My thoughts on Cherry Red vs Brown

[exime]

I have had a Ducky Shine 2 (Brown) for a few years now and was starting to think I didn't like the subtle bump and itching to try some linears. So I ordered the Pok3r RGB (Red) because it looked like such a cool little keyboard and I wanted to try reds for gaming. 

I've seen a lot of opinions on the two with a lot of people describing Browns as "dirty" reds.  That "they are annoying and the bump isn't enough to help".  "Browns are for people who don't know what they want". "I hate browns" etc etc. So I started to get into my head that "yea, this bump is kind of annoying and worthless!"

In short, I completely disagree.  I find the Browns much more enjoyable to type on, faster to type on, and less mistakes made.   

However, I also like to game and the reds are definitely better for gaming.  Double/Triple clicking and spamming buttons is much easier.   Makes me think that if reds are that much better for gaming that I would probably hate Blues for gaming and love them even more than browns for typing.

In summary:

Brown is better for typing in all aspects (speed, accuracy, and enjoyment).   Absolutely not a "dirty red."

Red is better for gaming.  My spell casting speed has increased.  Spamming, double/tripple tapping faster and easier.

[oumakavoula]

i love my blues much more than my reds for gaming and typing

[exime]

By extrapolation I think I would end up liking Blue better than brown/red for typing but I can't see myself liking them better for gaming.

I will have to buy one eventually and find out once and for all.

[oumakavoula]

it just comes down to personal preference really, you will never know untilll you try everything

[DALExSNAIL]

I disagree 

[chyros]

It's all a case of personal preference of course, some people really do like MX brown .

Often, the sentiment people show when they say "browns are like dirty reds" is that they feel like dirty reds compared to other, more tactile switches. The point is that the tactility in MX brown is comparatively very weak, even for Cherry switches.

[exime]

I disagree 

Then fight me.

It's all a case of personal preference of course, some people really do like MX brown .

Often, the sentiment people show when they say "browns are like dirty reds" is that they feel like dirty reds compared to other, more tactile switches. The point is that the tactility in MX brown is comparatively very weak, even for Cherry switches.

I have yet to try Blues but I definitely want to.  I'm sure I'd end up liking them more than Brown for typing.

[ideus]

I have had a Ducky Shine 2 (Brown) for a few years now and was starting to think I didn't like the subtle bump and itching to try some linears. So I ordered the Pok3r RGB (Red) because it looked like such a cool little keyboard and I wanted to try reds for gaming. 

I've seen a lot of opinions on the two with a lot of people describing Browns as "dirty" reds.  That "they are annoying and the bump isn't enough to help".  "Browns are for people who don't know what they want". "I hate browns" etc etc. So I started to get into my head that "yea, this bump is kind of annoying and worthless!"

In short, I completely disagree.  I find the Browns much more enjoyable to type on, faster to type on, and less mistakes made.   

However, I also like to game and the reds are definitely better for gaming.  Double/Triple clicking and spamming buttons is much easier.   Makes me think that if reds are that much better for gaming that I would probably hate Blues for gaming and love them even more than browns for typing.

In summary:

Brown is better for typing in all aspects (speed, accuracy, and enjoyment).   Absolutely not a "dirty red."

Red is better for gaming.  My spell casting speed has increased.  Spamming, double/tripple tapping faster and easier.

My first two boards had exactly the same switches as yours: one FC660M with browns and a Poker X with reds, I got them until last year when I sold them after I tried clears that I modded into ergo clears on my GON Nerd 60 PCB. I liked the three in a different way, but reds were to light for me, browns felt a bit close to reds in terms of force needed to type on them, but the best overall experience was ergo-clears, even Zealios are not the same, I should recommend you to give ergo clears a try, I am pretty sure that you may enjoy them, as well.

[phosphoric]

the slight tactile bump on the browns helps with accuracy a ridiculous amount, but i find that once i let my fingers adjust to linear switches (that feel lighter because of the construction of the linear slider), i can type almost as accurately as i can on browns. i feel unsure when i type on linears for the first time in a while after using tactile switches for a while, but browns and linears are probably my favorite switches. those that argue that the tactile bump on browns is unnoticeable when typing at a fast rate are typing fairly harshly on their keyboards - it's definitely a subtle nuance, but that nuance is there nonetheless (note that i don't type at a slow pace whatsoever - around 100 wpm)

[klennkellon]

I found on lighter linear switches I make a lot of mistakes, so even though I type quickly my WPM actually goes down.

On these stiff (75g) SKCL Browns I actually type quite quickly and with few mistakes despite Alps's high actuation point.

[Screwdriver]

I mainly play MMO's and some FPS and find I like Browns better than Reds. Using Clears atm, but still think Browns are better for gaming, but I can get used to the Clears since typing feels fantastic.

[E3E]

When I was just getting used to mechanical keyboards, and starting with a mid-weight clone, Kailh Yellow, then MX Red, then Gateron Clear (progressively lighter and lighter). I made a lot of mistakes on linears at first, but I rarely do now, even the lightest of switches. I wasn't used to the taller profile keys of mechanical keyboards as I had always been a laptop user (and I still enjoy scissor switches).

But yeah, after adjusting, I never really make mistakes like I used to.

