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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Mkilbride on Mon, 09 December 2013, 21:22:19
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Most just say they "Make you bottom out less" or "reduce noise", though I've seen mention of alot of people saying this makes them feel like Rubber dome keyboards, can anyone tell me more about this? I am interested and Ebay has some cheap ones I am thinking about buying. I tend to bottom out alot on my previous Cherry MX red keyboard, it was noticable. I've also been lead to understand it makes them accuate faster, and alot of people say they feel really good on reds - some people even put DOUBLE O-Rigns from my understanding. Thoughts?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/120pcs-Keycap-Rubber-O-Ring-Switch-Dampeners-RED-For-CHERRY-MX-Free-Shipping-/261268631414
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They stop the keys from going down as far.
They dampen the sound somewhat (although I tried them on MX blues, and the clicky blue feedback is still there, but the thump from bottoming out is less).
They do make the keys feel slightly more ... solid? Although this is MX blues, and I have subsequently become accustomed to MX blacks/greens.
This is a non-technical appraisal.
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Yup..
Shorter keystroke.. think regular keyboard vs your laptop keys.. that's the type of difference, though not necessarily so large, cuz some laptops have very short throw.
and the Landing will feel like rubber dome vs the flat pulse clack' response on undampen-ed cherry mx keys.
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I like landing pads with the blue Cherry switches, but O-rings are great for the others.
If you bottom out regularly, then they will make life more pleasant.
Thanks for locating these, they look good. It would be nice if the hardness was in the 40-50 range. Previously, the cheap ebay O-rings were very hard, like 70-90 and that is pretty hard. I like them as thin and soft as possible.
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I have red o-rings on the middle three rows (i.e., the keys I hit the most) of a Corsair K95 with Cherry reds. The most noticeable difference is the noise: the keys without the o-rings hit with a loud, dull thud. I don’t think the o-rings reduce bottoming out (since they reduce travel slightly), but it’s a softer landing, so they both sound and feel a bit more like rubber domes. For me, the primary advantage is that they reduce complaints from my spouse about the noise.
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I like landing pads with the blue Cherry switches, but O-rings are great for the others.
If you bottom out regularly, then they will make life more pleasant.
Thanks for locating these, they look good. It would be nice if the hardness was in the 40-50 range. Previously, the cheap ebay O-rings were very hard, like 70-90 and that is pretty hard. I like them as thin and soft as possible.
How pleasant you think bottoming out with or without o-rings is completely subjective. It's much harder w/o o-rings, and makes a satisfying (some find annoying) clack. With o-rings, there is no audible clack, you will hit bottom slightly sooner, and when you do hit bottom, it feels slightly squishier, and much softer than hitting the plate/pcb. Personally, I hate the feeling of o-rings, but others love them. It's definitely a big difference, especially if you find yourself bottoming out frequently.
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It damps the keystroke, but reduces noise... to me there's always a trade-off between feel and noise when it comes to mechanical keyboards.
I haven't met anyone telling me that the feel of keystroke feels better with an o-ring...
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I have the rubber o-rings from imsto, and to me at least, they feel like Cherry stabilizers.
http://imsto.cn/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=58
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I'm a huge fan of the o rings, 4mm in this case. On cherry blues, it reduced fatigue and noise without losing any of the charm that is the cherry blue clicky!
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They do make the keys feel slightly more ... solid? Although this is MX blues, and I have subsequently become accustomed to MX blacks/greens.
Odd, I feel the exact opposite. I feel they make the switches feel much softer and mushier. I can't use o-rings since they change the feel too much in a negative way for me. Everyone is different though. To me, it just makes them start to feel like slightly better rubber domes or scissor switches. Still better than your average membrane board, but not as good as an unadulterated mech.
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For me the O-rings can have an interesting feel when paired with certain switches. I think keycap material plays a huge role as well. I really like PBT keycaps with just about any Cherry based switch. But I found I did NOT like O-rings PBT's.
But on my Filco and Das, (both cherry blues) with stock ABS keycaps, the o-ring added an interesting feedback sensation that I enjoyed quite a bit. The space bar for example of my DAS and FILCO felt much better with the o-ring then without.
It's fairly low risk to just get one on amazon for like $17 and just try it out. It's a mod that you can reverse if you don't like it.
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Different keycaps (and the stems) will impact how different o-rings feels.
