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concentus7 t1_j2yzapn wrote

Disappointed to see T1's so low on the list, those are some of my all-time favs. Is this based purely on personal preference from manually testing each?

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b3ing0fsound OP t1_j2z4bgy wrote

Yep, purely my personal preference. The rankings are derived from repeated pairwise comparisons, or matches, between switches, after they've been randomly assigned to a set of keys. This is what I see when 'scoring a match' between two switches:

Scoring match (1 of 50): h vs '
  Choose an outcome (1="h" wins, 2="'" wins, 3=draw):

When I see the prompt, I press each key a bunch of times and try to decide which wins or if it's draw.

It's probably also worth noting that I'm very new to the hobby, and I'm still trying to figure out what I like. I just happen to be somewhat data-savvy and thought this might help me understand my preferences.

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concentus7 t1_j2zi759 wrote

Definitely a creative way to test switches. I like it!

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jeromehouseboat t1_j2zo9ww wrote

Very cool use of data. If you were to describe what you like in natural language, how would you do so?

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b3ing0fsound OP t1_j2zrf86 wrote

Thanks! I'm pretty new to the hobby and am still learning the jargon for different sounds, e.g. 'pingy' or 'thocky', and textures/feels, 'mushy' or 'heavy' of 'scratchy'. My fingers also don't seem that sensitive to different actuation forces yet, but maybe that's because I'm testing pairs of switches in isolated sessions, rather than in longer typing sessions on an entire keyboard.

That aside, if I had to take a stab a describing what I like with my limited vocabulary, I'd say I like the sound of 'thock' but prefer silent switches. I understand 'scratchy' now and don't particularly like it. Same with 'pingy' switches being less desired for me. Though, the latter two could just be implicit bias from reading posts here.

I also like a more pronounced tactile response/bump. Still not sure where I fall on actuation force without pulling the data for the switches I've tested, but, if I had to guess, I'd say medium to heavy.

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Mr-Barbie t1_j305r0x wrote

Very cool, feels similar to my own exploration of switches but much more organised! I only randomly pressed them, then as i got more similar ones realised I needed a similar approach of pairwaise blinded test to differentiate them. Started with the goal of around a 10-switch tester but ended up ballooning it to 21 atm. Lucky for me it is a bit harder to get some specific varieties or it would have hurt my wallet more.
I did start realising maybe I didnt like the huge bumps and high actuation forces as much after a particularly long session of pressing switches, so that may help approximate it.
Went from gat brown ew not enough tactile to yeah big bump of T1/Panda to more spread out wide Sapphire bump to ok maybe a cotton candy stronger brown is enough.

Suprised me that the small 5g differences can be quite big especially after long pressing sessions. Someone also thought me to press slowly with just the finger tip to identify the characteristics more. I rely on force curve graphs cause that is the most understandble way for me and also to compare from different sources. The differences they show are much smaller especially normal typing speeds and presses. Maybe it is the inexperience talking but it would be impossible to differentiate the hand full that are similar say 2 medium tactiles.

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b3ing0fsound OP t1_j32lii0 wrote

Thanks for sharing your process! I really appreciate the suggestions on varying press speed and force curves. I'll start incorporating the former into future rounds.

I'd definitely like to get a dedicated testing setup, as I'm currently just using my first board, which is a triple mode EP-75—I wanted wireless for couch gaming and 2.4ghz dongle for interacting with GRUB—that came with Gateron Yellows. I imagine location on the board could introduce more variability than location on a tester, particularly given my board has batteries that may change the sound for certain groups of keys.

I also only have one switch of each type, which makes it impossible to quantify intra-switch-type variability. Maybe I got a flawed version of a particular switch, but without replication there's no way to know.

All of that aside, in the end I'm still just trying to find a switch that I'll probably like. The proof will be using it on an entire board for a bit, and then trying a different switch on the entire board, and then another one... Already having fun with the hobby, I suppose.

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