Why Cherry MX Blacks?

[Binge]

One of the first boards I ever owned had Black switches.  That board basically went as quickly as it came and I snatched up brown switches.  The tactile bump was one of the reasons I really appreciate mechanical switches.  Linear switches have their place, and I totally see it in Reds being easy to actuate and quick to repeat without much effort.  Blacks are often recommended for people with heavy hands as a starter mech, but I also see blacks on some very expensive boutique boards...

So the question I want to know is... Why blacks?  What do people like about them?  How do you make your blacks a better experience?

[Skull_Angel]

It's all about personal preference.

[FoxWolf1]

As with most switchly matters, it comes down to different people liking different things. Personally, I like MX Black because:
-They're smooth, which feels nice.
-They're heavy enough that I can type properly on them-- i.e. not 1203912039 unwanted extra keypresses.
-They deactivate rapidly, and can also be re-activated rapidly, which is useful for gaming.
-Heavy springs absorb enough energy that I don't bottom out super-hard.

[JaccoW]

Blacks are used in a lot of POS boards in shops because they are hard-wearing and will still feel pretty good after years of use.
They are probably the most sold switch worldwide and easy to come by.

[reaper]

I've always been a fan of heavy switches.  Topre 55g, BS, Cherry MX black, etc.  Most of my boards have black switches on them (including the imported ones).

[Binge]

It's all about personal preference.

If you've got some preference I'd love to hear about it.  Blacks seem like they are getting some high praise here, but the people who prefer these switches seem to have been pretty quiet.

I have had a brown board I use daily since 2010, and it does not feel the same as it had when I purchased the board.  That's not a bad thing, but JaccoW mentioned blacks wear in well.  Any other interesting bits of info about blacks?

[xsphat]

I had a couple 'boards with MX blacks, and I liked them. I hammer the keys though, and don't really care much about the tactile bump, so that could explain why that is.

[esoomenona]

.

[Lanx]

preference?

initial blacks were the "gaming switches" cuz of steel series a few years back

availability, since so many POS keyboards are resold and many with blacks, its a good number.

[Deverica Wolf]

I prefer Blacks for gaming because they are smooth but need a little pressure to press. No accidental key presses here. I've used my Reds for gaming too but they are a bit loose for me. I hate Blacks for typing but love Reds.

Browns are great too but I find the bump to get in the way slightly.

[Mainian]

I used a Poker with blacks in a recent Programming competetion.

Honestly, I've grown to like my $60 poker w/ blacks more than my $150 Filco Majestouch-2 w/ blues.

Although, I would say I have yet to pull my Majestouch off my desk and put my Poker on. I do use bother frequently and take my Poker to work 3 times a week.

[Rinsaku]

Blacks is pretty much the only switch i haven't tried, besides some of the rare alps orange/yellow.
I really want to get a hold of one soon even though i didn't really care for clears.

[kriminal]

I had a couple 'boards with MX blacks, and I liked them. I hammer the keys though, and don't really care much about the tactile bump, so that could explain why that is.

pretty much this and gaming, my Deck with blacks is my main driver at home

[iBro]

Most people who hate on black switches right away usually come from lighter switches, or don't understand how to type on black switches. When you are, you really shouldn't be bottoming out much at all. The spring is heavy enough so that your fingers should just be floating along from key to key like their bouncing from cloud to cloud. Like other have said, it's all personal preference. I have used black switches for awhile and they were good, but I ended up liking red switches better, mostly because I like being able to bottom out the switch. Personally, I hate brown switches. They feel like a red switch that has a few grains of sand in it. The tactility is undetectable when typing at any type of speed. In my opinion if you need tactility you have to pick alps, mx blues, or buckling spring.

[mbc]

...because they are the best.
maybe less hipster than all those bumpy clicky alternatives, but .. still the best

[trentva]

black is a cool color

[Binge]

From my experience with browns it almost feels like the switch is a little more loose than other switches with heavier springs.  The stable feeling of the keys is one of my favorite attributes of a keyboard.  Correct me if I'm wrong people but browns feel more loose, while blues feel less loose, and blacks feel like rocks.

[gameaholic]

I've tried blacks and I like them but what is the difference in feel between blacks and vintage blacks?

[Bry]

blacks feel like rocks

I prefer Blacks

Browns are great too

Blacks seem like they are getting some high praise here

interesting bits of info about blacks

I've tried blacks and I like them

This thread so racist T.T

[Binge]

I've tried blacks and I like them but what is the difference in feel between blacks and vintage blacks?

Maybe the pros can lend more input here, but I believe there is a difference in the spring.

[rowdy]

I've tried blacks and I like them but what is the difference in feel between blacks and vintage blacks?

Maybe the pros can lend more input here, but I believe there is a difference in the spring.

I asked a similar thing a while back, in this thread: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36485.msg696041

[xsphat]

maybe less hipster than all those bumpy clicky alternatives, but .. still the best

lol

[bounce]

i have to say i liked the blacks on my g80 but couldnt stand them on my SS7G so i switched them to blues and have yet to test them.
i guess pcb/plate mount makes a huge impact and its not just black or not black then.

[Finwens]

I bought my steelseries 6gv2 with black switches without trying any of them, because it's hard to find mechanical keyboards in my country. I got it because I mainly play BF3, so I thought it would be a good idea. And omg, I love this ****er here. It's so good for playing games AND typing, imo. I read a lot about the four main switches, and blacks were said to give fatigue. That's true on the first three days, then it's gone, at least for me. I can type for hours and hours just fine with this keyboard.

