Mechanical Keyboard Switches - Part 2 

Quick clarification on the switch "sampler" pricing at the end - the screenshot we showed was from the Canadian Amazon site which is currently selling it from a third party seller that's charging...quite a bit of money. On the US Amazon site, the price is a much more reasonable $16. Thanks for watching!

It has been FOUR YEARS?! Some people died in between waiting for second part...

Part 3 should go over the "extreme" side of mechanical keyboards. Custom switches like Zealio's, MOD switches, "jail-house blues", Lubing existing switches for a different feel and even key cap profiles like SA, DSA, DSC and "Cherry". Maybe even go as far as full custom built and programmed boards. Maybe even build a custom 40% or 60% keyboard, Hand wired of course. LTT is #outofideas eh? the custom mechanical keyboard world goes deep. i can think of at least 5 major videos on custom Keebs alone.

"Switch sampler for a few bucks." Shows a $70 tester

I actually watched Part 1 yesterday and sent the video to a friend who didn't know what mechanical keyboard were. I've just sent him this one too. Hopefully he is enlightened now.

I wish you guys covered the gateron switches I'm sort of looking into but a compact keyboard to take with me when I leave to write at the library. Great video though

I really like my MX Red switches, but I've noticed that on my laptop, which has rubber dome keys, I often type needlessly hard on the keys. Bit loud, but it feels so satisfying to just smack my desktop keyboard switches like a madman.

Cherry speed switches do take some time to get used to. But it's helped with being more deliberate with my key presses. Plus the super short actuation distance is awesome.

I use an old buckling spring kayboard as you put it. Specifically an IBM model M from the 80's. Best keyboard I've ever used IMO.

I like "quick" membrane keyboards for comfort. Like the inexpensive steelseries boards.

quick tip: if you, like me, are looking into DIY acrylic keycaps, do yourself a favour and do it on a keyboard with high actuation force switches because the solid blocks of cast acrylic have substantial weight (especially on long keys like the shift key and space bar).

"Twice as short" you mean half?

Matias makes the only Alps clones still in production, AFAIK, in a clicky, dampened (silenced) tactile and silenced linear variant. They're worth a look, as they're a bit different from Cherry. The clicky versions (Matias Click) are strongly tactile with an audible crunchy click more reminiscent of IBM buckling springs than of Cherry Blues, and they actuate like a linear switch - no hysteresis, unlike the Cherry and IBM switches. Matias Quiet Click (dampened tactile, not audibly clicky) are very quiet with little switch-body rattle but fairly strong tactility; kinda like MX Clear but crunchier. Matias Linears are not only linear but also dampened - these are just about as dead-nuts silent as you can get, and are apparently buttery smooth, rather like Gateron Black but by most accounts smoother. The catch is that Matias keyboards are designed more for typists than gamers - no macros, not much in the way of bling, etc. Also, they kinda make one look, like it or lump it, but they do have full 108-key, tenkeyless and split ergonomic versions. They have full NKRO, and the switch design makes them decent for speed-tapping once you get the feel for where the actuation point is, and they include a USB hub so you can connect a macro pad without using yet another USB port, so they're not terrible for gaming; they're just not specifically designed for it. The other contender is IBM/Unicomp. The good old Model M is still in production. Two-key rollover, long travel and a lot of hysteresis means it's not very good for gaming, but for typing, I think nothing soundly beats it, and only a few things compete. Also it's huge, which is unpopular these days, but if you type a lot and have large hands, small is not necessarily great.

The Corsair K70 with that reactive typing setting (lights ghosting each key pressed) looks amazing... (at 1:18)

I'm starting to buile a pc, and as soon as I start thinking these questions I see a lot of tech youtubers post more stuff haha. Thanks for the vid

i use the ones from coolermaster devastator2 which has a hybrid mechanical/membrane key that feels good and can support my fingers while falling easily.

About testing to see if you will actually like them. Go to any computer parts store, like Microcenter if there's one in your area, and give them a try. In addition to floor models, many of the boxes are already open.

