I am relatively new in custom keyboard hobby… although I’ve been using a mechanical keyboard, Redragon Devarajas K556 w/ Outemu brown, for years, it’s just this year that I’ve tried other layouts, mods, other switches, and custom keyboards. I got a 60%, 75%, and an 60% alice layout. Thocc and/or creamy sound was my goal. I’ve tried Gateron Cap V2 Golden, but switched back to tactile as I’m more comfortable with the feel so I got Aflion Shadow Inks and Aflion Carrots. Tactile but still thoccy.
After a while, out of necessity, I need a quitter keyboard (just like outemu brown which is kinda quiet). I got some Outemu Silent Lemon as one of the cheapest option. Tactile and quiet. I mostly use my keyboards in gaming. I don’t really do typing, except for some typing exercises just to enjoy the keyboard. My actual typing usage is while chatting with someone.
Now for the confession part. I love this better than my thoccy builds. It still gives a tactile feels, but it is soft, and very light which does not strain my fingers.
My end game is a silent tactile, 75% w/ volume knob, tri-mode wireless keyboard! Practical, functional, and easy on my hands.
I have a few different Outemu silent switches, and I like them a lot. I prefer tactiles, and I’ve found that the mushy bottom out on silent tactiles isn’t as noticeable as it is on a silent linear.
If you don’t mind giving up a little bit of silence, I recommend looking at the Haimu Whisper Silent Tactile. The tactility is very nice, not too heavy and they use these kind of leaf spring cutouts in the stem instead of silicone pads. The leaf for the top is much smaller, though, so you can make some noise on the upstroke, but it’s not too bad. I prefer how they feel, so it’s a fair trade off. If you can’t find those, the Wuque WS Silent Tactile is also made by Haimu, and is basically the exact same, but there’s a price premium for the brand name.