So excited about all the new switches popping up!

[EscapeVelocity]

Kailh (Cherry MX clone)
Apple Butterfly
Gateron (Cherry MX clone)
Greetech (Cherry MX clone)
Razer (Kailh) (Cherry MX clone)
Steel Series QS1 (Chrry MX clone)
Logitech Romer-G (Omron)
Topre (mechanical membrane)
Topre Electo-Capacitive Clones (mechanical membrane)
(Gaote) Outemu (Cherry MX clones)
Matias (Alps)


It's a mechanical switch Renaissance!

Just wish Alps had hung on a few more years.
Glad Unicomp carries on the IBM Buckling Spring tradition.

[SpAmRaY]

You forgot Matias.

[EscapeVelocity]

I did! Thanks for the correction! 

[demik]

Kaihl
Gateron
Greetech
Razer

can these really be called new switches? they're just cherry clones. sure, new switch maker.. but new switches is a stretch.

[EscapeVelocity]

EDIT: Bad info in quotes.

Greetech

Red
Brown
Blue
Clear
Black

Gateron

Blacks - 50g Linear
Blues - 55g Clicky
Clears - 35g Linear
Browns - 45g Tactile
Reds - 45g Linear
Yellows - 50g Linear

Razer

Orange - 45g Tactile
Green - 50g Clicky

Kailh

Blue - 60g Clicky
Black - 60g Linear
Red - 50g Linear
Brown - 60g Tactile
Yellow - 50g Linear

EDIT: Bad info in quotes.

[EscapeVelocity]

Is there also a Gaote switch?

[EscapeVelocity]

Hopefully one of these outfits will wise up and clone the Alps switch and bring back the Alps!

[Joey Quinn]

Hopefully one of these outfits will wise up and clone the Alps switch and bring back the Alps!

Matias???

[EscapeVelocity]

Are the Matias switches like Alps?  Im a bit in the dark about those, TBH

[Joey Quinn]

Matias are alps clones. They come in linear, tactile, and clicky.

[neverused]

Are the Matias switches like Alps?  Im a bit in the dark about those, TBH

Yes there is, I use some daily

Is there also a Gaote switch?

[Touch_It]

Matias will likely be about it for new alps, I'd assume.  Reason being you see tons of mx caps, group buys etc and pretty much nothing for alps besides Matias offerings.  However there is a successful  gb for alps modifiers that just wrapped up!

[Norman_the_Owl]

Apple butterfly?
That's not a new switch type.
That's literally just a super low travel membrane keyboard. It's so low travel they had to remove the rubber membrane, lol. It's just a metal plate that gets squashed down onto a contact

[False_Dmitry_II]

Are the Matias switches like Alps?  Im a bit in the dark about those, TBH

They say that Alps are highly subject to condition. I think they are right, and I must have gotten only bad condition clicky Alps. Which is why I like clicky Matias much more than any white alps I've ever used.

[EscapeVelocity]

Im pretty easy when it comes to key switches. 

[dante]

nm

[Blaise170]

Gaote is the same manufacturer as Outemu (OTM).

[EscapeVelocity]

I found this to be really helpful for people researching switches.

http://imgur.com/a/VUqVE

[MagicMan]

Is there a way to buy Topre switches? I do like all the different switches too it lets people fine tune what they like.

[Blaise170]

Topre isn't exactly a discrete switch, it's more like a series of switches that are molded together. You'd basically need a whole sheet of cup rubber or someone skilled enough to separate a Topre sheet into their own switch keychains as someone has done with buckling spring.

[MagicMan]

Topre isn't exactly a discrete switch, it's more like a series of switches that are molded together. You'd basically need a whole sheet of cup rubber or someone skilled enough to separate a Topre sheet into their own switch keychains as someone has done with buckling spring.

Ah okay, I never really looked into how they work. It would be cool to be able to make a keyboard with them.

[gaucho_81]

I am very curious about those two new switches presented at Computex, the Flaretech Switch (Adomax) and the Light Strike (A4Tech).
The Fraretech could potentially end up being a very big thing (The first?) analog/gradual switch, and both work with a infrared sensor, not by mechanical contact, sounds very interesting.
There is a post on the forums about the Flaretech, and there is also a video of the A4tech switch on Tek Syndicate.

[Oobly]

I'm not so excited. None of them make ErgoClear equivalent switches... Which is really odd to me, since it's the perfect MX style switch and I would have though the clone makers would have figured out how popular these would be, but I guess they haven't.

The closest is Matias quiet click, but I have read some experiences of poor long-term reliability (they develop chattering) and I don't like the wobbly caps. Not to mention the lack of new Alps keycap set options (there's only the Infinity DSA set and Matias stock sets).

