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What switches should I get?
I am planning to buy a drop alt but am unsure of the switches I should choose. My keyboard would be primarily for gaming but also some typing. I would also prefer a quieter noise as to not create noise through my microphone when playing with people. It seems to me like the MX Browns are a good choice but I have seen that the Halo Clears might be better? I am still a beginner around keyboards so suggestions would be very much appreciated.
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keyboard_arrow_downNicholas_M
27
Oct 6, 2020
If you have the budget, I would recommend getting the 72 switch tester from kbdfans (or any other tester), it has almost all the basic switches from the market including the more premium zeal lineup, so you can find out which one you like. I think this would save you money in the long run from spending switches in packs of 10 out of curiosity.
I am also pretty new to the keyboard scene. But I have tried a few premium linear and tactile switches, and what I noticed is that among the linear (black inks, tealios, NK creams) switches they are almost the same with minimal differences.
However for tactile the differences are more distinct. For example, the bump of a holy panda and a zealios feels and sounds totally different.
I currently use tactiles for my function keys and linears for my alphabets and numericals on my Alt, and I absolutely love it :D
Hope you find the switch you like!
PS: Lube and mod your alt stabs.
Geegermeister
26
Sep 19, 2020
Hello Crymsinn. I just got the barebones Drop Alt high profile and Drop makes an amazing keyboard, you are gonna love it! Are you going to get the barebones version and get the switches separately or get it with the switches pre-installed? I recently got into mechanical keyboards and have already tried a good amount of switches. A lot of it comes down to personal preference but as someone who mostly games on my PC and types a bit I love linear switches. Gateron Red’s are great for Linear if you are selecting from the options Drop offers. I use Zeal Healios switches I ordered from MechanicalKeyboards.com and they are a “silent” switch so they have sound dampening material in each switch and feel great. If you are looking for tactile most are pretty silent and since the Drop alt is hot swappable you can easily remove the switches and lube them which makes tactile and linear switches even quieter. I have heard Halo Clears are great and if you want to feel some different switches to get an idea on if you like clicky, linear, or tactile you can go to a Best Buy and they usually have some switches you can press to see which one you like best. One of the nice thing about the Drop Alt is since it’s hot swappable if you get some switches and then want to try another switch type you can easily swap them with the included switch remover tool without any soldering.
Geegermeister
26
Sep 24, 2020
That’s a good choice and if you ever decide you want to try something different you can always swap out the switches and try something else.
tacogalactic
24
Sep 29, 2020
I think what blew me away was how many little things there are to consider when you use a keyboard and find switches you like. Just trying 6+ linear switches makes me realize how many differences there are. I kind of want to just buy all the switches and swap them one set at a time to try :D Too expensive but it would be fun to do.
Good luck on your journey, I am also on the same one trying to find the perfect balance of friction, travel, force and sound. :D
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