I have to say that I do not much care for Reds. If you used mech boards in the past, I would think that you most likely had white alps or buckling springs.
Buckling springs boards are faithfully recreated by Unicomp, and I used it happily as my daily typing driver until we swapped out our KVM switch with one that seems to be incompatible. I'm now using a FK-2001. I used to regard white ALPS highly until I had to use this for hours a day every day. It feels stiff, scratchy and uncomfortable compared to a buckling springs board.
You may benefit from trying one of the "switch testers" as they're going around (or see if you can pay to get one sent to you and back, I think Hashbaz did the round that I got in on)
If you're trying to re-create your original mech experience, do just that. Get the same switch type, or a switch that would make a good analogue for it. Although white ALPS are less common and more expensive than buckling springs, you can still get new boards with them, but you can always get MX Blues which are not dissimilar.
I reccommend trying out Blacks and Clears as a good quiet analog for buckling springs. They have a similar force needed to press the switch, but are not tactile or clicky so you shouldn't feel any sort of "grinding" or have the noise associated with ALPS, MX Blues or BS boards.
Sorry to hear that you're not happy with your switches, but as some members said, there are courses you can look into to give a "smoother" experience (these are becoming mass-marketed units nowadays, so something may get lost in the transition from "enthusiast" to "gaming")
As somebody who uses blacks at home, and BS/ALPS at work, I can say there is a huge difference if you can distinguish between the switches, and, as some other users have said, nothing wrong with rubber domes if they're well made. (Ironically, I also use a Dell SK-8135 at work and really enjoy the RD feel on that one. Feels like a poor man's MX Black to me.)
EDIT: I did notice other users commenting about how the "grinding" is just inherent due to the plastic in the switch. I have to say I personally did not notice any sort of "grinding" on my MX Black board. I think it's mostly about how hard you're trying to notice it.
A lot of it, in my opinion is thinking "I just spent 10 times more on this than I would have on a basic RD keyboard" so you try to appreciate it and, in doing so, you find every little flaw that comes with any mass-produced product. As the "feeling" of getting your money's worth fades, so too does that flaw-finding. You get used to it or it stops becoming so apparent so long as it doesn't interfere with operation.
Just my two cents.
