I like MX Blues, am I crazy?

[killyou]

Hi all. For the last couple of years I've been through a number of keyboards, tested all Cherry switches, some Outemu, Gateron, all Zealios, had my own boards with Topre, Cherry MX Clear, Outemu blues (for like a day, I couldn't stand them at that time), Zealio 78g and recently I acquired another Pok3r with MX Blue switches because I found it cheap and new. After couple of weeks with it I must say that I love it. It doesn't ping, can't say that they are scratchy, good weighting for gaming, crisp and tactile bump, it actuates along with the click. What is going on? Am I crazy that I enjoy it that much? Is this some kind of new Cherry batch or something? I ordered Kailh Box tester so soon I will compare it with BOX Jades and Navies but I'm enjoying them far more that I would expect.

[romevi]

You're nuts.

[tp4tissue]

MX blues is arguably the most elegantly designed mechanical switch..

It's a technical marvel.


The optical style switches that have come out, could be said to be the next level..

But the center slide mechanism of the mx-blue is already tactile perfection.

[Techno Trousers]

I was fine with MX blues in a Filco for a couple of years when I first got back into mech keyboards (got my feet wet with complicated white Alps in the late 80s). But I realized that I need better tactility. Tried ergo Clears for a while, then fell in love with capacitive buckling spring, and now Kailh/Novelkeys box jade. I have some 50g springs on order, which I'm hoping will make the jades my ultimate Cherry-compatible switch of all time.

So I'd say no, you're not crazy. Just not experienced enough yet.

[romevi]

I was fine with MX blues in a Filco for a couple of years when I first got back into mech keyboards (got my feet wet with complicated white Alps in the late 80s). But I realized that I need better tactility. Tried ergo Clears for a while, then fell in love with capacitive buckling spring, and now Kailh/Novelkeys box jade. I have some 50g springs on order, which I'm hoping will make the jades my ultimate Cherry-compatible switch of all time.

So I'd say no, you're not crazy. Just not experienced enough yet.

I was thinking of doing Box Navy. I know the Kailh Box springs are different; if I use SPRiT's springs, should I aim for about 10g lighter? SPRiT's 65g is about my preference for tactile switches.

[Tom_Kazansky]

Hi all. For the last couple of years I've been through a number of keyboards, tested all Cherry switches, some Outemu, Gateron, all Zealios, had my own boards with Topre, Cherry MX Clear, Outemu blues (for like a day, I couldn't stand them at that time), Zealio 78g and recently I acquired another Pok3r with MX Blue switches because I found it cheap and new. After couple of weeks with it I must say that I love it. It doesn't ping, can't say that they are scratchy, good weighting for gaming, crisp and tactile bump, it actuates along with the click. What is going on? Am I crazy that I enjoy it that much? Is this some kind of new Cherry batch or something? I ordered Kailh Box tester so soon I will compare it with BOX Jades and Navies but I'm enjoying them far more that I would expect.

you're not!

I LOVE MX Blue (with 65g SPRiT springs) )

[Techno Trousers]

I was thinking of doing Box Navy. I know the Kailh Box springs are different; if I use SPRiT's springs, should I aim for about 10g lighter? SPRiT's 65g is about my preference for tactile switches.

Here is my $.02. I really love capacitive buckling spring (IBM model F), which buckles at about 65g. Default box jade bump up to a weight of around 60g, then have a big drop off and bottom out around 50g. Navies bump to 80g, and bottom out around 70g.

So I got the 50g SPRiT springs, which bottom out at 63g, and I believe should bump up to just over 65g with the thick click bar.

Now this is still theoretical, since I haven't been able to try it yet. But I have high hopes.

If you have tried and like membrane buckling spring (IBM model M), then you might like the navy switches. But those are slightly too heavy for my taste.

References:
Box jade measurements: https://plot.ly/~haata/417
Box navy measurements: https://plot.ly/~haata/415

Capacitive buckling spring: https://plot.ly/~haata/200
Membrane buckling spring: https://plot.ly/~haata/179

[romevi]

Great! Thanks!

I have 72g Tactile Grays and feel like they're getting too heavy for me. Which is weird because I grew up with buckling springs, though after a while found them too heavy as well.

I was going to go with Navy since I like the color, and swap out springs when they arrive.

[Techno Trousers]

I was going to go with Navy since I like the color, and swap out springs when they arrive.

Good point. If you swap out the spring, it's only the identical click bar that matters. Maybe we should create a new color for the spring between jade and navy. Aqua?

