Speed-read most of this. Switch type is definitely personal preference. I've tried reds, blacks, greens, and Browns. Haven't tried any of the "alt switch type", but Topre is one brand/type which a lot of keyboard snobs tout as being the "penultimate" typing experience. I settled on Browns of the types I tried.
The only thing I'll add here is that there definitely is a difference in feel between keyboard brands. My first two boards with mx-browns were cooler master (Quickfire rapid and pro?). Both felt about the same.
I bottomed out very often and picked up some orings which made a difference in noise from bottoming out, but I wouldn't necessarily say they improved the typing experience. I was pretty happy with both of those boards for around a year or two.
About two months ago, I decided I wanted to try a different brand. Found a deal on a Ducky Premier with Browns and a nice set of PBT keycaps in the stock config. Immediately when I started typing on it, I knew I would never go back. The keycaps felt amazing compared to the stock, cheap plastic ones on the CM boards. It was like night and day.
The new Ducky went to the office, replacing the full size CM there and, of course, I couldn't keep the Rapid in its default configuration after having tasted the Ducky

I didn't really want to spend the money to replace both boards, so instead, I just grabbed another set of PBT keycaps and swapped them in for the Rapid's stock caps. Once again, the difference was night and day.
HOWEVER, there is still a noticeable difference, in my opinion between the Cooler Master Rapid and the Ducky Premier, despite them both now having essentially the same keycaps. The keys now feel the same to the touch, but keystrokes seem a little "harsher" with the CM. I feel more prone to bottoming out with it than the Ducky maybe? I'm not sure what it is. I can only assume that the "build quality" of the Ducky just makes bottoming out a more pleasant experience on the fingers than with the Cooler Master (I've removed the orings from both now, btw).
If you can find a Ducky Premier, I would not hesitate at all to suggest it. I'm sure price will play in here a bit; I think the ducky is ~$130 new and the CM are ~$100? It is ABSOLUTELY worth the difference, though. At the very least, I would try to find a board with PBT keycaps.