And I’m not trying to say that as a bad thing because it’s not. It’s a really good thing. But when I’ve heard people say “clicky switches are better for typing” I always imagined that meant it’ll make you a better typist, as in you could type on it faster and maybe get a few words per minute higher than you would on any other keyboard.
I’ve been using a mx cherry clear keyboard for years because I used to game a lot and I felt the tactile switch were good not just for gaming but that it would be a decent choice for typing too. In more recent years I don’t really game anymore but I do type considerably more than I used to in the past, so I decided to invest in a keyboard with clicky switches.
This time I was considering going with a cherry blue keyboard but was advised that mx cherries can suck it and the Kailh box switches are what all the cool kids are using. So I decide to go with the jade switches and see what that’s all about.
And wow. There’s a big difference. Apart from the Kailh box switches having higher tolerances than the cherry switches the clicky switches are so much nicer than the tactile for typing. I thought this whole time using clicky switches was going to improve my typing in terms of effectiveness, not that it was going to improve my typing experience. I don’t really know what I was thinking actually, but I do think it’s funny that I inadvertently did something to my benefit when that wasn’t necessarily what I was trying to do.
^(This post has been brought to you by Kailh box switches.)
Keyboards are all preference. The whole “reds for gaming, blues for typing, browns are in-between” is nonsense spread by tech review Youtubers enough for it to become “the truth.”
Kailh Box clickies are great. So much nicer than Cherry Blues and clones IMO. The crisper click and better feel doesn’t come from tolerances, they just generate the tactility and click in a different way; by using a clickbar instead of a click jacket.
I love me a good clicky switch. It’s always a joy when I bring out my IBM Model M with buckling spring switches.
Even 10+ years ago people were saying reds for gaming simply due to the lower spring weight. Blacks vs. browns were down to preference, clears didn’t exist outside of “out of stock” options and blues were for people who wanted attention. Hearing the more recent take that blues are for “typists” (whatever that is) or “office use” just sounds like nonsense.