Favorite Cherry MX Switch

[Zeal]

I just pulled out Cherry Corp's Cherry MX spec sheets and dug through their PDF to find their Force Diagrams.

You can see how the Clear Switches spike upwards towards 100cN once you pass the actuating point of 55cN and start bottoming out, while MX Browns actuate at 45cN and ends at 60cN when bottoming out.

Quick summary:

MX Clear's tactile bump is at 65cN. The switch actuates at 55cN.

MX Brown's tactile bump is at 55cN. The switch actuates at 45cN.

I believe Cherry accidentally typo'd the Actuation point and Tactile feel on the MX Brown diagram. MX Browns have a tactile bump is at 55cN and an actuation force at 45cN.

Large .gif diagram showing the more "common" switches

[Langdon]

I love cherry MX blues but I will probably also get a MX Brown, my second favourite, for outside and night time use.

[joelthezombie15]

What about all the other switches? you missed a few.

[SubTract]

I like that a lot of keyboard manufacturers use reds because "Gamers prefer reds"

When at this stage in the poll. No one has voted for Reds :)... Amazing.

I'm pretty sure I can safely say that a good majority of the votes are from gamers.

[calarahil]

I think its because people want more accurate typing. While reds may be good for gaming they aren't nearly as good for someone who is looking to have a good typing experience as well. Which leads people to people who are really into typing towards blues and people who game and want the balance to browns. That's my feeling at least why people avoid reds. 

[omaroma11]

the sound mx blue

[Qpm5]

I really like my red k70 i have the blue and silver one it works perfectly for my needs

[WorldDominator]

I have a Ducky DK9087 blue LEDs with brown switches. Must say I do like the browns a lot, however I'd like to try a full keyboard of blues and see if I annoy myself or not

[calarahil]

Blues and browns are nearly identical spec wise except for the sound difference I think this video does the best job I've seen of the sound difference I know I would be really annoyed by the sound of blues with people around me.

[shirokado]

Blues and browns are nearly identical spec wise except for the sound difference I think this video does the best job I've seen of the sound difference I know I would be really annoyed by the sound of blues with people around me.

blues and browns are COMPLETELY different. Browns feel more like reds then they will ever feel like blues.

[Viking Kong]

I've only tried browns, which is what my keyboard is. I'd like to try them all, especially greens...

[shirokado]

I've only tried browns, which is what my keyboard is. I'd like to try them all, especially greens...

this is why I wrote at the beginning that id only prefer that you vote if you tried all of them.

[calarahil]

this is why I wrote at the beginning that id only prefer that you vote if you tried all of them.

 

However browns are not linear there is a point where you actually feel the key register. Where you get the tactile feedback with blues and the clickyness with blues and you only get the tactile feedback with the browns and not the clickyness I would say they are similar style wise. Feel wise I don't know. I felt blues felt cheap because of the click but that's just me. I tried the k90 (reds), and the blackwidow (blues) and I already had an idea of what the browns were about and I liked the feel of the G710+ because it is a mechanical g15 and i love that. 

 

I will say though that I do type much faster on a mechanical keyboard here is my highest score to date.

 

[AraSarkisyan]

Green Switches and Blues FTW. 

[shirokado]

 

However browns are not linear there is a point where you actually feel the key register. Where you get the tactile feedback with blues and the clickyness with blues and you only get the tactile feedback with the browns and not the clickyness I would say they are similar style wise. Feel wise I don't know. I felt blues felt cheap because of the click but that's just me. I tried the k90 (reds), and the blackwidow (blues) and I already had an idea of what the browns were about and I liked the feel of the G710+ because it is a mechanical g15 and i love that. 

 

I will say though that I do type much faster on a mechanical keyboard here is my highest score to date.

 

wrong comment to reply to , and browns are quite linear, they are not tactile in anyway shape or form. they are more like reds, with something stuck in the spring. and the g710+ may be a brown keyboard, but the orings give it a mushyness that is comparable to the membranes. i have a g710+ myself, and when i went to Anime Expo and went to the game room, they had a bunch of computers with alienware membrane keyboards laid out, when i first touched them i thought they were brown switches with rubber orings on it for about 5 minutes before i used them for a extended period of time. blues feel completley different from browns, and i would put reds and brown in the same level of comfort for typing. and blacks and blues on the same level for typing as well.

