[helmholtz]

First, the font that we are used to has an outsize impact on what we prefer. So, if neither of these 'sit right', don't worry.

Digital font designers have to start out by choosing something called the em-height. This is a nonsense holdover from print days, and is especially infuriating because no one agrees on a standard em-height. Therefore, fonts look different despite being set to the same size. Here is a great rant on this: [1]

Lucida Console has a large x-height, which is generally considered helpful in small-size legibility. But it has that in common with both Consolas and Jetbrains Mono.

For me, I can use Consolas, Lucida Console and Jetbrains Mono all down to Size 10 in Git Bash on a shitty 13" 1080p laptop screen. Hence my comment that the ClearType hinting is glorious.

[1]: https://tonsky.me/blog/font-size/