Cherry MX The switch is arguably one of the most important mechanical keyboard switches ever created.Some might say this is one of those the best Mechanical switch. No other switch has quite the same legacy. It’s been around for decades and is one of the few switches that runs the entire keyboard range. You can find it in everything from point-of-sale systems, office cubicles, police cars to gaming setups and even premium limited edition custom keyboards.
Until recently, nearly all mechanical gaming keyboards came in MX red, brown, or blue. Cherry’s switches have long been the go-to choice for building keyboards (mechanical or otherwise), and they’re known for their superior typing feel and longevity compared to their rubber-dome and scissor-switch contemporaries.
I absolutely love the original Cherry MX switches. They still have a personality and charm that no other switch can replicate. I use them regularly, almost every day, and despite their shortcomings, I always find them well worth using. So when Cherry announced the successor to the MX2A, people were surprised. How could one of our most beloved and durable mechanical switches suddenly change so drastically? Will these changes make MX better?
Photography: Henry Robbins
cherry legacy
Cherry MX Black Yes this Mechanical switch. It’s a fairly heavy linear switch made entirely from Cherry’s proprietary plastic blend and has been in production since 1983 with only minimal changes. Cherry rates its MX switches to withstand 100 million keystrokes, and it’s not unheard of for the MX Black to still function flawlessly after two decades of near-constant use. They end up being a symbol of quality: if you see a keyboard with MX switches, you can be pretty sure it’s both reliable and enjoyable to type on.
As the custom keyboard scene started to take shape in the early 2000s, people realized something interesting—the longer they used MX switches, the smoother they became when typing. This is true for all, but most obviously for the MX Blacks. They are most common in high-usage office and point-of-sale systems and have heavier springs that require more force to push down, causing a lot of wear and tear on the plastic.
These “vintage” MX Blacks (which had to be desoldered from an old keyboard) are highly sought after by audiophiles for their smoothness, and their scarcity further increases demand. At the time, Vintage MX Blacks were the best switches for custom keyboard kits.
It’s worth noting that these worn switches are pretty rough by today’s standards. Modern switches are made from high-end materials and are lubricated at the factory, far ahead of MX switches in terms of smoothness. However, many keyboard enthusiasts these days consider the MX Black to have “good” scratching effects compared to those of other switches. As long as you don’t expect perfection, it’s consistent, subtle, and quite charming. There’s no sudden bump or jam, but rather a constant friction that feels more “real” and satisfying than something designed for perfect smoothness.
Photography: Henry Robbins