Not quite finished testing Cherry mx keyboards, I am seeking advice about Cherry vs Costar-type stabilizers and corresponding TKL keyboards. This is partly for my sake, but mostly for a colleague who is determined to go with a Cherry mx TKL keyboard (preferably non-backlit)
While I appreciate the convenience of Cherry stabilizers when changing keycaps on stabilized keys, I prefer the feel of Costar-type stabilizers.
It is possible to do a "clip" mod on Cherry stabilizers to make them feel more like Costar-type stabilizers, but this entails desoldering the stabilized keys -- something I would rather not do (and something I am certain my colleague will not want to do).
Given these preferences, I was all set to recommend a TKL board with Costar-type stabilizers (such as a Filco, CM QFR, or WASD V2), but now I have seen several posts about incompatibilities with thick PBT keycaps -- in particular, those made by Leopold and Ducky (interesting that keyboards made by these companies use Cherry stabilizers!). People encountering this problem are resorting to sanding the inside of the keycap to remove the surface that is rubbing on the stabilizer wire. This appears easier to do than desoldering switches on keyboards with Cherry stabilizers, although it seems a pity that such a workaround is necessary.
Recommendations welcome on non-backlit Cherry mx TKL boards with Cherry (e.g., Ducky, Kul, Leopold, others?) vs Cherry mx TKL boards with Costar-type stabilizers (e.g., CM QFR, Filco, WASD, others?), including any observations on the thick PBT keycap issue with Costar-type stabilizers.
