TOP 10 WORST mechanical keyboard switches of all time

[chyros]

Beware of swear .

[Leslieann]

I almost died laughing when you started with MX Brown.  )

While I've never designed a switch, especially using 80's manufacturing technology (and even worse, 80's British manufacturing), I have to wonder at times what the hell the engineers were thinking on some of these. I get it, it was kind of the wild west and everyone was trying to figure it out but some of these are so ridiculously overly complicated they had to know it was never going to work as intended.

[pr0ximity]

Watching just so I can defend MX Brown.

[klennkellon]

I actually had the luxury to try that Smith Carona board at a thrift store. It is just as bad as Chyros makes it out to be.

[p_blaze]

Those mitsumis made me physically cringe

[nogoodnames444]

Watched this yesterday it was so funny XD

[Entropia]

Super funny video review!!! Congrats!

[mrhead]

Nice review.  Are you a fan of Richard Ayoade?  I just realized you remind me of him (or him of you...?).

[chyros]

Nice review.  Are you a fan of Richard Ayoade?  I just realized you remind me of him (or him of you...?).

I do like The IT Crowd, yes xD .

[GeneriksGiraffe]

Awesome video dude

But I feel like some of the complaints on awful switch feel come from the old ages of these boards. Most of these switches top5 must have been at least somewhat usable back when they were new.

[tp4tissue]

Nice review.  Are you a fan of Richard Ayoade?  I just realized you remind me of him (or him of you...?).

I do like The IT Crowd, yes xD .

What other comedies similar to IT crowd do you recommend.

I've seen father ted, shameless, office, and faulty towers.

[mrhead]

What other comedies similar to IT crowd do you recommend.

I've seen father ted, shameless, office, and faulty towers.

God dammit, its Fawlty Towers.  FFS! Vegans!

[tp4tissue]

What other comedies similar to IT crowd do you recommend.

I've seen father ted, shameless, office, and faulty towers.

God dammit, its Fawlty Towers.  FFS! Vegans!

Hahahahahahahha

[Snowdog993]

Beware of swear .

Great vid! Loved it!

[Leslieann]

Awesome video dude

But I feel like some of the complaints on awful switch feel come from the old ages of these boards. Most of these switches top5 must have been at least somewhat usable back when they were new.

While I cannot speak for these specific ones, some of the legendary ones he left off the list I can vouch for, they were just as bad when they came out. Don't forget, at least one of them was new old stock as well.

We always say rubber domes won because they were cheaper but that's not the whole story. There actually was cheaper switches than rubber domes but oh god they were bad and there was better feeling switches than rubber domes but oh god the cost. Rubber domes won because they were a good combination of cost and feel.

[chyros]

Nice review.  Are you a fan of Richard Ayoade?  I just realized you remind me of him (or him of you...?).

I do like The IT Crowd, yes xD .

What other comedies similar to IT crowd do you recommend.

I've seen father ted, shameless, office, and faulty towers.

Not sure if I know anything similar to the IT crowd, but if you like Brit comedy, you can't miss out on Mitchell and Webb.

[Halverson]

Great video! Loved seeing the jab at terrible mx Browns!

[Blaise170]

You nailed three of the four switches I most despise on this list: foam and foil, MEI, and MY. Disappointed that Fujitsu Peerless didn't make the list though. 

I'm pretty sure you are one of the only people with a box of switches bigger than mine.  )

[chyros]

You nailed three of the four switches I most despise on this list: foam and foil, MEI, and MY. Disappointed that Fujitsu Peerless didn't make the list though. 

I'm pretty sure you are one of the only people with a box of switches bigger than mine.  )

At the moment, 216 types and counting xD .

[Blaise170]

You nailed three of the four switches I most despise on this list: foam and foil, MEI, and MY. Disappointed that Fujitsu Peerless didn't make the list though. 

I'm pretty sure you are one of the only people with a box of switches bigger than mine.  )

At the moment, 216 types and counting xD .

I think at last count I was somewhere around 120. One of the biggest series that I'm missing is space invaders. There are bunch of other obscure switches I'm missing though. My most valuable would either be my Cherry MX Oranges or the Micro Switch SD.

[chyros]

You nailed three of the four switches I most despise on this list: foam and foil, MEI, and MY. Disappointed that Fujitsu Peerless didn't make the list though. 

