The QWER Tester...

Free Standard Shipping in the US on orders over $99

Showing 1 of 13 conversations about:

ErgoDox: Which Cherry MX switches do you prefer?

Feb 21, 2014

The QWER Tester drop was a huge help to me.
What I discovered is that the Browns are closest to the keys on my favorite keyboard of all time, the Apple Extended Keyboard which used ALPS switches.
But after playing with the various switches, I realized that the Browns felt to me like a dirty version of the Red switch. I couldn't feel a clear tactile point.
As a lapsed piano player, and tuba player who chose a rotary valve instrument BECAUSE of that tactile feel, the Blues feel better to me. But I don't like the noise level.
While I'm waiting on AcidFire's Nexus keyboard (on GeekHack) to come to fruition, I needed to go ahead and order a TrulyErgonomic keyboard which only includes those two (three if you count Reds) choices. So I had to choose between the two.
I eventually settled on the Blues for two reasons:
1 - The tactile feedback helps me avoid bottoming out, something I always did on that old Apple keyboard.
2 - The Blue has tighter side to side tolerances, meaning that off center hits still push straight down. The Brown seemed more sloppy.
That said, I'm hoping that Clears will give me the tactile feedback I need from the Blues without the noise. I have some samples on order (which should arrive any minute) that I'll be able to test with their stock springs as well as the lighter Blue springs. If they work as I hope, they'll be the best of both worlds. Once I can do that testing, THEN I'll be ready to vote. :-)
2 hours later: The test switches have arrived. The stock Clear switch is definitely heavier than the Blue and Brown, and even heavier than the Green. I would say more like a tactile Black. The tactile bump doesn't feel very strong; about equivalent to the Brown. So it winds up feeling much like a heavy Brown.
But after replacing the spring, it really is a different switch. The tactile bump is almost (but not quite) as notable as the Blue's. It's as quiet as the Brown, and generally as light as both. It's about as laterally sloppy as the Brown, though.
Still, when all is said and done, I definitely have a new favorite switch. The Clear, with a lighter spring.

Feb 21, 2014