Still rocking the MX Greens, my personal favourite!

I bought my first mechanical keyboard recently - A Logitech G710+ with Cherry Brown switches. It's pretty good.

Love that you can talk about Razer, Corsair, Logitech and even Coolermaster... ... but you just fail to even fucking mention Steelseries.

those descriptions at the start of techquikies are fairly accurate. thtas why i watch these videos after all :-)

Hardly even scratched the surface of key switches, nothing about gateron, or zealios which are quickly becoming more popular then cherry.

Buckling spring keyboards are still being made today, I purchased one from Unicomp last year and it's more or less the same thing IBM used to make. I hear they're not ideal for gaming, but at least for MMOs it games just fine, and for typing, buckling springs remain unmatched even to this day. (Unless you can deal with the non-standard layout of an old model F.)

Silent Red Cherry MX Switches are my new favorite!! I love this keyboard

As a MX SPEED user, i'd like to confirm, the first 2 weeks i kept accidentaly touching keys. 2 months in i hardly ever have the issue anymore since i got used to their sensibility, so its a fair point if you're reviewing them to say so, but in the long run being sensitive pays off and feels great.

I would really appreciate a longer and more in depth video on the subject.

"unless you're actually French" -- Or Canadian!!!

Im very happy with my k70 red switches, getting o-rings also helped :)

It's been 4 years, we need part 3!

Can you go over all the other types of switches plz, in a part 3 video

Currently on MX Browns (Logitech G610) They feel good. I can't type on my friend's Razor Green (BlackWidow Chroma), they feel great, but my error rate is insane. MX Reds feel bounce and fun. My next choice would probably be MX Green, MX Clear or MX Black, the heavier keys, which I initially wanted, but was too hard to find. I came from Laptops and Membrane keyboard, so heavy keys are not a problem for me.

We need part 4. I know Kailh and gateron switches were crappy then but now they’re affordable and better than cherry Mx switches

I've been waiting for this video for a while now, thanks for updating the list

Pandas, Zealios, MOD switches, Gateron, Aristotles....the list goes on. The r/MK triggering has the actuation force of a Gateron clear, hopefully you can provide part 3 before we are all using XMIT hall effect keyboards.

Different file systems like ZFS or btrfs as fast as possible also thank you for this channel, been watching for a while

finally this guy know my situation... ya its hard asf to find the real mechanical keyboard.. this vid really helpful anyway...

No MX Silents? I'm rocking those babies right now.

Thank you! you guys rock!

Currently, I'm using outemu blue switches. So far so good it actually fits to my fingers :)

MX Silent? There is only one keyboard with them anyway.

Good shit, Lukey Luke.

To me a mouse is much more important. Just the feel of holding a good mouse gives you that extra comfort.

woah this Part 2 took a while...FINALLYY it har arrived :ddddddd

Nice of you to mention ALPS switches. It's a shame they are no longer made, they feel better then the modern Cherry switches.

1:17 Damn, that's a lot of RGB on those keyboards. That's how you know it's super advanced and ultra powerful gamer stuff. Processes keystrokes at lightspeed. Oh God, I think I just made a dad joke.

Cherry MX Clears are good stuff - I have a WASD Code TKL with them and they feel great! On the stiff side with a nice actuation bump, but not too loud. Great for gaming and typing.

@4:05 ... but keep in mind that Matias produces Simplified Alps clone switches which have vastly improved over the initial concept.

4:29 "Resfrence" Lololololo

Just bought a modular board and some mx grey tactiles, got my SP g20 blanks and dampening rings already. Looking forward to the arrival of the rest of the kit.

I'd completely forgotten about MX Speed Switches; which being a MX Red Switch lover is kinda sad - they actually sound really nice for me - I might have to check out a sample of them.

Brown switches are the most balanced choice. Very nice to use. :)

Rocking MX Blacks on a Pok3r RGB, I personally love the higher actuation force without the bump or clicks.