[chyros]

MX blues is arguably the most elegantly designed mechanical switch..

So elegantly designed that they weren't even designed to do what they do!

[tp4tissue]

MX blues is arguably the most elegantly designed mechanical switch..

So elegantly designed that they weren't even designed to do what they do!

Lies and Slander..

Blues = Best switch. !!

[chyros]

MX blues is arguably the most elegantly designed mechanical switch..

So elegantly designed that they weren't even designed to do what they do!

Lies and Slander..

Blues = Best switch. !!

Of course, we all look for different things in a switch. Some people see plastic rattle on a clicky switch as a good thing .

[tp4tissue]

Of course, we all look for different things in a switch. Some people see plastic rattle on a clicky switch as a good thing .

The more rattle-ee,  the more smooth the switch travel..

The design is correct.

[fohat.digs]

I don't own one, but when I tried a jailhouse blue with O-rings I liked it a lot.

But, I go for feel and consider most keyboard sound to generally be a negative.

[chyros]

Of course, we all look for different things in a switch. Some people see plastic rattle on a clicky switch as a good thing .

The more rattle-ee,  the more smooth the switch travel..

The design is correct.

We both know that's bull**** .

[JianYang]

Of course, we all look for different things in a switch. Some people see plastic rattle on a clicky switch as a good thing .

The more rattle-ee,  the more smooth the switch travel..

The design is correct.

Spot-on!

Don't listen to the haters with their love for archaic designs that died out because the market dictated their demise!

(How do I turn on the large teal sarcasm font that you use everywhere?)

I actually do like blue switches, I find the hysteresis pleasing and the hysteria it leads to in my colleagues as well.

[iMav]

I like Cherry blues as well.  And I KNOW that I'm not crazy. 

[Jokrik]

People who doesn't like blues are the crazy one, I call em fingergasm switch

68g blues are heaven

[jlee755]

I like Cherry blues as well.  And I KNOW that I'm not crazy.

That's what all crazy people say.

[haydoselefantes]

MX blues were my favorite for a long time.  I still love the weight and the feel.  Unfortunately, I think they are too loud for the office, and too loud even for the house.  I started hearing a high pitched scratching noise, and now I can't unhear it. 

That said, I still occasionally bust out my old Das with MX blues when I'm working from home and there's no one else in the house.

[Harms]

You like MX blues? Try Retooled MX whites and spring swap them with a lighter spring. 

[Blaise170]

Cherry MX Blue is okay, but there are far better switches.

Don't listen to the haters with their love for archaic designs that died out because the market dictated their demise!

Hardly. The reason that so called "archaic" switches stopped being produced was a matter of profit margins and the rise of the rubber dome switch. It just so happens that Cherry continued to make them despite the small market and just happened to be there for the return of mechanical keyboards. Alps clicky switches are far better, and are still produced today, both by Matias with their custom version of the switch and Fuhua's (Forward Electronics) continuation of the White Alps series even after Alps decided to sell off their keyboard division. If Alps still produced their switches today, Cherry would have far smaller market share and most of the clones that you see would probably be Alps instead of MX based. In any case, you can still find plenty of Alps clones in China and well known companies such as Tai Hao have even made their own versions over the years.

[Kevadu]

Of course MX Blues are every bit as archaic as Alps or buckling springs...they may still be in production but the original design is from the same era.

I think most MX Blue fans are just fans of clicky switches...and there's nothing wrong with that.  I like clicky switches too.  It's not about the sound necessarily, clicky switches generally offer much sharper and cleaner tactility than 'tactile' switches.  But I would say as far as clicky switches goes MX Blues are kind of meh.  They're hardly the worst thing out there but they're also far from the best.  The problem is that for the longest time they were the only MX-compatible clicky switch design.  So if you wanted a clicky switch in a modern keyboard you didn't exactly have a lot of alternatives.

Kailh has mixed that up a bit with their clickbar design and for the most part I do think that's an improvement.  However I'm not completely happy with them either.  The original box whites aren't bad but they're also very light.  The tactility is very clean and sharp--which I like--but the actual magnitude of the bump is actually pretty small.  They're really not bad switches if you don't mind the lightness but I guess I like something a little heavier.  Enter the thick clicks...and suddenly we've gone too far in the other direction.  The bump in those is massive, almost absurdly so.  To the point where the force to overcome the bump can be significantly larger than the force to bottom out, which I don't think is good design.  And if you combine in with the heavier spring in the navies you have a really heavy switch.  I would really like to see an 'intermediate click' or something with a clickbar in between the original and the thick click size.  Maybe some intermediate weighted springs too.  Then these switches would be almost perfect...

