Opinions of red swithes for typing?

[vot123]

I ordered a Steelseries Apex 7 with red switches on a really great deal , that will be my first mech keyboard, it will arrive soon. Keyboard uses QX2 red switches, which produces Gateron, they are basically a Gateron red. I read that Gateron are much smoother and better that Cherry mx red.
What bother me that will red as my first mech switch be okay for typing? On my PC I do 55% gaming and 45% typing.
Also I read that you cant rest fingers on reds, that they are very insanely easily to press. That seems strange to me because red and brown use the same actuation force of 45, and brown are much better by some for typing. shouldnt in that case also brown be very easy to activate?

Will I be ok with red and will I see much better enjoyment than on membrane keyboard?

 

[SamirD]

So almost anything will be better than a cheap membrane.

Whether you like it or not will depend on your hands. All of us have different fingers, different typing styles, and our hands like different things. With that being said, let me give you some feedback.

Reds, because they have no tactile feedback as to when they have passed their actuation point, will generally have you 'bottoming out' on each keypress. Now, if this is your style, then the reds/blacks/linear switches out there are your cup of tea. If the bottoming out is too harsh, you can add o-ring spacers to dampen the bottoming.

Reds are a light switch and since you don't have any real feedback on when it is actuating, you can accidentally type something. However, if your typing style is to not rest your fingers on the keys or do a full hover when not typing, then this won't be an issue. It's also not an issue with some practice as you get used to it.

Personally, I found browns to be like dirty reds, and for reds to be superlight versions of blacks--none of which my hands like as they prefer greens, blues, or buckling spring (typing on a Model M right now). That being said, I'm a clicky switch person as my hands like the tactility and my ears like the audio feedback.

And it is important to note that not all switches feel the same on different boards. I've felt blues that were as tight as greens and blues that feel almost like browns. A lot of the construction of the board and materials used play into this, so if you don't like something right away, try it out on another design and you may be surprised.

So all that being said, try it out and if you like it you've struck gold. And even if you like it, you may start down the rabbit hole of perfecting the feel and collecting numerous boards to do so, loving them all along the way. And that might eventually lead you down the path of literally making your own board from scratch. At least this is what I've heard from others...not because I have 50+ keyboards or anything like that...

 

[vot123]

Thanks. I can still cancel order but I think I will risk it with reds. I first wanted only brown but as you said I found the most complaintes on them, especially Cherry mx brown, many say that they have very weak tactile feedback, that they look like broken reds. Gateron and Outemu Brown should be better but this deal for Steelseries Apex was too good to reject. Blues are probably too loud for me, I usually use computer at night, at whisper quiet enviroment.

Tell me how often do I need to clean the keyboard, can I just use something cheap like this from ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Turbo...3?hash=item3b30603557ⓂmYbTxUjzaDczVvwsQb_DWag

or do I need to remove every single keycap and clean switches with a brush? I am most afraid of key chattering, that this will happen to me after some time, I tryed to find some hot swap keyboard but they are mostly 60% keyboard or TKL.

Right now I tested in some online WPM test with membrane keyboard and I got score of 203 CPM (41 WPM). I wonder how much faster will I get with reds

 

[SamirD]

Yeah, a good deal is a good way to try out some switches. I have some monoprice ones that I got for $20 that I enjoyed as well as a Razer for around that price.

It really depends on if your hands like tactility or not. If they do, then it may be easier to find a quieter board as the linear switches can make a lot of noise from the bottoming out. You'll figure out what works for you though.

As far as cleaning, I'm the last person you should be asking, lol. I got all my Model Ms full of dirt and grime and just started using them that way, letting my use clean up the grime.

In general though, it depends on the environment you're in. If it's a clean environment, you wouldn't have to clean too often. If you've got a lot of dust and pets, you might be dusting daily.

I wouldn't be buying that cheap chinese crap--if it's priced too low it won't be worth anything. Best bet would be to use an attachment from your home vacuum.

Key chattering I think is more of a function of you own use as well. Any key will chatter if it's kept at the actuation point. Keys are generally protected by their keycaps from dirt so as long as you don't have dust all over the board that's never cleaned, I don't think you should have an issue.

I found a few full sized boards that allow hotswap switch swapping and really want one, but I'm going to wait for others to be guinea pigs on them first.

The typing tests are how I know if my hands like a board. I know how effortlessly I can type fast on boards that my hands like, and what happens to the speed when my hands don't like them. Might be a good test for you as well.

 

[vot123]

thank you. one more thing:
I read that Gateron switches becomes scratchier over time (around 1 year), that it has to do something with oxidation. Is that true?
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=97026.0
Should I be worried?

 

[SamirD]

That particular thread talks about a lubed switch, which can introduce all sorts of factors. Generally, you won't feel a difference in switches even if there is a difference unless you have something else to compare it to. And even then, as long as it not a pronounced difference, your hands will get used to it to the point it won't even notice the difference.

Case in point is this Model M I'm typing on now. If I switch to a different one, it will feel a bit different until my hands get used to it. But since the difference is subtle (only my hands really know it), it becomes a small getting used to and then doesn't make a difference.

This is why a lot of switches, while different may not matter as much as long as you have what your hands like. Your hands may also end up being more or less sensitive than mine--which if they are more, will definitely not like when even a little bit of wear happens or will only like them when they do have a certain type of wear.

For the most part since this is your first mech, just type on it and get used to it for at least a few months and clock over 100hrs with it before you make any decisions.

 

[z1ggy]

I just replaced a set of Mx reds with box browns and man o man... the browns are better. Having used the red now for 5 years... I haven't gamed yet using these browns but I'm already convinced that tactile switches are better for typing.

I think if I were to build a dedicated TKL or 60% just for "higher paced" games like a FPS, I'd want to go back to linears, but I'd pick something even quieter than reds and I'd also lube them up a bunch. Can't tell you how annoying it is to be in a Discord with someone furiously clacking away.. Oh and regarding the actuation force, I never felt like just resting fingers on keys would register a keystroke. If you find that happens... maybe you do want something with a little bump to it.