A Silent Mechanical Keyboard Setup in 2024

Learning and discussion Custom keyboards
13

I think that pretty much covers all of the Outemu-branded silent switches. Of course, there are also various Gazzew branded switches made by Outemu, that others have already mentioned.

@Deadeye already mentioned how the V2s are just revisions of the same line, and the Jade and Cream Yellows seem to also be in the same revision family as well. I’m not sure if the “Lime” is actually a different switch than the “Lemon”. I think it just might possibly be a case of inconsistent naming practices across different resellers, and these might just refer to the same thing as the “Lemons”.

I’ve tried all of those Outemu switches that you’ve listed. Since they are relatively cheap and it’s possible to get a 27-switch sample pack from INEDA Digital Store on AliExpress that has all of those options (well at least one of each revision line) alongside several other switches that Outemu makes. The sample pack is only $9.01 right now and it’s what I bought to try these. Note: you may have to click on an option selection after visiting this link to specifically select the 27-switch pack.

By the way, out of all these and many other silent tactiles that I tried, I wound up liking the Outemu Jade Yellows the most, closely followed by Akko Silent Penguins. I also think that the Wuque Studio Silent Tactiles and Haimu Whispers are good switches, but they are somewhat louder and hence represent a different point of the quietness-crispness tradeoff curve.

We had another thread where we specifically discussed silent tactile switches: Silent tactile switches

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14

Yes, I would only add that OP would be best-served by getting one of the non-OUTEMU switches for comparison purposes. Like the WS / Haimu stuff.

I kept mentioning Kailh, because it represents another end of the silencing / firmness spectrum, with TTC and WS / Haimu somewhat in-between.

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15

Considering OP’s original comments a bit further, it does seem that minimizing noise is the absolute priority, even to the point of seeming to say that mushiness and the choice between linear and tactile is less important.

Out of all of the silenced switches that I have tried, I’ve found that the most silent was the Outemu Silent Peach (I’m not sure whether it was V1 or V2, just whatever came in the 27-switch sample pack that I linked above). It’s a linear switch with a light bottom out force (45g) and short travel (3.3 mm).

If silence is the absolute priority, I’m going to guess that OP will go with those, after trying a bunch of stuff. However, I do think it’s worthwhile to compare against a variety of options and the sample packs are reasonably priced.

At the end of day, it’s not that hard to obtain some very quiet switches. The annoying part of getting an incredibly silent build will be dealing with the stabilizers.

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You might find this interesting:

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/1b8rq1n/silent_build_using_akko_penguin_silent_tactile/

Also, here’s a recent review of the Keychron V6:

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So for cases, it seems like I don’t have many options that would be suitable for a portable, hotswappable, maximum-silence TKL build with a function row (gasket, dampening, PC/POM plate) with wireless 2.4GHz.

  • GMK87
  • Keychron V3 Max
  • (Monsgeek MG108W is full size, Cycle7 is FRL and heavy)

I’m having a bit of trouble deciding on which one I should choose, or if there are any other options I’ve missed - is it a matter of just choosing the cheapest option? Or are there differences between these cases in the pre-installed dampening that would be significant in silence reduction?

In addition to these, I was also wondering about stabilisers - would the pre-installed stabilisers be sufficient to achieve silence, or would I have to install some aftermarket stabilisers for a significant reduction in noise?

And an update on switches - I messaged the INEDA store who were happy for me to purchase the 7-PCS sample set and they would send me a sample of the 7 Outemu silent switches:

Silent Peach V2
Silent Ocean
Silent White
Silent Cream Yellow Pro / V3 / "Butter Yellow" 
Silent Jade Yellow A.K.A. "Topaz"
Silent Lemon or Lime V2
Silent TOM

So now just waiting to test these out when they arrive and then purchase a full set of one of these.

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18

OK, that is good news regarding the switches. I was just typing on OUTEMU Silent Lemon / Lime yesterday, vs. some others, and posted my thoughts:

It is a little cheaper to purchase full sets during big sales. I noticed that there is an upcoming AliExpress sale in a few days, although that may be too early for you.

