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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: bionicroach on Thu, 24 March 2011, 22:19:36
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So far, I generally like MX Blues the best overall (plate-mounted) for the "springiness" and tactility they offer, but I type fairly hard so I'm not a huge fan of the harsh landing when the keys bottom out. I'm also not interested in any of the "soft landing" mods for Blues because I don't want to reduce the key travel at all. I do love the feel of buckling springs, but they're just a little too noisy and stiff for me to type on all week long at work.
On the other end of the spectrum, Browns are definitely too light for my tastes. Topre variable weight were slightly better due to the soft landing when bottoming out, but still a bit too light, and not quite tactile enough for my sloppy touch typing form.
So...it appears the last two major switches I haven't tried are the MX Clears and Topre 55g. Since I prefer plate-mounted over PCB, it seems like the only real choice for the Clears is the Deck Legend, which I'm not crazy about aesthetically, but I figure if I end up liking it, I can always swap out the keycaps (other than space & FN?) with Das / Filco or maybe some PBT keys. (Plus Deck allows returns in case I end up hating Clears altogether.)
For anyone who has used both MX Clear and Topre 55g switches - which one do you think is heavier / more fatiguing? Specifically, if you've tried both the Deck Legend Tactile and Realforce 55g, which one do you think comes closer to being a middle ground between MX Blues and buckling springs in terms of force required and tactility?
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Both switches have different properties due to different construction.
I still tend to bottom out on Topre 55g but bottom out much less on MX Clears.
MX Clears have a much more pronounced tactile bump compared to MX Browns.
After the tactile bump, the force required to bottom out increases by quite a lot on MX Clears, therefore I tend not to.
Topre 55g is very crisp feeling and my fingers do not get tired typing.
I do not feel that they have much of a tactile bump.
Also, after activation, the pressure required to bottom out does not increase like MX Clears, therefore I still bottom out almost everytime!
EDIT:
None of these switches are close to MX Blue or Buckling Springs.
They cannot be considered as a middle ground because they totally different, much more quiet.
But I guess in terms of activation force, it is in between...
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Thanks. And yes, by "middle ground" I do mostly mean the activation force. I would like something firmer than Blues but not quite as burly as Buckling Springs. The noise doesn't bother me much, but I'm sure my coworkers won't miss it.
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I have owned and used a cherry clear board G80-8113HRBUS, also two topre keyboard with variable weighting.
I did not really love either of these keyboards, and the G80-8113 was stripped for it's keycaps, and the Torpes were sold to others.
The g80-8113 spring is very heavy, it is hard to bottom out on it because the force increases dramatically towards the bottom of the keystroke. The cherry clear switch is very indistinct, that is, there is no clear "give away" point where the switch actuated. By comparison, cherry blues "give away" with a distinct pressure and a snapping sound. Cherry blues employ light springs, which still push you back at the bottom of the keystroke, but at a much lower force.
Topres are like very good rubber domes. The 45gram and 55gram ones "snap" at the actuation point but rapidly lose return force deep into the switch. This is why I found cherry browns to be superior - Topre swiches "absorb" your downstroke energy and dissapate it into a comfortable tap when you bottom out. On the other hand, cherry switches "rebound" your downstroke especially when you bottom out. It makes typing faster and easier on cherry switches - if you want to type really fast, you can bottom out like crazy and ping your finger back up with the spring action.
You may want to consider swapping Black springs into your cherry blue board "ghetto greens". This will result in the same tactile / audible feedback with slightly increased actuation force and significantly improved post-actuation rebound force.