At home I have a Das Keyboard with Cherry MX browns and they feel great. I think this is the quickest I’ve been able to type on any keyboard.

I type a lot for my new job and no one cares if I bring in my own keyboard but for my coworkers sake, I don’t think I want to bring in browns. I’m a heavy typer and frankly I’m loud on browns.

I searched for quieter keys and found Cherry MX Red Silents (Durgod keyboard) but after typing on it a few days at work, I’m making way more mistakes, I’m typing slower, and my hands are more fatigued. That’s when I learned about linear vs tactile… I think tactile is what I need.

So with that, I’m looking for:

Need:

  • Tactile
  • Light switches (should not take much force to activate? idk. Browns are good for me, for reference)
  • Quiet
  • 100% layout

Want:

  • Switches I can put the Draula keycaps on that my friend bought me. I just know they fit fine on Cherry MX Browns and Red Silent.
  • USB-C port. I have a coiled cable I want to use already.

Nice to have:

  • Hot swappable PCB

Open to other info I’m not thinking about.

Edit: After looking around some more this evening, I’m leaning toward grabbing a Keychron K10 Pro, grabbing some Zilents V2’s and sticking those in there, then popping on the caps I have. This would be the most building I’ve done for a keyboard. See any issues with that?

Update

Based on the recommendations here and some other threads I read, I went with a Keychron Q6 Max and the Zilent V2’s.

I confirmed that my poor speed and accuracy on the (previous) new board I had gotten was definitely due to my not being used to linears. After a day of using the new Keychron with Zilents I did a typing test and got a new PB.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Now I’m in trouble because I want to replace my home keyboard with the same…

  • @[email protected]
    5•2 months ago

    Gazzew Boba U4 62g is what you might be looking for. They are silent and VERY tactile.

    I have them in one of my boards (although at 68g) and I enjoy typing on them. They are very quiet even with a PC plate.

    • capitalOP
      2•2 months ago

      Those look promising judging by videos. I will definitely consider them. Thanks!

      • z3bra
        1•2 months ago

        +1 on the Gazzew U4. I just swapped from browns to it and I’m never going back ! They’re more tactile and much more silent.

  • tuckerm
    4•2 months ago

    grabbing some Zilents V2’s

    Those are my favorite switches, I think you’re going to love them. In fact, all other tactile switches don’t feel “tactile” enough for me after using those.

    I can’t see any issues with your plan. Don’t forget to buy a switch puller if you don’t already have one.

  • @Zachariah
    3•2 months ago

    Are the browns that loud? Have you considered adding o-rings? Bottoming out in a keystroke can be tougher than the tactile part of the switch.

    • capitalOP
      1•2 months ago

      They’re louder than the crappy keyboards in the office and the red silents. Maybe I’m being overly cautious.

      I hadn’t considered o-rings though. I’ll look into that.

      • @Zachariah
        2•2 months ago

        I’ve got regular red switches, and the bottoming is more than ten times louder than any noise from the switch.

        I got the soft (quiet, but squishy feel) and the hard (not as quiet, but firmer landing) of these: https://www.gloriousgaming.com/products/glorious-mx-o-ring-switch-dampeners both in the “thin” variant (minor reduction in travel). The hard offered me enough noise reduction that it seems to me like it’s as quiet or quieter than a regular keyboard.

        I’ve got the Keychron Q6 Wired keyboard and am very satisfied. I use it for work and gaming. It’s way too heavy to transport frequently. Keychron has lighter models.

        Also:

        1. I don’t care about rgb, but it’s got it, and the software for programming it (VIA) is open source.
        2. The backlight is from the front of the keycaps, and it does nothing helpful with the default set, but I don’t use it much in the dark anyway
        3. I really like the shape of the default keycap set
        4. I’m considering looking for a set that’s similar in shape, but blank tops and shine through letters on the front side
        5. But I wish there was a set of the exact keycaps it came with but shine through letters on the top, and that that’s where the leds were pointed because I’ve gotten used to that on laptops
  • @stardust
    3•2 months ago

    For switches:

    Durock Shrimp or Gazzew U4 switches for slightly on the premium side. If you feel .65 per switch is a bit much, I highly recommend Haimu Whisper (.30 cents per) or Wuque WS silents - not as thocky as Shrimp or U4 but more comfortable to type on, imo.

  • @[email protected]English
    2•2 months ago

    I’ve got some Khail Coppers that are fairly quiet with low activation weight. My goal when getting them was to mimic the keypress of my MacBook.

  • @[email protected]
    2•2 months ago

    Keychron is a good choice. Take a look at the V6 Max (wireless) as well. It has a gasket mount, QMK/VIA support and 2.4Ghz as well as Bluetooth. Price is very similar. For a nice aluminium body you can also upgrade to Q6 (Max). However, the price jump is much higher.

  • @[email protected]English
    1•2 months ago

    I recommend Halo clear switches. they are slightly less noisy than browns, but the real beauty is, after the tactile activation they become “harder” (i.e. more force needed to push further down).

    It’s an excellent way of training yourself out of bottoming out.