Questions on Cherry MX Reds

[Anole]

I recently tried out Cherry MX RGB Reds on a Corsair keyboard at Best Buy, and it felt very strange. I liked the linear motion, but there seemed to be too much resistance. It was almost like the sliders were too big for the housing. Is this simply due to the fact that they are Cherries that are yet to be broken in/lubed, or are all linear switches like this? Please let me know, as I plan to use Gateron Clears, Yellows, or Blacks in my next two boards. Thanks!

[Zhuni]

Do you mean a little scratchy? if so they do break in some what.

[SpAmRaY]

They weren't the silent version were they?

www.bestbuy.com/site/computer-keyboards/gaming-keyboards/pcmcat304600050014.c?id=pcmcat304600050014

[Anole]

No, they were not silent. They were normal MX RGB Reds.

[SpAmRaY]

Are you sure they were MX reds?

Was there a cap removed?

[Anole]

Are you sure they were MX reds?

Was there a cap removed?

Yup, I pulled  of a cap and saw the red slider.

[need]

They might have some massive gunk inside, especially in non hygienic places like bestbuy.
Open the switch next time you're there.

[NewbieOneKenobi]

Do you have any other MX red boards to compare?

[Anole]

Do you have any other MX red boards to compare?

Unfortunately, no.

[NewbieOneKenobi]

Do you have any other MX red boards to compare?

Unfortunately, no.

It could be something to do with your typing technique, the way your fingers interact with the keys (including angle), the way your wrists move, your palm/finger arch, that kind of stuff. With some switches this can play more of a role than with others. I asked about other reds just to avoid making a fool of myself in case you had hands-on proof the keyboard was nonstandard.

[ander]

It could be something to do with your typing technique, the way your fingers interact with the keys (including angle), the way your wrists move, your palm/finger arch, that kind of stuff. With some switches this can play more of a role than with others...

I'd have to agree—and I think that's a very insightful response.

As a musician, I've found that using a keyboard effectively is surprisingly like playing a musical instrument. It's not enough to be able to press the buttons quickly. You must understand how the switches move, attenuate your technique to them, and press them in such a way that allows them to operate the best way their design allows.

On the surface, this seems like a fussy, time-consuming proposition—and perhaps something with which we, as paying customers, shouldn't be required to bother.

But as with many things in life, it all depends on how much you care. After all, no one's required to master anything; we're all free to float through lives of convenience and mediocrity. It takes a certain exceptional mindset to aspire to the upper percentages of insight and achievement.

Keyboard operation is no exception. The opportunity lies before you. What you do with it is no one's decision but your own.

[NewbieOneKenobi]

Thank you, ander. Incidentally, what is your own switch preference, if you don't mind sharing?

[need]

I'd have to agree with both of you, Alps for instance requires a more straight down pressing or else it won't be smooth. But in general it's very different compared to the experience of MX.

[ander]

Thank you, ander. Incidentally, what is your own switch preference, if you don't mind sharing?

Well, you'd never know I liked to type, judging from how long it took me to respond here.  :?|

I've never thought of listing switch types by my preference, but here goes:

1. (Tie:)
_ Buckling springs in 1st-generation Model M's (p/n 1390131, 1390120) (I don't care what anyone says; they do feel different from later generations)
_ IBM Model F (esp. one a genius friend has modded to an M-like layout <g>)

2. Buckling springs in 2nd–5th generation Model M's (IBM/Lexmark/Unicomp)

3. Cherry MX Green (harder to find, but as close to BS as anything else gets)

4. (Tie:) Cherry MX White, Black (Blacks feel particular nice when I haven't used them for a while)

5. (Tie:) SMK Alps-mount ("Monterey"), Alps SKCM Blue, Mitsumi Minatures. (All pretty hard to find these days. Alps Blues, while wonderful, are ridiculously pricey now and not worth that kind of dough IMHO. Montereys and MMs are nearly effortless, quite refreshing.)

6. (Tie:) Cherry MX Red, Blue (I was never very fond of Browns for some reason... They just feel bumpy to me.)

7. Topre. They don't feel that much different from #8, but they are a fine switch. Quite overpriced, I think, but the company's worked very hard to build up a mystique around them, so they probably deserve the revenue.  LOL

8. High-quality rubber domes, back when KB-makers cared about them (e.g. Model M 70*/71* series, Dell QuietKey RT7D5JTW, Hewlett Packard C3758A)

This means only so much, though. Like people, they're all great, in different ways.