But to give you an idea of the range of what you may feel..
Thicker o-rings will reduce travel significantly. They'll also likely change how it feels when you bottom out. The hardness of the o-ring will also impact that. Some people will feel this is mushy..some will just not like the feel in general. Some people love it.
If you get o-rings that are just thin enough to reduce noise when you bottom, what you'll get is only slightly reduce travel and slightly reduced feel when bottoming. IMO, if you're trying to retain as much of the original feel of no o-rings, this is what you want. Keep in mind though that if they're too thin, they won't do what they're supposed to do (reduce noise).
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They do make the keys feel slightly more ... solid? Although this is MX blues, and I have subsequently become accustomed to MX blacks/greens.
Odd, I feel the exact opposite. I feel they make the switches feel much softer and mushier. I can't use o-rings since they change the feel too much in a negative way for me. Everyone is different though. To me, it just makes them start to feel like slightly better rubber domes or scissor switches. Still better than your average membrane board, but not as good as an unadulterated mech.
agreed. rarely seeing someone loving o-rings, especially with mx blues....because the point of blues is to "click", right? :p
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They do make the keys feel slightly more ... solid? Although this is MX blues, and I have subsequently become accustomed to MX blacks/greens.
Odd, I feel the exact opposite. I feel they make the switches feel much softer and mushier. I can't use o-rings since they change the feel too much in a negative way for me. Everyone is different though. To me, it just makes them start to feel like slightly better rubber domes or scissor switches. Still better than your average membrane board, but not as good as an unadulterated mech.
agreed. rarely seeing someone loving o-rings, especially with mx blues....because the point of blues is to "click", right? :p
Blues still click, even with O-rings.
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You cannot explain feelings fully. I have removed o-ring once and forever.
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I have the red .2mm o-rings on both my keyboard and tenkey with blacks and blue respectively. As rowdy said, the blues do still click just fine still.
They are on my boards primarily to reduce the harshness of bottoming out. I don't necessarily bottom out at all times, but when I do, well you probably get the picture.
The added silencing is just a bonus. Not as "clacky" so to speak.
In the sense of the rubber dome likeness, I can see this. Especially if you really are holding and pushing down the keys; I do this a lot when gaming. That's where in my mind the similarities stop. The switch still feels mechanical and if you aren't bottoming out then you won't be feeling the rubber anyway.
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If the blues did not click with O-rings, they would not actuate (as the click and actuation happens at the same time).
Try putting 2 O-rings on an MX blue at the same time :))
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It dampens the key and makes the stroke shorter. It feels really nice when I does bottom out because it's not a loud thud.
Is it for everyone? Absolutely not. I'm getting a bit tired of mine but I still want to use it. If that makes sense. (http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/onion/63d4808b.gif)
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Delightful soft landing, high pitched loud clack becomes a pleasant deep thud. At first you will notice slightly less travel but in my case after 2 minutes I barely noticed it and it's not even an issue at all.
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I like them. I was starting to hate my blues because of bottoming out, but after adding red o-rings from wasdkeyboards I love them again! I still bottom out, but it is nice and soft landing which I hardly notice. I actually do not hear the bottom clack so the only sound feedback is the click from the switch itself, and my finger tips do not hurt any more. Recommended!
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I've not tried red o-rings on cherry blue's I should totally try this. just being lazy.
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Try this little experiment:
1. tap your laptop or coffee mug with your fingernail - this is what it is sounds and feels like without o-rings when you bottom-out your keystroke;
2. now do the same with the fleshy part of your forefinger - notice how it feels and sounds - this what it is like with o-rings. If you put your ear right up close to the cup or mug and quickly remove your finger. This is like the sound of the key resetting and will not be altered by the o-ring.
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I got an o-ring pack from the keyboard co along with a Filco. These ones are brown o-rings and there isn't much detail on them in the specs. They don't change the feel that much for me; they're a pretty tight fit and the bottom out is just quieter with a very minor amount of cushioning. If I'm not specifically looking to feel for mushy-ness they feel firm on bottom out.
The change to feel isn't drastic IMO, and the keys are still un-damped on the upstroke, so they still make noise there. Try them and find out for yourself, if you don't like them its not the end of the world. Others you may type around might appreciate them though.
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Although really for $5 something just get them. If you don't like them, sell them here, or even given them away.