r/MechanicalKeyboards • u/ThereminGoat Switch Collector : Prototype Hoarder • Jan 07 '24
Review Cherry MX Purple Switch Review
239
Jan 07 '24
[deleted]
98
u/ThereminGoat Switch Collector : Prototype Hoarder Jan 07 '24
This is what happens when all the writing and editing gets done less than 48 hours before upload time.
47
179
u/Meatslinger 40% Addict Jan 07 '24
Since I know other people will be coming here looking for info about this:
Looking a bit deeper into this specific design feature of the Cherry MX Purple stems, myself, I too have come to the conclusion that these stems are more likely to crack keycaps that are mounted on them than the vast majority of other MX-style switches currently out there to date.
Be wary about combining your Glarses switches with expensive caps, folks.
45
u/ensulyn Jan 07 '24
Why is that? Considering these are made by Cherry, wouldn’t it be made with the same tooling as all of their MX switches meaning dimension tolerance would be the same?
iirc the old box switches were made a hair out of tolerance on the larger side as a mistake and is what caused the cracking.
91
u/ThereminGoat Switch Collector : Prototype Hoarder Jan 07 '24 edited Jan 07 '24
Given that I recognize your name as an artisan collector, you may find my work I did for rmendis' website interesting as it discusses this and also is driven by a database I've been working on over the past year measuring the keycap mounting stem posts of now over 350 different modern switches.
In this specific article I cite that work and also point to the fact that these switches are among the top 5 of that >350 number in terms of mounting post stem width on the north and south sides. Thus, they have a significantly higher risk of cracking keycap stems than most.
47
u/ensulyn Jan 07 '24
Thats the answer i was looking for, thanks for the answer. Being in the top 5 i would agree it increases the chance. Im more into artisans/aesthetics than boards/building/typing so i tend to go for the tl:dr over the comprehensive write up. I am always looking for a “better cherry brown” and these at first glance looked like a suitor but im not too comfortable with them in the top 5.
10
u/alterhuhu Alps Orange Jan 08 '24
If you're looking for a "better cherry brown", then you should definitely try invokeys blueberry chiffon switches, they are a light tactile inspired by cherry browns :)
3
2
u/jusmar Jan 10 '24
"Naevy v1.5" switches if you can find them are my personal favorite for "brownish" switches.
3
u/B_Will Jan 08 '24
Hey I would be interested in reading this as I'm working on a project, I gave a quick look and couldn't find this.
Do you have a link to this database & article?
5
u/rmendis elusive endgame hunt Jan 08 '24
1
u/NotA56YearOldPervert Jan 08 '24
What do you think is the reason they decided to do that? Worn out tooling?
11
u/Meatslinger 40% Addict Jan 07 '24
The switch stems have a small "nub" partway down the stem which imparts extra force on the stem of the keycap from the inside. This was also present on the MX Clear switches from Cherry, so it appears the same molds were used. This is the picture from ThereminGoat's review, where the nub is clearly visible and is obviously a purposeful part of the mold, not a mistake. I've seen some other folks theorize that the nub may be designed to hold keycaps tightly to ensure they stay on, as the MX Clear switch was intended for use with industrial keyboards and similar where keycaps wouldn't typically be removed (and where you would want a tight fit to ensure they don't fall off). But this means they impart concentrated force on the inside of the keycap in a very specific location, risking cracks. The purpose for the nub is just conjecture, but the result of it is still an issue.
7
u/Fraaaaan Church of the Milky Top Jan 07 '24
The Clear stem has always been a bit thicker than the rest of the Cherry lineup. Since Ergo Clears and these new MX Purples share the same stem as Clears, the same thing applies to those as well.
1
u/rockydbull Jan 08 '24
iirc the old box switches were made a hair out of tolerance on the larger side as a mistake and is what caused the cracking.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/935f6l/box_switch_updates_from_novelkeys/
Nope, just like cherry does with their clear stems. They were correctly made to spec, the spec was just larger. Cherry in the past has claimed that spec was so caps stayed on the switches better for industrial purposes.
2
-9
u/Lord_of_the_wolves Keychron Q3 Max, Cherry mx2a Purple, 2048 Dark Jan 07 '24
PBT caps are fine, the main focus should be on sub par ABS plastics
8
u/kool-keys koolkeys.net Jan 08 '24
I'm sorry, but this is not the case. PBT caps are more hard wearing because it is a harder material. They're actually more likely to be cracked by something like this as they are harder. Harder = less flexible.
7
u/Meatslinger 40% Addict Jan 07 '24
I do indeed love my PBT caps. Nigh-indestructible, in my experience, apart from maybe the occasional warped space bar out there in the wild (never had the problem myself).
47
u/c_bender CLICCS drown out my tinnitus Jan 07 '24 edited Jan 07 '24
Excellent article, as always.
I feel so conflicted about the new ergo clear family of switches. For me, the crunchy MX spring is my least favorite part of Cherry's switches. If I'm already planning on spring swapping, why would I not just buy cherry clears or greys for much less than these new ergo clears? And having not tried the M2XA molds yet, would you say that the improvements to the spring and lubrication mitigate the need for spring swapping?
14
u/ThereminGoat Switch Collector : Prototype Hoarder Jan 07 '24
My experience with the MX2A platform is largely summed up in my MX2A RGB Black switch review and this one. The results of regarding spring ping as a function of break in and lube migration were split in that the Cherry MX Purples did not see any spring show up at 51,000 actuations but this began to creep into the MX2A RGB Blacks at that same 51,000 mark.
I unfortunately have no experience besides those.
