What switches should I choose?

[Kiniro]

Hey Geekhack.

I'm getting ready to purchase my first mechanical keyboard, a Filco MJ2 Tenkeyless. My only dilemma is choosing the right switch--can you help me out?

I'll be using the keyboard mostly for gaming, although I'm also a technical writer so I'll use it for that as well. The game that I play most often is Starcraft 2.

I'm leaning toward brown switches, but I can easily be persuaded otherwise if it seems like a better fit for me.

[Playtrumpet]

Browns may eventually start to feel like reds, or less stable reds really. You might consider reds over browns, or if you really want the tactile bump, maybe look into ergo clears or consider blues. Just some input.

[Djuzuh]

Brown is the safest bet. It's pretty neutral.

Blue is a lot of fun to type on.

[Occi]

Browns will probably suit you well. If you hate it you can always resell it for a little loss (if you don't have to pay ****loads of taxes like in Norway) and buy another one. The keyboard guides all describes the use for the different switches very precisely, there's nothing they won't tell you that the forum can for the most part.

[Djuzuh]

Well, if your country would have joined the EU you could buy from the keyboardco without any taxes or custom delay.

[Kiniro]

Alright, thanks for your help guys!

[Kiniro]

Welcome to Geekhack!  Filco is a great choice!

Thanks! I've heard nothing but great things about Filcos.

[Occi]

Thanks! I've heard nothing but great things about Filcos.

I've read a lot about Filcos the last couple of days since I was going to buy (and now have ordered) one myself, and the one thing that has come up a couple of times is that people don't always like that they're pretty high by default, i.e. if you're used to a low profile keyboard it might bother you. Most mechanical keyboards are "high", but some say it's higher/have a higher profile than others. Haven't compared myself though.

I'm currently using Logitech Illuminated which is only max 0.9cm in height, also with flat laptopish-keys, so it's going to be a big change for sure. I considered maybe buying a wristrest/palmrest because of this, but some people say this isn't ergonomically good for your hands, so going to try first. Some people also whine about the price and say that Leopolds give just as much as Filcos but I'm sceptical to be honest since Filcos has been said to be sturdier.. And as far as I know Leopold doesn't have ISO layout (in my case, swedish/finnish filco) so they're not really an alternative.

I already write ~110-120 wpm in my language so changing out for ANSI and possibly destroying that would be a disaster