How do Cherry Clears sound vs. Browns?

[craZivn]

So, I've been bouncing around Youtube trying to get an idea of the difference between Cherry Browns and Clears. I noticed that when the Browns were pressed lightly, they were almost silent as opposed to Blues, which of course have a click no matter how hard you press them.

However, there was no vid that I could find that showed Clears being pressed lightly. So I'm wondering if they have a more audible feedback than Browns?

I want a clicky board, but the Blues seem a bit loud and high-pitched. I'm wondering if the Clears would provide a happy medium between Browns and Blues.

I've also heard that the Clears have a sharper tactile "bump" than Browns, is this true?

Thanks!
CZI

[.XL]

The (ghetto) clears I'm using do have a more pronounce tactile bump than browns (much nicer IMO, maybe because of the weight) and also are a tad louder.

To get an idea of the sound, put your ear close to the brown when you lightly press a key. You will hear a light sound. That sound is just a little quieter than the sound of clears, but not something you will notice a difference in during regular use.

I can't comment on bottoming out noise since my ghetto clears are PCB mounted and my browns are plate mounted.

[craZivn]

Just to clear things up, I don't have a mech keyboard, looking at ordering one the beginning of next week though. So all my impressions of the sounds are from web videos. Sorry if I gave the impression of owning one already.

I'll do a search on "ghetto clears" as opposed to regular ones. I don't think I've read that term before.

Thanks for the help!
CZI

[kaiserreich]

Clears has a larger tactile bump than the blues.
Ghetto clears are probably a combination of the Brown Stem + Black spring

On my switch try numpad, I am more prone to bottoming out the browns than the clears, and this make the clear sound quieter due to the non bottoming out.

I hope this helps

[1839cc]

Ghetto clears are probably a combination of the Brown Stem + Black spring

This is not quite an acurate representation of clears as their tactile bump is larger and more blunt than the browns.

On my switch try numpad, I am more prone to bottoming out the browns than the clears, and this make the clear sound quieter due to the non bottoming out.

I agree with this. If you hammer them down they sound about the same. At least my PCB mounted ones do.

[.XL]

Just to clear things up, I don't have a mech keyboard, looking at ordering one the beginning of next week though. So all my impressions of the sounds are from web videos. Sorry if I gave the impression of owning one already.

I'll do a search on "ghetto clears" as opposed to regular ones. I don't think I've read that term before.

Thanks for the help!
CZI

If you are looking for a first mech board my advice to you is to buy a cheap used one of eBay. You can find cheap Cherry boards with black stems and cheap Compaq boards with brown stems, but I think the blues, reds, and clears will be harder to find for cheap.

I would suggest buying a cheap Cherry with blacks and a cheap Compaq with browns to see if you prefer the tactile or the linear feel, and then go from there.

For example, if you get both and prefer the blacks but like the lightness of browns, get a red board. If you like the hardness of blacks but the bump of browns, the clears are for you. If you find you like the tactile bump but would like something with a more pronounced feel and an accompanying sound, grab a nice blue board.

[manfaux]

So, I've been bouncing around Youtube trying to get an idea of the difference between Cherry Browns and Clears. I noticed that when the Browns were pressed lightly, they were almost silent as opposed to Blues, which of course have a click no matter how hard you press them.

However, there was no vid that I could find that showed Clears being pressed lightly. So I'm wondering if they have a more audible feedback than Browns?

I want a clicky board, but the Blues seem a bit loud and high-pitched. I'm wondering if the Clears would provide a happy medium between Browns and Blues.

I've also heard that the Clears have a sharper tactile "bump" than Browns, is this true?

Thanks!
CZI

nope, the clears sound just as silent as the brown if you press the keys gently. However in everyday typing the clears do sound a little louder because you'll tend to spam the key harder due to the increased actuation force compared to the browns.

[craZivn]

I'll probably go for the blues then, I definitely want tactile over linear. And I'm pretty sure I'm going to want audible feedback, so I'll put up with the higher pitch of the blues. Who knows, I might even like it.

Buying a couple used ones off of Ebay is a good idea, but frankly I'm not that patient. I'd rather spring for one board even though I'll end up spending more in the long run if I don't like the Blues.

BTW, I found no definition for "ghetto clear" in the Geekhack Wiki, although other "ghetto" keys were explained. Just pointing it out.

Thanks all for the help!

CZI

[.XL]

BTW, I found no definition for "ghetto clear" in the Geekhack Wiki, although other "ghetto" keys were explained. Just pointing it out.

When stuff like this comes up we need something like the bat sign, but for ripster.

[False_Dmitry_II]

So giant legos?

[REVENGE]

Soundwise, they're fairly similar, it really depends on how hard you type. My current daily driver with Clears is the quietest mechanical keyboard I own, because I don't bottom out when I type. With Browns, I normally bottom out ~80% of the time. The muffled click sound of the tactile bump is also less pronounced, but I have a used board that's been in very dirty conditions, so it might not be representative of a switch in its prime.

Also, the tactility of Browns and Clears is like nothing compared to Blues. If you want the tactile feel of Blues, there is no substitute.

[Curetia]

I have a Filco Majestouch 2 german Layout with Browns and a Cherry G80-3000 german Layout with Clears.
The quality of the Filco is much better than the Cherry, but I bottom out mostly the browns. If I type with the clears I dont bottom out mostly, because you need much more force after the point where the signal was send. So for me the Clears are not as loud as the Browns.
I want a Filco with Cherry Clears or a Deck Legend in german Layout *Cry*

[.XL]

It's in the Cherry Key wiki under "Ergo" Clear.  Don't want to be racist you know.

I have found that most things are in a Wiki somewhere but Gotham City inhabitants seem to be illiterate.

I haven't read the wiki in months, and I don't have the contents memorized

[.XL]

The rest of the forum is dedicated to KL and RiGS snipping at each other like Donald Trump at Obama.

...LOL.

I rarely reference the wiki. I should start doing that more when I have questions

Thank you Herr Ripster.