[calarahil]

I suggest you take a look at this thread :X Browns are a tactile switch sir :P

 

http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide

[calarahil]

wrong comment to reply to , and browns are quite linear, they are not tactile in anyway shape or form. they are more like reds, with something stuck in the spring. and the g710+ may be a brown keyboard, but the orings give it a mushyness that is comparable to the membranes. i have a g710+ myself, and when i went to Anime Expo and went to the game room, they had a bunch of computers with alienware membrane keyboards laid out, when i first touched them i thought they were brown switches with rubber orings on it for about 5 minutes before i used them for a extended period of time. blues feel completley different from browns, and i would put reds and brown in the same level of comfort for typing. and blacks and blues on the same level for typing as well.

Also there is still very much so a mechanical feel with the g710+ for sure. Even with o rings all they do is dampen the noise a little bit not much but a little bit. I have a few membrane keyboards laying around the razer anansi and the g15 the orange led one and they feel nothing like the g710+. Also blacks area often times compared to a membrane keyboard as close as one gets. 

[shirokado]

Also there is still very much so a mechanical feel with the g710+ for sure. Even with o rings all they do is dampen the noise a little bit not much but a little bit. I have a few membrane keyboards laying around the razer anansi and the g15 the orange led one and they feel nothing like the g710+. Also blacks area often times compared to a membrane keyboard as close as one gets. 

with the orings the mechanical feel isnt really there. the orings create a mushy feeling, it is a piece of rubber. g710+ feel very much like the stock alienware keyboard. blacks feel nothing like membrane. they spring back really fast and require quite a bit of force to push down, you can "feel" the springyness of the switches.

[shirokado]

I suggest you take a look at this thread :X Browns are a tactile switch sir :P

 

http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide

i know theyre considered tactile switches, but they sure dont feel tactile at all. they feel very cheap and linear. the bump is barely noticeable.

[shirokado]

actually let me rephrase that. cherry mx browns feel tactile when they are raw, but as soon as you put rubber orings on it, they feel cheap and linear. more closely comparable to membranes.

[calarahil]

i know theyre considered tactile switches, but they sure dont feel tactile at all. they feel very cheap and linear. the bump is barely noticeable.

 

I suppose that is very much a opinion. I would say that it very much depends on the style of how you use the g710+. O rings are a good thing to include because they do sort of dampen the noise of what mechanical keys typically do output whether they are blues, reds, blacks, greens w.e they all make more noise then a normal joe keyboard. If you don't like the added element of the mush to then take the o rings out. I'm not a expert in O rings but from what I hear different o rings give a different feel to the keys. 

 

actually let me rephrase that. cherry mx browns feel tactile when they are raw, but as soon as you put rubber orings on it, they feel cheap and linear. more closely comparable to membranes.

 

And I don't necessarily agree with you here. when you say linear a linear key would be like reds where you press down you don't feel a actuation point and that would give you the red feel. Now if you were to go and say that blacks are linear and that they felt cheap then that would be your opinion on blacks but you can feel the bump even with the o rings with the browns on the G710+ and therefore the "tactile" feel of the key.

 

 

wrong comment to reply to , and browns are quite linear, they are not tactile in anyway shape or form. they are more like reds, with something stuck in the spring. and the g710+ may be a brown keyboard, but the orings give it a mushyness that is comparable to the membranes. i have a g710+ myself, and when i went to Anime Expo and went to the game room, they had a bunch of computers with alienware membrane keyboards laid out, when i first touched them i thought they were brown switches with rubber orings on it for about 5 minutes before i used them for a extended period of time. blues feel completley different from browns, and i would put reds and brown in the same level of comfort for typing. and blacks and blues on the same level for typing as well.

