Noob Cherry Red Question

[Homing Lasers]

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that a Filco with red switches feels significantly different than other keyboards with red switches. Is this some sort of insane tribal logic, or something that I might have remembered incorrectly? Can anyone confirm this, and if so, do any other keyboards with red switches feel the same way as a Filco?

[Hyde]

lol really?  I'm curious now too cuz I actually got a Filco MX Red keyboard but I have nothing else to compare to.  My other board is Das with MX Brown, can anyone confirm this?

[limmy]

If Cherry Red switches are mounted on PCB (as for Cherry keyboards) instead of metal plate(as for Filco), it would feel different.

Some say there are difference in feel across different batches of switches due to spring difference, but I have not personally experienced this and I am not really sure such difference is significant enough if it exists.

[jdcarpe]

What I can tell you from experience is that plate mounted switch keyboards, such as the Filco, feel much more solid than the same switch on a PCB mount keyboard, such as a Cherry, Poker, etc. I could not stand using ergo clears on my Poker, as they just felt "wobbly" to me. But I love ergo clears on my modded Filco. I sold my Poker with MX reds, but I love my Filco and Rosewill that each have plate mounted red switches. I tried MX blues on a Poker and couldn't use them either, but I think I might like blues on a plate mounted keyboard. The "feel" of a keyboard is a very subjective thing, but overall I think that plate mounting makes for a more enjoyable typing experience.

[Th3KAS]

What I can tell you from experience is that plate mounted switch keyboards, such as the Filco, feel much more solid than the same switch on a PCB mount keyboard, such as a Cherry, Poker, etc. I could not stand using ergo clears on my Poker, as they just felt "wobbly" to me. But I love ergo clears on my modded Filco. I sold my Poker with MX reds, but I love my Filco and Rosewill that each have plate mounted red switches. I tried MX blues on a Poker and couldn't use them either, but I think I might like blues on a plate mounted keyboard. The "feel" of a keyboard is a very subjective thing, but overall I think that plate mounting makes for a more enjoyable typing experience.

I'm relieved as I just took delivery of my first MX Red keyboard, a Filco in fact. I have heard that some prefer PCB mounted switches, but it may have been simply for the ease of modding.

[jdcarpe]

And I just want to add one thing. Please don't ever be afraid to ask a question here. Even a "noob" question. We were all keyboard noobs at one point, and most here are eager to help someone learn about our hobby. While none of us may be the "#1 Keyboard Expert on the Planet," between us there is amassed a great deal of knowledge about the subject.

And if no one has said it to you yet, welcome to Geekhack!

[Glissant]

I'll have to test this out when I get my Pure with red switches. Maybe they feel very different from my Filco linear R.

[Lethal Squirrel]

I have a plate mounded KBC poker with reds that used to be PCB mounted of course. The difference in feel between plate mounded and PCB mounted is very noticeable.
Plate mounted switches feel more solid, and have more of a deep sound. they are also less wiggly. The stabilized keys feel much better too IMO.

[ethos]

I can't believe you are actually making me nostalgic for Ripster.  He would have posted 30 times here that ALL CHERRY RED MX SWITCHES have the exactly same springs and hence will perform exactly the same, in terms of physics, and therefore any perceived difference is purely psychological, and is therefore not real.  PCB mounted switches will only be more annoying (due to the flexion of the PCB), and will not "feel" any better, than your plate-mounted Filco switches.  In closing, Ripster would have insulted you, and posted some stupid video, because he was an a$$hole.  But I will not.  I will simply say that all Cherry MX Red switches will all perform in virtually the same way regardless of the brand of keyboard, within a standard deviation or two of the mean (due to the normal distribution of manufacturing defects found in all manufacturing processes).  [If you do not understand what I am talking about take a statistics class.]   

[WRXChris]

plate mount vs. Pcb mount reds feel noticeabely different.  I have an mx red filco and poker, and the filco reds are noticeably smoother to type on; as others have said pcb mounted reds feel slightly wobbly and not as crisp or smooth.  I have also tried ergo clears and browns both plate and pcb mounted and the same applies to them. 

that being said, I still love my pokers for the form factor and sheer amount of mods available for them these days.  I have a plate otw for one of my pokers, and an alu case with plate for the other, so it shouldn't be long before I can confirm whether a plate-mounted poker has a filco-like typing feel (stabs aside)!

EDIT: In light of Tony's response below, I want to clarify that all of my comparisons were done with cherry DS keycaps eliminating that variable from the equation.  I agree that keycaps play a significant role in typing feel (and sound) and from my experience, higher profile OEM/Filco profile caps further accentuate the wobbly/mushy/scratchy feel of PCB mounted switches, relative to lower profile cherry or SP caps. 

[Tony]

Key feel = switch + keycap + plate.

So with the same switch (here is red), different brands and different keycaps can produce slightly different key feels.

[Hyde]

You sir is correct.  And I heard the sound of MX Red swtich is even more effected by keycap material compare to other switches.  I find even Filco and Das sound quite different and they're made by the same company lol