Greetings!
So, it's been roughly six months since I kicked off this thread after coming back to mechanical keyboards...Hope this helps, someone, somehow...
Happy to hear your opinion on this topic. Please. This forum feels like it is on Fent (no offense...).
I'm glad that the first stage of your switch-testing worked out so well.
The fact that you liked the BOX Brown showed that you were on track. They are crisp, and they are sharp. I have some criticisms about the housing collisions, or bottom-out, but they are fun to type on. I have some on a test board, just for fun.
[They are great for typing, and probably ok for gaming. But I think that the 'pseudo-steps' involved in the switch's operation make them less than ideal for gaming.]
1. Tactile upstrokeI agree that heavier tactiles can have problems on the upstroke, unless you use heavier springs. Even with Ergo Clears, I had some springs that actuated at about 60 gf, and bottomed-out at only a few more gf. So they were very snappy. Very poppy. They were great, but heavier than I liked. But those kind of switches 'want' heavier springs.
2. Long-pole switchesThis was definitely one of the largest developments in MX-compatible switches.
I agree that they are harsher to use. The only ones I prefer are those that give almost 4mm of travel, and have stem moulds that limit contact.
Too many switches manufacturers have come to rely on long-poles for the characteristics of their switch.
3. Testing switches.Most of those switches are very popular. So, several of those choices are well-liked. I also think that the EverFree / Gateron Grayish are excellent, for the price. And the Jupiter Bananas [whether Gateron or Keychron] are very popular. Seems as if a lot of people wanted a switch like a Brown, but with the bump being larger, and positioned higher up.
[Makes sense, if you are coming from rubber-domes or scissor-switch.]
I probably would have preferred them too, 10 years ago, coming from non-mechanical keyboards. [I still use scissor-switch when I can.]
The old Kailh Pro Purple must have been very influential. Basically a Brown with the bump at the top, I often preferred them to MX Browns. The various 'Banana' switches seem to be similar in concept. [Pro Purple were scratchy, and needed work. But they could be tuned to feel pretty different from stock.]
Interesting points about the Falcons. During testing, I thought that they might be good, but were heavy. I never bothered spring-swapping, but that was my first instinct.
BTW, I think that BOX Whites are excellent clickies. They are like some kind of light-tactile clicky. An equivalent to BOX Browns. I've only tested V1. You might want to try Gateron Lanes, if you haven't already.
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