I don’t have the detailed knowledge about the keyboards to know which has more / better dampening. Somebody might.

When I looked into the Keychron V / Q-series, I thought about purchasing replacement stabilizers. Just in-case.

I find that Zeal stabilizers are pretty quiet, but may not be as easy to set up as some more popular models [Durock, C3, TX]:

Outside of Canada, maybe the TX AP are generally regarded as the best, right now?

What you want are PCB-mount [screw-in] stabilizers. They tend to be quieter than plate-mount [clip-in] stabilizers.

Some of the keyboard kits come with stabilizers, yet they are plate-mount. You will want to use PCB-mount. I believe the Keychron V and Q-series, for example, are compatible with PCB-mount. I am not sure about the quality of the in-built stabilizers.

Keychron’s are probably decent enough, you just need to lube etc…
But if you are really a stickler, you could go for aftermarket.

Cycle7 comes with C3 V3 stabilizers, I think, which are actually pretty decent. Better than most ‘factory’ stabilizers, in any case.

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19

Awesome, thanks for posting your experiences on the silent switches. It should be a good reference for me when I get around to testing the samples when they arrive.

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Yeah, the OUTEMU are pretty good at being quiet. It looks like you’re getting the key switch types.

In that thread, you’ll notice someone has posted a new Gateron silent recently. I don’t know anything about it, but if the reviews are good it could be a silent linear contender.

Keyboard stabilizers

Okay, I did a little reading. In general, the Keychron Q and V-series come with PCB-mount [screw-in] stabilizers.

This is good. It means they use the quieter type, are built for it, and can probably take aftermarket PCB-mount stabilizers.

According to reviews, the Keychron stabilizers are okay, pretty decent for a factory board. Sometimes they have too much or too little lube. They are apparently pre-clipped. So all you have to do is make sure the lube is consistent.

Zeal PCB-mount stabilizers would probably be a slight improvement, adds cost though. If TX AP are known to be quiet, I would look into those. [Or even C3 V3].

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21

Just stumbled across this reddit post regarding the V3 max for a silent build with Outemu Cream Yellows. It seems like they didn’t have such a good experience: https://www.reddit.com/r/BudgetKeebs/comments/1bdzf2i/my_keychron_v3_max_review/

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That is a very interesting review that I encourage people here to read.

In general, I find that the wireless versions of keyboards are worse [from a typing standpoint] than the wired ones. If we’re talking mass-produced factory keyboards.

Generally, concessions are made to the wirelessness, in terms of space given to the wireless adapter and battery. These lead to internal changes that may compromise elements of the dampening or mounting setup.

It seems as though some of the problems in this review are specific to the MAX variant. [Kind of like with the Boeing 737!]

I recommended the regular wired V3 / Q3 as they appear to have better factory dampening.

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23

Okay, after lots of searching on portable TLK cases, I was wondering out of desperation if somehow making the Neo80 lighter by not using the external weights would be possible.

Something like the Tiger Lite but wireless would have been perfect.

Otherwise I’m currently leaning towards the GMK87, potentially with extra dampening and aftermarket stabs as an add on.

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24

After trying a whole lot of quiet switches in a few different keyboards, I believe that most dampened switches are good enough that it’s more effective to focus on acoustics. For example:

  • A deskmat (especially thicker rubber ones) can do wonders in some cases.
  • Keycaps matter a lot. My favorite set is from XMI and made out of PBT. I’m not saying all PBT keycaps are quieter, but mine are definitely quieter than GMK for example, and have a more pleasing, calmer sound when I hit them with my nails.
  • Use all the foams
  • POM is definitely a good all-round choice for a switch plate. Yet my quietest keyboard as a “skeleton” aluminum plate.
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25

These are interesting questions, but I do not know enough about the boards.

I’m sure a lot of boards can function w/o their external weights, but it may affect typing characteristics. And the integrity of the board while traveling.

It would probably be a good idea to pose your questions to BudgetKeebs somehow. Perhaps post a prospective build, with questions, and ask them to evaluate it?

[They have a “General Help” post that you should probably start with. Next, their Discord.]

