deskthority

Hello, I bought my first vintage keyboard for some vintage brown switches.
They are not NIB so I wasn't expecting the best ones, but half of them are really scratchy and far below my expectations.
Is this normal for vintage switches or did I just get a terrible condition board? It looks fine on the outside though.
Or should I recheck the switches after I clean them?

Yes, I would say it's normal. Vintage cherry switches are subject to the same RNG as modern switches. Some batches will be scratchy, and others smooth. Vintage switches can also be subject to damage from dust/dirt as well.

I would clean them, and maybe break them in if they're still scratchy after that.

Okay, I will clean them first to see if they are still scratchy. I hope I get enough switches for my 60 keyboard.

Delta Research wrote: 06 Dec 2023, 00:32 […] Vintage [Cherry] switches can also be subject to damage from dust/dirt as well […]

Never experienced dust/dirt inside Cherry switches, and God knows I work in a filthy environment and do not treat my keyboards well.
Dirt inside keyboards, yes, definitely, but not inside switches.

Delta Research wrote: 06 Dec 2023, 00:32 RNG

Random Number Generator? That’s one way to think of entropy I suppose.

Anyway, I’ll back Kbdfr up on this one: MX are tough and the very last switch I’d expect to see this kind of degeneration. Your board sounds like a pretty normal specimen for Alps, not MX.

Even the most thrashed and nasty MX keyboards I’ve encountered—a stack of thoroughly abused Wyse MX black boards in storage, not my own*—were still pretty good and reassuringly consistent. Mind, you had to pull the matted dust and other detritus out from under the caps first to reveal this. The initial impression was actually more like crusty scabs and dead spiders until the switches themselves were revealed.

*I always clean keyboards when they come into my possession. Hate storing filthy stuff. Now, yes, the occasional board someone’s bought from me has been dusty inside but that’s through use. It still looked clean before you popped off the caps!

I think that keyboard model is not one of the really vintage ones. Expect some scratchiness from them.