German manufacturer Cherry has a storied history in mechanical keyboards. More than 30 years after it patented the MX switch, most of today’s fancy mechanical keyboards still use variations of the design. Cherry is still making switches, too, and its latest release is exactly what the keyboard community was asking for… about 10 years ago. The new MX Ergo Clear is Cherry’s take on a custom switch mod, and now it’s an official part of the MX lineup.
The new Ergo Clear is a take on that mod. It has the standard Clear stem, which has a big tactile bump. But instead of the MX Clear spring, which maxes out around 100g of force, the Ergo Clear from Cherry maxes out around 65g at the bottom, with an actuation force of 55g. The switch is also lubricated with Krytox GPL 205, a substance commonly used by giant keyboard nerds like myself.
The original MX Clear was introduced in the late 1980s, offering a very tactile typing experience with a super-heavy spring. Some people like the MX Clear because the weight makes it easy to release and move to the next key before bottoming out. But most people don’t type like that — they press until the switch stops moving, which can make the MX Clear fatiguing to use. That’s why keyboard enthusiasts started modifying Clear switches with lighter springs and lubrication around 2011 to get the “Ergo Clear.”
The force curves show how much heavier the standard Clear (right) is compared to the Ergo Clear (left).
I have made Ergo Clear switches, and it’s not for the faint of heart (not that any switch mod is). You have to disassemble the switch, apply lubricant to several parts of the stem (the white part with the cross on top), replace the spring with something lighter, and then reassemble the switch by sandwiching all the parts together in the right orientation. When a keyboard could have 100 or more switches, you’re looking at hours of work. People did it because, at the time, the Ergo Clear filled a gap in the world of keyboards. There were no high tactility switches with midweight springs, and Cherry’s patents were still in force. Since then, boutique MX clone switches like Zealios and Bobas have arrived to offer those capabilities without all the tedious modding. There are also Holy Pandas, which used to require cannibalizing two different switches but have since become a retail product like the Ergo Clear.
So, Cherry is arriving on the scene a little late, but it’s still one of the main suppliers of switches to manufacturers of pre-built keyboards. To get a board with Zealios, you would more often than not have to assemble it yourself. We might soon see Ergo Clears popping up in retail boards, offering a compelling option for those who don’t want to get too deep into the hobbyist side of things. The Ergo Clear will come in two versions, one with the original opaque housing and one that is transparent for RGB shine-through.
Now read:
- How I Spent $700 Building a ‘Life Aquatic’ Mechanical Keyboard
- Twitch Streamer Commissions Custom $3,500 Mechanical Keyboard
- Cherry Unveils New ‘Viola’ Mechanical Keyboard Switch
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