Well, I tried… I just couldn’t make myself like them. They feel very nice, but I guess my brain needs that tactile feedback or something. I sold the plate/pcb, so I’m out of the linear game entirely.
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Want tactility but also a little bit of that linear feeling? Sounds like Browns to me! 
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That’s a funny way to spell Alps Linears.
Don’t @ me, nerds. You know they aren’t really linear.
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Want tactility but also a little bit of that linear feeling? Sounds like Browns to me!
Actually, it was very different from how Browns feel. If you’ve ever been on a waterslide that swerved left and right on the way down, that’s exactly how it feel.
No bumping, just swerving.
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That is actually a very interesting ideal I’ll have to try. I just never have been able to get into linears, but if there was some kind of small feedback, like you’re describing with housings that have tighter or thicker leaves I may just be able to get into them!
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That is actually a very interesting ideal I’ll have to try. I just never have been able to get into linears, but if there was some kind of small feedback, like you’re describing with housings that have tighter or thicker leaves I may just be able to get into them!
There is a big disconnect that I still have to cross which is the difference between how linear switches feel individually in tester and in use. I tried switching just three switches to linear on a board and they felt stuffy, particularly in comparison to Holy Panda switches next to them. This is why I ordered some Kailh Pro Burgundy, hoping the clack from its longer stem will relieve some of that stuffiness…
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I think linear use is growing for primarily two reasons as I see it. People are starting to realize that they are quite good for typing and not just for gaming, and secondly they are the favorite and/or featured switch type by some of the most popular/public figures in this hobby. The longer I’m in the hobby, the more I gravitate towards using only linear switches. Also, I did try gat black inks finally, and while I like the linear spring feel in gat yellows, the heavier spring in the inks makes too much of the weight sit at the top of the press. I like the weighting overall as a gat black is perfect for me, but the weight distribution isn’t comfortable. Granted, I know the housings are good in their own right regardless.
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I used Holy trash Pandas with Gateron Red Inks for the modifiers. I made the change recently because it always felt like I was not registering my keypresses when using the mods, but after switches I enjoy the short repreive from the heavier springs.
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For fans of ultra smoothness check out the Wooting switches, they are insanely smooth. Like almost too smooth, they put even these lubed vintage MX Blacks to shame in smoothness.
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Yup. Linears are pretty good on modifiers, quieter and simpler.
What are force curves like on the more popular linear switches? To me there’s something a little off-putting on how much force there is near bottom-out. If there was a linear switch that got slightly easier to press the further you pressed down (kind of how tactiles get easier to press after actuation), it’d be a winner for me.
What are force curves like on the more popular linear switches? To me there’s something a little off-putting on how much force there is near bottom-out. If there was a linear switch that got slightly easier to press the further you pressed down (kind of how tactiles get easier to press after actuation), it’d be a winner for me.
I think force curves matters less with linears than tactiles. Instead, it’s the stem and housing smoothness, housing bottom wobble and sound that most people pay attention to. To this I’d add lube, spring weight, and contact leaf strength. While spring behavior cannot be changed much beyond weight, I think it may be possible to change the shape of the stem and/or contact leaf to reduce amount of force needed after actuation.
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Yeah, analog switches that don’t use a leaf for actuation can get way smoother than traditional MX switches. One of Chyrosran’s recent videos was reviewing the Steelseries Apex Pro, which uses hall effect linears, and he said they were the smoothest switches he’s ever used (or close to it - I don’t remember exactly but he brought out a bunch of his other “smoothest switches” boards to compare).
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At first I didn’t understand why people gravitated towards linears over time.
Now I think linear switches are better than other switches at transmitting the properties of whatever keyboard they reside in. Tactiles and clickies tend to mask board characteristics by virtue of their tactility making it more difficult to really get a feel for the keyboard.
That’s why I’ve gravitated towards linears as I’ve collected more keyboards. I appreciate the unique properties of the keyboard more. I’ve pretty much stopped buying anything but linear switches these days.
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Ah. That could very well be. I’m primary into switch feel and consider everything else as secondary factors. This may be why I’m having difficulty enjoying linear switches.
That said, I now have a linear build that is pretty close to being enjoyable. All it’s missing is Kailh Pro Burgundy stems. I did find the perfect springs but they were in a bag I forgot to label so I don’t know where I got them from. doh 
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Also, with the rise of plateless/half-plateless, gasket variations, even the leaf-spring design on the new Thermal, the tactile feedback that once was in the domain of key switches is now in the domain of the keyboard itself. In those instances, liners are good at revealing the tactility of the keyboard.
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Now that is something I’ve never thought about, but it makes a whole lot of sense to me. Almost makes me want to throw some high end linears into my E6.5 (I know, I know, I’m slacking on that build bigtime… 
). Although I’ll most likely hold off & use the experiment board I’ve been conjuring up in my head to test that theory. Anytime I’ve done a build with linears, I’ve ended up swapping them out for tactiles. There is just something missing with linears feel to me. I’ve been thinking about getting a Tsagan HS60, then getting a cheap acrylic tray mount case for it, stripping out all of the standoffs other than the side ones, & getting a poron gasket thick enough to gasket mount it (for the most part) in the case. With the PCB being hot swap that would be a great test bed to try that out I think.
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I haven’t done the build log yet, but as a similarly devoted tactile fan, I would encourage you to put some properly lubed Gat Inks in your E6.5 - especially if you’re also a stickler for board acoustics. That’s the first linear experience I’ve had that hasn’t made me want to desolder and put in tactiles, and it is in the running for best sounding board I own. Real eye-opener for me.
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I’m with you on Inks. They’re fantastic. Gat yellows are also hard to beat. Lastly I’m really liking Greentech blacks with TX 65g springs.
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Nice to hear re Gat. Inks. Got some ink samples on the way.
While my understanding of what draws people to linear switches has improved, I still think tactile switches offer the best bargain because they can feel and sound great without an expensive case. I also think tactile switches are easier to find a satisfying build for. And, AFAIK, Gat. Inks acoustics is not limited to linear switches.
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