Also, I've never gotten to try an IBM beamspring board, or a Hall Effect board (Micro Switch, Honeywell). Maybe at a meetup sometime? I'm prepared for the possibility that either of them could leap to the top of the list—though I don't know how useful that'd be unless there were some way I could actually have one, which seems doubtful.  :?)

I think people who appreciate MKs should strive to have at least one with each of the major switch types, so they can enjoy cycling through them.

We're so lucky to have the fruits of KB technology's remarkable history—and sorry, but yes, I really am going to say this—at our fingertips.

[Zar7]

Stock MX Reds are buttery smooth, all the way from the top to the bottoming out (although they are not as smooth as Gateron Reds).
I have to agree with what others have said. It might be the angle that you are typing on (because how the display shelf is aligned for mechanical
keyboards), and maybe because it has been sitting there for a long time that stuff starts to get into the sliders and other parts of the keyboard.

My primary choice of mechanical switches has to be MX Reds, then MX Browns a close second. As smooth as Gateron Reds/Clears are,
I ended up switching back to my Leopold FC750R with MX Reds. It feels much more solid that Gateron linears, at least in my experience.

[lancre]

It could also be because your fingers aren't used to typing on the switches. They do feel heavier than other switches just because there isn't that undulating force curve where it dips after the actuation point.

I'm never quite sure if I like a switch until I've used the board for a week or two.

[rowdy]

I was using my KeyCool with MX reds again this past week, and I still don't like it.

This keyboard might end up as my first project to replace the switches.

If I can get an appropriate number of an alternative switch.

And enough time.

[klennkellon]

MX Switches handle off center key presses very nicely so I doubt that's the problem. MX Reds are pretty s

[opensecret]

I recently tried out Cherry MX RGB Reds on a Corsair keyboard at Best Buy, and it felt very strange. I liked the linear motion, but there seemed to be too much resistance.

Since reds have a lower actuation force than most Cherry switches, that does seem odd; maybe there’s something wrong with the particular board you tried.  I’ve been using a K95 with o-ringed reds for a couple of years.  The feel hasn’t changed noticeably in that time, and the low actuation force is one of the things that I like about them.  For me, the feel is smooth, linear, and light.  The o-rings keep the noise down and soften the impact when I bottom out (which I do often)

[ander]

Stock MX Reds are buttery smooth, all the way from the top to the bottoming out...

Yep, I'd have to agree. It's almost shocking how easy they are to type on. Of course, like people who are absolutely easy to get along with, eventually they get boring and I'm ready to go with something else for a while. Maybe some of you feel the same.

[chyros]

Stock MX Reds are buttery smooth, all the way from the top to the bottoming out...

Yep, I'd have to agree. It's almost shocking how easy they are to type on. Of course, like people who are absolutely easy to get along with, eventually they get boring and I'm ready to go with something else for a while. Maybe some of you feel the same.

Old Fujitsu switches wipe the floor with them though .

[ander]

LOL (inside reference)

[jcoffin1981]

Yes, reds are a rather light switch.  I'm surprised that you describe the with having more resistance than you like.  I have noticed that they are "scratchy".  The best way I can describe it is the creaking of a spring matt                                                                                                                                                                                                             ,mress when bounce up and down; that sound, eeehhh errrr,  eeehhh errrr.

Also, if it's a display board I imagine that it already  has had some breaking in. 

[Morituri]

I had a Corsair board with cherry red switches. The switches have a pretty smoth action, but when I'm typing fast I use a lot of force, and the board quit working after a couple of years due to a busted trace.  So I'll probably desolder the switches (there are 140 on that board counting the macro pad, plus little sense buttons for multimedia stuff) and using them in something else. 

The switches IMO are, meh, okay.  Way better than rubber domes, and the smooth action is probably awesome for gaming I guess, but I mainly type, and I vastly prefer stiffer springs and tactile feedback.  Maybe I'll put them in a macro pad and build the main typing area with cherry greens.   

But I don't think I trust Corsair boards anymore - not just because of the breakage, but because it wants custom driver software to use the macro keys, and coding a linux driver for it is an absolute mess.  This was because of the way the information on the macro pad got split between multiple logical devices.  So on the "keyboard" USB device, a keypress would register but there was no way to tell which macro key it was, and you'd have to query a different logical device to find out - but the information you got from the other logical device wasn't enough by itself, either - you had to refer back to a nonstandard status bit on the "keyboard" device to disambiguate THAT.   I planned to do a linux driver and hook it properly up to XFree86, but I eventually rage-quit. 

