Comparing my experience with Matias quiet click and Topre switches

versus

Matias quiet click switch is probably one of the most searched topic on this blog for some reason.  I can understand why because it is a pretty good switch, but opinions about how it behaves compared to other switches are relatively hard to come by.  One of the reasons that I started this blog is to share and to hear from the community about their experiences with various keyboard switches and the keyboard themselves.  Anyhow, this time, I want to take a deeper look comparing the Matias and Topre switches.

As long time readers would know that I am a fan of Topre switches after a tortuous journey.  I really disliked the varying key weights format because I am so not used to such configuration.  I am sure that someone else would have a fabulous experience with these, but it just wasn’t for me.  Let’s be honest, there’s a reason that Topre keep making these boards and they must sell quite well.  Otherwise, they probably would be cranking out other stuff.  However, when I reluctantly tried out a uniformed version, I was far more impressed.

My experience with Matias switch is relatively similar.  I tried the clicky tactile switch first and it was driving me bananas for some reason.  The switch mechanic makes me very nervous while typing.  Just thinking about sometimes make me nervous.  Yeah, a keyboard can have a powerful effect, believe it or not.  Anyhow, I tried the quiet tactile switch because I really want to give Matias a fair shake.  This version is basically a dampened version of the clicky tactile.  The complex tactile behavior remains, but just in a much more subdued fashion.  So, it isn’t making me as nervous as much as I thought it might.  However, there’s still a hint of hesitancy from me while typing on the quiet tactile.  So, I think in the back of my mind, I am not used to the complicated force distance curve with multiple clicks and subtle signals that let the user know exactly where they are.  This would be an excellent switch for touch typists who doesn’t bottom out much because the secondary click let a person know that they are about to bottom out.  That subtlety is lost one someone like me because I tend to bottom out more often than not.

Like the Cherry MX brown with a deceiving subtle click to the bombastic buckling spring, the tactile feedback of a Topre switch is relatively simple when compared to the ALPS/Matias one.  In the end, I am a simple guy.  So, the straightforward approach works best of me.  However, Matias is such a sublime switch that one at least should try it out.  It’s not my absolute favorite, but it’s a pretty unique experience.  Comparing the two, I think that Topre won out at the end with simpler, more familiar feel.  Topre has a more straightforward and gentle response, while Matias has that whimsical and complicated vibe going for it.  So, it’s up to the user’s preference and familiarity.  Since I am a pretty simple guy, I think Topre is more my cup of tea.  That’s all.

Topre’s factory silent switch

Now, I got my little hands on the Ducky Channel’s Realforce keyboard with the silent switch.  (Another good example keyboard that uses the factory silent switch is the ever popular Happy Hacking Keyboard Type-S.  Yes, the one that costs even more than the regular kind with Topre switches.)  I must say that it is different from the custom mod that I have written about earlier.  This version most definitely is different from the regular switch as well.  It’s kind of in the middle of those two extremes, I suppose.  So, in the one extreme, we have the custom mod, which is the quietest version that I have seen.  The factory silenced version is in the middle.  It’s fairly quiet, but not as quiet as the custom mod one.  However, it is also not as springy as the regular version either.  Again, there’s a cost for silencing the keys.  Physics always wins….  The bounciest Topre keyboard I have around is probably the Leopold FC660C.  That keyboard is one chatty and perky unit.  Anyway, back on topic.  The silent switch feels quite close to the original switches.  I suppose Topre didn’t want to compromise too much in the name of silence.  Thus, it’s more like a regular Topre Realforce than the one with custom mod.  The coveted “thock” sound is still present.  The upstroke clack is now more muted just like the mod version.

Overall, I think Topre leaned closer toward keeping as much of the regular feel as possible.  So, they didn’t go all out after silencing the key stroke.  After all, the auditory feedback is, for some folks, an important aspect.  The tactile change is also minimized.  I don’t see too much changes in this aspect either.  Due to the decompression of the O-ring (or disc), the key weight is slightly lower, but honest, it’s probably undetectable unless one is paying careful attention.

So, overall the silent switch on the Ducky Channel keyboard didn’t make too much compromise and kept as much of what makes a Topre switch a Topre switch.  The custom mod version probably took a bit too much out in my view, but again, that is in the eye of the beholder and ear of the listener.  The custom mod is one of the quietest keyboard I have worked on. So, if silence is golden, then be ready to pay the price of admission while retaining many of the welcoming aspects of the Topre switch based keyboard.  For some, that balance may have gone too far, so the middle ground is probably better suited.  Again, it’s good to have choices, once one understands the trade off and knowing the goals that one is trying to achieve.

It's been one year already?

Wow!  It's been one year already since I first stated this blog to share my experience trying out different mechanical keyboards.  It's been a fantastic journey thus far.  I believe that I am at a reasonable point where some keyboards and types of switches are now emerging as favorites.  I also found out that there are boards out there that drive me nuts.  Anyway, I learned a lot and still have much to learn from the community and beyond.

Thank you for walking along side with me and sharing your expertise.  The journey continues as the technology keeps moving forward and the user experiences are refined, challenged and redefined.  I hope to continue share my joy of discovery in this area.  So, here's to another round!

Das Keyboard 4 Professional Mechanical Keyboard- Soft Tactile (MX Brown) Image Gallery

I have meant to post this earlier, but just didn't get a chance to finally get that keyboard into the photos till recently.  Das Keyboard 4 Pro with Cherry MX brown is called soft tactile while the one with Cherry MX blue is called clicky.  Since the two versions are pretty much identical, I won't repeat the same images that are same except a few to show that they are the same.  Ehh.  However, as I mentioned, my MX brown version came with the new UV printed legend rather than laser etched.  For reference, check out the MX blue version from an earlier post.  Anyway, enjoy!

front view

showing Cherry MX brown switch and the key cap

left view

right view

key cap with UV printed legend

For comparison, here is the key cap from the MX blue version, which is an earlier edition with laser etched legend rather than the supposedly more durable UV printed one.

key cap with laser etched legend