Can you recommend me a clicky switch?

[Blitzschnitzel]

Hi, I’ve been using the same Cherry rubber dome keyboard for more than 10 years now and I want to finally upgrade to a self-built mechanical keyboard.
So, I got myself one of those Cherry key assortments … and I am kind of underwhelmed. The break point of the blue switches is far superior to the rubber domes but they also fell kind of rattly and hollow. Since the stem of the rubber dome keys is just a tube inside a tube they feel much better guided and they bottom out nice and cushy.
Is there a switch which combines a clear break with a sturdy feel and soft landing?

[abrahamstechnology]

I'd recommend Box switches (comes in 4 different clicky flavors) or Matias Click switches. Matias also makes dampened tactile switches that don't click, but supposedly have a softer bottom out.

[Kevadu]

Cherry clicky (and tactile...and linear for that matter) switches have always been kind of mediocre.  They 'won' the mechanical switch war by default only because all the other mechanical switch makers saw mechanical keyboards as a dying market and got out.  Now that mechanical switches are back 'in' people have attached some sort of prestige to 'genuine Cherry' switches that they frankly don't deserve.

OK, enough ranting.  The best clicky switches are from Alps or IBM, but making a custom board with them can be difficult for the former and impossible for the latter.  Good vintage Alps switches fetch ridiculous premiums and compatible boards and keycaps are rather limited while IBM never made their switches as discrete units in the first place so you kind of have to get a whole keyboard or nothing.  Matias makes a decent modern Alps clone so you don't necessarily have to go vintage, but you will still be limited in terms of compatible boards and keycaps.

You might consider SMK 2nd gen switches.  The clicky ones are quite good, have a version that is compatible with MX keycaps, and are available as new old stock from some Chinese sites for pretty reasonable prices.  They are also pretty close in dimension to MX switches and will usually fit in their plates but the pin locations are different so they will require a special PCB (or handwiring...).  There are some PCB options out there but not a ton.

For fully MX compatible switches I think a few months ago most people (myself included) would have recommended Kailh's box switches but it has recently become apparent that they made the stems too thick to the point where they can damage keycaps.  Supposedly this has been fixed so they're still worth thinking about but make sure you get the revised design.  NovelKeys should be a reputable source once they have them back in stock...

[Blitzschnitzel]

Thank you guys so much for the quick reply! I've ordered a Kailh box tester pack now. I think for a noob it’s probably easiest to stick to something Cherry compatible. I guess ☆New version☆ at Kbdfans means with improved stems?

[Leslieann]

There are very few clicky MX switches, the best I've tried were modded blues or Kaihl's with a click bar, but at best they only matched common Alps/SMK/Matias, much less the good ones and still fell far short of a Model M for typing feel.

Unfortunately building an Alps based board or Model M Buckling Spring (B.S.) isn't easy.
A BS board is built as a complete unit and Alps boards, while there are some parts, no one really makes a complete kit to build one. Worse, Alps is a rabbit hole. The boards are old, the switches are not as durable as as a Model M and the prices can be absolutely insane for anything other than white, and you still may need to go through and rebuild them all. There is also a serious lack of upgrades and parts, though some do exist, but even if you do, you still need to source switches, and there are two sizes of them.


My advice, if you want something really tactile you can mod, try a KBParadise based Matias board (or a Matias board), the cool thing about the KBP is you can use a Tex case on it, and get them with some halfway decent keycaps. While I'm not all about the looks of my keyboards, Alps keycap selection is dismal, so if that's important, stick with MX based.

[Leslieann]

Thank you guys so much for the quick reply! I've ordered a Kailh box tester pack now. I think for a noob it’s probably easiest to stick to something Cherry compatible. I guess ☆New version☆ at Kbdfans means with improved stems?

Be sure to test those with a cap and something holding the switch.
Some switches are extremely different in your hand than they are when in a keyboard and with a cap on them. Some also feel much different than you would expect from the force curve charts. I almost ordered a whole board based on my experience with a test switch, then got curious and put a cap on it and realized it would have been a massive mistake.

[killyou]

There is not much of a choice if it comes to stock MX compatible switches unfortunately, all the ones I tried are lackluster. That's why I keep holding to the MX Blues in one of my Vortex Pok3rs. If I would have to recommend something I would probably go with Kailh BOX White/Pale Blue/Navy however none of these switches match my weighting preferences. Perhaps MX Blue with slightly lighter Korean spring would be a thing for me but I still have to try that. We need to talk ZealPC into getting Aristotle based stem machinery with Gateron so we can have stock Zealiostotles which seem to be most sought for MX compatible clicky switch.

[Blitzschnitzel]

I actually find the mx blues a tiny bit too light so I think I will have options.

[killyou]

I actually find the mx blues a tiny bit too light so I think I will have options.

Then maybe go with Kailh BOX Pale Blue or Navy. Out of these two Navy sounds better (deeper click) but Pale Blue is better in terms of force curve as there is more balance between the force required to overcome the click bar and bottom out force.

[iammeuru]

if you want stock cherry, white is the best I've felt/heard so far, as the greens and blues have a tinny click to them... the blues drive me a wall because I don't like the sound or the light activation force, and when you combine them, they drive me up a wall... If the sound doesn't bother you, the greens might be a way to go.

I found an old alps board with very few miles on it and lubed it up myself (it took way longer than I expected, but the results were an impressive typing board), and I hear they make good clickers if you like that sort of thing.

The first thing I did when I got into this was to get a GMMK to test all sorts of switches, and I immediately made Zealiostotles, which are basically the only thing I've tried thus far that I like in the MX clicky arena, though I have some box navies inbound, and can't wait to give them a spin. I've only been into this for a few weeks, and used the Zealiostotles at home as as daily driver for a week, and they will absolutely get a lot of use over my interest in the hobby, despite my thinking now that my favorite switches are likely to rest in the tactile realm. My experience is limited, but that's my .02. I like them so much I'm contemplating ordering more aristotles just to have around for future builds... Oh, get extras if you decide to do this. I ruined a few contact leafs before I got my technique down right, and at least one or two stems were discolored and had different mechanical properties than the rest, likely due to exposure...