For me anyway, the switches were, meh okay and probably great for gaming.  But the Corsair electronics and controller were a big disappointment.

[rowdy]

Stock MX Reds are buttery smooth, all the way from the top to the bottoming out...

Yep, I'd have to agree. It's almost shocking how easy they are to type on. Of course, like people who are absolutely easy to get along with, eventually they get boring and I'm ready to go with something else for a while. Maybe some of you feel the same.

MX red is probably one of the least mechanical-feeling switches.  No click, not much resistance.

[HeeCh2ei]

Stock MX Reds are buttery smooth, all the way from the top to the bottoming out...

Yep, I'd have to agree. It's almost shocking how easy they are to type on. Of course, like people who are absolutely easy to get along with, eventually they get boring and I'm ready to go with something else for a while. Maybe some of you feel the same.

MX red is probably one of the least mechanical-feeling switches.  No click, not much resistance.

Sure, it's like a typing on lazor beams.

[rowdy]

Stock MX Reds are buttery smooth, all the way from the top to the bottoming out...

Yep, I'd have to agree. It's almost shocking how easy they are to type on. Of course, like people who are absolutely easy to get along with, eventually they get boring and I'm ready to go with something else for a while. Maybe some of you feel the same.

MX red is probably one of the least mechanical-feeling switches.  No click, not much resistance.

Sure, it's like a typing on lazor beams.

No tactility either.

[kekman]

just get gaterons

[need]

Stock MX Reds are buttery smooth, all the way from the top to the bottoming out...

Yep, I'd have to agree. It's almost shocking how easy they are to type on. Of course, like people who are absolutely easy to get along with, eventually they get boring and I'm ready to go with something else for a while. Maybe some of you feel the same.

MX red is probably one of the least mechanical-feeling switches.  No click, not much resistance.

Sure, it's like a typing on lazor beams.

No tactility either.

Those are the reasons why reds are so awesome and unique, nothing can compare to this amount of lack of character.

[ander]

Those are the reasons why reds are so awesome and unique, nothing can compare to this amount of lack of character.

It's true, when you think about it. How much character does a keyboard need to have? When you're typing something creative, you don't want the keyboard influencing your style. For example, if you let Cherry switches influence you too much, you'll end up writing like some guy named Gunther wearing a lab coat.

[chyros]

Stock MX Reds are buttery smooth, all the way from the top to the bottoming out...

Yep, I'd have to agree. It's almost shocking how easy they are to type on. Of course, like people who are absolutely easy to get along with, eventually they get boring and I'm ready to go with something else for a while. Maybe some of you feel the same.

MX red is probably one of the least mechanical-feeling switches.  No click, not much resistance.

Sure, it's like a typing on lazor beams.

No tactility either.

Those are the reasons why reds are so awesome and unique, nothing can compare to this amount of lack of character.

They're still scratchy. Old Fujitsu switches are much better.

[rowdy]

Stock MX Reds are buttery smooth, all the way from the top to the bottoming out...

Yep, I'd have to agree. It's almost shocking how easy they are to type on. Of course, like people who are absolutely easy to get along with, eventually they get boring and I'm ready to go with something else for a while. Maybe some of you feel the same.

MX red is probably one of the least mechanical-feeling switches.  No click, not much resistance.

Sure, it's like a typing on lazor beams.

No tactility either.

Those are the reasons why reds are so awesome and unique, nothing can compare to this amount of lack of character.

They're still scratchy. Old Fujitsu switches are much better.

They are way too light for me to feel any scratchiness.

[chyros]

Stock MX Reds are buttery smooth, all the way from the top to the bottoming out...

Yep, I'd have to agree. It's almost shocking how easy they are to type on. Of course, like people who are absolutely easy to get along with, eventually they get boring and I'm ready to go with something else for a while. Maybe some of you feel the same.

MX red is probably one of the least mechanical-feeling switches.  No click, not much resistance.

Sure, it's like a typing on lazor beams.

No tactility either.

Those are the reasons why reds are so awesome and unique, nothing can compare to this amount of lack of character.

They're still scratchy. Old Fujitsu switches are much better.

They are way too light for me to feel any scratchiness.

It's best tried side-by-side . I agree the light weight makes them much more appeasing than blacks.