[davkol]

You'd totally love early 90's. The Chinese were spewing one ****ty cheap knock off after another. Much excite indeed. Wow!

Looking at the list, it's

• Matias: an improved clone of Alps SKCM (a decades old design)
• Topre: a slightly improved decades old design
• one new switch from Omron
• one obscure scissor-switch variant
• a whole bunch of Cherry MX clones (a decades old design)

[fohat.digs]

I would love to see (actually, to feel) an advanced development in springs.

I would love to get a good, clean, clicky key that activated high up, and after activation the spring became rapidly and progressively stiffer.

That proably means 2 springs, a primary "normal" spring and a conical "bottom" spring.

Everybody could forget about O-rings, and you might get a good bounce-back for gaming.

[False_Dmitry_II]

Not sure why you'd want that, because that's actually one of my problems with cherry. Either it is too weak all around like blues or it still isn't enough resistance during typing like clears, but when just holding 'w' down to go forward, it is pushing back too hard and is tiring to continually hold it in place. This is mainly for FPS and the like, however.

RTS players who exclusively play the likes of starcraft or LoL may like that alot.

[rm-rf]

i will say that i would like to have one of these tester boards...

[Chromako]

Yes-more vafiety is generally good. I do hope the new Omron and Topre offerings are good. (I have doubts about Topre's analogue response switches as they will probably require a special driver to use the new feature,  and if anything should "just work,"  it's keyboards and watches,  and I want my $200+ keyboard to work with all versions of Windows and NT, DOS,  Mac- Darwin and Classic,  Linux flavour of the month,  poorly coded BIOSes (most of them,  honestly),  Midori, OS/2 Warp, OpenIndiana,  Plan 9, whatever. I deal with a lot of weird OS's,  and the keyboard needs to work from boot up.  If it doesn't,  it better have a very good excuse or be my own fault,  or  it's garbage .)

What bothers me is that a lot of these "new"  offerings are just Asian (okay,  Chinese)  clones of products which had their  patents  expire on them.  We have no idea how good their build quality is or how long they will actually last, and I don't  trust Kaillh's "60 million" number for a minute (FYI,  I'm Chinese myself,  if that means ans anything),  and Gateron's softer stems are asking for trouble in the long run.  Point is,  in the meanwhile,  we have a lot of companies that are converting to these clones for cost reasons,  some which are forgivable,  like the Chinese brands that are keeping production local,  to those that  have no excuse,  like Razor.  One of the major benefits of mechanicals is reliability,  and,  well,  I really hope we don't have to amend that.

 (Matias has been around for awhile and their stuff is great so long as you don't get a speck of dirt in them,  which is authentic Alps behaviour,  so the lesson is that not all clones are bad).  Also,  why do so many copy the Cherry designs? They feel terrible!  /rant

[Findecanor]

Steelseries QS1 is made by Kailh, branded for Steelseries. It is not a straight clone of Cherry MX but the inner mechanism has been patterned after Cherry MX. I would rather call it a cheaper alternative to Romer-G.

Razer switches are supposedly also the same as Kailh switches, but looks just like a later revision with the quality improved a bit. (not that Razer switches wouldn't have a bad reputation...)
I'm not sure if Kailh's regular switches have been upgraded also... That would be interesting to know.

Gateron has also made at least two revisions of Cherry MX clones. The first one (KS-1) has a square slider with a circular depression at the base of the stem. The later (KS-3) which has been in the recent GB here has mostly interchangeable parts with Cherry MX.

There is a post on the forums about the Flaretech, and there is also a video of the A4tech switch on Tek Syndicate.

Here you go.

I'm not so excited. None of them make ErgoClear equivalent switches...

I would like a smoother, less wobbly version of the stock Clear. With backlighting in the centre, lower profile, analogue sensing, longer life expectancy and rubber dampers on bottoming down and topping up with the most noise from the key being at actuation.

It could be done. A Topre switch with a clear silicone dome, a slightly modified dome shape and an additional metal spring (like Topre space bars) would do the trick... But I repeat myself.

[wlhlm]

i will say that i would like to have one of these tester boards...

Show Image

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=41927489594&spm=2014.12317209.0.0 :D

[divito]

As much as it's nice for lots of switch options to be appearing, I unfortunately fell in love with tactile grey in my daily driver and that's pretty much impossible to find.

[nmur]

As much as it's nice for lots of switch options to be appearing, I unfortunately fell in love with tactile grey in my daily driver and that's pretty much impossible to find.

iirc, clears have the same stem, and are a bit easier to find (still not all too common though). It might be easier to buy a set of clears and swap in some 80g~ springs if you wanted to fill a board.

