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The Most Satisfying Clicky Mechanical Keyboard Switch
As many of you may already know, I love mechanical keyboards for writing and I urge you to try one yourself in 2020. For writing I by far prefer “clicky” switches. Linear ones (i.e. Cherry MX Red, Black) just don’t give enough feedback, except you plan to bottom them out by smashing into the keys anyways and tactiles ones (i.e. Cherry MX Brown) feel “scratchy” and unpleasent to me.
I like the snappy response of clicky switches.
Cherry MX Blue and Green
The most obvious and readily available choice for clicky switches are, of course, Cherry MX Blues. You can get those in most commercially available, pre-built keyboards. Cherry MX Greens are a bit rarer and mostly used for the larger keys on a keyboard, like the spacebar. They are essentially “heavier” Blues. It takes a bit more force and the resulting click feels a bit more satisfying.
So is the Cherry MX Green switch “clickier” than the Blue switch? Technically, no, but it certainly feels this way. Still, for me as a true “clicky switch enthusiast” this isn’t enough. I want something “snappier” something “stiffer”, something “crisper”. By the choice of my words you might already realize that the feeling of a keyboard key switch is highly subjective. Despite graphs and data on different switches being available the quest in finding “your perfect mechanical keyboard key switch” is a matter of individual perception. The differences within the same category of switch are usually subtle, especially for newcomers.
Kailh Box Switches
The scene for modding and building your own mechanical keyboards is huge and growing by the minute. It’s a fun hobby to pickup for gamers, programmers and of course writers. Heck, even pure collectors can pick it up and enjoy themselves. Once you look outside the realm of the mainstream Cherry MX switches, you realize…