I made a little something for a buddy of mine who's looking to join the custom keyboard family. [Akko switch list with links to sound tests.]

Submitted by Ruhart t3_ycva1m in MechanicalKeyboards

My friend and I decided to switch keyboard layouts and learn touch typing. He, having just received a degree in coding, decided on Colemak-DH. I, who wants to be an author, set my sights on Dvorak. It's been extremely interesting sharing the vastly differing experiences with each other.

The first couple days chatting back and forth at 9wpm were hilarious. We were like ents; by the end of the day we had just finished saying good morning. Three days later, he's now at 30wpm and I'm at 25. But a question then arose: Were our keyboards suited to our new typing styles?

The answer was no. He's been hunt and peck typing on a Logitech bluetooth and I was doing the same on a cramped gaming keyboard with insanely fast optical switches. So off on our keyboard journey we went. Now, I had been soaking in the custom keyboard community for about a year already, so I was ready to toss some options his way.

I was throwing out so many links and sometimes he wouldn't see them all... I wanted to make something that he could peruse in his free time. He's the father of four boys (may God rest his soul), so that kind of time wasn't on the table very often. He also wanted to build something a little more budget friendly, so I set my sights on Akko switches. Switches, in my opinion, are one of the more overwhelming aspects of building a board.

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So I made him this:
Akko Switch Spreadsheet

I thought someone else could possibly find this useful. Let me know if you want a list of other brand switches and I'll see what I can do. Be patient with me though, as my typing speed is still miserable.

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Comments

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QWERKey-UK t1_itos7ah wrote

Sound is a result of board, plate and keycaps, not the switch.

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Ruhart OP t1_itov3fi wrote

Replying to QWERKey-UK (#214,281)

Absolutely, and we've talked over this. Chassis also play a big part in sound, possibly one of the bigger parts, and I've already talked about that with him. He knows that if he finds something he likes board-wise, research the crap out of it and it's modding options.

I just don't think he was prepared for the sheer amount of switches. He was dead set on MX Blues for tactility, but one try of my MX Blue keyboard and the noise was not to his liking. I made this with gram force added at a glance, so that when his switch sampler comes in he can start gauging roughly what he wants.

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QWERKey-UK t1_itp1io8 wrote

Replying to ztb1 (#215,093)

Apart from clicky switches, obviously, switches have a very limited affect on the board's overall sound. This is demonstrated well in this video, where not only the same board is used, but the same key position. If you lube them, the affects are even less.

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doodwhatsrsly t1_itp3hxj wrote

Akko switches are pretty good for their price.

Rocking the matcha greens right now and I'm planning on getting a set of CS crystals, mainly because the matcha greens don't work well with RGB and I'm basic like that.

Tried out some Jelly blues but went back to the greens. Tactiles felt tiring to type on for me.

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Ruhart OP t1_itp5szz wrote

Replying to doodwhatsrsly (#215,349)

I'm going for the exact same switches to start! My friend really wants a bit of tactile feedback without the crazy click of MX Blues, so I pointed out the Akko Ocean Blues and Lavender Purples.

Have you seen the Feker x Matcha switches? I was thinking of those as well, but I haven't looked into Feker as much as I have Akko and other brands. Might be my next spreadsheet.

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Ruhart OP t1_itp71eb wrote

Replying to QWERKey-UK (#215,182)

I have to agree on this point. However, the chassis and the plate will be taking on and increasing the sound the switch makes, as well as adding their own sounds. So I do see the speaker reference here. The switch casings are also touching the plate with hundreds of contact points, practically one with it.

In that retrospect, thinner and cheaper switch casings would actually have quite the impact on changing the overall board acoustics, if I'm guessing correctly. The rest of the switch would just affect the feel, apart from the presence of a tactile bump.

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doodwhatsrsly t1_itp8pwe wrote

Replying to Ruhart (#215,524)

> Feker x Matcha

I couldn't really find much about them, except for maybe one reddit post and a few YT vids.

They seem kinda nice, but I think I'll pass for now. Like I said, I'm basic as fuck and want my RGB, and those don't look like they will help with that. Maybe when I outgrow my moth-like fascination for shining lights I'll try 'em out.

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Ruhart OP t1_itp9a2r wrote

Replying to doodwhatsrsly (#215,756)

Fair point. I am currently dealing with this same internal struggle. My whole setup shines like the sun's arsehole and it would be kind of weird if my keyboard didn't do the same.

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QWERKey-UK t1_itqzgzi wrote

Replying to Ruhart (#215,626)

I don't know what more to say. I've posted evidence that switches have a very limited affect on sound. Was there some reason you think what you saw and heard in that video was somehow not factual?

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