[Blaise170]

I have those switches on the way to me as we speak. 

[divito]

iirc, clears have the same stem, and are a bit easier to find (still not all too common though). It might be easier to buy a set of clears and swap in some 80g~ springs if you wanted to fill a board.

As true as that is (and I do own a Clear board), I'm not into desoldering and such. Acquiring the springs, switches, and finding someone that offers to do the swap is more work and money than is really worth it.

[hwood34]

As much as it's nice for lots of switch options to be appearing, I unfortunately fell in love with tactile grey in my daily driver and that's pretty much impossible to find.

iirc, clears have the same stem, and are a bit easier to find (still not all too common though). It might be easier to buy a set of clears and swap in some 80g~ springs if you wanted to fill a board.

Something tells me it would be a bit easier to find grey switches than it would 80g springs

[Blaise170]

Something tells me it would be a bit easier to find grey switches than it would 80g springs

In my experience it is way easier to find heavier springs than lighter springs.

[nmur]

Something tells me it would be a bit easier to find grey switches than it would 80g springs

In my experience it is way easier to find heavier springs than lighter springs.

Could always just stack a gateron clear spring + red spring (=80g?) right? 

[Findecanor]

You can only compress them so much...

[hwood34]

You can only compress them so much...

never say never

[nmur]

You can only compress them so much...

never say never

believe

[Sigmoid]

Apple Butterfly

I've checked that out at the Apple Store... Calling that a "keyswitch" is like calling a pair of roller skates a "car". Calling it a "mechanical keyswitch" is like calling them a "sports car". Being excited by it is rather unwarranted.

You know those felt cover / keyboard thingies for the Surface Pro? That's exactly what it feels like. Or the buttons on a remote control from the 80s.

Kailh (Cherry MX clone)
Gateron (Cherry MX clone)
Greetech (Cherry MX clone)
Razer (Kailh) (Cherry MX clone)
Steel Series QS1 (Chrry MX clone)
(Gaote) Outemu (Cherry MX clones)

Is there anything exciting about MX clones? They are MX clones. Cheaper ways to get MX stems. As far as I understand, they tend to be inferior to actual Cherry MX switches... Or is there something I'm missing?

[Blaise170]

Is there anything exciting about MX clones? They are MX clones. Cheaper ways to get MX stems. As far as I understand, they tend to be inferior to actual Cherry MX switches... Or is there something I'm missing?

Gateron are lauded in the keyboard community and Kaihua Kailh are very good clones. The rest are pretty much junk from what I've heard.

[EscapeVelocity]

Is there anything exciting about MX clones? They are MX clones. Cheaper ways to get MX stems. As far as I understand, they tend to be inferior to actual Cherry MX switches... Or is there something I'm missing?

Gateron are lauded in the keyboard community and Kaihua Kailh are very good clones. The rest are pretty much junk from what I've heard.

I wouldnt call them junk. I would call them much better than your commonplace rubber dome.   

The same mentality with regards to Chinese cloned Alps switches in the 90s.  Now they are appreciated more.

[davkol]

Appreciated more? Do you mean the Tai Hao APC junk or stuff like that? Nah, there's one praised clone (Monterey) and the rest is indeed crap, esp. compared to original complicated Alps switches; even simplified switches are kinda controversial.

[Snarfangel]

Something tells me it would be a bit easier to find grey switches than it would 80g springs

In my experience it is way easier to find heavier springs than lighter springs.

Super-ultra-hyper-mega blacks!

[EscapeVelocity]

Appreciated more? Do you mean the Tai Hao APC junk or stuff like that? Nah, there's one praised clone (Monterey) and the rest is indeed crap, esp. compared to original complicated Alps switches; even simplified switches are kinda controversial.

Come on man.

Omron, Mitsui, Futaba, Aristotle, Hua Jie...all made decent key switches. 

[Findecanor]

Omron, Mitsui, Futaba, Aristotle, Hua Jie...all made decent key switches.

Aristotle's Cherry MX clones have a reputation of being brittle.

[Blaise170]

Omron also needs to stick with their mouse switches, they are far better than their keyboard switches.

[EscapeVelocity]

Omron, Mitsui, Futaba, Aristotle, Hua Jie...all made decent key switches.

Aristotle's Cherry MX clones have a reputation of being brittle.

Yeah but they were 100 times better than most rubber domes for the 10 years that they worked.

[davkol]

So what? Almost anything, including some of the worse domes, is much better than the original rubbery ZX Spectrum keyboard. Does it mean I'll be running around and praising the "almost anything". Not in the slightest.