My Little Adventure with Cherry MX Speed Silver Actuation Force
So, I’d been hearing a bunch about these Cherry MX Speed Silver switches for a while. Folks online, a couple of my buddies, they were all talking ’em up, saying how they were super quick and light. At the time, I was clacking away on some pretty heavy, tactile switches, and honestly, after a long day of typing or a serious gaming session, my fingers felt like they’d run a marathon. I was even thinking, maybe it’s my slow fingers making me lose those close game matches, not just my rusty skills!
I was a bit on the fence, you know? Kept wondering, “Can a tiny switch under a keycap really make that big of a difference?” But I had this big project at work, tons of writing, and my old keyboard just felt like I was pushing buttons through mud. My typing speed was tanking, and it was just plain tiring. So, I finally caved. “Okay,” I thought, “let’s grab a keyboard with these Speed Silvers and see what all the fuss is about. Time to investigate this ‘actuation force’ thing myself.”
When the new keyboard landed on my desk, the first thing I did, before even thinking about plugging it into my computer, was just to tap a few of the keys. And man, it was a moment! The biggest surprise was that actuation force, or rather, how little of it there was. It felt like you could just breathe on a key and it would register. My old keys needed a good, solid press. These Speed Silvers? They felt like they were jumping to meet my fingers.
I remember looking up the specs later, and it said something like 45 centinewtons of force. Numbers are just numbers, right? But actually feeling it was something else entirely. It was like I’d been driving an old pickup with a stiff gear stick and suddenly switched to a sports car with a feather-light shifter.
- My first hour of typing was a bit chaotic. I was making typos left and right because I was so used to really bottoming out keys or resting my fingers with more weight. With these, just thinking about pressing a key almost made it happen.
- For gaming, though, it was wild. Actions felt like they were happening instantly. My character seemed to respond the very moment I decided to move or shoot.
It definitely took some getting used to, I won’t lie. For the first couple of days, I’d accidentally hit the spacebar or an extra letter here and there, just from my fingers lightly brushing the keys. But pretty soon, my hands kind of learned the new drill. They figured out they didn’t need to work so hard. The “Speed” in “Speed Silver” isn’t just some fancy marketing talk. Because they actuate so high up in the keypress, combined with that super light force, things really do feel incredibly zippy.
After about a week with the Speed Silvers, I tried going back to my old keyboard just for kicks. It felt like I was trying to type on bricks! The difference was just night and day. I noticed I was typing faster on the Silvers, and with way less effort. And the best part? My finger fatigue pretty much vanished. Even after hours at the keyboard, my hands felt a whole lot better.
So, what did I learn from this whole experiment? Well, for me, these Cherry MX Speed Silvers, especially that light actuation force, are the real deal if you’re after a super responsive and light feel. I guess they might not be for everyone. If you really love a heavy, deliberate thonk when you type, or if you tend to rest your hands very heavily on your keyboard, you might have a bit of a learning curve. But if you want something that feels almost effortless and lightning-fast, and you’re cool with adjusting your touch a little, they’re definitely worth giving a shot. For me, it really changed how I felt about typing and gaming, especially when I needed to be quick and comfortable. It’s funny how such a small part of the keyboard can make such a huge difference.