SteelSeries speaks
We grill the PC peripherals company about mechanical switches.
SteelSeries were one of the first manufacturers to make mechanical keyboards. We caught up with the company’s Jason Christian Snr (Product Manager — Keyboards & Mice) to get some insight on why everybody loves Cherry, what separates all of these keyboards that use the same switches, and how the new wave of mechanical switches compete.
APC: What are the main differences between rival keyboards that all use the same Cherry MX switches?
JC: The German company Cherry is known worldwide by gamers as making the highest quality switches. SteelSeries uses the Cherry MX Red switches, the fastest switch, in our Apex M500 gaming keyboard. Within the keyboard category you have a wide range of different options. From Size, and what type of LED’s that are being used. Single colour LED and RGB led are by far the most popular. When looking at the rival keyboards a few factors come into play. How is the durability? Is easy-to-use and intuitive software provided? It is has never been a better time to be a gamer right now. The performance aspect of using a Cherry MX mechanical keyboard cannot be replicated.
APC: Which Cherry MX colour is most popular? Any idea why?
JC: The most popular colour of Cherry switch are the Reds. MX Reds are the fastest switch that Cherry manufactures. They required only 45g of force to register a key stoke. They’ve been proclaimed by the community as ‘the gaming switch’. Other popular switches are MX Blues and MX Browns. Different regions of the world do have different preferences. MX Reds are also the best switch for someone to use that may be coming from a membrane keyboard. The smooth travel provides great feel and you can really feel the difference.
APC: How do you think the non-Cherry Mechanical switches compare to real Cherry MX switches?
JC: I have personally had the opportunity to travel to Germany and visit where Cherry produces the switches. All the individual components of the switch are sourced from all over Germany. Germany engineering at its best. Most people do not realise Cherry is a part of a larger company called ZF. Literally feet way from where the switches are being made, you see high-end electronic equipment being produce for the world’s top super cars. Cherry has been making switches for over 30 years and have it down to an art. When compared to other switch manufactures Cherry really shines. Cherry has the best industry ratting of its MX switches. I have personally seen data shows from the first press to over 100 million presses, the quality is nearly the same.