who think Linear just Boring?

[jacethesaltsculptor]

I can't do Linears, they have to be clicky, or they have to be tactile at the very least.

That said, lets set up a scenario: I'm given a mechanical keyboard free of charge that are cherry reds, and I only have another rubber dome to use.

I would use the reds, but only because they are there and not the domes. I only ever choose rubber domes for the quiet, and not even always that.

For me the clickier the better, IBM Buckling springs in either the Model M or F, or if it's a cherry/Gateron switch, it's the greens and blues.

I do think that the Kailh Navy boxes, and jades though have something going on. I may give them a try in something soon.

[Sintpinty]

Previously I was using Cherry Browns, which is quite close to liner, I like those keys a lot, then I tried to downsize my keyboard from 108 keys to 87 keys and ended up with Gateron Blue keys. Geez, I got a lot of complaint from my wife who can't stand my 60wpm typing speed. She said it's as if she was in the battlefield hearing machine-guns fire.

Last week, in order to attempt her satisfied, I bought an AnnePro II keyboard with Gateron Red keys. Feels like the most un-mechanical typing feel I've had. But at least, no more complaint from my wife. Happy wife means happy life. Who said linear switches are boring? 

Just play a recording of my typing all over again and she'll get really mad

[Rob27shred]

I used to feel linears were boring & not fun to type on up until recently. I recently built a 60% with Gat Yellows & have fallen in love with the feel I got out of them. I lubed them with GPL107 & the feel is easily the most buttery smooth switch I have felt yet. 107 seems to be the special sauce for linears IME.

[Sintpinty]

I used to feel linears were boring & not fun to type on up until recently. I recently built a 60% with Gat Yellows & have fallen in love with the feel I got out of them. I lubed them with GPL107 & the feel is easily the most buttery smooth switch I have felt yet. 107 seems to be the special sauce for linears IME.

Like the weight?

[Maledicted]

My very first mechanical keyboard (that I'm aware of anyway, many old boards have come and gone) had/has Cherry MX Reds. I have used them nearly daily since them, interspersed with actual typing keyboards on other systems. I got them specifically for the qualities of a light linear switch for gaming. I still consider those qualities worth having for that specific niche. If I did not have a need for that niche, I would likely never use them again, but they're still not terrible to type on if there's nothing clicky nearby.

I would say that I would rather have linears than most modern tactile switches I have felt too though.

[treeleaf64]

I've come to really like the sound and feel of linears, especially Green Alps.

I can certainly understand why they're not for everyone, though. Some nice light linears with a more steep spring curve are really nice for soft bottom-out, but it's easy enough for my hands to float along happily over some MX Reds even, and they're certainly great for FPS gaming.

I still prefer Topre, though, as an everyday switch.

Lol, I don't know anyone who DOESN'T like some good Green Alps after they've tried them. They have a perfect weighting, are very smooth, and of course have the great Alps soundtrack.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

I've come to really like the sound and feel of linears, especially Green Alps.

I can certainly understand why they're not for everyone, though. Some nice light linears with a more steep spring curve are really nice for soft bottom-out, but it's easy enough for my hands to float along happily over some MX Reds even, and they're certainly great for FPS gaming.

I still prefer Topre, though, as an everyday switch.

Lol, I don't know anyone who DOESN'T like some good Green Alps after they've tried them. They have a perfect weighting, are very smooth, and of course have the great Alps soundtrack.

I really do want to try some alps someday, everyone speaks fairly highly of them.

[OtherBarry1992]

Linears have always been boring for me

[nathanchere]

Cheap linears are just boring.
Decent linears in a suitable build are one of the most delightfully clacky things on earth.
Decent silenced linears with light springs are a unique experience unto themselves.

[bananasplit_00]

Yah i am not a fan of linear switches, they are very boring. Tactile is my go to, preferably silenced ones too very rarely mash my keys all the way down so i like the bump to tell me when i have pressed a switch and can release and its just very pleasing to press a tactile or clicky

[mizer357]

Cheap linears are just boring.
Decent linears in a suitable build are one of the most delightfully clacky things on earth.
Decent silenced linears with light springs are a unique experience unto themselves.

Agreed.

[flurryvelvet]

Cheap linears are just boring.
Decent linears in a suitable build are one of the most delightfully clacky things on earth.
Decent silenced linears with light springs are a unique experience unto themselves.

Smooth linears are heaven.

[chyros]

It took a great linear for me to "get" linears.

That said, I use switches of all three persuasions. Although it's difficult to get a good tactile now xD .

[el_murdoque]

I always have a bit of a problem when switching between linear and clicky - for the first few minutes at least. When my muscle memory is attuned to a linear board with light key presses and I start using something clicky which requires a lot more force, it feels tiring to use that board and I often don't register the key presses because I don't push hard enough when typing fast.
It's rather worse when I go back - say from a Model M to MX red. I will totally mess up typing for the next hour. Especially the handling of the shift keys will be a nightmare, often having the second letter of the word as a capital and getting many double keystrokes on letters.