Bought a MX Blue keychain some days ago, looking forward to try it. I don't have any interest in reds, because I think they are too light and now that I'm used to blacks, it would be a horrible experience. And browns seems nice, but meh, I think only blues have true feedback.

[Binge]

Blues feel like breaking thin ice with your fingers. 

[Skull_Angel]

It's all about personal preference.

If you've got some preference I'd love to hear about it.  Blacks seem like they are getting some high praise here, but the people who prefer these switches seem to have been pretty quiet.

I have had a brown board I use daily since 2010, and it does not feel the same as it had when I purchased the board.  That's not a bad thing, but JaccoW mentioned blacks wear in well.  Any other interesting bits of info about blacks?

I personally like the light linear feel of MX Reds myself, though I could stand a little heavier; I've been hearing about vintage MX Blacks and would love to try them from the sound of it. A lot my time on the computer is spent gaming and most of that in MMOs, so I can put my keyboard's gaming area (~ 1 2 3 4 5 Tab Q W E R T A S D F G Shift Z X C V Ctrl Alt Shift) through marathon sessions; lighter actuation force than current MX Black is just more comfortable, though I don't mind it if I'm just typing.

As for tactility; I thought something like MX Browns would have been nice when I first considered Cherry MX, but after a long debate with myself whether to order Brown or Red I decided to give Red a chance and have never turned back. I have gotten the chance to try other variants of Cherry MX since, but so far Red is still my preference for generally everything (though that may change if I ever get a chance to try out vintage Blacks, lol).

[furosuto81]

I prefer Blacks for gaming because they are smooth but need a little pressure to press. No accidental key presses here. I've used my Reds for gaming too but they are a bit loose for me. I hate Blacks for typing but love Reds.

Browns are great too but I find the bump to get in the way slightly.

Funny...I feel exactly the opposite. I prefer typing on blacks and gaming on reds. And I prefer both to browns, which I don't like at all. I'd say for typing Blue / Black > Red > Brown. But I prefer ALPS over all those, which tend to be a bit heavier

[Sinzz]

I prefer blacks as well, mainly because it feels like you're barely pressing down the key and you're already typing. Then, if you want to game hard, you can mash the keys and they don't feel like they're going to break. They also feel like high quality keys because of that whole... solid quality feel when typing. The only thing I don't like about MX black keyboards are the space bars because my thumb still bottoms those out and it wears on my thumbs after a while, but my fingers can type on the keys all day with little fatigue.

Only problem now, is that I love the clicking of my blues and after typing on the blues for a while, it's hard to get back into the blacks because I start bottoming out on the keys and my fingers get tired faster because of it. Damn the blues for sounding so nice to type on 

[JaccoW]

Only problem now, is that I love the clicking of my blues and after typing on the blues for a while, it's hard to get back into the blacks because I start bottoming out on the keys and my fingers get tired faster because of it. Damn the blues for sounding so nice to type on 

Time for Greens?

[Binge]

Has anyone here ever used blacks with dampeners and have any experience they'd be willing to share?

[flaming_june]

For many new users of mechanical, especially back in the day, blacks were the only ones avail to them in "gaming" keyboards.  So their first mechanical had always been blacks.  Thus many of them really felt black was a great switch, being a huge step up from old logitech boards.  I personally use a hhkb for typing, and the TT esports gunit blacks for gaming.  The only reason why I use that blacks keyboard is b/c it has the double column of extra macro keys that nobody else has.  Otherwise, I'd have switch out of blacks long time ago.  No tactile feedback is a real downer.

[rowdy]

I haven't had my QFR with MX blacks for long, and played even less games on it than I woudl have liked, but I think I am finding a preference for blacks for games (over blues, that is).

[blighty]

Has anyone here ever used blacks with dampeners and have any experience they'd be willing to share?

If by dampeners you mean o-rings, I like it. It's a lot less noisy when you bottom out (sound levels depend on what keycaps are on the board, ex: pbt, SP doubleshots, Cherry doubleshots, POM; plate mount/pcb mounted switches factor as well).  If you like to make noise while typing, you might not want to add them.  I also use o-rings on brown switches with vintage black springs, so I suppose I am just a fan of heavier switches.

[MissMurd3r84]

Been using blacks for about 5 hours now. I don't see any issues with them so far. I usually use brown or blues, but thought it was time to venture out a bit.

[SmallFry]

I just started using them as well. I make all sorts of typos since I don't know when it actuates without that tactile bump of my ergo-clears.

[Sinzz]

Only problem now, is that I love the clicking of my blues and after typing on the blues for a while, it's hard to get back into the blacks because I start bottoming out on the keys and my fingers get tired faster because of it. Damn the blues for sounding so nice to type on 

Time for Greens?

I've considered greens, but no many boards that I like have them and I'm not ready to go swapping switches on my current keyboard. Would like to give them a try though.

[gigibecali]

From my experience with browns it almost feels like the switch is a little more loose than other switches with heavier springs.  The stable feeling of the keys is one of my favorite attributes of a keyboard.  Correct me if I'm wrong people but browns feel more loose, while blues feel less loose, and blacks feel like rocks.

You are correct. Same feeling here.