I previously posted wondering about the volume difference between buckling springs and Cherry blue switches, looking for a new keyboard to try out at work. I ended up deciding to go with the Cherry switches, and went for a WASD board due to the combination of good build quality (discerned from reviews) and customization options (I got it with all blank light-gray keycaps). I've been using it all day at work for just over a week now and wanted to post my thoughts. My previous "daily driver" is a Kinesis Advantage USB.
The keyboard as a whole feels much "tighter" than the Kinesis. This is probably in large part because of the shape of the Kinesis. But overall, the WASD is the first really good build quality keyboard I've used (not counting decent laptops) and the difference is more noticeable than I expected it would be.
I really like the blue switches. I'm still no good at typing [quickly] without bottoming out but the heavier weight (compared with the browns in the Kinesis) and what feels like a crisper engagement point are nice. I'm not sure how much of the "crisp" feeling is due to the switches and how much is due to a sturdier mounting plate vs the curved PCBs in the Kinesis. Either way it's pretty satisfying to type on. Feeling the difference between the blues and browns makes me want to try some of the other switch types, particularly blacks. WASD offers a sampler package that comes with one switch of each type they offer, as well as o-ring dampers and keycap samples, so that might be a convenient way to see what they feel like.
As far as loudness -- it is perceptibly louder than the Kinesis. The Kinesis has a much more muffled sound to it and the WASD it much sharper. It's not *that* much louder though and it's certainly tolerable. Haven't gotten any complaints from co-workers yet. However in retrospect I'm glad I didn't go for the Unicomp because I don't think I'd be comfortable with anything louder than this one. Buckling springs will have to wait until such a point as I decide to switch back to desktops at home or stop using the laptop keyboard for some reason.
The transition to blank keycaps has been interesting, and a little challenging in ways I didn't foresee. "Normal" typing of words and numbers is fine (and I'm enjoying having a numeric keypad again). While the symbols above the numbers trip me up a little bit, the bigger problem has been miscellaneous typing of a few characters or a hotkey when I'm not sitting in normal typing position. For example, sitting back and reading code, scrolling around, (as opposed to sitting "correctly" with my hands on the home row), I'll occasionally hit the wrong key. I'm getting used to it, and I think this will force me to use better hand positions when using a standard layout keyboard.
Overall awesome keyboard though. Very happy with the purchase, and would recommend WASD to others.