I'm gonna wait on the MX Clear RGB Switches to come out, I still like RGB too much to give up my blues for the clear.

I'm so sad, I bought a Cherry MX 9 switch tester and decided I loved the grey switch (heavy tactile but not clicky) and it turns out nobody sells keyboards with them, not even as a custom option. So well played Cherry...

I'm interested in Hall Effect switches but haven't tried term. Any video about mechanical keyboards should include a stern warning that the hobby can be shockingly addictive. People even build custom keyboards by soldering their own switches. Maybe you guys could do a video guide on a phantom kit build.

Buckling spring FTW

Just a little background of how i chose my switches. I had blues and loved them but they were very loud, which was annoying to others Then i got reds but they were a bit to easy to press and i wasn't in love with linear keys Finally i got BROWNS and for some reason i thought i would NEVER like browns no idea why but lemme tell you THESE ARE BY FAR MY FAVORITE OF ALL TIME I HONESTLY DOUBT I WILL SWITCH FOR A GREAT WHILE. so if you're like me and haven't tried browns, maybe you should!

The best keyboard for people who aren't sure what switches to get is hands down the Glorious Modular Mechanical Keyboard. You can choose switches and if you want, buy a $30 pack of new switches and put them in instead. Fucking awesome

Would love some more keyswitches

I'm using hybrid Zalman keyboard. I don't like mechanicals but wanted louder and better silicon one (yes, I like louder keyboards)

Romer-G are my favorite. More sturdy then browns, bit shorter over all too.

I have clears and they are amazing but I have quite large hands so I need to have 60+cN or I accidentally press them way too often. I do recommend them for typing as it is very satisfying and it is very hard to do typos from accidental button presses.

"Woah." - Luke Lafreniere, 2017.

this video is 4 years old when new mechanical switch guide?

Looks like I'm actually going to have to get Tunnel Bear now because I'm American and the Republicans just made it legal for ISPs to sell your browser history to advertisers and other companies because PROFIT. :/

i like the razer ornata mecha membrane switches the most. it gives the most tactile feel that i've experienced and sounds great. the actuation point is also fairly high. if i had the money i'd buy them...

The REAL benefit of RomerGs is their LEDs are properly centered under the etched keycap. Cherry switches have LEDs offset above the center, meaning backlight spills out everywhere with bright areas BETWEEN the keys, rather than the actual letters and numbers illuminated in dark rooms. Like this: assets.logitech.com/assets/64562/24/rgb.jpg Instead of this: i.ytimg.com/vi/-7s1YCy6XgM/maxresdefault.jpg

2:40 Did anybody else think there was going to be another creative transition to an advertisement here lol

i'm still using a 10+ year old dell membrane keyboard for my rig. still works perfectly so i've been hard pressed to replace it. my only complaint about it is you can only hold a few keys down at a time and still get them to register. only have a problem in GTAV for flying and shooting with helicopters

maybe throw a link to the first one in the description, unless we can ignore it.

You should've came out with this video a month ago before I bought my first mechanical keyboard ever! lol I dropped $130 on a Corsair K65 Lux RGB for my very small desk and I love the Cherry MX Red switches for gaming and typing but the rgb lights get messed up a lot for reasons unknown (not a lot of documentation on it online but I think it's from dust or stuff getting under the keys inside the keyboard so blowing it fixes one key and messed up another)

We need part 3 y'all

i like the keyboard on the macbook pro. short/fast actuation, non clicky. what would u recomend brown? red? clear?

The embargo on key switches was lifted? because Logan from Crit published the same exact video lol

you should explain how the electronics in guitars work

Of course you make this video after I've just bought a mechanical keyboard. (K70 RGB Lux Cherry Red) :)

There is something new in the market called optical/analog switches / keyboard They have pressure sensitivity (they are analog) and you can set the actuation point and all you want like you want to but also use it as a joypad thanks to its analogness search for the wooting keyboard

No QS1s? That's what I currently use, though they're only on one keyboard, but they're oh so pleasing to use. I wish they had a cheaper keyboard that has them and I'd actually buy one to use at work.

