Keychron and Epomaker seem to be 2 of the better options on the more budget side when starting out. They're pretty low cost and easy to mod so you don't feel bad experimenting on them. That way, whenever I decide to do my first full custom, I'll already have a really good idea of what I want.
I think cheap boards are great for anybody who wants to tinker and/or have something they don't care about beating up, losing, etc. Personally, I love modifying OEM boards to make them something unique.
You're wise to get a good feel for your switch tastes before investing a lot of money into something specific, especially if you're not using hot swap sockets (which I prefer to use only for testing different switches myself).
Yup, the pinks I'm referring to are the Cherry Silent Reds. I found them to be pretty scratchy with noticeable spring ping when I first got them. A little bit of lubed solved both.
I imagine that comparing them to Gateron reds without any inferior point of reference, they would seem scratchy. They're smoother right out of the gate than MX red and most other cheap Chinese clones though, for whatever reason.
My favorite modern dampened linears, of the few I have tried, are Matias' "quiet linear" switches myself. But they seem to me to actually have a tactile event at the end of travel right before bottoming out. They seem very smooth to me, but I have never bothered to lube anything either. I think they're factory lubricated. Also, being a clicky guy, I specifically like pretty sharp tactility.
I personally like the Niz switches. These ones are extremely light, but I prefer excessively light switches. However, even at 35g, there's still a good amount of tactility.
I need to try some Niz switches ... and Topre lighter than my 55g board for that matter.
