I can't believe I never posted here. Make fun of me if you must (you didn't have anything useful to do anyway, right?)—but the topic seems timeless, and too important to ignore.
- - -
MX Blue: 6The classic clicker. Clickety, tickety fun, but I wish they felt more substantial.
MX Red: 4Pleasant enough, and I'm nostalgic about them because they were in my first MK. Very little character though. After 10 or 15 minutes, you start feeling how you feel when you're halfway through a giant-size McDonald's shake and you realize you should've ordered the normal one.
MX Brown: 0Yup, "MX Reds with sand in them." Scratch, scratch, ick, yick. They're silly, anyway—why on earth do you need a
tactile bump every time you press a key? If you're touch typing, you're going much too fast for little bumps to give you any kind of useful feedback. And hey, look—the characters you're typing are actually
appearing on the display in front of you, which confirms that you're typing them! Gee, I wish I'd realized that before I bought this dumb "tactile" keeb. This must be what 50,000,000 other people are thinking, too—otherwise Cherry couldn't have sold so damn many Browns, enabling them to claim they're the "most popular mechanical switch" and gull even
more people into buying boards with the silly, scratchy things. Focusing on this rational-seeming explanation keeps me from imagining that Rod Serling is about to
step out from behind the drapes and start narrating.
MX Green: 7It probably all comes down to weight, but they're what Blues should be, IMHO.
MX Clear: 4Don't ask me why, but I vastly prefer the somewhat heavier Clears to Browns, even though they have the same silly, apologetically clickless bump.
MX White (AKA Milk): 6Yes, they're monstrously heavy, but I dig 'em—until I start moaning and groaning and switch back to buckling springs, which then feel like sproingy cotton candy (sweet!).
Topre: 8I don't have a variable Realforce, just a uniform 45 and 55; maybe variable is even better. Topres are unlike any others, though, a contrast that keeps the ol' keeb rotation stimulating. And what other switches make their best sound when you
release them? Okay, there's another one that does that, but I don't remember which one it is. But still.
Hansung Topre knock-offs: 10They're in my wonderful
Hansung (Gtune) CHF7 (AKA Office Master), a greatly overlooked board in the West. Shamelessly derivative Korean Topre-esque capacitive dome/spring hybrids, but with a shorter, more effective travel, a tighter feel, and a softer, more tasteful sound. They don't bother my family, which is really saying something for an MK. And though it's quiet, the springs on some of the larger keys
sing, like little fairy voices off in the distance; there's nothing like it (except maybe the Pingmaster—but that'd be jolly dwarfs or trolls, not fairies). I can type on Topres for a while, but I can type on Hansungs indefinitely. The only other switches I can say that about are buckling springs—and did I mention that, unlike BSs, Hansungs don't drive my family nuts? It's too bad you haven't tried them. Really, you should. Everybody should. Let's organize a GH trip to Seoul. The
japchae is on me.
IBM membrane buckling springs (Model M): 10Perfect—consistent, clacky, springy, pingy, everlasting. The M's build has a lot to do with it too, of course; a board that heavy and solid makes everything feel good.
IBM membrane buckling springs (Model F):Same sentiments as above; add treble.
Romer-G (Logitech): 3.5Meh. They're okay.
Kailh Box Pale Blue: 9The only Kailh switches I've used. Impressively smooth due to the clever, utterly logical improvement on Cherry's relatively wobbly stem. Pleasing pings from the unique "tone bar" on each one. A winner. I have a feeling all Kailh Boxes improve on their MX counterparts; I'd like to test that theory someday.
Gateron Blue: 7The only Gats I've used. Faster than MX Blues, brighter sound (you use clicky switches because you like the sound, right?). Fun. I have a feeling all Gats improve on their MX equivalents. Oh, I said that about Kailh Boxes too, didn't I? How about that.
Matias Clicky, Alps SCKM White: 6.5Satisfyingly chattery. Harmless enough.
Alps SCKM Blue: 9If I say good things about them, I'll feel like I'm just going along with the hype. But yes, Alps hit the sweet spot here. Too bad they've become so ridiculously inflated. They're good, but the hysteria over them is, well, hysterical.
Alps SKCC Green: 8.5Eccentric, delightful, unique. I wouldn't want to use them all the time, but I could. I'm still not sure if that wonderful singing, pinging sound comes from the switches, or my IBM Pingmaster they're in, or both. Since it's the only board I ever expect to have with them, I'll lump it all together, appreciation-wise.
Monterey Alps Mount: 8Vastly underappreciated. Almost as good as Alps Blues. Not quite as defined—like a friendly Golden Retriever to Alps Blues's show poodle—but still great. They make a resonant
bloop, like dropping pebbles in a well. Entirely likable.
Mitsumi Miniatures: 8I found an almost-new Monterey board with these, and thought (and still think) it was terrific. I've since read that they don't age well, which must be why people don't like them. If they could try newer ones, they probably would.
Futaba MA (Clicky): 3Most peeps would give these a 1 or a 0. Along with Peerlesses, they're the switches people Love to Hate. But I was fortunate to receive a NIB Futaba board, and it's not bad at all. Obviously some switches last longer than others—that is, they keep working (they
are mechanical switches), but they stop feeling good. Apparently Futabas are one of these, but I guess I haven't used mine enough to experience that. So here I am in the goofy Futaba-liking minority.
Fujitsu Peerless: 0Mushy, icky, slow, characterless. I'd rather type on a $10 membrane board, and so would you. What was Fujitsu thinking? Maybe, "Let's slow everyone down so they'll pay... more... attention... to... what... they're... typing." How zen. Pass.
Good rubber domes (IBM RD Model M and KB- series; BTC and NMB sliders over domes; Thailand-made HP C3758A; Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite):
4I don't mind a good RD, which usually means one that hasn't been typed on for more than a month. If they're robust, they can even sound good. And they don't make people shut you in a separate room and put in earplugs. And they make MKs feel even better when you go back to them. :?)