they show the pad on the switch itself so maybe that's the way it's supposed to be?  I don't know.

Show Image

This is correct, it is designed to fit loosely around the keycap mounts (of several manufacturer's mounts). If the pad fits too tightly on the mount then you end up pushing the pad into the switch on the down-stroke; i.e. pin-cushioning. Yea, they would be easier to install if they held onto the mount; it's a tradeoff that you have to accept for performance.
« Last Edit: Mon, 25 April 2011, 13:59:37 by elitekeyboards »

Offline The Solutor

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #31 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 13:57:40 »
Quote
do they actually do anything?


They are very effective. But keep in mind that effective and pleasant are not synonyms, the keys becomes silent and with a soft landing, but this change a bit the soul of the mech keyboard.

Personally i like more the silicone o-ring mod
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Offline reaper

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« Reply #32 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 14:12:11 »
Quote from: heedpantsnow;336978
Hi, Reaper, nice keyboard :-)  Thanks for taking the time to do the samples, etc.
Quick question:  It was my understanding that these pads were adhesive, but then you said that they fall out of the keycaps.  So they're not adhesive, or it's just too weak?

You're welcome and you should recognize that board, it's from you. lol =D  Anyway, they're not adhesive.
 
Quote from: input nirvana;337004
Thanks for the sound samples...I thought there was a definite dampening, which I liked. My keyboards are Cherry browns, so I'm not too sure how the effect would be different, but I want to reduce the sound output as much as possible.

You're welcome.
 
Quote from: isp;337024
do they actually do anything? how do they effect cherry reds?

I haven't tried them on red yet, just with the blue switches since they're the loudest.
 
Quote from: elitekeyboards;337036
This is correct, it is designed to fit loosely around the keycap mounts (of several manufacturer's mounts). If the pad fits too tightly on the mount then you end up pushing the pad into the switch on the down-stroke; i.e. pin-cushioning. Yea, they would be easier to install if they held onto the mount; it's a tradeoff that you have to accept for performance.

Thanks for clearing that up for us. =)
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Offline Input Nirvana

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #33 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 14:47:38 »
I'm wondering if they make the keys feel "mushy" or just a "soft landing"?
And do they reduce other sound a bit, like the "hollowness echo" in the keycap?
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Offline reaper

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« Reply #34 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 14:57:36 »
^ Well, they didn't feel mushy to me.  The keys felt the same but a bit quieter (since I got the soft pads, I'd imagine the firmer pads might feel different).  As for that hollow echo sound, I'm not too sure since I didn't notice it before on this particular keyboard.
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Offline elef

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #35 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 15:28:02 »
Quote from: elitekeyboards;337036
This is correct, it is designed to fit loosely around the keycap mounts (of several manufacturer's mounts). If the pad fits too tightly on the mount then you end up pushing the pad into the switch on the down-stroke; i.e. pin-cushioning. Yea, they would be easier to install if they held onto the mount; it's a tradeoff that you have to accept for performance.

I'm afraid I don't understand any of that.

"If the pad fits too tightly on the mount then you end up pushing the pad into the switch on the down-stroke; i.e. pin-cushioning."
What, where, how? Do you mean that if the hole is too tight, the round cylinder in the keycap will catch on the edge of the hole in the pad? That's exactly why you should have a smaller hole in my opinion: keep the pad inside the keycap, eliminating that possibility entirely. The same hole size should work for all or most Cherry MX keycaps, I imagine.

"it's a tradeoff that you have to accept for performance"
In what way do you gain performance from having a loose pad under the keycap instead of a fixed pad inside the keycap?
« Last Edit: Mon, 25 April 2011, 15:30:04 by elef »

Offline The Solutor

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« Reply #36 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 15:41:14 »
Quote from: elef;337097
I'm afraid I don't understand any of that.

"If the pad fits too tightly on the mount then you end up pushing the pad into the switch on the down-stroke; i.e. pin-cushioning."
What, where, how? Do you mean that if the hole is too tight, the round cylinder in the keycap will catch on the edge of the hole in the pad? That's exactly why you should have a smaller hole in my opinion: keep the pad inside the keycap, eliminating that possibility entirely. The same hole size should work for all or most Cherry MX keycaps, I imagine.

"it's a tradeoff that you have to accept for performance"
In what way do you gain performance from having a loose pad under the keycap instead of a fixed pad inside the keycap?

 
I totally agree due to the soft material there is at least 2mm in tolerance, so if the hole fits right on the normal cylinder it will fit a bit tighter on higher diameters ones, but I really can't see how this could impact the performance
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Offline CephalicCarnage

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« Reply #37 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 15:47:00 »
With all the feedback so far, I think these sound perfect for linear switches where most, if not all the noise comes from bottoming out.  Until I own a board with red switches, I'll just enjoy the noisiness of my blue switches.
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Offline Input Nirvana

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« Reply #38 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 15:53:04 »
Quote from: reaper~;337088
^ Well, they didn't feel mushy to me.  The keys felt the same but a bit quieter (since I got the soft pads, I'd imagine the firmer pads might feel different).  As for that hollow echo sound, I'm not too sure since I didn't notice it before on this particular keyboard.

I understand. Thanks. :)
They don't noticeably reduce the keystroke travel?

I'm wanting to give my split Kinesis the highest quality feel, sound, performance I can. It's a work in progress, and a test-bed.
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Offline Tallon

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #39 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 16:35:49 »
I just put in my "firm" soft landing pads -

My initial reaction, they REALLY decrease the sound! Actually, at first I was underwhelmed - and then I hit a key that didn't have a pad in it yet, and I was amazed at how much louder it was. The firm pads really do quiet the board. For those of us who want quiet switches (one of the reasons I bought a "silent" das), these are great. The keys still feel great in my opinion and I didn't lose any typing speed (100 wpm). Having said that, they do feel different - but I'm not the best at describing subjective things like that - other than to say I am going to keep using these for the foreseeable future ;).

