How does the WASD sampler kit work?

[222lu222]

Hey guys I have been looking at buying a new keyboard since my membrane keyboard broke, and since I spend lots of time typing and gaming on my computer I feel like I deserve a mechanical keyboard but I don't know which switches I would like so someone recommended a sampler kit from WASD, my question is how does this work? Would I have to have a keyboard to see how they would feel or can you try them without having to put them on a keyboard? Thanks for the help I am new to these forums and mechanical keyboards. Thanks in advance 

[alaricljs]

They work better if you have a mechanical keyboard with one of the sampler switches so you can gauge the difference between the switch in and out of a KB and then compare all the switches outside of a board.

You might be better off looking for a switch-try board.  While I wander around looking for those threads, I'm sure someone else will post a link.

[IvanIvanovich]

I usually recommend getting something like a cheap Cherry G80 as a good start to trying things out. This particular one I linked will have brown type switch. You can easily change the switch type on these since they are not plate mounted to open the switches with a small screwdriver or what not and put the stem and spring from the sample pack. Not having the switches on a keyboard doesn't give as good as an indication. Also these are ok keyboard to have to get used to the feeling difference of MX keyboard while you do your research on what keyboard you may like the best before spending more money. If you find you don't like G80 you can usually find someone around here willing to pay most or all of what you paid for it.

[shifted]

Yeah you can put the keycaps on the switches they give and then just play with them.  I got one of the samplers and it is really tough to tell if you would actually like typing on them just based on the sampler.  It was neat though to feel the different switches.  Red vs black are almost impossible to know which you would like better based on the sampler. 

Max keyboard sells them as well.  Although I see wasd comes with a clear switch now....it didn't a few weeks ago.

http://www.maxkeyboard.com/max-keyboard-keycap-cherry-mx-switch-o-ring-sampler-kit.html

[tp4tissue]

Hey guys I have been looking at buying a new keyboard since my membrane keyboard broke, and since I spend lots of time typing and gaming on my computer I feel like I deserve a mechanical keyboard but I don't know which switches I would like so someone recommended a sampler kit from WASD, my question is how does this work? Would I have to have a keyboard to see how they would feel or can you try them without having to put them on a keyboard? Thanks for the help I am new to these forums and mechanical keyboards. Thanks in advance 

Hahaha...  What tremendous sense of entitlement, the rest of the plebs just want a mk board, you Deserve one..

[mattics]

The sampler kit is good if you want to do one or more of the following;
A) Switch out a switch (or just stem and spring) on your existing board to get an idea of what a switch is like. Playing with the switch in your hand might give you a rough idea of the differences between linear and tactile but that is about it.
B) Have a play with O rings - Even though 5 of each is hard to tell what typing will be like and for the price you might as well just buy a full set.
C) See what all the colours that WASD offer look like in real life.
D) Fill out your collection of random keyboard stuff 

If you live somewhere near a large computer store they may have some mechanical keyboards from the bigger brands (in components, not necessarily mechanical keyboards) such as Corsair or Razer on show. I live in the UK and I know a few PC World Stores (yuk!) have some boards out, they are mostly if not all Red switches though.