The issue with the GMK87, after reading about them on BudgetKeebs, is that they are a little sensitive as to how they are put together:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BudgetKeebs/comments/1bbx1ug/psa_remove_the_ixpe_film_for_gmk87/

There is a film you may have to remove, you have to be careful about flex when building. This doesn’t mean GMK87 is a bad board. It is a good board for the price, but there are considerations.

So I think it would be especially valuable for you to talk to the people at BudgetKeebs, as they have experience with the GMK87 [and Keychron V-series.]

They would know how to dampen a GMK87.

@ekkert

Yes, deskmats help. I agree also about keycaps.

It turns out, in my experience, that the best keycaps to match with silent switches are thick Cherry-profile PBT.

I’m talking, the really cheap stuff. Like $20 USD sets from AliExpress. They are thick, and PBT, and they really muffle sound.

XMI is kind of like that stuff, but more consistent, and with way better legending. So, sure, go for it. [Or Shenpo, or JC Studio]. Maybe Xiaomi.

Almost the cheapest is the best!

WRT to foams, I noticed during reading that builders say that the regular Keychron V-series can be pretty decently stuffed with foam.

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Someone’s impression of various silent switches:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BudgetKeebs/comments/1beo69v/my_impression_with_some_demo_switch_silent_style/

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Interestingly, Milktooth has some Outemu silent switches that I had never heard of before:

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Specifically, the “Outemu Silent Green” (not to be confused with the “Lime”) and the “Outemu Silent Yellow” (not to be confused with the “Cream Yellow” or “Yellow Jade”) may be new switches? I couldn’t seem to find these two varieties from other vendors.

Also, they have two versions of the Silent Ocean, with or without the “dustproof” stem.

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As I’m waiting for the Aliexpress sale in a few days, I’m looking through to try and find any thick PBT keycaps that are White on Black. I’m assuming that they need to be dye-sub, as XMI, Shenpo, and JC Studio all seem to be thick dye-sub keycaps as opposed to double shot.

Surprisingly I’m having trouble finding any sets from AliExpress that aren’t double shot, especially in WoB. :cry: I don’t really care about the quality of the legending, as long as the silent part is met (thick, PBT, ?dye-sub)

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For WOB, it would need to be reverse dye-sub, as the dye generally has to make things darker to work. Reverse Dye Sub is more expensive and is more often used for complex, higher margin stuff.

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I’m honestly not sure if the difference between dye-sub vs double-shot will really make that huge of a difference towards silence, if other factors are equal or similar. I’ve been using a cheap PBT (as listed, but possibly blended), double-shot keycaps in my silent build with fairly good results. Maybe the thickness of the caps and the profile are bigger factors than whether they are double-shot vs dye-sub.

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31

Are you looking for fully silent or partially silent? I had an almost completely dead silent keyboard with lubed MX Zilents and that was no fun at all. I wanted something that very low-volume, almost pillowy like sound so I cleaned off the lube. I recommend taking a look at Taeha’s MX Zilents Sipline sound test.

To this day, I still have not found a silent switch that’s

  • not mushy on bottom out
  • not completely silent
  • pillowy sounding

MX Zilents (made with alias & old cherry silents) fit the bill but they’re scratchy and if you lube them with 205g0 they’re almost completely dead silent and it takes some of the fun away - use a thinner lube if you take this route. Looking for a more economic alternative to these if anyone knows of any.

Also recommend looking into Nuphy’s ghostbar if you haven’t!

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This always a tough one. Rubber dome over membrane keyboards are insanely cheap of course, but a big reason people tolerated the change was that they were so much quieter even than an average linear of the day. The only way to stop plastic hitting either metal or other plastic is to decelerate before bottoming out, and most of the ways to do that for the average typist make things mushy.

Now, I’m sitting here by myself clattering away on some Box Jades, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but IMHO mech keyboard users should level-set the quiet end of their expectations at “only a bit louder than a rubber dome”. It may only be a matter of time before some companies bring back MX sliders for membrane boards anyway, given some of the more common semi-removable keycap formats in that space and the number of “mechanical feel” keyboards on AE and Amazon.

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