I would've used something other than clips/o-rings to dampen the sound of the switches, since that generally muddies the feel of them.
I recently switched from MX Blue to Zilent 65g (https://zealpc.net/products/zilent?variant=5894817710118) on my Moonlander in preparation for bringing it to the office. It sounds like any membrane keyboard while retaining the tactile feel of a MX Blue/Brown.
Drive-by suggestion for Boba u4's. It's very much a personal feel, but in my head to head comparison of Zilents and Boba u4's on a Moonlander, I found the Boba to be more to my liking.
IMO, there was a stronger tactile bump on the u4 and they seemed a bit quieter to me.
I actually had to get used to the Zilents from MX Blues because I found I would miss a key occasionally (especially pinky), so a stronger bump would probably be a downgrade for me. The Bobas seem to also be sold out, and I got my Zilents in a few days from 1up.
Mainly got them because, and I quote my coworker, "When we were in offices and you were across from me, I sometimes closed my door because I could hear them" (only half-joking). Still wanted a tactile switch, and I tested it next to a standard ergo keyboard a bunch of coworkers have and it was about the same noise level, so I think it'll be fine for that purpose.
I did end up ordering a second Moonlander for the home office with Kailh Bronze, though. If I end up not liking them, I still have a full set of Blues. :)
Ah, I might have misspoke. I don't mean it took stronger force to press the key, but the resulting feel of the "click" was stronger. Like a stronger thump from the click sound.
But either way, glad you're enjoying your Zilents! I love the variety of choices now available, as you can find the perfect key for you.
Ah, fair! I know they exist, although they usually only include the really popular (like all MX or Kailh) switches, but I wish someone just made a huge sampler pack of all the top picks.
It's hard to commit to one when you're spending almost a (normal) keyboard's worth of money on just the switches.
Yeah, that's one of the reasons I really like hot-swap keyboards. But you're 100% correct. It's hard to test so many switches when ordering a batch can be easily $40+ USD.
I've found with my moonlander I can get by with swapping about 10 keys on one side and using it for a few days as my test, but then I'm stuck with 10 keys that I might not like.
Luckily I recently got one of my friends into mech keyboards and we have similar but different tastes so he tends to like the keys I pass on, so I just sell them to him at cost if he likes them!
Might check around and see if there's a local keyboard meetup in your area (or close enough for travel) to see if you can borrow some switches to try or sell your unwanted switches.
I recently switched from MX Blue to Zilent 65g (https://zealpc.net/products/zilent?variant=5894817710118) on my Moonlander in preparation for bringing it to the office. It sounds like any membrane keyboard while retaining the tactile feel of a MX Blue/Brown.