![]() ![]() I will have to revise my statement to something along the lines of anything other than the crisp feel of a buckling spring switch (Model M, IBM) is potentially boring for me.It’s the question that every PC nerd has asked themselves as they’ve been poring over online store listings: should I buy a mechanical keyboard with clicky tactile switches, or one with silent and linear keys? I compared two otherwise identical keyboards over a couple of weeks of gaming and typing to find my own personal favourite - and try to figure out why that was. My initial statement of agreeing that "linear is boring" was based entirely on the assumption that my Maltron had the linear cherry blacks installed. You can imagine my surprise and subsequent emails to Maltron regarding the brown stems that were subsequently exposed. I was experiencing some "chatter" on one or more keys so had popped off the keycaps to apply Deoxit D5. This explains why I couldn't tell the difference between my Kinesis and Maltrons side by side other than the Maltron switches being a bit stiff from not having been used as much. Updated 9/23: It turns out that Maltron is no longer using Cherry MX Black by default due to supply chain issues. I don't think I would like the feel of O-rings in any of my switches as I suspect it would impart a perception of mushy imprecision to the overall experience. The Model M, while being the worst of the bunch in terms of ergonomics and noise level, is a guilty pleasure on which to type. For some intangible/indescribable reason I don't find the experience of typing on the DataHand keys to be mind-numbing, as I do with the Maltron/Kinesis. My Datahand top speed is ~80 wpm due to limitations of the design (fingers always in contact with the keys as opposed to hovering slightly above as on a more "traditional" keyboard) but no breaks are needed so overall output is unaffected. At those speeds, at least for me, bottoming out is just par for the course. Again, quite hard, if not impossible, to avoid bottoming out at speed, which for that keyboard is slightly higher at ~110 wpm, mostly due to instantaneous tactile response of the buckling spring. I keep an old Lexmark/IBM Model M on hand to alleviate the boredom, albeit in small doses as it is not at all ergonomic. The Kinesis with Cherry MX Browns with a supposed tactile bump (for the life of me I can't tell the difference between these and the cherry Blacks, with a Kinesis and Maltron side by side and going between the two I find them to be pretty much the same except for the poorly placed thumb group on the Kinesis and the slightly superior geometry of the Maltron key wells) is similarly mind-numbing with a slight drop in speed again to ~90 wpm. If I consciously attempt to not bottom out, my speed drops precipitously and I end up hovering right at the actuation point of the key with multiple inadvertent actuations per key stroke. It is also nearly impossible to stay in the sweet spot of just enough pressure to accurately actuate the keys as opposed to using a bit too much and bottoming out, especially at top speed, i.e. The Maltron is functional and reasonably ergonomic but, from a tactile perspective, somewhat mind-numbing. When I am not able to use it for one reason or another, (away from desk, need to do a lot of keyboard to mouse transitions, etc.) I use a Maltron with the linear Cherry MX Black keys or a Kinesis with tactile feedback Cherry MX Brown. The 1/10" travel is a significant factor as is the lack of springs and use of magnets. Long answer: I spend most of my time on a DataHand Pro II on which it is not possible to avoid bottoming out due to the design characteristics of the key wells. Short answer: I agree that linear is boring. The leaf spring could be weighted such that there's a 'step' at actuation. This is roughly how the force curve should look: You could have a coil spring similar to MX Cherry switches for the full key travel, but a pre-tensioned leaf spring that serves as the contact and a second spring for post-contact travel. I wonder what a dual-spring setup would be like. Perhaps an electronic or non-invasive mechanical clicker (like Space Invader Clicky switches) could help, combined with similar spring curves to the MX Clear (starts light but weights up quickly) could also be good. Linears don't have this problem, but you can't feel where the actuation point is, so you pretty much have to bottom-out to guarantee a key register. ![]() Most tactile switches are heaviest at their break point, thus tend to almost 'suck' your finger downwards after. ![]() Thus, it's easy to type quickly and not bottom-out, without thinking about it. This graph is a rough approximation but illustrates why:Ħ5g of force will overcome the rather tactile notch, but it takes far more to get beyond 3/4 of travel. If avoiding bottoming-out is your priority, MX Clears seem to be made specifically for that. ![]()
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