[rowdy]

The phrase is probably more like "browns are like gritty reds", the implication being that the alleged tactile bump is like a bit of grit stuck in a MX red switch.

Browns shouldn't give any trouble while gaming - it is blues and greens that have a reset point higher than the actuation point, so you can't hover blues or greens just above the actuation point while playing, and double-tapping them can also be difficult for some players.

I haven't had any issues gaming with blues or greens, but then I wouldn't say I was a professional gamer )

[SBJ]

I found on lighter linear switches I make a lot of mistakes, so even though I type quickly my WPM actually goes down.

On these stiff (75g) SKCL Browns I actually type quite quickly and with few mistakes despite Alps's high actuation point.

This is my experience as well.
Tactile, clicky switches are totally my jam right now.

[potatobot]

I own gateron browns and reds, for me the mx versions are dirty haha!

Well i use brown as a daily driver and i find it really good for my casual typing and gaming. I usually use my reds when i just play for long hours and for some games that require me to double tap key often, but this doesnt mean i couldnt double tap on browns. But for sure, blues wont work for my gaming needs.

For typing long text i use mx blues because i have a full ducky shine 2 with numpad(which if very important for me) and i could really tell i prefer typing(purely) on heavier switches. but i hate the sound blues produce so now im looking for something that is heavier than browns and reds but doesnt sound as irritating as blues.

im looking at gateron tactile clears or 62-65 zeals because i dont really want to mod my pok3r to ergo clears so i might as well sell it as is.

what do you guys suggest?

[lildragonbuns]

I started out with a mx brown board and felt they were too soft for me. I tended to make mistakes a lot with them so I went with a mx clear board after. The stiffness definitely made my typing experience better and more enjoyable.

[Khers]

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[chyros]

I disagree 

Then fight me.

It's all a case of personal preference of course, some people really do like MX brown .

Often, the sentiment people show when they say "browns are like dirty reds" is that they feel like dirty reds compared to other, more tactile switches. The point is that the tactility in MX brown is comparatively very weak, even for Cherry switches.

I have yet to try Blues but I definitely want to.  I'm sure I'd end up liking them more than Brown for typing.

Blues are more tactile than browns, but still not really tactile. There aren't any significantly tactile switches in the Cherry MX family .

[Firebolt1914]

I really want to like MX Browns, however they're just not smooth enough for me. I need to try gateron browns, however I don't know if I like gateron switches that much. I need to experiment a little with some very light abrasive (toothpaste or some sort of polishing paste) and the stem. I am curious to what other people think about this idea.

[Shaussman]

Gateron browns are nice in that they're more tactile them cherry browns. Imo they're not any smoother, though. Honestly my Gaterons are noticeably scratchier then the Cherries

That being said, browns are easily better then reds. They don't have a ton of tactility, but it makes a huge difference. As for gaming, switch choice doesn't make a difference, it's all preference

[potatobot]

Gateron browns are nice in that they're more tactile them cherry browns. Imo they're not any smoother, though. Honestly my Gaterons are noticeably scratchier then the Cherries

That being said, browns are easily better then reds. They don't have a ton of tactility, but it makes a huge difference. As for gaming, switch choice doesn't make a difference, it's all preference

I agree browns feel better than reds, I havent been able to compare my gateron browns with mx browns but the gateron reds were definitely smoother than mx reds IMO.

My experience with gateron reds coming from gateron browns was underwhelming, the linear feeling was just flat out weird/stupid. Still confused if I should go for gateron clears/zeals62g/zeals65g for my MX blue replacement 

[E3E]

Linear switches are so misunderstood. Until you jump onto vintage MX black. Those are pretty beloved.

[potatobot]

Linear switches are so misunderstood. Until you jump onto vintage MX black. Those are pretty beloved.

I want to try them out. haha!

They say mx clears + vintage black springs feels great.

[SBJ]

Linear switches are so misunderstood. Until you jump onto vintage MX black. Those are pretty beloved.

I want to try them out. haha!

They say mx clears + vintage black springs feels great.

That does sound like it would be pretty awesome. But ugh, getting a hold of vintage blacks...

[LiquidEvilGaming]

Honestly even though many praise them, i only prefer Reds for FPS games in gaming and in all other games prefer Blues or Clears or Topre because it's so easy to accidently hit red switches by so much as breathing on them.  That is about the only time you will see me using  Red switches is FPS games in all honesty.

[klennkellon]

The only switches I can't really stand to game on are the Model M, it's tolerable but they definitely are better for typing.

SKCM Whites are as clicky/tactile as I'll go for gaming imo

[Screwdriver]

Had to update my opinion. Friend is selling his KUL-87 MX Red board, and I asked to borrow it for a couple days. My first mechanical keyboard was a Corsair with Reds and I hated it. I was coming from a cheap rubber dome and was making a ton of typing errors on the Reds. So I got rid of it and after much reading I bought a Deck Hassium Pro with Browns and I was finally happy.

Anyhow, been using the KUL since Saturday and am finding I am have zero issues with typing errors. I find the Reds not a bad switch and not as bad as I remembered. In fact, I might buy the KUL.

I will say I am glad I found this forums as it has been really fun trying out all the switches and forming my own opinions and not just repeating what I read.