I’m buying my first mech keyboard, so I ordered a Cherry MX switch tester to see which switches I’d like. I thought Clears and Blues would be my favorite. I ended up not liking the Clears (I’d like to have a much sharper tactility). The Blue seems good except for one thing. When the key is going back up it seems like it’s going to stick, as if the spring is almost not strong enough to push it back up over the bump. It never actually sticks, but If I rest my finger on the key even very lightly after pressing it it won’t reset.
I’ve done some Googling, but I’ve only found reports of this happening on Kailh BOX Jades, not MX Blues. I also have a Kailh BOX switch tester, and I don’t get a similar feeling on the Jade, it feels like it has a stronger spring than the MX Blue.
Is this normal behaviour for MX Blue switches or did I get a dud switch in my tester?
I wonder if I should I just be looking for keyboards with MX Greens instead. I like the feel of the MX Green but I’m worried typing on them might be fatiguing on my fingers, and they’re also not as easy to find in stock boards as MX Blues.
Thanks for the reply. I have all the Kailh click bar switches on my tester including the white, and I do prefer them to any of the Cherry MX’s, but I’m not aware of any non-custom keyboards that ship with them.
There’s also that keycap stem breakage issue that’s been talked about these days …
I mean, that’s what cherry blues feel like to me. You get used to it. In general typing scenarios you don’t hold your finger on the key as it comes back up. That feeling is the click jacket sticking on the tactile leaf and it doesn’t come back up until near the end of the return stroke. It’s just the nature of the switch.
If you are looking for something very similar but more refined in the upstroke, I recommend Kailh Pro light green switches. They don’t “stick” as much on the way up, but function very similarly to cherry blue.
If you like the click bar switches but are afraid of stem issues in the box variety, there are non-box equivalents. There is the speed bronze (similar to box white) and the speed heavy blue (like a heavier box white). Keep in mind these are the “speed” versions which means they have a higher actuation point and reduced travel. Although, you probably won’t notice the travel issue, you will likely notice the activation point being higher/faster.
Another option is using aristotle switches. You most likely would want to try them swapped into another housing such as cherry or gateron, commonly referred to as a cherrystotle or gatistotle.
The ‘sticky feeling on upstroke’ is more prevalent in Clears than Blues to me. I am not surprise if you feel it in Blues if you are sensitive. I guess that is what makes it tactile.
clears have it in the same place going down and up, though, so it doesn’t bother me on them. Don’t really like the feeling of the bump on the clears, I prefer the sharper feeling of the clicky switches. I guess it’s the hysteresis of the blues that is bothering me.
still undecided if I should just get blues and hope I get used to it, or try for greens which feel great to me, but I’m worried about fatigue. A lot of people seem to be fine with them, though.
the more “exotic” switches are not really an option as I don’t want to go full custom for my first mech …
yesterday I also saw you can get a Varmilo board with mx whites if you go their site and customize… that might also be the ticket, since I quite like the feel of the white on my tester, and the quieter click would be even better for my office, so my coworkers won’t hate me as much
i don’t see many builds out there with mx whites, though … i wonder why that is?
