Not All Linears Are The Same!
Figure 1: Not even all of these (mostly) KTT-made linears are the same! After all of my years of collecting, reviewing, and obsessing over switches, I can say with certainty that linear switches are the most misunderstood of all of the switch types. No, I’m not talking about mechanically either, as all of the claims of them “just going straight up and down” are somewhat kind of true. (Not too much though, don’t get that excited.) The part that is often misunderstood, though, is usually in what is being implied when people say that these switches just go straight up and down – “All linears might as well be the same.” If the title of this article didn’t make that obvious enough to you, I find that sort of idea to be completely and utterly wrong. The people who make these implications wouldn’t say that a Cherry MX Black is the same as a Novelkeys Cream switch? They also certainly wouldn’t ever claim that every Gateron-made linear is the same as every fancy TTC one out there...
May 29, 2024
Believe it or not, that simple introduction summarizes how the vast majority of clicky style mechanical keyboard switches out there right now operate. As you dig further into the depths about clicky switches though, you’ll likely encounter other niche styles such as snap springs, Alps-style click plates, Aristotle-style mechanisms, or any other number of niche designs which aren’t the most supported in the modern day. Regardless of whether or not you stick to the high-level stuff or get down into the nitty gritty details, if you’re interested in using clicky switches you absolutely must experiment. No two clicky switches sound exactly the same, and finding the sound your heart desires will take a few rounds of iteration. In that quest for the perfect clicky switch, though, it may help you do some more reading up to know what to look for, like my articles here on Drop on ‘Switch Marketing Terms’ and ‘The Who’s Who of Switch Manufacturers’.