Cherry MX Brown switches have a soft, tactile bump about halfway through the key press, and it seems to me that they require a little more force to actuate than the blues, although others say that the opposite is true.

Cherry MX Black switches are linear, non-tactile, as there is no loud click or bump felt when a key is depressed, the actuation and release points are at the exact same position, making double tapping easier than other switches. Due to the lack of a bump, most people don’t prefer the black switches for typing.

Cherry MX Blue switches have an extra “clicky” tactile bump when the activation point is hit. It is not as easy to double tap as other switches since the release point is above the actuation point. The ‘thin’ clicky sound can also be annoying — or helpful, if you need it avoid bottoming out.

Cherry MX Clear are a bit harder to find in keyboards. They have a higher actuation force than the brown switches and are often compared to the feel of rubber dome keyboards.

Cherry MX Reds are similar to the Cherry MX Blacks in that they are both linear, non-tactile. Their feel remains constant through each up-down key stroke. They differ from the Cherry MX Black switches in that they require less force to actuate.

In the video above you can watch a comparison between four Cherry MX Switches, blue, brown, red and black.

I chose the Ducky Zero DK2108 with Cherry MX Browns believing that they fit my typing style, being light tactile and soft sounding. However, the extra click sound of the blue keys may be very useful if you really try to avoid as much as possible bottoming out or are not willing to use Cherry MX Rubber O-Ring Switch Dampeners. Now I use also a keyboard with blue keys, enjoying the extra sound and making use of it to type faster.

Ducky keyboards in general are considered among the best — heavy, sturdy, carefully constructed. The 2108 model costs about $100, which is really a nice price even for an entry-level mechanical keyboard, although substantially more expensive than the majority of expensive membrane keyboards.

Regardless of what I chose, if you play games or if you type a lot and you’d like to enjoy typing and protect your fingers from stress and pain, make your research and get some mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Switches — among the best brands are DasKeyboard, Filco, Ducky, Corsair, SteelSeries, CM Storm, now even Logitech. As for myself, I regret the time I spent with membrane keyboards…

TheFreeWindows.com