But I must say that a linear switch needs to be a good linear switch. They need to be precise and smooth.
That's why I prefer the MX browns to the reds. Browns are not really tactile, they are scratchy. Reds are not really smooth, they are scratchy. A set of worn in browns could easily be confused with reds. I prefer the feeling of a switch that suggests it was tactile 10 million operations ago but that has worn down to a scratchy feeling along the travel of the stem to the feeling of we-tried-to-make-it-super-smooth-but-failed.

I can, however, appreciate any good switch design. I don't like them too heavy and I'm not that big a fan of super loud clicky noises, though.
But give me a switch that feels (to me) like it's worth the effort and I will take it and about fifty thousand words later typing on it will be second nature.

[directheatedtriode]

Although it's difficult to get a good tactile now xD .

I think the Holy Panda tactility is even more satisfying than SKCM Orange. This is the first Cherry stem switch that I truly like.

[chyros]

Although it's difficult to get a good tactile now xD .

I think the Holy Panda tactility is even more satisfying than SKCM Orange. This is the first Cherry stem switch that I truly like.

Well, I still don't have a set of these switches, so I can't comment xD .

[Rob27shred]

You know I thought this for a long time & just could not get into using linear switches. Although recently that has changed for me. I guess I'm starting to embrace Chyros' view that linear is the only switch type that lends itself to the MX design & clicky or tactile is much better with other switch designs (chiefly ALPS SKCM for tactile/clicky & Kahil clickbar switches for a MX compatibile clicky IMO). Now don't get me wrong I am not saying MX switches are the best linears, far from it in fact. What I am saying is that MX linears are the best the MX design has to offer IMO.

I've chased the Holy Pandas & all it's variants, been using V1 & V2 Zealios since I discovered them, honestly up till the last couple months I was a hardcore tactile fan. Then for some reason I got it in my head that I should try out a build with medium/light weighted linears. So I grabbed a Klippe-T, a brass universal 60% plate, a Cannonkeys Instant60 Tsangan edition HS PCB, a batch of Gateron Yellows for it, & some GPL107 to try out with them. Dropped the clear Gateron tops in lieu of black Cherry tops (Chellows is what I have heard this combo called), filmed them with TX films, & lubed up the all the switch parts with the 107. The end result has turned into my daily driver recently & now when I go back to my tactile MX builds they just don't feel as good as they once had. I doubt I'll ever completely drop using MX tactile switches, but my favorite MX style has definitely shifted from medium heavy tactiles to medium light linears.

[treeleaf64]

You know I though this for a long time & just could not get into using linear switches. Although recently that has changed for me. I guess I'm starting to embrace Chyros' view that linear is the only switch type that lends itself to the MX design & clicky or tactile is much better with other switch designs (chiefly ALPS SKCM for tactile/clicky & Kahil clickbar switches for a MX compatibile clicky IMO). Now don't get me wrong I am not saying MX switches are the best linears, far from it in fact. What I am saying is that MX linears are the best the MX design has to offer IMO.

I've chased the Holy Pandas & all it's variants, been using V1 & V2 Zealios since I discovered them, honestly up till the last couple months I was a hardcore tactile fan. Then for some reason I got it in my head that I should try out a build with medium/light weighted linears. So I grabbed a Klippe-T, a brass universal 60% plate, a Cannonkeys Instant60 Tsangan edition HS PCB, a batch of Gateron Yellows for it, & some GPL107 to try out with them. Dropped the clear Gateron tops in lieu of black Cherry tops (Chellows is what I have heard this combo called), filmed them with TX films, & lubed up the all the switch parts with the 107. The end result has turned into my daily driver recently & now when I go back to my tactile MX builds they just don't feel as good as they once had. I doubt I'll ever completely drop using MX tactile switches, but may favorite MX style has definitely shifted from medium heavy tactiles to medium light linears.

I think you're right. Linear MX have the best sound and feel. Some of the aftermarket switches are REALLY smooth!

[Sintpinty]

You know I though this for a long time & just could not get into using linear switches. Although recently that has changed for me. I guess I'm starting to embrace Chyros' view that linear is the only switch type that lends itself to the MX design & clicky or tactile is much better with other switch designs (chiefly ALPS SKCM for tactile/clicky & Kahil clickbar switches for a MX compatibile clicky IMO). Now don't get me wrong I am not saying MX switches are the best linears, far from it in fact. What I am saying is that MX linears are the best the MX design has to offer IMO.

I've chased the Holy Pandas & all it's variants, been using V1 & V2 Zealios since I discovered them, honestly up till the last couple months I was a hardcore tactile fan. Then for some reason I got it in my head that I should try out a build with medium/light weighted linears. So I grabbed a Klippe-T, a brass universal 60% plate, a Cannonkeys Instant60 Tsangan edition HS PCB, a batch of Gateron Yellows for it, & some GPL107 to try out with them. Dropped the clear Gateron tops in lieu of black Cherry tops (Chellows is what I have heard this combo called), filmed them with TX films, & lubed up the all the switch parts with the 107. The end result has turned into my daily driver recently & now when I go back to my tactile MX builds they just don't feel as good as they once had. I doubt I'll ever completely drop using MX tactile switches, but may favorite MX style has definitely shifted from medium heavy tactiles to medium light linears.

I think you're right. Linear MX have the best sound and feel. Some of the aftermarket switches are REALLY smooth!

Wouldn't say the same for my mx reds. Vintage blacks, alright.