geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: asgeirtj on Thu, 04 December 2014, 05:28:39
-
I'm a really light typist, I find everything heavier than stock browns to be too heavy. I even find reds too heavy, even though the spring is the same/lighter than browns I find that pushing the switch takes more "work" than browns. When I'm tired, newly awoken or something like that, I even sometimes wish that I had springs even lighter than stock browns. I used to use a flat apple keyboard and the ease of pushing the buttons on that is something I've looked for in a mech. The "work" of pushing the button is so light even though I gather the stiffness of the apple board is the same as browns roughly. Because of this I bought 55g & 50g Korean springs (I would've wanted 45g also but they aren't available anywhere) and, while I thought that maybe this was a case of you should be careful what you wish for, I absolutely love them. I like 50g better han 55g so it looks like that the lower I go I like it even more. It seems therefore that I will probably like 45g best (the lightest spring available to my knowledge), hopefully I'll be able to find them somewhere someday!
I put the 50g in some browns blues and reds. I love it in the browns, still hate the reds, and like blues more with the 50g spring in it.
All this said, I'm thinking of modding a mx brown board to 50g gold springs. However, as I've seen not ONE person mention that he uses this light of a spring in his board, I'm asking myself this: is there some bad side of such a light switch that I'm not aware of? Slider recovery doesn't seem to be a problem at least, and I'm planning to lube them if that changes anything.
-
I wonder if the shorter key travel on the Apple boards has something to do with it, although the actuation distance would probably be similar to the MX. Certainly holding down modifiers (Shift/Ctrl/etc) on the Reds requires pushing down the keys fully, which requires more force although I still find Reds lighter than the chiclet of my Mac board.
-
I mean, if you're that light of a typer, go for it. The reason you don't see it very often is that browns and reds are already to light for lots of people, and even lighter springs are reserved for a very small number of people
-
There are stories of 30g Topre switches, so I guess there are a reasonably significant number of people out there who prefer really, really light switches.
-
I have a RF 101, with 30g keys on the outer alphanumerics, like my Q. When resting my left hand's ring finger on the Q, I often end up activating it. It's very awkward sometimes.
-
Why no love for springs lighter than stock browns/reds?
I have a RF 101, with 30g keys on the outer alphanumerics, like my Q. When resting my left hand's ring finger on the Q, I often end up activating it. It's very awkward sometimes.
question answered
**** like this happens all the time to me if I've been using my KUL for a while and switch to my MJ2 with reds
-
I would love to try some 30g or less switches but I've never heard of any besides maybe torpe. I'm surprised there isn't a big demand. Now I really want to try a topre :(
-
There was a keyboard that was made as a one off that used 8cN snap action switches. One other nice thing on those is there is no harsh bottom out.
-
i need lighter spring for my stabs
-
Go for it!
I like lightish springs, but I haven't tried anything softer than the stock Brown springs. My favourite seems to be 62g in all switch types (especially in Clears, but it's also my favourite in linear and clicky switches). IMO, Cherry could narrow their switch range to Clears, Blacks and Blues all with 62g springs and they'd have no need for any other types, although I suspect some people would disagree with me on that. It somehow feels best to me, but not in a way that I can really describe, it's just the right strength. I suspect you have the same feeling about really really light springs. So do it, I don't see any harm.
A big benefit of using lighter springs in a tactile MX switch (like Browns or Clears), is that the tactile bump becomes more noticeable and prominent. So Browns with super light springs will feel more tactile than stock.
-
Why no love for springs lighter than stock browns/reds?
I have a RF 101, with 30g keys on the outer alphanumerics, like my Q. When resting my left hand's ring finger on the Q, I often end up activating it. It's very awkward sometimes.
question answered
**** like this happens all the time to me if I've been using my KUL for a while and switch to my MJ2 with reds
This has never happened to me on browns, I think I don't really rest my fingers on the buttons when not typing.
-
I'm also a light typist. I went from MX Browns to Topre. Topre switches are so buttery smooth, whenever I go back to MX switches, it's like typing on gravel.
I currently own a Realforce 87U variable silent, an 87U 55g uniform and an HHKB Pro 2, 45g uniform. My favorite board is the variable. The marketing says 35g - 55g switches, but the only switch that's 55g is the Esc key.
Based on your typing style, I don't think you could go wrong with the variable. The silent is a bit more $$, but I'm glad I got it. I really enjoy the sound of a non-silenced Topre board, but the silent gives the impression of being smoother. It's by far the best keyboard I have ever owned.