My KBP V60 MX Clear finally arrived but I am not smiling as I type...

[Valen]

My KBP V60 MX Clear finally arrived, but I am not smiling as I type because it feels so gritty. Maybe gritty is a bit of an exaggeration but it feels like rubbing your finger against a cardboard. Is this how MX clear feels like? I know how MX red, black, brown and blue feel like but I was not expecting this. I am perfectly happy with the operating force required because this is exactly what I want.

[Flyersfan1]

With the exception of a few boards I've owned, most mx switches require some "break in" time to help reduce some of the scratchiness you're experiencing.  I've experienced linear switches so scratchy that some even gave off a whistle when depressed.  I could guarantee that lubing the stems+contact points would eliminate any scratchiness, but that's a little more labor intensive.   

[hwood34]

You should definitely try lubing them. It enhances the experience greatly

[Hypersphere]

I had a similar reaction to mx clears. I didn't like them for two reasons. First, the gritty sensation that you described. Second, I bottom out with every keystroke, and clears have a rather steeply increasing force after the actuation point that can make using them fatiguing unless you train yourself not to bottom out.

I got a V60 with Matias Quiet Click switches, which have some of the grittiness of mx clears, but without the steeply increasing force after actuation. I like the Matias switches better than any Cherry mx switch I have tried. I have ordered another V60 with Matias Click switches, which are said to be crisper in feel than the Quiet switches.

The only drawback to Matias switches is the lack of high-quality keycap sets for them. I plan to harvest some dye-sub PBT or doubleshot ABS caps from vintage Alps keyboards.

[IvanIvanovich]

All MX now feel this way when new. I think they are cranking out more switch than they can keep up with, and they are not as good with clearing the stem molds between runs so they pick up these little 'whiskers'. Since it's a plate mounted board, you don't have the luxury of easily popping open the switches and smoothing them off with a razor. You simply need to use them, and use them a LOT and the scratchiness will go away in some time. Do not go to trouble of lubing until AFTER that has gone away. Lube doesn't really help until they are already smooth and then make it smoother... and it's a LOT of effort especially on platemount since require to totally desolder and disassemble the entire board.

[jameslr]

I have also felt this way about the new MX clear switches. I still like them, but that scratchy feeling is sort of annoying. They will smooth out with time no doubt. They're still my favorite MX switch by far.

[faceyourfaces]

I had a similar reaction to mx clears. I got a V60 with Matias Quiet Click switches, which have some of the grittiness of mx clears, but without the steeply increasing force after actuation. I like the Matias switches better than any Cherry mx switch I have tried. I have ordered another V60 with Matias Click switches, which are said to be crisper in feel than the Quiet switches.

I would like to hear how you think the switches compare when you get your second V60, as a former owner of a V60 with Matias Quiet Click switches.

[jacobolus]

The actual physical feeling of Matias quiet vs click switches is pretty similar. If you put on earplugs under noise canceling headphones, the main difference in physical feel is that at bottom out the click switch is plastic hitting plastic, whereas the quiet switch is a little rubber damper hitting plastic. The rest of the stroke feels pretty similar even though one metal leaf is snapping against the plastic switch housing and the other isn’t.

However, subjectively, when you include the sound, the clicky and quiet switches seem quite different. Your brain is tricked into thinking the switch is more tactile because of the audio feedback.

[Jixr]

All MX now feel this way when new. I think they are cranking out more switch than they can keep up with, and they are not as good with clearing the stem molds between runs so they pick up these little 'whiskers'. Since it's a plate mounted board, you don't have the luxury of easily popping open the switches and smoothing them off with a razor. You simply need to use them, and use them a LOT and the scratchiness will go away in some time. Do not go to trouble of lubing until AFTER that has gone away. Lube doesn't really help until they are already smooth and then make it smoother... and it's a LOT of effort especially on platemount since require to totally desolder and disassemble the entire board.

Yeah, I just got some new switches, ( blacks ) and they are far scratchier than any of my others were when new ( but last time I bought new switches was well over a year ago )

I've been thinking of building a lego machine to press the switches all day so it can wear them in they are so bad.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

[pretend the Quote button works]
The actual physical feeling of Matias quiet vs click switches is pretty similar.
[/pretend the Quote button works]

Indeed. I was really surprised how similar they feel. I'd say that the clicky switches are smoother, but not by a lot. That might be something to do with the feeble click though : P

I guess I got lucky with clears though, as the ones I got were always nice and smooth.

[Hypersphere]

Some say that the nicest Cherry mx switches are vintage blacks, because of their smoothness.

