Ok, mine arrived today very clean plus one free paper clip under the number pad. I'm surprised by the smoothness of these switches. I supposed the increased spring tension over browns makes them feel a bit "tighter", but the experience is far nicer than I had anticipated. Plans for the combination and redistribution of these switches and browns from another board are now on hold while I spend a few more days using these blacks exclusively to make sure I utilize them to their full potential. By the way, this board is QUIET! After typing on a Model M, Northgate, a couple of NMB boards, and an MX11800 with cherry browns, I'm loving the silence and total lack of bottoming out. I feel like my fingers are resting on the small of the back of a 21 year old Brazilian female gymnast. Smooth yet firm, very responsive, but also quite comfortable. More to follow in other threads...