I just found your forum yesterday and I found it very informative. I understand the differences between the Cherry MX switches on keyboards. However, I am having trouble deciding which one. I'm sure this gets asked a lot but, I have questions that are unique (hopefully).
I don't like the cherry mx blues because it seems that you have to back off the key further than the other cherries in order to get the key to reset and allow it to be actuated again. I could be wrong, though (that is why I'm asking =) ). Plus, I'm not a fan of the "click".
I don't really understand the point of blacks or reds because... what separates them from regular rubber dome keys? They make no click and they have no tactile feedback either. So, what is to indicate to you that the key has been depressed far enough aside from bottoming out the key? Do they still have a semi-tactile feedback compared to rubber domes? Based upon their design it doesn't appear that way (quick caveat: I have only tried the blues). I see the advantage of the blacks and especially the reds (just because the reds are lighter) because there is no tactile bump, there is no resistance there, so you can actuate the keys very rapidly (because you don't have to go over the bump over and over). But, I feel that because the bump is not there, you can never be sure if you actuated the key far enough (aside from looking at the screen and making sure the character was typed). I guess you could build muscle memory for it, and you wouldn't have to rely on the bump to let you know the key has been depressed far enough. But, I feel that you would probably still end up over-shooting the actuation point (even if it is by a small amount). I'm just guessing at all this. Please, let me know if I'm mistaken.
I'm leaning towards the browns because they don't click, they have a tactile indication that the key has been depressed far enough without bottoming out. And, because the bump is attached to the switch (unlike the blue) you can rapidly spam that character without bottoming out or coming completely off the key (the bump tells you when you have gone down/up far enough).
It appears to me that the browns are the second best for speed (bump slows you down) and best for accuracy (bump tells you exactly when you have actuated the key far enough), while the reds would be best for speed (no bump and light actuation force) and second best for accuracy (no bump to tell you when you have pressed the key far enough).
In contrast, I have also read that some people like the clears better than the browns because they have a more noticeable bump (I just figure that would slow you down and the brown would be enough). I have also heard that the extra resistance near the bottom of the reds prevents bottoming out and is basically a more "frictionless" brown.
Please, let me know what you think.
This is all speculation/hearsay but I really want to know the opinions of people that are far more knowledgeable than me.