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Switches now vs Switches from 7 years ago?

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loki993:
I've had a Leopold FC750R with Cherry Red switches for the past 7 years as my main keyboard.

At that time it was basically Cherry then everyone else. Gaetron and Kailh were just coming on and were not as good as the cherrys. Seems that opinion has changed, also there are TON more options out there now.

I got the Reds because I game but I've never typed well with them.

Silvers are intriguing, but Im not sure if they type better or worse than the reds.

I've run Blues, Browns they were ok but definitely not enough of a bump and I use a Keycool with clears for my work keyboard, which are nice but get fatiguing after a while. I cant swap the springs because the keycool has a plate.

Not sure if I want to stick with linear or go tactile, I would say at this point I'm 60 40 gaming vs typing.

What's good out there now or do I just stick with Cherrys?

1391401:
There are a whole bunch of different kinds now made from different materials with different characteristics.  I suggest trying to figure out the kind that you like (linear, tactile, clicky, etc.) and do some experimenting :)  The cherry switches are still perfectly fine but plenty of different options out there now!

loki993:
I fear my question may have too broad sort of like asking what switch is the best thats not what Im getting at.

The real question is have the other brands, which were the cheap/budget/good for the price brands when I got my KB better and are they worth considering over Cherrys?

Thats the real question

Rhienfo:
I think you should first find out your preference, you should try out the main types to see what's your preference (or even different stuff like topre)

There are a lot of options but I think cherry is just old reliable. Modding them (breaking them in, lubing them, replacing the pretty bad springs) creates a very good switch that often is similar or even outperforms a lot of the higher end switches today. Cherry also has a really good sound if you care about that.

Of course there are tons of options, In terms of linears, Gateron has some nice switches, even some like the Gateron pro and Gateron X switches don't need any modding to feel good. JWKs are smooth when lubed but I feel are overpriced for what they are. I have used some kalih creams and once broken in and lubed I thought they were really nice.

Cherries are still cheap when compared to other switches but they have gone up in price. But you can find good deals for some cherry switches. You can find blacks and browns for .28c at some vendors, like geonworks. Gat X and Pros are well priced (I even still see pros for cheaper than cherries a lot of the time) JWKs and the Creams are not really a great value so only get them if you truly want them.

Silvers may not help you when it comes to typing. Cherry silvers have a shorter actuation and travel distance than the reds, so you may mistype more with them. I am personally using the silvers right now funnily enough, and I can type just fine on them, so it really does depend on you.

A potential reason why you may not like the reds for typing is the weighting of the spring. The weighting for the spring is 60g for reds (of course there is a lot of spring variance so keep in mind of that) so if you feel that the switch is too heavy for typing, buy a lighter weight consistent aftermarket spring and see if that helps, buy a heavier if you feel that the switch is too light for typing. The length may also be a factor, so if you feel that the weighting isn't the issue, you can buy longer springs to see if that's the issue. You may want to try all those options and see what's right for you, preferably with people who have those springs in the weighting you want, so you don't have to waste money. Tx springs as an example aren't too expensive (there like 8sud, probably cheaper) so it's not too big of an investment if you want to try them out, but does add up depending on how many you buy.

Hope this helps you in some way :)

HungerMechanic:

--- Quote from: loki993 on Fri, 23 June 2023, 13:51:14 ---I fear my question may have too broad sort of like asking what switch is the best thats not what Im getting at.

The real question is have the other brands, which were the cheap/budget/good for the price brands when I got my KB better and are they worth considering over Cherrys?

Thats the real question

--- End quote ---

Some of the former clone manufacturers now exceed Cherry, others produce significant new alternatives.

Gateron has always been known for smoothness [at a price-point], and this hasn't changed. Now, it offers many tactiles and linears that are smoother than Cherry offerings. Many have decent pre-lube as well, and the high-end are basically usable as-is.

Kailh made alternative non-Cherry designs. Its clicky switches are world-class, and affordable. [BOX White, Jade, Navy, etc...]. It also offers silent linears and tactiles.

Some new manufacturers started offering linears and sometimes tactiles that beat almost everyone in terms of quality-for-price. These are JWK/Durock [now overshadowed by JWICK] and KTT. There are also some budget brands like AKKO, TTC, Aula/Leobog, and obscure new entrants like MMD. And SP Star seems to produce slightly nicer versions of Cherry and some Durock switches.

So the entire range exists, from budget [but good] to midrange [being eaten by budget options], and some luxury options. As others said, you need to decide what you want, because the options out there are vastly greater than what they were 7 years ago. On the other hand, most of these switches are just better/more specialized/niche versions of the original Cherry designs + Ergo Clears, so if you know what you are looking for, you can find it.

[There are some genuinely new things, like the BOX clickies, Zeal Clickiez, TTC Bluish White, Gateron Kangaroo, U4/U4T/Holy Boba. And tactiles/linears with exotic springs and materials.]

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