2nd keyboard: new switch or same?

[ianbullock]

General question: I will have two keyboards, one at work and one at home. I could get one with the same switches (have QF TK w/ MX brown), or try something new (MX clear?). Obviously, trying something new is tempting. (I have tried a Model M for a bit as well but I think key force that high is not really suitable for me.) But, the drawback could be that it might be annoying to switch back and forth between the two switch profiles.

So, I am wondering from those of you who have 2 (or many more) keyboards: Do you feel your typing performance is best when you are using keyboards with the same switch profile throughout your day? Is it easy or difficult to adjust back and forth between multiple switch profiles?

Sorry if this has been asked before (new here), but didn't see it in the FAQ at least. Thank you!

[FrostyToast]

I can honestly say that having multiple switches makes you appreciate them much more.
After a while you will get bored of the switches that you are using and it will feel like a breath of fresh air switching to something new.

I just notice the pop of my topre board infinitely more after using MX blacks and then I realise the orgasmic smoothness of the blacks so clearly after switching from topre.

[FreeCopy]

I rotate between BS, MX Blue, and MX Red. I find that going between the blues and bs isn't much of an adjustment at all. Going from either of those to the reds there is a bit longer of an adjustment period but is still pretty negligible.

Ultimately for me it doesn't matter what I'm typing on my speeds are pretty close to the same, well, except for the horrible bluetooth board I use in the living room that has scissor switches. I think my wpm drops to like 12 on that pos.

Overall I enjoy the different switches. Like music, I feel each switch type goes with a mood. Sometimes I want to rock out, BS. Sometimes I just want to jam, blues, and others I just want to cruise easy, reds. I have plans for many more switch types to expand on this.

[katushkin]

Definitely different. I currently have 9 boards, using 4 different key profiles, 5 form factors, 7 different switch types and I think it's great. You get to a point where you are using the same board every day and you think; "Huh, I think I might swap back to my KC84/Model M/Ducky Mini today", and you have a whole new typing experience.

If you like the tactility of browns, then definitely try out clears. There are a lot of good boards out there now who are stretching beyond just blues, reds, browns and blacks, and moving to clears and greens, so it won't be hard to find one you like the look of. Then you can think about if you want to change the size to 40/60/75% or TKL or whatever

[BrewCaps]

You owe it to yourself to try Cherry Blues.

[smknjoe]

You owe it to yourself to try Cherry Blues.

[slickmamba]

I pretty happily switch between linears, topre, and clears.  I've gotten used to the different boards(dox, hhkb, viper, 87ub) and they are all awesome. I see having multiple types as a positive

[nubbinator]

You owe it to yourself to try Cherry Blues.

Nope.

Save yourself a **** ton of money and get a HHKB.  Blues are disappointing, Reds are ****, Mathias Alps are nothing special (though OG Alps are awesome outside of Black and White), Model Ms are inferior to Fs, and Korean customs are fun but will ultimately take a back burner to your cheaper HHKB when you pick it up.

[slickmamba]

You owe it to yourself to try Cherry Blues.

Nope.

Save yourself a **** ton of money and get a HHKB.  Blues are disappointing, Reds are ****, Mathias Alps are nothing special (though OG Alps are awesome outside of Black and White), Model Ms are inferior to Fs, and Korean customs are fun but will ultimately take a back burner to your cheaper HHKB when you pick it up.

I'm so happy and proud to have been a part of this hhkb love

[nubbinator]

You owe it to yourself to try Cherry Blues.

Nope.

Save yourself a **** ton of money and get a HHKB.  Blues are disappointing, Reds are ****, Mathias Alps are nothing special (though OG Alps are awesome outside of Black and White), Model Ms are inferior to Fs, and Korean customs are fun but will ultimately take a back burner to your cheaper HHKB when you pick it up.

I'm so happy and proud to have been a part of this hhkb love

I was the biggest skeptic in the world and really did attribute it to some sort of Stockholm Syndrome/post-purchase rationalization, but after using yours for free, it really is fantastic.  I still hate plate mounted Topre, but the HHKB is special and great.

[Novus]

HHKB TYPE S.

...

_{SORRY
I
couldn't
help
myself}

[demik]

You owe it to yourself to try Cherry Blues.

Nope.

Save yourself a **** ton of money and get a HHKB.  Blues are disappointing, Reds are ****, Mathias Alps are nothing special (though OG Alps are awesome outside of Black and White), Model Ms are inferior to Fs, and Korean customs are fun but will ultimately take a back burner to your cheaper HHKB when you pick it up.

wrong. blues are awesome. op try cherry bruise (blue stem/black spring) or greens. just no linear, because they are boring.

[nubbinator]

You owe it to yourself to try Cherry Blues.

Nope.

Save yourself a **** ton of money and get a HHKB.  Blues are disappointing, Reds are ****, Mathias Alps are nothing special (though OG Alps are awesome outside of Black and White), Model Ms are inferior to Fs, and Korean customs are fun but will ultimately take a back burner to your cheaper HHKB when you pick it up.

wrong. blues are awesome. op try cherry bruise (blue stem/black spring) or greens. just no linear, because they are boring.

You only like Blues because they remind you of holding jumping beans.  Blues just make a **** ton of annoying noise and have a disappointing bump.  It's like the white girl's ass of bumps.

[demik]

You owe it to yourself to try Cherry Blues.

