So if you are relatively new to mechanical keyboards you will probably be looking for more information on mechanical switches, on why they are so special, how they are different from each other, and which one might be best for you. So with that in mind I have written this guide to go over the 9 most common switch types. So let us get started with the Cherry switches, then move on to others.
Cherry Switches
Cherry MX Brown
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Cherry MX Blue
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Cherry MX Red
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Cherry MX Black
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Cherry MX Clear
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Topre
Specifications:
Tactile: Yes, but not clicky
Actuation Force: Between 30g and 50g depending on model.
Key Travel: 0.4cm
Pros:
– Very smooth.
– Very reliable.
Cons:
– High Pricing
– Some have said they feel similar to rubber domes.
ALPS
White Alps
Specifications
Tactile: Yes, very clicky
Actuation Force: 60g – 70g
Key Travel 0.35cm
Pros:
– Like Cherry MX Blues, the loud tactile click is very useful for typing.
Cons:
– They hit the bottom (bottoming out) very hard.
– Very loud.
– Supposed latency issue.
Black Alps
Specifications
Tactile: Yes
Actuation Force: 60g – 70g
Key Travel: 0.35cm
Pros:
– Small tactility makes this useful for typing.
Cons:
– Effect from wear shows quicker
– They hit the bottom (bottoming out) very hard.
Buckling Spring
Specification
Tactile: Yes, very clicky.
Actuation Force: 60g – 70g
Key Travel: 0.27cm to register, 0.37cm to bottom out.
Pros:
– Very loud tactile click, useful for typing.
Cons:
– A very heavy switch, can cause fatigue.
This completes my short list of the most common mechanical switch types. If you are looking into getting a mechanical keyboard, this list should cover everything about the switches you may need to know about.