[lee+]

Those are the reasons why reds are so awesome and unique, nothing can compare to this amount of lack of character.

It's true, when you think about it. How much character does a keyboard need to have? When you're typing something creative, you don't want the keyboard influencing your style. For example, if you let Cherry switches influence you too much, you'll end up writing like some guy named Gunther wearing a lab coat.

I suspect that's why ppl like Cherry switches so much, they feel like nothing and remind the ppl of the rubber domes they're used to all the time.

(I can't say anything about red ones since I haven't tried them.  I have a keyboard with blue MXs, which are supposed to be tactille while they aren't.  I can't type on that thing at all because I constantly mistype, though I can't clearly blame the switches for it because it could also be due to the somewhat narrow layout this keyboard has.  But then, it is as if the keys are evading my fingers like they were ashamed about being klicky.  They don't really have a feel to them, and I would have to slam each key heavyly into the keyboard to know whether I pressed it or not.  And that's not how I type.

I just don't see why anyone would like MXs other than for that they are so much like worn out rubber domes.)

[need]

Those are the reasons why reds are so awesome and unique, nothing can compare to this amount of lack of character.

It's true, when you think about it. How much character does a keyboard need to have? When you're typing something creative, you don't want the keyboard influencing your style. For example, if you let Cherry switches influence you too much, you'll end up writing like some guy named Gunther wearing a lab coat.

I suspect that's why ppl like Cherry switches so much, they feel like nothing and remind the ppl of the rubber domes they're used to all the time.

(I can't say anything about red ones since I haven't tried them.  I have a keyboard with blue MXs, which are supposed to be tactille while they aren't.  I can't type on that thing at all because I constantly mistype, though I can't clearly blame the switches for it because it could also be due to the somewhat narrow layout this keyboard has.  But then, it is as if the keys are evading my fingers like they were ashamed about being klicky.  They don't really have a feel to them, and I would have to slam each key heavyly into the keyboard to know whether I pressed it or not.  And that's not how I type.

I just don't see why anyone would like MXs other than for that they are so much like worn out rubber domes.)

I got some vintage blues, and their clickiness feel like typing on crunchy cockroaches...
Blues nothing like rubber domes, be it worn out or not. They feel precise and definite, just feel like a switch. Rubberdomes in contrast does not feel "mechanical", the tactility seems delayed on a rubberdome.
In my opinion, ALPS feels much closer to rubberdomes.

I really like vintage blues due to their lightness and crisp clicky feel, which helps me to type really quickly while feel effortless for long periods.

[lee+]

Those are the reasons why reds are so awesome and unique, nothing can compare to this amount of lack of character.

It's true, when you think about it. How much character does a keyboard need to have? When you're typing something creative, you don't want the keyboard influencing your style. For example, if you let Cherry switches influence you too much, you'll end up writing like some guy named Gunther wearing a lab coat.

I suspect that's why ppl like Cherry switches so much, they feel like nothing and remind the ppl of the rubber domes they're used to all the time.

(I can't say anything about red ones since I haven't tried them.  I have a keyboard with blue MXs, which are supposed to be tactille while they aren't.  I can't type on that thing at all because I constantly mistype, though I can't clearly blame the switches for it because it could also be due to the somewhat narrow layout this keyboard has.  But then, it is as if the keys are evading my fingers like they were ashamed about being klicky.  They don't really have a feel to them, and I would have to slam each key heavyly into the keyboard to know whether I pressed it or not.  And that's not how I type.

I just don't see why anyone would like MXs other than for that they are so much like worn out rubber domes.)

I got some vintage blues, and their clickiness feel like typing on crunchy cockroaches...
Blues nothing like rubber domes, be it worn out or not. They feel precise and definite, just feel like a switch. Rubberdomes in contrast does not feel "mechanical", the tactility seems delayed on a rubberdome.
In my opinion, ALPS feels much closer to rubberdomes.

I really like vintage blues due to their lightness and crisp clicky feel, which helps me to type really quickly while feel effortless for long periods.

Ugh, you shouldn't post such things while I'm eating  ...

Perhaps vintage ones are much different from what Cherry makes now.

It's amazing how much different different ppl can perceive things.  I never thought of rubber domes as delayed; they are too much like "I can't tell if I pressed a key or not".  It's USB keyboards that are delayed.  And I'm using my Dell keyboard at work since a few days now, which has black Alps, and it doesn't feel at all like any rubber dome keyboard.  It's a great relief, I should have done that earlier.