Best way to test switches in real life situations

[asgeirtj]

So when getting new switches it is one thing to test them individually or in a switch tester, and another thing to test them in a whole board.

I realized this when I thought that 65g clears were good in the switch tester, bet when on a whole board I realized they are way too heavy for me.

The difference is that your fingers will be at a different angle with a whole board and you will be using all your fingers.  Maybe it's possible to take this into account when using a switch tester to some extent?  I'm not sure.

So there comes the question, how do you test your switches for real life situations?  Do you simply solder a whole board?  I'm thinking that maybe soldering the home row + enter would be enough, or is it not?

[SamirD]

If I was going to make a commitment to solder my own board, I would try the switches out on several different boards that have them installed until I find out EXACTLY what I like, even if it doesn't exist.  Soldering takes time and effort (even more for me since I suck at it), so I wouldn't want to re-do it ever.

[henz]

get a board where you can swap switch tops, you can try out your preferences without having to solder and desolder.

[KaminKevCrew]

If I were going to test all the different switches, I would probably go to a GH meetup, or I would get one board with switches that I wasn't familiar with, try them out, and if I didn't like them, I would trade it on for another board with different switches until I found the ones I like the most. At that point, I would sell the board, and use that for the switches I wanted (That or just desolder the board, and use those switches.)

[KaminKevCrew]

get a board where you can swap switch tops, you can try out your preferences without having to solder and desolder.

Or this... I forgot that was a thing... lol

[blueangel2323]

Can't you just mount all the switches onto the plate without soldering them onto the PCB? I know the feel wouldn't be 100% the same, but if the plate is sturdy it should be pretty close.

[njbair]

Can't you just mount all the switches onto the plate without soldering them onto the PCB? I know the feel wouldn't be 100% the same, but if the plate is sturdy it should be pretty close.

Depending on the plate and its tolerances, MX switches can wobble a lot without a PCB to help hold it all together.