Got my first board, it’s solder. I have a ton of switches I bought to test, 5 of each. I spread them around the board (without soldering, legs actually hold them in place well) and compare.
I like the ‘balanced’ sound with a bit of scratch. 4 switches match that criteria for me:
KS3, full milky yellow, Gateron X and MX black.
Gat X is very rounded sounding, while ks3 is slightly higher and full milky is slightly lower in pitch. Mx blacks have much more bottom end then the rest, but the most pleasing scratch.
I cannot decide between them all. I like how they all sound one way or another.
How do I make a decision on this? I understand it’s a silly question, but all 4 sounds great to me and I’m in gridlock for the past few days.
If they all sound good to you I would use feel as the tie breaker. Since you said you like a slightly scratchy feel I would say MX blacks sound like they fit the bill the best.
I’m with @Rob27shred - it kinda sounds like you can’t go wrong here, but if you like the feel of the Cherry switches the best, might as well go for those.
You’ve picked four very solid switches and you’d be well-served by any of them. That said, one common gripe with Cherry Blacks (and the reason people go to such lengths to get rid of it) is the scratch. It’s not overwhelming by any mean but if you’re seeking that then they would be my first choice. The sound profile is truly special - it’s one of the reasons that people seek out vintage Blacks.
But like @Backspace said, you may do well to swap the springs. Blacks are a great switch but better springs do wonders for it.
If you like the scratch go with the Cherry’s. You should try to switch the springs in the black to the ones in the gat Yellows and see how you like them.