" What Is Blanquette de Veau " Mdrrr il m'as tué ce con

Razer Guide: TL;DR On old Blackwidow keyboards you might get Kailh (bad) switches but new ones like the Blackwidow v2 and Blackwidow X use Greetech (good). The Razer Green switches manufactured by Kailh switches are trash but the ones done by Greetech IMO better than Cherry purely on the fact that it is basically the exact same but with more keystrokes. If you want to get eh Greetech ones you need to be very careful when buying a Blackwidow V1, the earliest Blackwidows use Cherry MX Blue, the ones from about 2014-2015 (I think) use the Kailh switches and in 2016 they changed to the Greetech switches. All of the Blackwidow v2s use Greetech, The Blackwidow X also has Greetech but on the Razer website it seems like you can choose Cherry MX Blues.

ACER used ALPS Black switches for a while in the late 80's - early 90's. I actually like that one a little more than BLUES.

How bout a techquickie on audio feedback. Sorry if you've aleady made one and I missed it.

THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS VIDEO

most of the time the keyboard is the last thing you need to spend alot on in terms of gaming performance. i do recommend mechanicals because of the feel. but for performance. ather accesoires have the priority

can you make a video about differences in intel's hyperthreading and amd's smt if there's any?

thank you for doing updated videos lately 4 year old information on tech is almost useless you've done similar videos lately revisit all of it

Should have at least covered Gateron. Yes they're Cherry clones for the most part but they have a much smoother manufacturing process. Also keyswitch testers found on Massdrop or NovelKeys are way cheaper and offer a larger array of switches.

I wonder if Green's would work for people who have motor function disabilities. I could see how if someone had some hand shack and didn't every single eye to be presses when they were typing, greens would be very helpful.

@1:52 There are pretty rare and probably due to smaller batches a little more expensive.

I wish I had known about the sampler packs before buying and hating a bunch of (relatively) expensive keyboards. I ultimately went back to a good old membrane keyboard because it was the only one that was stiff enough to not give me constant typos. But I was hoping to find something slightly stiffer or less sensitive then a membrane keyboard.

Make a video on how to repair an MX switch from soda drink spills. Specifically the process of taking apart the switch and cleaning up the spring, contacts, etc. Then some awesome footage of the switch operating without its cover. :)

People look down on Kailh but they gave us BOX Navy & Jade switches. BOX Jade master race. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Still think beam springs are the best tho

I love my CM QuickFire Ultimate Cherry MX Brown, fast enough for gaming but good for typing too. Next time I will get a 10 keyless one though, tired of the awkward wide shoulder stance or having keyboard offset too much.

good options that are not cherry and i think it feels better. Topre, Zealios, Halo true , Alps and of course box navy

i went from $10 no name wireless media keymoard (keys like a laptop) to Cherry MX Silent. more comfortable; but its definately a bit slower, if for nothing more than the activation depth is on the strafe's MX switches is deeper than the entire keystroke of the little diaphragm KB

is the Bump loud? or is there a quite bump that feels clicky but not sounds clicky. >?

I have blues at home and clears at work. I like both, though to be honest, if I were to buy a third (which I probably will at some point), it would probably be with clears, or maybe greens.

You know what's cool? Cherry ML switches. Because some of us prefer low profile keyboards with shorter travel distance (I hardly bottom out on scissor switches, which makes typing on full travel MX switches a jarring change.) Buuuut since they're pretty much only used in industrial keyboards and shit like the Optimus Maximus, I'll just stick to building my own keyboards for now out of salvaged switches.

I'm a sucker for rhythm games like stepmania(using arrows on it) and osu. I love slamming the keys with tonnes of force so I like the blues lol. Feels sooo satisfying to me

Kailh Box switch is the best switch 👌