Or just but a key test pad, and a few different types of switches, to see which action you prefer. This avoids the need to outlay for a full set of switches (or many!) you end up not liking.
I ended up liking Kailh BOX Silent Brown switches.
I guess. Personally I need to use the keyboard for at least a couple of hours. Some switches that feel nice when you test them, end up being tiring for long term use.
I sometimes hear of keyboard aficionados having strong preferences for various "colors" of Cherry key switches. And I see high-end keyboards advertised with having particular choices of Cherry switches.
But I have no idea if it's actually worth the effort of making the stars align so that I have a particular kind of Cherry switch under my fingers.
How do people figure this out without wasting a lot of money? I.e., is there some kind of keyboard that shows off all the popular Cherry switch types? If so, do people end up having to buy one just for that single use, or is there a way to rent one?
it's just a frame, no electronics, that you can snap switches into and then mount a keycap onto them. you can get kits that comes with a handful of different switches + a handful of blank keycaps, or just the frame.
switches can be purchased individually or in small batches for around $1/per (obviously varying by brand and retailer).
you can see how it's a slippery slope from "let me try out a couple switches" to "wanna see my custom keyboard collection?".
I ended up liking Kailh BOX Silent Brown switches.