Nope.

Save yourself a **** ton of money and get a HHKB.  Blues are disappointing, Reds are ****, Mathias Alps are nothing special (though OG Alps are awesome outside of Black and White), Model Ms are inferior to Fs, and Korean customs are fun but will ultimately take a back burner to your cheaper HHKB when you pick it up.

wrong. blues are awesome. op try cherry bruise (blue stem/black spring) or greens. just no linear, because they are boring.

You only like Blues because they remind you of holding jumping beans.  Blues just make a **** ton of annoying noise and have a disappointing bump.  It's like the white girl's ass of bumps.

well if it's two things i like it's

a) noise
b) white girl's butts

wtf how did we get here? you defending hhkb and me defending cherry.

BIZARRO GH

[chyros]

I have a Dell AT101W at work and vary the board I use at home according to which one I'll be reviewing next. So the one at work never changes but the one at home changes every other week.

I had a little trouble using my AT101W while I was testing out my Chicony KB-5981 because the Monterey switches made me type so light that I had trouble using the (much heavier) Alps switches in the Dell xD . Right now I'm typing on a board with even lighter switches and I'm not having trouble using the Dell at work, though. Must've been a special thing.

I really don't mind having two kinds of keyboards, especially if they fulfill different roles like gaming and typing. Even when it's the same I think it only adds more variation and gives you more things to play with, really.

[Snowdog993]

Nope.

Model Ms are inferior to Fs, .....

I humbly disagree with you nubbinator.  The XTANT is a great project, and I think that is a great change to the model F keyboard, but overall, I'll stay with my model M keyboard.  I don't have to make any changes at all with the layout.  I won't mention the heartache and pain of getting a model F to work again if it has problems.

[Puddsy]

i rotated regularly until i found out which switches i like the most

now i pretty much only use 2-3 keyboards

[Veridis]

I use Browns both at work and at home. My experience is 6 years with blues, 6 months with browns and 2 months with topre.

Using the same switch type really eliminates any adjustment period.

No one's stopping you to have other switch types to play with once in a while though

[Oobly]

Definitely different.

Variety is nice, especially when the variety includes Clears

[SpikeBolt]

This is the kind of stuff that is extremely personal.

I would recommend getting a different switch, because browns are pretty boring and expanding your knowledge is always a good thing The "problem" with getting a board with different switches is that you'll most likely end up preferring one over the other and may even start to dislike previously experienced switches. This happened to me quite a bit and I entered a buy/sell spiral. I wouldn't say it is really a problem, as long are you're willing to make the time, money and feelings investment.

[Doyniish]

Switch it up. No pun.

[tbc]

You owe it to yourself to try Cherry Blues.

Nope.

Save yourself a **** ton of money and get a HHKB.  Blues are disappointing, Reds are ****, Mathias Alps are nothing special (though OG Alps are awesome outside of Black and White), Model Ms are inferior to Fs, and Korean customs are fun but will ultimately take a back burner to your cheaper HHKB when you pick it up.

wrong. blues are awesome. op try cherry bruise (blue stem/black spring) or greens. just no linear, because they are boring.

it's like the white girl's ass of bumps.

that's like the best thing ever

[hwood34]

If you only have the one board, I'd definitely try out a new switch

[ianbullock]

Thanks for the input everyone! I decided to go for a different switch as most of you suggested. Will try out MX Blue on a Filco Minila.

I tried out my friend's ErgoDox in MX Clear, but that switch just feels a little too heavy to me - I personally actually prefer brown to it. Did make me interested in slightly unconventional layouts like the Minila where I might be able to use my thumbs to do more than just hit the spacebar.

I'm also acquiring some keycap sets of various types so I can see how that affects things .

[slickmamba]

Thanks for the input everyone! I decided to go for a different switch as most of you suggested. Will try out MX Blue on a Filco Minila.

I tried out my friend's ErgoDox in MX Clear, but that switch just feels a little too heavy to me - I personally actually prefer brown to it. Did make me interested in slightly unconventional layouts like the Minila where I might be able to use my thumbs to do more than just hit the spacebar.

I'm also acquiring some keycap sets of various types so I can see how that affects things .

If you get a chance, try out some ergo clears.  They are clears with lighter springs (either stock mx red/brown/blue springs, or 60-65g korean springs)

[Oobly]

Thanks for the input everyone! I decided to go for a different switch as most of you suggested. Will try out MX Blue on a Filco Minila.

I tried out my friend's ErgoDox in MX Clear, but that switch just feels a little too heavy to me - I personally actually prefer brown to it. Did make me interested in slightly unconventional layouts like the Minila where I might be able to use my thumbs to do more than just hit the spacebar.

I'm also acquiring some keycap sets of various types so I can see how that affects things .

If you get a chance, try out some ergo clears.  They are clears with lighter springs (either stock mx red/brown/blue springs, or 60-65g korean springs)

^^This. Way better tactility than Browns.

Keycaps can make quite a big difference. If you get a chance, try SA profile caps. They're the heaviest I've found so far (almost exactly 2g per cap!) and feel very different to stock OEM or DCS caps.

[klikkyklik]

Good decision on getting a different switch, and good decision trying out blues.

The next question is of course, what switch are you going to try after THOSE?  I liked reds better than browns, so you'll probably have to give them a shot.  But then Alps... and Topre... and Gaterons...

I hope you know what you're in for.