 

And I would disagree here as well. The reason why I was saying that people liken a membrane keyboard to blacks is because blacks are normally bottomed out which isn't normally what you do when you type with a mechanical switch which brings you a bit closer to what you would normally experience with a normal keyboard. Blue's and blacks are not in the same league when it comes to comfort with typing. You have blues which have a more precise tactile feedback and then you have blacks which have more of the linear feedback both very different approaches. And because blacks are a heavier switch you couldn't say they are a good comfort switch for typists because they will really create muscle tension over time much the same with greens which require a bit more force as well. And when you consider that the browns are a little lighter then blues but also have tactile feedback its easier to say they are kind of the middle road between a gaming and typing experience. Gaming because they don't make a ton of noise but still provide the mechanical element but at the same time provide that light tactile feedback experience that blues do not the same as blues but still its a tactile feeling. In the end though to each is own really. If you don't like browns you don't like browns if you don't like the mushy feeling of the o rings then you have options. 

 

[shirokado]

I suppose that is very much a opinion. I would say that it very much depends on the style of how you use the g710+. O rings are a good thing to include because they do sort of dampen the noise of what mechanical keys typically do output whether they are blues, reds, blacks, greens w.e they all make more noise then a normal joe keyboard. If you don't like the added element of the mush to then take the o rings out. I'm not a expert in O rings but from what I hear different o rings give a different feel to the keys. 

 

 

And I don't necessarily agree with you here. when you say linear a linear key would be like reds where you press down you don't feel a actuation point and that would give you the red feel. Now if you were to go and say that blacks are linear and that they felt cheap then that would be your opinion on blacks but you can feel the bump even with the o rings with the browns on the G710+ and therefore the "tactile" feel of the key.

 

 

 

And I would disagree here as well. The reason why I was saying that people liken a membrane keyboard to blacks is because blacks are normally bottomed out which isn't normally what you do when you type with a mechanical switch which brings you a bit closer to what you would normally experience with a normal keyboard. Blue's and blacks are not in the same league when it comes to comfort with typing. You have blues which have a more precise tactile feedback and then you have blacks which have more of the linear feedback both very different approaches. And because blacks are a heavier switch you couldn't say they are a good comfort switch for typists because they will really create muscle tension over time much the same with greens which require a bit more force as well. And when you consider that the browns are a little lighter then blues but also have tactile feedback its easier to say they are kind of the middle road between a gaming and typing experience. Gaming because they don't make a ton of noise but still provide the mechanical element but at the same time provide that light tactile feedback experience that blues do not the same as blues but still its a tactile feeling. In the end though to each is own really. If you don't like browns you don't like browns if you don't like the mushy feeling of the o rings then you have options. 

 

It's not just me that says g710+ has a membrane feel to it. There are a few reviews out there on the g710+ that mentions the membrane feel that the prong produces, which is to be expected, it's a piece of rubber.

[calarahil]

It's not just me that says g710+ has a membrane feel to it. There are a few reviews out there on the g710+ that mentions the membrane feel that the prong produces, which is to be expected, it's a piece of rubber.

 

Like I said if you don't like it with the rings take them out :P simple as that. There are different hardness to o rings which give different feels I saw a couple that WASD sells I'm not sure the hardness of the O ring that comes stock with the 710+. Either way I like it with the o ring I like a more silent operation have a fractal design define r4 after all and quiet edition fans in my case as well :P But hey if you don't care about the noise there you go

[shirokado]

Like I said if you don't like it with the rings take them out :P simple as that. There are different hardness to o rings which give different feels I saw a couple that WASD sells I'm not sure the hardness of the O ring that comes stock with the 710+. Either way I like it with the o ring I like a more silent operation have a fractal design define r4 after all and quiet edition fans in my case as well :P But hey if you don't care about the noise there you go

well i guess it is personal preference. other then that those "quiet edition" fans... i hope those are not corsair fans, the corsair fans are only good if they are the high performance editions at 12v, quiet editions are quite rubbish

[calarahil]

well i guess it is personal preference. other then that those "quiet edition" fans... i hope those are not corsair fans, the corsair fans are only good if they are the high performance editions at 12v, quiet editions are quite rubbish

my sp120's are quiet editions my af140s you don't get a choice. And good is a matter of opinion performance fans are a little louder and don't come with the volt reducer. Depends if you are after a higher performing fan or a quieter fan.