I'm pretty sure you are one of the only people with a box of switches bigger than mine.  )

At the moment, 216 types and counting xD .

I think at last count I was somewhere around 120. One of the biggest series that I'm missing is space invaders. There are bunch of other obscure switches I'm missing though. My most valuable would either be my Cherry MX Oranges or the Micro Switch SD.

Tbh, even my collection is nothing compared to Daniel's. He's probably the biggest switch collector in the world xD .

[Blaise170]

True that. I wonder how many he has. If I had to guess I'd say 500+.

[bizzy11]

Wow do you guys just collect switches cuz you want to try it, or just to collect them?

[Blaise170]

I mostly collect them to see what they are like, but then I have no reason to get rid of them so I save them.

[ScottPaladin]

Why does anybody collect anything? It's mostly a way to excuse the hoarding. 

[Blaise170]

I wish I was into collecting things smaller than keyboards, like cards or something. Keyboards take up too much space and are too expensive!  )

[chyros]

Wow do you guys just collect switches cuz you want to try it, or just to collect them?

Both, as well as as props in videos. They're EXTREMELY useful for that purpose, without my switches, my videos would be much less visually informative.

[fohat.digs]

I will be the contrarian and say that I was disappointed by this one. I am no prude, but this seemed more like an exercise in cursing than an informative video.

The others have been extremely helpful and descriptive, but this one was mostly a drone of "the switch is scratchy and stiff" followed by a long and often repetitive dissertation on how the designer should be tortured and exiled to the bottom pit of hell.

Being mechanically-oriented techies, by and large, I think that we readers are genuinely curious about the qualities of the mechanism, both good and bad, especially since very few of us will ever actually get to use these.

Go ahead and curse, but make it mean something, such as "mired in turds at the beginning of the upstroke" as opposed to "complete and utter ****ness"

Just my opinion.

[bizzy11]

Ah wasn't judging lol, just genuinely curious. There's so many different switches, seems like a lot of money to collect all of them lol.

[Blaise170]

Ah wasn't judging lol, just genuinely curious. There's so many different switches, seems like a lot of money to collect all of them lol.

To get the more uncommon switches it can get expensive. I'd say I have around $200 worth of switches if I were to find someone who needed al of them.

I will be the contrarian and say that I was disappointed by this one. I am no prude, but this seemed more like an exercise in cursing than an informative video.

The others have been extremely helpful and descriptive, but this one was mostly a drone of "the switch is scratchy and stiff" followed by a long and often repetitive dissertation on how the designer should be tortured and exiled to the bottom pit of hell.

Being mechanically-oriented techies, by and large, I think that we readers are genuinely curious about the qualities of the mechanism, both good and bad, especially since very few of us will ever actually get to use these.

Go ahead and curse, but make it mean something, such as "mired in turds at the beginning of the upstroke" as opposed to "complete and utter ****ness"

Just my opinion.

I'll actually agree with you. Since I've actually used most of them, it's not as big of a deal to me but the cursing was a bit pointless and extreme.

[MGMorden]

Only one of these I ever tried was the the #5 Stackpole/Hi-Teks.  I've actually got an old TI 99/4a sitting under my bed.  I can attest that the slider on pretty much every key of mine is cracked in the same way shown in the video.  It's a miracle that I've never lost any of the keys.

[Findecanor]

I would classify only half of those switches as being "mechanical" ...

[Daniel Beardsmore]

True that. I wonder how many he has. If I had to guess I'd say 500+.

410.

[chyros]

True that. I wonder how many he has. If I had to guess I'd say 500+.

410.

****ing hell xD . The only one I have that you probably don't is Fujitsu tactile magnetic reed, then xD .

[Blaise170]

Well I was close.  )

[Daniel Beardsmore]

****ing hell xD . The only one I have that you probably don't is Fujitsu tactile magnetic reed, then xD .

Dutch logic for you. Of the many thousands of switch types out there, you aren’t going to have an exact superset of what I have, as that would mean that I have every type in the world, or that I supplied every type that you have.

You have lots of types that I don’t have, but I always focused on acquiring NOS parts for the sake of photographic presentation, and because switches are much easier open when there isn’t stray solder on the terminals.