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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: ozziegt on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:14:58

Title: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: ozziegt on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:14:58: So my co-worker got a Das with blue keys. I have a Rosewill with browns. The blues are so much nicer to type on! They have a much crisper tactile feedback. I know people say the browns have a lower actuation force but it seems like they are actually stiffer. It seems like the blues might have a higher initial force but get much lighter once you depress the key or something...while typing they actually feel much springier and lighter. Has anyone else noticed this? The browns almost feel like they have molasses in them compared to the blues. Just wondering if others who have typed with both noticed the same thing.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: samwisekoi on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:19:53: Quote from: ozziegt on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:14:58
So my co-worker got a Das with blue keys. I have a Rosewill with browns. The blues are so much nicer to type on! They have a much crisper tactile feedback. I know people say the browns have a lower actuation force but it seems like they are actually stiffer. It seems like the blues might have a higher initial force but get much lighter once you depress the key or something...while typing they actually feel much springier and lighter. Has anyone else noticed this? The browns almost feel like they have molasses in them compared to the blues. Just wondering if others who have typed with both noticed the same thing.

I have both next to each other. Brown Leo TKL and Blue WASD 104. The Blues sometimes feel like my fingers are floating.

Try the Blues with O-rings. Then they really float!

- Ron | samwisekoi
(http://www.samwisekoi.com/pixelart/M.png)
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: Polymer on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:24:37: Blues definitely take more force to get over the tactile bump (which is not where they measure actuation).

I think for Blues it is like 60g for the bump, 55g at actuation which is pretty irrelevant.
For Browns it is like 55g for the bump and 45g at actuation which is also pretty irrelevant

Anyways, force wise, Blues require more....even after the bump they require more force to bottom..but it could be because you're feeling more of a bump or because of the click, they feel "lighter" to you...Or it could be you had to press so much harder initially the rest of the key just falls out for you...

I would agree that Blues feel springier...but I think a lot of that has to do with the noise and the more defined tactile bump.

Blues are great to type on..they're great in general...If they didn't make a noise anyone else could hear they'd be fantastic...
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: ozziegt on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:29:02: Yeah, I might get blues for home since I have a separate room for the computer. I think for my cube at work though, I am sticking with browns. I just find it fascinating how the actual feel from typing is very different than what the numbers imply. It seems like we are missing some important metric(s) when it comes to describing the switches.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: Hyde on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:35:53: Blue feel like heavier on the initial bump, then the force drops quickly then it's really light to bottom out.

Brown feel a bit more even forced through out the entire down stroke. The bump will increase the force slightly but nowhere as "bumpy" as blue.

Personally I like the more constant feel of brown better. But I can see why people would think blue is more "fun" to type on.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: Burz on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:52:23: And here I was seriously considering the purchase of a WASDv2 when they come out. But its threads like this that make me think no Cherry switch is a very good choice. I do somewhat like the feel of the blues, but the sound is unacceptable. And browns are just bleh to a lot of people (I only got to sit down and try them once-- and they seemed decent if not really 'tactlie' --but I'm afraid I'd tire of them).

So very many people complain about how MX switches sound or feel, but it seems like Cherry is intent on not listening. One would think they would spend some R&D to make a quiet blue switch. For this reason, it would actually be quite gratifying if Matias were to somehow steal a large portion of Cherry's lunch (but there's only one line of keyboards so far...).

Maybe I'll just get a $50 scissor switch board instead if it supports Colemak, or perhaps a TypeMatrix. What I DON'T intend to do is become a collector of a bunch of not-quite-satisfying $100+ feature-poor Cherry boards like so many on GH.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: Deverica Wolf on Thu, 31 January 2013, 17:36:17: Everytime I use Blues, I am reminded they are not Buckling Springs. Too goddamn light!

Reds and Browns are where it's at! >:D
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: Internetlad on Thu, 31 January 2013, 17:42:16: I didn't like browns. When I got my blacks, It took some getting used to but now they're nice.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: babyhands on Thu, 31 January 2013, 17:53:20: Its funny you say this, because I had a Filco TKL with browns for over a year, and now own a ducky 9008G2 TKL with blues. I like the browns much more. They felt much more crisp than my blues do. Yes, the blues are louder and i personally like the sound better on the blues, but I just remember on my browns thinking they almost even felt magnetic because of how crisp they were! Gosh I miss that keyboard
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: tauburn on Thu, 31 January 2013, 21:45:32: the click of blues and greens makes the actuation feel like a snap rather than a bump.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: keymaster on Thu, 31 January 2013, 22:00:16: At the end of the day, it's highly subjective. I've felt all the common switches (Black, Red, Brown, Blue) and like Browns the most.
I guess I like the mushy tactile browns provide. Red and black remind me too much of rubber domes. Blues felt a little too light when I tried them out on a Corsair at a local shop. Maybe it's because I wasn't used to how they feel, but it was easy to make a typing error with them.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: rknize on Thu, 31 January 2013, 22:52:49: I recently put light springs from blues/browns into the white stem switch. The white stem is the same design as the blue but with a dampened internal movement. It is about as tactile as blue, but quieter.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: Hyde on Thu, 31 January 2013, 22:58:06: Quote from: keymaster on Thu, 31 January 2013, 22:00:16
At the end of the day, it's highly subjective. I've felt all the common switches (Black, Red, Brown, Blue) and like Browns the most.
I guess I like the mushy tactile browns provide. Red and black remind me too much of rubber domes. Blues felt a little too light when I tried them out on a Corsair at a local shop. Maybe it's because I wasn't used to how they feel, but it was easy to make a typing error with them.

