That is half the answer. When I let people try my mechanical keyboards, especially the Cherries, I emphasize that the goal isn't to mash the key until it no longer goes down. Rather, the goal is to stop mashing somewhere between the actuation point (usually ~2mm) and the end of key travel (usually ~4mm). This corresponds to 45-60 grams of force depending on switch type, and staying in this range makes for a relatively quiet experience on quiet switches.

But nothing is going to quiet the sound of switches designed to give audio feedback, such as the Cherry Blues. I do not recommend those for use in an office or even at home with other people at home.

> But nothing is going to quiet the sound of switches designed to give audio feedback, such as the Cherry Blues. I do not recommend those for use in an office or even at home with other people at home.

Do people really get that upset about a keyboard that clicks a bit?

Back when I was in open offices the annoyances were people yelling to each other with me in between, people singing, private phone calls etc. A click wouldn't even have registered.

> > [...] I do not recommend those for use in an office or even at home with other people at home.

> Do people really get that upset about a keyboard that clicks a bit? [...] A click wouldn't even have registered.

Am I the only one who still remembers when typing, even in offices or at home, meant sharp hitting noises with a DING at the end of each line?

Nope, we are many that lived with that :-)

There is a difference between someone pressing a button now and then, and a person that actually writes 8-10 cps. You don't give them an audio feedback keyboard or you will go deaf.

This is incidentally also great advice for gaining dynamic range on a piano