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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: BlueDragon on Sat, 02 June 2018, 12:30:42
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Hello,
I'm very new to the mechanical keyboard thing. For a long time I had a Microsoft Digital Media Keyboard 1.0a, which is kind of mechanical, but not really high end. My girlfriend felt it was way too loud, especially when I constantly bottomed out on the keys.
So I got a Cherry Strait that is super flat, chiclet style and pretty quiet. However, when I type for longer stretches of time my fingers start to hurt, because the way to the bottom is very short and my fingertips land pretty hard.
Now I'm looking for my first quality mechanical keyboard and I'm trying to decide which switches are right for me. I went to an electronics market but they only had very few keyboards with Cherry switches. It was mainly Llgitecht and Roccat. I did find some Lioncast keyboards which do seem to use Cherry switches nowadays. These were the three types I was able to try:
BLUE: I really liked these! They felt snappy and clicky and really good. However, they would be way, way too loud.
BROWN: Originally I thought I would want these. But I ended up liking them least. The initial bump made put a bit more pressure on the key to get it pressed and after the bump the pressure seemed to become less and my finger seemed to fall through to the bottom. So what I hoped would be a tactile bump that would tell me when to stop to press the key made me press harder and bottom out. This kind of made them feel mushier and more uncomfortable than the blues. And the bottoming out made them still kind of loud. The blues sounded and felt more honest in a way.
RED: I thought I would like them least but I ended up liking them the most. It felt like my fingers were walking on a cloud or gently massaging something very soft. It was easy not to bottom out. I think I could use them like my chiclet but without the harsh touch down. Unfortunately the keyboard was not hooked to a PC so I can't say if I was pushing them down far enough.
Yesterday I did order my first mechanical keyboard, A Pok3r Limited Editon, black, with Cherry MX silver. I always wanted to try a 60% and it was the only one available and I thought since I liked the reds the silvers should be okay too. We'll see how that goes...
Now, I also have my eyes on the Kira which is up for pre-order on Kono and I'm wondering which switches would be good for me. Because I don't like bottoming out on mechanical keys (at least as long as they are not clicky, snappy blues), the Hako switches should be quite good for me, because, as I understand, the resistance gets more and more the deeper you press and they try to catch you before you hit bottom. But which type of Hako would be for me? Looking at the graphs I think True might be the way to go. Clear look to be a bit too much like Browns and a bit too hard and Violett look a bit too soft for me. I fear that I might "fall through" with those.
Any thoughts, recommendations?
Cheers from Germany!
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Hako switches are...divisive. I would definitely recommend trying them before you commit to a whole keyboard with them (though the Kira is hot-swappable so that wouldn't be the end of the world). Novelkeys makes a switch tester (https://novelkeys.xyz/collections/switch-testers/products/12-slot-switch-tester) that has Hakos as an option so that would be one way.
The problem with Hako switches is that the tactility is so subtle they end up feeling kind of like really heavy linear switches. Now the point of the heaviness is supposed to be to prevent you from bottoming out, which is why the force curve starts relatively normal and then ramps out. But in practice it's really hard to tell where the actuation point is so you often end up going further than you have to. Which ends up making the heaviness just...fatiguing.
Violets certainly don't have that problem because they're dramatically lighter. But in my opinion at least they're a bit too light...
There is another thread here where I and others have been experimenting with putting Hako Trues in Box Royal housings, which dramatically increases the tactility. I actually like those a lot but that might be a bit too much work for somebody completely new to all this.
Honestly for what you're looking for I think the old Halo switches did a much better jump than Hako switches because they have a more recognizable post-actuation bump that tells you when to stop. But good like actually finding those for sale at a reasonable price, they're pretty rare...
You might also look into something like MX Clears or Zealios. They're easier to find and I think they do a better job of meeting your requirements. There's a silenced version of Zealios too which makes barely any noise at all...though they can be a little pricey.
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I liked Hako Trues at first and now they're kind of fatiguing, think I'm going to take them out and try modding them.
I have Hako Clears in a planck but didn't really dig them until I put XDA caps on, now I love them.
I hear putting lighter springs in improves the feel dramatically.
Dark Yellows are my favorite box switch by far and since they're linear all the character must be coming from the spring alone, right?
Thus, I wonder if hako stems in box royal housings with dark yellow springs will be a perfected hybrid or a horrific chimera.
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Dont buy Hako switches or any other heavy box switch. They are super bad. The motto that it gets heavy at the end so you don't bottom out is just stupid and it doesn't work well. They will only fatigue you.
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Violets are just nice "brown" style switches. People complain too much.
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I havent heard a lot of good things about Halo switches but most seem to lean more towards clears
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removed