83
u/ThereminGoat Switch Collector : Prototype Hoarder Jan 07 '24
Hey all,
If you had asked me back when I had started the website if I ever thought I would have the chance to review brand new Cherry switches in consecutive years in the near future, I would have thought that that was an insane question. In hindsight it appears I would have been the insane one, myself. To kick off 2024 I bring an incredibly too long review of a historical first collaboration between Cherry and a keyboard community content creator, Glarses - Cherry MX Purples!
Website: https://www.theremingoat.com/
Article: https://www.theremingoat.com/blog/cherry-mx-purple-switch-review
Scorecard Repository: https://github.com/ThereminGoat/switch-scores
Force Curve Repository: https://github.com/ThereminGoat/force-curves
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theremingoat
As always, thank you all for the continued readership year in and out. I can't believe I'm in my fifth calendar year of writing switch reviews now, and even trying to wrap my head around the body of work seemingly gets harder and harder by the day. Here's to another great year of reviews ahead of us all!
Cheers,
Goat
3
13
u/FSQ_ Jan 08 '24
as a huge fan of ergo clears (and hence my bias for MX purples), this review was well-balanced. it’s really disheartening that the MX purples have the same stem-cracking risk that clears have, but it’s also excited to see what cherry has in store in terms of future collaborations.
as a side note, after breaking in these switches, some of my MX purples seem to have a diminished tactile bump (weaker bump than the rest) that is not a result of the factory lubrication spreading to the legs. I haven’t been able to figure out the cause, but it has affected around 5-7 switches of my batch of 108.
8
u/HatBuster Jan 08 '24
So you're telling me I'd need to shave down the knubs on the stems with an exacto knife to sleep well at night?
Ugh. Cherry, please.
12
u/Training-Parsnip Jan 07 '24
Excellent and comprehensive review. Especially appreciated you touching upon the community’s concerns and delivering an objective and impartial review. Thanks!
10
u/makenmodify Jan 07 '24
Excellent write up. I personaly could not stand them longer than half a work day... Swaped in at lunch break and back (gateron oil kings) after work... I also like a good tactile but that one is not for me...
2
7
3
u/IAmNotGodDuh Jan 07 '24
Fantastic write up. Enjoyed the read.
Where were yours shipped from? For some reason my shipping information said they were shipped from Frankfurt am Main yet I still had to pay importtaxes since the company is located in the UK. (I am from the Netherlands myself) Been enjoying my set for now.
2
u/butrejp Switch Collector Jan 08 '24
my deutsche post tracking said frankfurt but the origin scan was in slough in the UK
6
u/Vellioh Jan 07 '24
I feel really bad about these using the clear stems that risk breaking keycaps. In the video Glarses talks about how he had a panic attack at one point because he didn't know if his massive investment in these switches was a good idea or not. I don't think Glarses would have picked these stems on purpose if he knew what they could do to caps. I wonder if his panic attack was from him realizing selling through these switches may be quite a bit harder than he initially anticipated.
3
u/rockydbull Jan 08 '24
I wonder if his panic attack was from him realizing selling through these switches may be quite a bit harder than he initially anticipated.
That seems like a good guess.
2
u/Ka-Chow-mf Jan 08 '24
I heard these can be problematic for your keycaps, are they really?
6
u/EddieOtool2nd Jan 08 '24
Other comments suggest that yes.
2
u/ROSS_MITCHELL Jan 08 '24
Got some corsair pbt caps that tend to be loose on regular MX blues, wonder if these switches will hold them better.
1
2
3
u/Falcrist Colemak! Pok3r, F77, Realforce R2SA, Keychron Q5 Pro Jan 08 '24
The historical importance of this simply cannot be understated.
It's so unimportant that you cannot understate?
Or it's so important that you cannot overstate?
1
u/Lord_of_the_wolves Keychron Q3 Max, Cherry mx2a Purple, 2048 Dark Jan 07 '24 edited Jan 08 '24
So far, I've been loving mine, (although they are just recolored clears) the mx2a housing and stem updates are pretty nice, the lube is good and the nonexistent spring ping that mine have been amazing to have out of the box.
I even converted mine to have the RGB Mx2a housings, so it's a direct upgrade to the DROP edition cherry MX clears that I've used for 4 years.
only downside that they are ergoed already, so the 55cn are just a smidge lighter than what im used to.
5
u/clickstops AEK SS, Blackbird, 980C Jan 07 '24
They’re just recolored clears?
8
u/Lord_of_the_wolves Keychron Q3 Max, Cherry mx2a Purple, 2048 Dark Jan 07 '24
Yeah, all and all it’s just a custom variant of ergo clears. Made in collaboration with Glarses to celebrate his 1 million subscribers.
It’s just an ergo clear in the new Mx2a housings, and with longer gold plated springs, and a purple color way.
This is also the first time a clear stem is being sold in Mx2a housings
1
-27
u/_AManHasNoName_ Jan 07 '24
Is this even authentic? It’s not on Cherry MX’s official site.
23
u/sccrruffy Jan 07 '24
Yes, the youtuber Glarses did a partnership with cherry in search of getting a ton of switches, the offered for him to create his own switch, but its only sold on his website. There are a bunch of videos about how it came to be on his YT channel.
1
u/kalzEOS Jan 09 '24
Where is the article? Am I crazy? Or was it removed? There is no link.
1
u/PeterMortensenBlog Jun 15 '24
The original comment with the link got displaced by Reddit. It is near "Patreon"; I saw it about 50% down the page.
•
u/AutoModerator Jan 07 '24
If you are posting a Review, Make sure you fully disclose any potential conflicts of interest such as whether you were sponsored for the product, received it for free, or sell similar products.
Guide posts should be novel to contribute to the community knowledge base - simple build / assembly videos should use photos flair, and reviews should use the review flair.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.