Honestly if you want new but not necessarily MX-compatible clicky switch I think Matias makes one of the more compelling options.  Their clicky switch is very tactile and nicely weighted.  I don't actually like their 'quiet click' (i.e., tactile) switches as much but that's neither here nor there.

If you really want MX keycap compatibility but are willing to compromise on the PCB, etc. then there are still caches of SMK 2nd gen clicky MX-stem switches available in China.  They're not actually new but they're new old stock and they're very nice switches.  And of course they actually do work with MX keycaps so you'll have plenty of options there.  You just won't have a ton of options for the PCB since their pins are located differently from MX switches.  They're really good switches though.

So yeah, it seems no matter which way you go there are some compromises when trying to find a good clicky switch.  MX Blues offer the least compromises...if you ignore the fact that the switches themselves aren't really that great.  But it shouldn't really be surprising that people like them.  How many MX Blue fans have really spent much time with none-MX switches?

[Blaise170]

I don't think MX switches are particularly bad, and for the least hassle it's certainly the way to go (or at least MX compatibles like Kailh). On the other hand I don't think they are particularly good, and I'd rather have something else given the opportunity. For Alps for example, I can't think of any aftermarket keycaps besides Tai Hao and a few one off designs like Alpine Winter. Unlike MX, I can't find a decent keycap set for my Matias Pro because of it's layout and Matias has been dragging his feet on PBT keycaps for a few years now (is this even still a thing?) so I'm not holding my breath. I just bought the Massdrop CTRL with Hako Whites, so I'm hoping that these are close enough to Alps that I can finally give up the quest for A Better Switch™.

[Harms]

I don't think MX switches are particularly bad, and for the least hassle it's certainly the way to go (or at least MX compatibles like Kailh). On the other hand I don't think they are particularly good, and I'd rather have something else given the opportunity. For Alps for example, I can't think of any aftermarket keycaps besides Tai Hao and a few one off designs like Alpine Winter. Unlike MX, I can't find a decent keycap set for my Matias Pro because of it's layout and Matias has been dragging his feet on PBT keycaps for a few years now (is this even still a thing?) so I'm not holding my breath. I just bought the Massdrop CTRL with Hako Whites, so I'm hoping that these are close enough to Alps that I can finally give up the quest for A Better Switch™.

Have you tried Box Royals? They feel a lot like the Matias Quiet Clicks!.

[JianYang]

Don't listen to the haters with their love for archaic designs that died out because the market dictated their demise!

Hardly. The reason that so called "archaic" switches stopped being produced was a matter of profit margins and the rise of the rubber dome switch. It just so happens that Cherry continued to make them despite the small market and just happened to be there for the return of mechanical keyboards. Alps clicky switches are far better, and are still produced today, both by Matias with their custom version of the switch and Fuhua's (Forward Electronics) continuation of the White Alps series even after Alps decided to sell off their keyboard division. If Alps still produced their switches today, Cherry would have far smaller market share and most of the clones that you see would probably be Alps instead of MX based. In any case, you can still find plenty of Alps clones in China and well known companies such as Tai Hao have even made their own versions over the years.

 I know. I thought that comment was obviously sarcastic, since both MX and Alps designs are archaic...

[Sup]

there is nothing wrong with liking something that other people dislike. I love to type on MX Blacks rather then on a Topre.

[dwarf.factory]

not at all, i prefer clicky sound the most 

[Lansky]

I don't mind MX Blues either. But BOX Navies are so much better, imo. 

[jcoffin1981]

One could make arguments either way, but the sound DRIVES me crazy!  That and I can't stand the hysteresis.  If it could be designed to give feedback with an entirely different frequency and sound it would be more agreeable.

[Colourr]

Typing on MX blues right now, dog. 

[engra]

i like blues - i dont use them often because theyre a bit noisy but it just preference.... no right/wrong answer

[Tha_Pig]

You're nuts.

I love them too!

But my wife hates them.

[CustomerSupport]

I got blues on my first MK and enjoyed them after I got used to the board (I had previously only typed on Apple MBP/Bluetooth keyboards).

Just got a Leopold with Clears, and I have to say, I certainly like the weight and feeling of these better than the blues, and certainly the sound as well. I would throw away my blues necessarily, but I'd try either heavier springs or move to perhaps a BOX Burnt Orange set for that board.

[jcoffin1981]

You're nuts.

I love them too!

