Hey everyone,
Decided to post here first, rather than starting a new thread. I too have been contemplating different switches (keyboards), and decided to check my favorite electronics distributor. Sure enough, Digikey sells Cherry MX switches for around a dollar each, at least for the ones they have in stock.
Currently they have in stock types 1, C and E, which are standard black (linear), soft tactile (maybe brown, the datasheet lists clear), and tactile click blue.
So there you go! Rather than ordering an expensive keyboard to test out the switches, just buy a switch and a keycap (digikey has those too - or you could pull one off) and tap away. In fact, I may build up a little demo board to light a LED or something when the key is pressed...