[Valen]

Thanks for all the replies, now I know that there is still some hope.
I got frustrated last night and went to bed early after learning that this one is plate mounted so lubing is out of my reach.
My first cherry switch is red (QF TKL) and it is very smooth. Maybe I got lucky and got a smooth batch of switches.
It took me a while to find this clear switch keyboard so I plan on keeping it a bit longer and see how it changes after the break in period.
Another problem I found with this keyboard is that Tab, Caps lock and Shift are scraping the left side wall (I hope this is how you call it). The side wall is curved in very slightly on the left side and I think it is a manufacturing defect. The plastic material is a bit flexible (cheap compared to my other keyboards CM and RF) so I will try to fix it by heating it and push it out. I can sand it down but heating and bending is less destructive.

[Hypersphere]

Thanks for all the replies, now I know that there is still some hope.
I got frustrated last night and went to bed early after learning that this one is plate mounted so lubing is out of my reach.
My first cherry switch is red (QF TKL) and it is very smooth. Maybe I got lucky and got a smooth batch of switches.
It took me a while to find this clear switch keyboard so I plan on keeping it a bit longer and see how it changes after the break in period.
Another problem I found with this keyboard is that Tab, Caps lock and Shift are scraping the left side wall (I hope this is how you call it). The side wall is curved in very slightly on the left side and I think it is a manufacturing defect. The plastic material is a bit flexible (cheap compared to my other keyboards CM and RF) so I will try to fix it by heating it and push it out. I can sand it down but heating and bending is less destructive.

You should not have to repair such a defect yourself. You should send it back for a refund or replacement.

[Puddsy]

Give it a few days.

[Valen]

You should not have to repair such a defect yourself. You should send it back for a refund or replacement.

I don't think I can get a refund or replacement now because I already scraped the side of some key caps when I tried to remove them (mostly my fault); the clear coat on them is not very durable and I expect them to wear off really quick if you are a heavy user. The thickness is pretty thin too. I will give the keyboard a few more days then decide if I want to keep it. I will definitely replace the stock key caps with PBT if I decide to keep it.

[berserkfan]

My KBP V60 MX Clear finally arrived, but I am not smiling as I type because it feels so gritty. Maybe gritty is a bit of an exaggeration but it feels like rubbing your finger against a cardboard. Is this how MX clear feels like? I know how MX red, black, brown and blue feel like but I was not expecting this. I am perfectly happy with the operating force required because this is exactly what I want.

Worry not. Keep using these clears for 6 months. They should be worn in by then, and work great for another 20 years.

Just like your leather shoes.

[dante]

The problem some of us have is we have so many keyboards the switches will never get worn in

[Hypersphere]

Back in the day, I fell for the leather shoes fallacy. The shoe salesman would try to assure me that the uncomfortable, pinching shoes he had just placed on my feet "just need to be broken in". Later in life after I got a better paying job, I discovered that there were shoes in the upper echelons of footwear that were comfortable when brand new. The same ought to be true of keyboards and keyboard switches.

[Jumpjet]

McRip effect...

What?!

[swill]

Give it a few days.

Or a month. My new clears took a month to break in at all and another month to start to feel nice. They still could use some wear to get really nice, but they are not annoying when gaming anymore.

[tp4tissue]

The Grittiness will clear up as the keys break in..

Since this is Stock clears, the grittiness is accentuated by the high spring force.. so it feels EXTRA rough..

But yea.. it absolutely smooths out a bit over time..   


and By smooth out over time..  it's something like 10,000 keypresses.. Sooooo... yea.. start typing..

[Valen]

As suggested I started typing to try to smooth out asap and I think it is working, but I think most of is is my getting used to the grittiness.
I could not stand typing on those cheap feeling key caps anymore and stole the ones on my QF. To my surprise, the o-rings that I had on the key caps removed some of the grittiness. I do bottom out so less key travel means less friction. A black key cap set and more o-rings are in the mail.
This is how it looks like now.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I am not sure that you need O rings with clears — I figured out how to not bottom them out pretty quickly.

[Jumpjet]

Really lovely aesthetic going on there Valen

Grittiness (or chalkiness), can be very subjective. My first set of reds felt horribly chalky, but returning to reds after a year on blues, they felt silky smooth. I've been amusing myself with Romer switches lately and compared to my Borwns and Blues, they felt a little bit chalky, but returning to them after trying Topre switches....ugh. That HiPro makes everything else feel like it's been buried in a sand dune for a year. In fact they're all fine ( well, the dury's out on the Romer). It just takes time to re-tune to the way they work.

[swill]

I am not sure that you need O rings with clears — I figured out how to not bottom them out pretty quickly.

If you always bottom out anyway, orings on clears can be really nice.