But my wife hates them.

I guess they're like eggs.  If you are not eating them you can't stand to be in the same room with someone who is eating them; they stink.

[Kevadu]

I guess they're like eggs.  If you are not eating them you can't stand to be in the same room with someone who is eating them; they stink.

Can't say that I've ever felt that way about eggs...

[Nomcr]

I really liked my blues initially but once I went to a less clicks more tactile switch I tend to like the blues less. I also like box Navy’s over blues now


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Avalai]

I'm using MX Blues in my two main boards right now too, and I don't mind them. I don't think I'm a very picky person in general, but I did recently try a bunch of alternatives just to see if I preferred a similar kailh switch. I ended up building a numpad with Kailh Speed Pink switches, which have the clickbar. It's a really neat feeling and a nice sound, but I'm not sure I could enjoy a full keyboard of them.

If blues check all your boxes, then who cares if some people think you're crazy.

[zap2oz]

Originally was a big fan of MX Blues, but they ended up being a bit too loud and heavy for me. Whatever floats your boat, though!

[smurkcity12]

I've tried my fair share of switches too, and while blues aren't my favorite, I do see the appeal. It's a personal flavor type thing  so you're not crazy!

[czarek]

I like MX Blues, they're definitely one of my favourite switches. They're sharp, fast, super light and sound quite satisfying (although I like Model Ms more in this regard).

For last couple years I can only use very light switches so basically rotating around variable weight Topre, MX Brown and MX Blue. In the past I used to use 55G RF, 45G HHKBs and countless Model Ms, NIB Vintage MX Blacks, but I no longer can - they give me pain after longer use. In fact sometimes variable Topre gives me pains. But whenever that happens, light Cherries save my fingers

Oh and I also tried lots of batches of Alps and Matias switches, and they're just not my cup of tea. I don't like the feel of them. They sound fine, but feel kinda funky, not to mention if the keyboard is just a little dirty, it feels like complete garbage. I haven't tried Kailh Box in a whole keyboard but the loose switches I tried were very inconsistent in feel and sound - I guess that would drive me nuts in a keyboard.

Feel wise, I think my favourite would be Model F, but I can't stand the rock hard space bar and the sound of those switches (high pitch, pinging and ringing) - in this regard, I much prefer Model Ms.

[Hongook]

MX Blues is the only switch I've used for a extensive amount of time. Looking forward to trying out a variety of other switches later this year when I have a hotswappable keyboard to make things much easier.

[nativejibroney22]

I love blues, my favorite switch so far is a cherristotle, which in my opinion is a crisper blue. If I had to pick a favorite outside that, it would be a lubed blue. Something about it is just so satisfying.

[JianYang]

I have given this some more thought and came to the conclusion that - yes, you are crazy. But I could have told you that based on the fact that you are on this forum, and it's not at all connected to the color of your switches

[jackcauliflower]

See I’ve never minded blues either. I like the tactility and the weight, but I’ve grown accustomed to more silent switches over the years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[romevi]

Blues are noisy, so not for me. 

[killyou]

So many great responses! Thanks guys. I bought the MX Blue Pok3r with intention to install holtites (again, this is craziness) and put some clicky Kailh BOX switches. However I just got the switch tester the other day and while I like the crisp sound of the click bar there is no switch with such a balance of weighting like MX Blues. All clicky BOX switches are either too light, too heavy or the tactile bump require much more force to overcome than bottoming out (which I find is a big design flaw). I love the sound and sharpness of BOX Navies but they are too heavy for daily usage. They went extreme with both the spring and thickness of the click bar. If they introduce something around 60g of bottom out force and up to 65g of tactile bump with the same 30-40g drop after overcoming click bar then I'll definitely be getting them. Until then I guess I'll stick with the MX Blues.

[Deephouse_jedi]

I loved blues for a while when I first got into keebs. Now I am 100% team zealios. Perfectly tactile but still enough noise from my caps I enjoy typing....a lot

[Blaise170]

Have you tried Jades?

[killyou]

Have you tried Jades?

Yes, I consider them broken design. Spring is way too light for the enormous tactile bump making the switch operate like light switch in on/off fashion only. It's absymal and I would never put that in the keyboard. Perfect clicky BOX switch lies somewhere between BOX Pale Blue and BOX Navy. They need thinner click bar than Navy and slightly lighter spring and it woudl be perfect. BOX Navy is a very good switch but slightly too heavy for me. Also in my opinion it would benefit from -5/8g off the tactile bump = thinner clicker bar.