Oh - I let my wife try. She couldn't feel a difference between the soft and hard pads (I couldn't really feel a difference either), but there is a significant difference in sound. The firm pads definitely quiet the bored a lot more than the soft.

She's all excited - now she wants my Das keyboard! =-\

-Tallon

Offline reaper

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« Reply #40 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 16:45:29 »
Quote from: input nirvana;337108
They don't noticeably reduce the keystroke travel?

Nope, none that I notice.
 
Quote from: Tallon;337130
I just put in my "firm" soft landing pads -

My initial reaction, they REALLY decrease the sound! Actually, at first I was underwhelmed - and then I hit a key that didn't have a pad in it yet, and I was amazed at how much louder it was. The firm pads really do quiet the board. For those of us who want quiet switches (one of the reasons I bought a "silent" das), these are great. The keys still feel great in my opinion and I didn't lose any typing speed (100 wpm). Having said that, they do feel different - but I'm not the best at describing subjective things like that - other than to say I am going to keep using these for the foreseeable future ;).

Cool.  Thanks for your input.  Now we have both to compare. =P
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Offline Input Nirvana

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #41 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 19:08:34 »
Tallon-Firm is quieter than soft. Great. Did you hear reapers sound comparison on blues with and w/o soft pads? Do you notice reduced keystroke travel with either? What switches does your board have? Any negative input?

My Kinesis Contoured has browns that are PCB mounted, any comparative input on that application?
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Offline dr/owned

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #42 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 19:13:58 »
Quote from: ripster;336907
I would have rather Majestouch found a Chinese supplier of nice thick doubleshot keys.  Would be as effective as reducing the sound and look/last a lot better than current key offerings (including Signature Plastics's).  

There's gotta be injection molding equipment just sitting in Taiwan gathering dust.

 
^This.  But unfortunately it looks like buying doubleshots alone is just as expensive as getting a used Cherry donor board.
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Offline nhwhaup

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #43 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 20:02:06 »
I received my pads today and am extremely happy with them.  I bought both the black (softer) and the gray (firmer).  The black ones didn't appear to have enough to them to even make any difference so I tried them on only a few keys and then went to town putting the gray ones on all my keys.  My keyboard is the Filco Majestouch with the Cherry Red switches.  For these linear switches the pads are just awesome.  The keys were pretty quiet to begin with - only noisy when bottoming out once in awhile.  Even as quiet as they were, my husband complained about the noise when I used them in the living room while we were also watching TV.  Now tonight I got points for the whole procedure of tearing the keyboard apart to please him and I actually like the sound and the feel even better than before.  So a totally win-win for me.  Pretty near silent and still love the light touch of the reds.  Really happy with the results and will continue to use these.  Hopefully the pads will hold up well.
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Offline Tallon

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #44 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 20:24:16 »
Quote from: input nirvana;337225
Tallon-Firm is quieter than soft. Great. Did you hear reapers sound comparison on blues with and w/o soft pads? Do you notice reduced keystroke travel with either? What switches does your board have? Any negative input?

My Kinesis Contoured has browns that are PCB mounted, any comparative input on that application?

I am using browns (Das S silent, which is plate mounted). If the keystroke is shorter with the firm grey pads - my wife and I cannot notice it. You could say the keys are not as "crisp" - since, normally, you press a brown switch and it requires so little force it basically free falls down until it bottoms out and makes the loud clack. Now there's a pad that stops that. I'm sure that's obvious to everyone, but nonetheless - it does change the feel of the keys somewhat. As far as sound goes - it's almost as quiet as my old membrane board, but has the nice reliable quality of a mechanical.

I did hear reaper's sound comparisons. You can definitely tell a difference from his recordings - and he's using the soft ones. Firm is definitely more quiet - and my wife and I could not tell a difference as far as keystroke length, and any difference in "firmness" or "softness" between the pads was too minor a difference for us to really notice. No negative input - I'll be using these from now on, and I may end up getting another set of firm pads for my next board (since my wife wants this one, I have the perfect excuse to get another mechanical keyboard ;) ).

-Tallon

Offline Input Nirvana

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #45 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 20:46:53 »
Wow, Tallon, you have really answered and offered some helpful info, thank you so much. The browns I use are PCB mounted but I can see what might be the same and what might be different.

I'm sure this information is helpful to others as well.
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Offline Khaotik55

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #46 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 20:48:52 »
I bet reds with firm pads would be the most boring keyboard ever LOL.

EDIT: On second thought it would probably feel cool like typing on a cloud.

Offline mtl

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #47 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 21:41:14 »
A cloud of......boobs?
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Offline BaconKnight

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #48 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 21:42:26 »
Just ordered a set to go along with my Choc Mini MX black I've got on order. I wanted to get MX blacks for a night-time use keyboard specifically, hoping with the firm pads + MX black I'll have the quietest mechanical keyboard possible. Will try to do sound samples before and after when they get in (although it looks like that won't be for at least a week or so)
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Offline Input Nirvana

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EK's "Soft-Landing" Pads for Cherry MX
« Reply #49 on: Mon, 25 April 2011, 21:42:46 »
Mmmmm.....booooobs :)
Kinesis Advantage cut into 2 halves | RollerMouse Free 2 | Apple Magic Trackpad | Colemak
Evil Screaming Flying Door Monkeys From Hell                     Proudly GeekWhacking since 2009
Things change, things stay the same                                        Thanks much, Smallfry  
I AM THE REAPER . . . BECAUSE I KILL IT
~retired from forum activities 2015~