New Key Switch/Board Discussion Help

[Darkmatter35]

Hello LTTF! I've had some questionable performances with my current keyboard and I am not sure which switch/keyboard brand to try next. I am currently using a WASD V2 with Cherry MX Clears and a set of MaxKeyboards PBT frontside printed keycaps on it. This is my first PBT experience and I love how they feel hands down compared to ABS. I used to use a default Logitech G710+ for a while but I didn't like the build quality of the caps and the board itself. When I was deciding what keyboard to buy It was either the WASD Clears or the CM NovaTouch. I figured the Cherries would be good to stick too rather than the electrostatic. That being said the NovaTouch still interests me. So here's the jist; I hated the typing experience of the G710+ Browns and so far the Clears are better but still not admirable. With the clears I like typing on them but they feel almost too sturdy. I am a typer that tends to bottom out my keys but sometimes I don't and its annoying when they don't register. This is less of an issue with typing and only really applies in games. So I am not interested in blues or browns I believe unless someone can prove me wrong. I am interested in maybe greens, blacks, or reds from Cherry. With that in mind I would love to see if I would like typing on other brands like CM's novatouch switches etc. So let me know what you guys think and thank you for reading!

[pcshme33]

I had a g710+ for a while, I absolutely hated the brown switches as well. 

[DrM]

you hate browns and blues, but prefer clears and greens? they are the same thing besides the higher actuation force. if thats what you want, and you bottom out a lot, i would say mx blacks with some .4mm o rings

[Darkmatter35]

6 minutes ago, DrM said:

you hate browns and blues, but prefer clears and greens? they are the same thing besides the higher actuation force. if thats what you want, and you bottom out a lot, i would say mx blacks with some .4mm o rings

Let me re-phrase this. I have used Browns a lot and they are nothing special. I don't want to own another Brown switch board again when there are so many other options. I have never tried Blues but I can already tell you they wont be my style based on my research. My understanding of blacks is that they feel like reds but have a much heavier actuation force. I like the clears but they feel "over the top" on force and feeling. Never tried greens. Also Forgot to mention that I have .4mm o rings on my Clears as well.  

[Darkmatter35]

Please feel free to educate me about anything I am overlooking. I only know enough about key switches from what I currently own and from popular reviews. 

[DrM]

1 minute ago, Darkmatter35 said:

Let me re-phrase this. I have used Browns a lot and they are nothing special. I don't want to own another Brown switch board again when there are so many other options. I have never tried Blues but I can already tell you they wont be my style based on my research. My understanding of blacks is that they feel like reds but have a much heavier actuation force. I like the clears but they feel "over the top" on force and feeling. Never tried greens. Also Forgot to mention that I have .4mm o rings on my Clears as well.  

if you dont like blues, then you probably wont like greens either. greens are just blues with 10 more neutons of actuation force. do you actually like the tactile bump on your clears? personally i hate them since i can barely  feel it when typing. blacks would be a linear switch, so no feedback when you reach the actuation point and it require a lighter force than clears

[Darkmatter35]

Just now, DrM said:

if you dont like blues, then you probably wont like greens either. greens are just blues with 10 more neutons of actuation force. do you actually like the tactile bump on your clears? personally i hate them since i can barely  feel it when typing. blacks would be a linear switch, so no feedback when you reach the actuation point and it require a lighter force than clears

I don't know if I like the tactile bump 100% really. I've used mushy membrane keys from school and work my entire life up to about 3 years ago. So maybe I'm just trying too much to compare it to that in my mind. This is one of the reasons why I think the Nova touch would be a good option for me. I'm looking for something responsive with a well constructed feeling. Also with a middle ground between browns and clears for the actuation force. 

[DrM]

2 minutes ago, Darkmatter35 said:

I don't know if I like the tactile bump 100% really. I've used mushy membrane keys from school and work my entire life up to about 3 years ago. So maybe I'm just trying too much to compare it to that in my mind. This is one of the reasons why I think the Nova touch would be a good option for me. I'm looking for something responsive with a well constructed feeling. Also with a middle ground between browns and clears for the actuation force. 

are the o rings not mushy enough compared to a membrane keyboard? you might like the topre switches of the novatouch then. and it comes with a cherry keystem, so you can swap over your old keycaps too

[Darkmatter35]

1 minute ago, DrM said:

are the o rings not mushy enough compared to a membrane keyboard? you might like the topre switches of the novatouch then. and it comes with a cherry keystem, so you can swap over your old keycaps too

To be honest I'm really not sure. I think its just a bad combination of high actuation force + lowered travel distance of the rings. Never the less the clears are a bit to heavy for what I do on my computer. They feel really good and responsive for typing but they are annoying for gaming because of that little bit of extra time it takes to fully press a key in a twitch game. I'm used to it now but its something that pops up every now and then at random. Leaning more towards not liking the tactile bump. Need to start researching switches again to get a better mindset. Really wish the Nova touch came in a full size layout. Got any other ideas of keyboard brands? Also what do you use

[DrM]

21 minutes ago, Darkmatter35 said:

To be honest I'm really not sure. I think its just a bad combination of high actuation force + lowered travel distance of the rings. Never the less the clears are a bit to heavy for what I do on my computer. They feel really good and responsive for typing but they are annoying for gaming because of that little bit of extra time it takes to fully press a key in a twitch game. I'm used to it now but its something that pops up every now and then at random. Leaning more towards not liking the tactile bump. Need to start researching switches again to get a better mindset. Really wish the Nova touch came in a full size layout. Got any other ideas of keyboard brands? Also what do you use

personally use corsair k70 with browns because it was good middle ground when i had no prior experience, but i wish i had blues for the loud click. topre keybaords seem hard to come by, and expensive. this might be a good place to start (https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_list&c=79).

i think the best thing you can do right now is just try out different switches. maybe see if you could borrow a board from a friend, or maybe find some for display at a hardware store, or even buy a switch tester off amazon (though those dont give a full idea of how the switches feel)