Keyboard Switches - which do you use/like?

Will you be lubing them next DG :nerd_face:

I love the sound of Gateron Ink Blacks (lubed)

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Iā€™m afraid Iā€™ll spoil them if I try to lube them. Also, I think lubed switches with catch the dirt (dust) quicker.


I typed on a keyboard with Gateron red switches the day before yesterday, and they didnā€™t feel like Cherry switches, at all.

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Definitely Cherry MX Brown. Tried most of the Cherry MX switches and only Brown is what stuck with me. Never tried any others though, save for Logitechā€™s custom switches which were quite meh but okay in general (I can see how they can appeal to part of the gamers but not to me).

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New to the rabbit hole :slight_smile:
There are new switches coming out every month. So many choices.

What is your favorite?

I recently got a pack of Durock L7.
Factory lube is enough, it is ready to use.
But the length of the default spring is a bit short.

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Nowadays I use Cherry MX Low Profile Speed switches, and I love them.

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Gazzew Boba U4T has been my preferred option for a while however recently have been trying out Gateron Baby Kangaroos. Iā€™m pretty much sold on the Baby Kangaroos for the moment, they have quite a big tactile bump in them give really good feedback when typing.

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I watched a video on Gateron Baby Kangaroos, and I must say, their sound is quite pleasing.

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Iā€™ve never been big into keyboard sound compared to a lot of people who I see who are interested in keyboards but I also did notice they sounded a good bit nicer than others I have tried. Personally I am big into tactile feedback which is the main reason I like them however they are very far off the preferences you seem to express in some of your previous posts, they are a bit heavier and the tactile bump makes them seem a bit heavier again.

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I enjoyed using Cherry MX Brown switches for a while due to their tactile bump. However, I encountered an issue when typing fast at speeds exceeding 90WPM. Occasionally, a key I thought I pressed twice would register only once. When I switched to Cherry MX linear switches, I didnā€™t experience this issue. It led me to believe that while the tactile feedback of the Cherry MX Brown switches was enjoyable, it became problematic for me when typing at very high speeds. Consequently, I stopped using Cherry MX Brown switches.

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It can vary between different switch designs but often the tactile bump (or in the case of click switches the point at which it clicks) is very shortly before the point the switch registers rather than exactly at that point, especially for low profile ones.

Both Boba U4T and Baby Kangaroo have a relatively distinct bump with high pressure before and near none after. The pressure on the Baby Kangaroo is higher and is earlier in the press, with activation also higher in the press. Not that it matters much in terms of activation , the drop in pressure means both these switches are going to hit bottom. Cherry MX brown or even any of the other popular browns (kailh box, kailh silent, gateron, gateron pro are other browns Iā€™ve used recently) feel like prodding a sponge in comparison.

I do find I type much more accurately on this kind of high feedback tactile switches however in the last couple of weeks have experienced some RSI problems so while I like them less I have been forcing myself to adjust to light and linear switches to ease those issues as some typos and aesthetics are not worth worrying about in that case so I am currently using choc pinks to minimise pressure, jarring movements and overall movement (though it is almost an effort not to press these things)

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How is your experience with choc pinks so far?

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They are very very very light. If you have quite extreme tenting then they are pretty good but if you donā€™t tent too extreme then I found it hard to relax my hands without accidentally hitting them. I recently got a Glove80 and went with choc red pro on that. Iā€™ve been finding the pro red a better balance between light to press and not so light it takes effort to not press. Also IMHO the pro red is a bit smoother and less scratchy, the choc browns are especially horrible in that respect but the pinks were still a bit scratchy compared to the pro red. IIRC the red is around 50g, the pro red around 35g and the pink are around 20g.

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I had a similar experience with Cherry MX Low Profile Speed switches. Their short actuation distance (1mm) took some getting used to. Now, I donā€™t register accidental keypresses. Sometimes they even feel stiff.
I think I should try the pro reds and pinks when I am free.

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You may well enjoy them. If you have been using lighter switches for a while you may like the pink ones more than me. Just in case you arenā€™t aware the Cherry MX LP switches and the Kailh Choc switches require different sockets on the board, pretty much all the different brands of LP switches are incompatible with each other :frowning:

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Same here. I just buy whatever keyboard looks ok to use.

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Since then, Iā€™ve learned a lot about switchesā€”gaining knowledge from YouTube, fellow enthusiasts here at DevTalk, and through hands-on experience with various switches. However, the approach of trying out different keyboards at a shop and choosing the one that feels right is perfect for beginners, and thatā€™s how I started when I was new to mechanical keyboards.

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Thanks for the advice :slight_smile:

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