Ehhhh Corsair uses mx red. And blue is actually heavier than brown. So I think you were trying mx red :P
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: keymaster on Thu, 31 January 2013, 23:01:52: Quote from: Hyde on Thu, 31 January 2013, 22:58:06
Quote from: keymaster on Thu, 31 January 2013, 22:00:16
At the end of the day, it's highly subjective. I've felt all the common switches (Black, Red, Brown, Blue) and like Browns the most.
I guess I like the mushy tactile browns provide. Red and black remind me too much of rubber domes. Blues felt a little too light when I tried them out on a Corsair at a local shop. Maybe it's because I wasn't used to how they feel, but it was easy to make a typing error with them.

Ehhhh Corsair uses mx red. And blue is actually heavier than brown. So I think you were trying mx red :P

:o

You're right. In my defense, it was the first mechanical keyboard I ever felt and for some reason I thought they were blues. I can see why it's good for gaming, but I'd hate to use them for daily use.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: 1839cc on Fri, 01 February 2013, 00:00:11: Clear is where it's at. ;)
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 01 February 2013, 06:16:16: Quote from: 1839cc on Fri, 01 February 2013, 00:00:11
Clear is where it's at. ;)

Clear is great, but the regular spring is too heavy and the ergo-clear sometimes stick..

So, you have to hunt down those korean 65 springs to make it "work".. then those springs are 1 hair too long... GDI... GDI....

Basically blue is perfect as far as "feel" goes.... It only gets annoying if you're playing a typing game..

I usually have to put on my earbuds during typing games, otherwise the click make me lose concentration.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: Betty on Fri, 01 February 2013, 06:55:33: Quote from: samwisekoi on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:19:53
Quote from: ozziegt on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:14:58
So my co-worker got a Das with blue keys. I have a Rosewill with browns. The blues are so much nicer to type on! They have a much crisper tactile feedback. I know people say the browns have a lower actuation force but it seems like they are actually stiffer. It seems like the blues might have a higher initial force but get much lighter once you depress the key or something...while typing they actually feel much springier and lighter. Has anyone else noticed this? The browns almost feel like they have molasses in them compared to the blues. Just wondering if others who have typed with both noticed the same thing.

I have both next to each other. Brown Leo TKL and Blue WASD 104. The Blues sometimes feel like my fingers are floating.

Try the Blues with O-rings. Then they really float!

- Ron | samwisekoi
Show Image
(http://www.samwisekoi.com/pixelart/M.png)

Btw which o-rings would you recommend for blues?
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 01 February 2013, 07:01:12: Quote from: Betty on Fri, 01 February 2013, 06:55:33
Quote from: samwisekoi on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:19:53
Quote from: ozziegt on Thu, 31 January 2013, 16:14:58
So my co-worker got a Das with blue keys. I have a Rosewill with browns. The blues are so much nicer to type on! They have a much crisper tactile feedback. I know people say the browns have a lower actuation force but it seems like they are actually stiffer. It seems like the blues might have a higher initial force but get much lighter once you depress the key or something...while typing they actually feel much springier and lighter. Has anyone else noticed this? The browns almost feel like they have molasses in them compared to the blues. Just wondering if others who have typed with both noticed the same thing.

I have both next to each other. Brown Leo TKL and Blue WASD 104. The Blues sometimes feel like my fingers are floating.

Try the Blues with O-rings. Then they really float!

- Ron | samwisekoi
Show Image
(http://www.samwisekoi.com/pixelart/M.png)

Btw which o-rings would you recommend for blues?

wasd sampler pack..

first ask yourself, Can you deal with reduced travel distance.. because many people find that annoying as "HELL"..

reduced travel is especially a problem if you have long fingers, because your longer fingers reach much deeper vs other fingers, so the reduced travel makes your middle and ring finger feel like they're being stopped short.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: MattBuzzy on Fri, 01 February 2013, 10:56:34: Not a big fan of O-rings at all, but I would recommend the reds, they were the only ones I could stand.

I love blacks for gaming, typing is ok but from the WASD sampler the blue click feels like it will be much nicer for typing, browns felt like gritty rubber domes to me, but maybe a whole board would be different.

Grabbing a couple of blue boards soon, going to mod one to greens or ghetto greens, I love the weight of blacks and the click of blues so ghetto greens should feel awesome. Want to see what the real 80g greens are like though as well.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: stingrae on Fri, 01 February 2013, 12:27:17: I favour my browns but I do enjoy typing on my blues and have been gaming on the reds (and typing) as I injured my wrist (non-typing injury). I believe but wouldn't be able to prove that I get tireder on reds > blues >=(roughly) browns when typing.

Browns are a grittier feel that isn't to say they aren't tactile nor are they close to reds in fact the reds feel noticeably lighter and I don't enjoy long typing sessions on them. I do enjoy typing on the blues (which I used today after 2 months of brown/red switching) they feel sharp.

I do think my browns feel a bit mushier but I know for some reason the stabilized keys on my brown board feel completely different like there's no metal bar sound at all. This isn't bad but the space on my blues feels more rewarding. Just an oddity I guess. I want to try o-rings at some point just didn't quite get some (almost did from a plumbing type shop). Another oddity to consider is that key cap material i.e. pom keys feel different on red (and I presume black) switches but actually pom has little effect in my opinion on blues or browns.
Title: Re: Blues vs Browns - bigger difference than I thought
Post by: spherific on Sat, 02 February 2013, 03:52:44: Blues have such a nice sound feedback, though I like the feel of browns better.