Of all the switches I tried stock (pre-lubed), Cherry Clears have got to be the scratchiest MFers ever made.

Submitted by cl4rkc4nt t3_zt1ip4 in MechanicalKeyboards

Cherry Clears aren't talked about much. I honestly don't know if they even make them anymore (I didn't see it on their website just now), but I really wanted to like them. I want tactility, but not through sound, so that eliminates clickies and linears. Browns are too light for me & their tactility is too weak. I always knew what I was looking for wouldn't be a Cherry switch, but I found a good discount on clears and went for them. They're supposed to be browns, but with heavier actuation and greater tactility. Both are true, but my good are they scratchy. They're so scratchy that the scratch overshadows the tactility by a mile.

Anyone else have a similar experience or general thoughts on the Clears?

(Edit: when I wrote "pre-lubed" I meant: before I lubed them. I understand that pre-lubed can refer to switches that are factory lubed. My bad, but point still stands...)

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pedrorq t1_j1b5v8q wrote

Cherries are scratchy and poor in general when stock. I think that's general knowledge in this sub

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cl4rkc4nt OP t1_j1b8ypg wrote

I suppose that lines up with my personal experience too, but the Clears take the cake.

What's your go-to?

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pedrorq t1_j1b97xu wrote

Bobagums atm. But I like light linears with some factory lube like TTC gold pink or aurora clears

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cl4rkc4nt OP t1_j1bhzvc wrote

I'll check those out, thanks! I do zero gaming, just work, so I thought I wouldn't want linears. But I just tried someone's lubed reds (I think from Kaihl) and I love them

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Theory_Effective t1_j1d4j73 wrote

Look into ALPS/Matias switches; significantly better design for tactiles vs MX or any MX clones.

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ku20000 t1_j1dv5fz wrote

Cherry clear as a stock is not great. You need to change it to Ergo clears. Ergo clears are the basis for zeal, holy panda switches. To change to ergo, you need to change the springs to 60g or 62g and lube.

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MayAsWellStopLurking t1_j1e28uw wrote

Most cherry switches I’ve tried (blacks/browns/clears) are quite scratchy, but also wear in beautifully after a few thousand actuations.

In terms of most usable tactiles out of the box AEBoards Naevys are my favourite; great price, stock springs feel greet to me, and the tactile bump is enjoyable but not overwhelming.

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NoOne-NBA- t1_j1bajma wrote

I'm not a huge Cherry fan.
Pretty much all of their switches feel scratchy to me, when compared to similar switches by other manufacturers.

Where tactiles are concerned, I'm a huge fan of Zeal switches.
If you don't care about silence, you should definitely check out Zealios switches.
They are my favorite feeling tactile I've tried.
They start with their heaviest pressure, then drop off the bump right at the top, so it makes them easier to push as they go down.
That helps prevent you from accidentally triggering them, but makes them very easy to actuate once they do start moving, which is exactly what I think tactile switches should feel like.

If you prefer silent switches, like I do, the Zilent switches are a great alternative, but you trade away a little bit of the Zealios feel, for a lot of silence.
They have a slight amount of pre-travel to them, compared to the Zealios, but still have a very pronounced bump, and good drop off.

Both switches are available in a range of spring weights, so you can tailor them to your preferences, without having to buy other switches, for a spring swap.
That being said, the "it" switch for heavier actuation, and higher high tactility, is Boba UT4s.
I prefer the Zeal switches, personally, but feel obligated to at least acknowledge the Bobas, when making a suggestion.

My overall suggestion, to almost everybody looking for specific features in a switch, is to attend a meetup in their area.
You get try a variety of switches for free that way, whether they are on a switch tester, or installed into somebody else's keyboard.
That will let you make your own head-to-head comparisons, which will greatly increase the likelihood of picking your "best" switch.

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2manypedals t1_j1bcp76 wrote

I don’t think zeal switches are that great. I bought some táctiles from them and were really pingy. Like way too pingy…. I did not enjoy them.

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NoOne-NBA- t1_j1bhuad wrote

That's why I prefer the Zilents to the Zealios, and also why I suggest everyone attend meetups, for switch testing purposes.
We all have such diverse preferences, making it nearly impossible for one person to tell another what their best switches will be.

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cl4rkc4nt OP t1_j1biuow wrote

Wow, thanks for the breakdown! The meetup idea is a good one, it's really hard to do research and watch videos on something as technical and physical as a switch. Though I found your explanations of the Zeal and Zilent switches to be very hellpful. Thanks again!

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jukaforever t1_j1beecd wrote

Yea, I had them for a while in one my keyboards. They were quite inferior after trying T1s, Koalas, and Pandas. Lubing helps a little but if you were going to lube, might as well lube one of the other 3 and they will still be better than the clears.

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Wheannayn t1_j1cnjm8 wrote

imo you need dual staged spring for mx browns as it will make the bump more pronounced

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