cant decide between blue/brown cherries

[wellington1869]

Here's my keyboard background:

-grew up on model M's, which promptly spoiled me forever more by raising my keyboard expectations to unrealistic heights ever since, expectations that I've tried in vain to fill with newer models, of course.

-inherited a couple of model M's that they were throwing out at work, and while they were lovely and nostalgic, in the end I couldnt keep them because a) WAAAAY too loud (and i'm "heavy fingered" when i type), b) I prefer USB, c) I use the windows key quite often

-then I did the natural thing -  ordered an Endurapro with the button mouse built in. Seemed to have everything - usb, windows keys, even a mouse, and buckling springs.  Sold it in a month. Why? First of all noise was still an issue and it seemed to me the endurapro was even noisier than model M's (not as heavy, much more "click echo", thin plastic keys, etc. b) it was NOT the same in feel (unicomp springs seem much lighter, the sound and tactile response did not seem like tank-heavy model M's to me).  
But - the endurapro did end my fantasy of "recreating" the model M experience. I decided I've moved on from my Model M days because I cant afford that level of noise anyway.  

-But I think therefore what I want is a fair amount of key feedback - tactile and if-not-ridiculously-loud, then audio feedback too.

-which brought me to the cherries.

So I'm looking for some guidance from people who have experienced both browns and blues. Given my experience above, what do you think I would prefer? Browns or Blues?  

As I understand it:

Blues: (das keyboard II or III, or scorpius m10): a much lighter, and slightly quieter, mechanical substitute for the buckling spring experience.  

This sounds okay to me, but my question on the blues is: probably the only issue will be HOW quiet/loud it is. I can stand some noise but I dont want my neighbors to complain in my apartment complex, especially since I work late at night. Would they be too loud for late night work in manhattan working class high rise? Walls are not particularly thick, and neighbors sleep.

Browns:  (Filco majestouch or DSI modular mac): no audible click, tactile feedback (a "bump" rather than a snap), light touch.

My question on the brown is, for people coming down from the "model M high", will the browns really just feel 'ordinary'? (and thus non-special?). I can live with the reduced noise of the browns, but if I want an 'ordinary' experience I could just go back to membrance keyboards. Do the "bump" and the "mechanical feel" of the browns constitute more feedback than a membrane?

Thanks for any help!

[bigpook]

I have a DasIII and used it for about 3 days or so. It has a light click, which is no where near as loud as my model m/unicomp keyboards. The blue cherries felt very light to me which is why I ended up not liking it.  I suppose if I forced myself to stick with it I would adjust to it.
My wife uses the das now and seems to like it very much. You may want to try out a keyboard that uses topre switches.
The keys have really good feel and the only sound I can hear is when I bottom out the key. The only downside is the price, for some reason the HHKB's and the Topre's are
really expensive.

I don't have anything with brown cherries so I don't know.

[wellington1869]

You may want to try out a keyboard that uses topre switches.
The keys have really good feel and the only sound I can hear is when I bottom out the key. .

hi bigpook - regarding the torpres, what is it about the feel you like (as compared to BS or cherries)? Also, is there a bump/snap on the downstroke? Or is it linear? And is it a hard or soft stop on the bottom?  (sheesh, i'm such a geek).

The price is prohibitive, as you say, which is why i'll most likely not be able to afford them until I leave school and actually get a job Cherries on the other hand can be gotten for $50 or so.

[itlnstln]

I can't speak for the Cherries too much, but you might want to stay away from the Alps (Northgate, CVT Avant, etc.).  They have nice feel, but I find them to be much louder than the buckling springs.

[lowpoly]

Try cheap boards before you spend a lot money.

The Chicony 5191/5192 is supposed to have blue Cherrys. You may want to google the right model before you buy.

The Compaq MX-11800 has brown Cherries.

[wellington1869]

I can't speak for the Cherries too much, but you might want to stay away from the Alps (Northgate, CVT Avant, etc.).  They have nice feel, but I find them to be much louder than the buckling springs.

ya I tried the tactile pro at j&r (I believe it has the alps switches) and while I loved the feel, it was extremely loud I would definitely get in trouble for using that one.

As for the browns, from reading more descriptions they basically sound like they are closer to the blacks (ie, linear, virtually no audible/tactile feedback right down to where you bottom out). Some of the descriptions say that the 'bump' on the downstroke just isnt noticeable especially when you're typing fast. So that would make them more like black cherries in practice, I think.

So if browns are just a silent "deep throw" linear (for all intents and purposes), I might prefer the blues. (right?).

[lowpoly: thanks for the tip, I'll look for those on ebay ]

[lowpoly]

When typing fast the bump in the brown Cherry won't help you much if you try not to bottom out. It adds to the overall feel of the switch though.

Cherry blacks have stronger springs.

[bigpook]

hi bigpook - regarding the torpres, what is it about the feel you like (as compared to BS or cherries)? Also, is there a bump/snap on the downstroke? Or is it linear? And is it a hard or soft stop on the bottom?  (sheesh, i'm such a geek).

The price is prohibitive, as you say, which is why i'll most likely not be able to afford them until I leave school and actually get a job Cherries on the other hand can be gotten for $50 or so.

I was using a BS keyboard for quite some time and absolutely love the feel and sound of the BS keyswitch. Lots of noise and lots of feel on the keys.
My favorite form factor was the model m mini. I still have that board and will most likely will keep it forever.

I was able to score a HHKB Pro 2 from a member here for a great price.
The HHKB key layout is just about perfect for me so I have been using it ever since I got it.

The first thing I noticed was the key feel was noticeably different versus the BS keyboards I had been using.
There was/is a noticeable amount of pressure as I initiated the key which seemed to give away as the key depressed. It was a different feel then the BS key. The only sound I could hear was when the key would bottom out. Remember, I was used to the BS keys that required more force to actuate. After a couple of weeks that initial sensation went away. You do adjust over time and the topre keys are oddly pleasing for me to use. Not odd in a negative sense, its just that I can't seem to describe it any other way. Its a nice feel overall, and I would place it second overall to a BS key.

So to answer your question:
I think it would be more of a bump then a snap. And hard on top then soft on the bottom. Thats my perception anyways. Give it a few days and some other members will most likely chime in to give you more information.

Some may find the HHKB layout unappealing, as you will be using function keys to access certain key functions. If the thought of using two key presses to get up arrow/down arrow to work is annoying to you then you may want to look at a Topre keyboard. The 86U resembles the model m mini and there are users here that speak very highly of them.

Regrettably, the cost is high. So you would need to know for sure before you commit that much money.

In the interim, you could score some model m's on ebay for under 50 dollars shipped. I think everyone should have at least one model m in their collection : ) They may be noisy but the BS keys are in a class by themselves.

I didn't like the cherry blues, but thats me. YMMV.

Hope this helps.

[wellington1869]

Hope this helps.

definitely helps, thanks for the deets.

[sashomasho]

definitely helps, thanks for the deets.

I use intensively filco brown cherries at work, and I gave my blue cherries scorpius to my girlfriend. The filco wins but this is mainly due to its case, not the keys. The feel of the blue cherries is very pleasant, but I have to say that a friend of mine has original cherry keyboard with blue stems and its noise is strange in a unpleasant way, but it may be just me looking for the same scorpius sound... both of these keyboards may not be suitable for you if you smack the keys down, but I used to be heavy finger writer before with my IBM, now I'm much more gentle with my keyboards, and my fingers know the difference

that said, i'm writinig this from my hhkb pro