Great first post!
Yes, those sound like real Ergo Clears. 63.5 G Spirit and all.
Cherry’s sound is hard to beat. I selected Ergo Clears for an NCR-80 build. 63.5 G Progressive Spirit [they hit like 55 G springs].
I recently read that some people are carefully lubing the Zealio V1 redux with 205g0. It still makes they “raindrops” sound they were looking for. I’ll have to try that at some point, as I’m not using 205g0 for anything else.
I’ll try your lubing method with 3204, along with some replacement springs. Maybe starting with 60 G TX 14mm. I still think the stock 62 G Zealio V1R weight is a little low for the size of the tactile bump. Need a ‘63.5’ G Zealio V1 or something.
I have been reading all the topics related to ergo clear like switches. Just didn’t get a chance to share my 0.002 cent until I got the zealios v1 redux. 
Yea! Spirit’s non progressive 63.5g turns ergo clear into a pleasant/snappy medium tactile switch with pre-travel. I’m not sure if it’s because of the spring force curve or the leaf. My mode signal’s with its stock 63.5g isn’t as snappy and tactile compared to the ergo clears. I will try if the zealios v1 redux can replicate the same snappy feeling using the same spirit spring.
I will also give 205g0 a try. Probably need a realllly thin coat otherwise it might be too viscous for the stem to slight up and down on rails (of course no lube on stem legs).
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Interesting. I agree that 63.5g makes it fairly snappy.
In fact, it’s my understanding that one of the main motivations behind 63.5 G was they wanted a spring in the ‘sweet-spot’ between 62 and 65 G specifically for Ergo Clears.
It’s not really 63.5 G by measurement, but somewhere in between those 2 Spirit springs.
Anyway, I really like that weight for OUTEMU Silent Sky stems inside Cherry [MX Clear] housings. It’s really poppy and rich with that spring weight. [Silent Sky is meant to be an Ergo Clear]. The 62 G TX 14mm is another spring good for making light Ergo Clears, 62 being a classic weight for them, and previously seen as the minimum you can get away with unlubed.
What I’m trying to say here is that Ergo Clears in particular seem to be highly sensitive to spring weight in terms of the experience you get with them. Just try 63.5 G Progressive vs 68 G Progressive, for example. 62 G 14mm is sharp and poppy, but not wildly so, 65 G is firm and reliable, only slightly fatiguing. 60 G + lube turns it into a kind of empty, characterless Brown, but 55 G and minimal lube gives you a crunchy switch.
Zealio V1 also seems to be pretty sensitive to weight, but so was V2 for that matter. You can use 205g0 on Ergo Clears, BTW, my 65 G are like that. If you are careful, then you get the full tactile bump and full travel, but a softer bottom-out.
Also, yeah, Mode Signals and Durock Medium Tactile can feel kind of ‘dead’ with the stock Durock springs, when compared to the lively Ergo Clears.
I don’t like the bump shape so much. It’s kinda there, like a small T1, and then once you clear it you just slam down to the bottom. Not very ergonomic, if you ask me.
I have 68 Mode Signals with stock springs, filmed and lubed with 3203. They’re actually pretty nice, but sound and feel kinda plasticy with Cherry-profile. With MG Profile, they’re awesome, though. The heavy MG keycaps make the switches almost as light as Browns, but they’re obviously smoother and less-scratchy. And more sturdy. So I’m thinking of filling-out a 65% with them. They still slam down though. Like most Durock tactiles, needs a polycarb plate instead of metal.
I also have a full 106 RARA V2 switches. They’re also Durock Medium Tactile, but use overpowered ThiccThock springs. Now this is a crazy DMT on steroids. They are very poppy and resistant in terms of spring weight, these are like 63.5 G Long springs, and deep-sounding. They’re sturdy, very little wobble, and low-pitched with MG-profile keycaps. They function like you’d expect some 1970s mainframe terminal keyboard, with authoritative presses and none of that Cherry wobble and scratch.
Got a chance to do a couple experiments today.
Lubing with 205g0 works on these Zealios v1 Redux. Just a light sheen of 205g0 on stem is sufficient and will perform just the same as 3204. The housing and the stem is so much smoother compared to cherry. We just can’t fix Cherry’s sandy housing and stem with 205g0. lol.
I also did one with 205g0 + Spirit’s 63.5g spring and was able to replicated the tactility of the 63.5g ergo clears but with a smooth travel. No scratchy/sandy key press. However, the leaf spring pings whenever the stem legs move pass the bump. Got the same pinging noise from my zilent v2 too. 
I think I would just lube the rest of my switches with 3204 on the stem only and bag lube the springs with 105g0/106g0. I might need to dab some lube on the back of the leaf but this is just too much hassle. 
I think I got most of the Durock medium tactile variant except RARA v2 and OPGrey. I totally agree with you on that. To me, Zealios V1 is the closest replica to the ergo clear in terms of tactile bump and pre-travel but with smooth housing and stem and leaf pings. I really wish Durock adds a little bit more pre-travel to the medium tactile stem. This will for sure turns Twilights into a really good ergo clear with smooth key press and no leaf ping. (high-pitched bottom out can be some what fixed with PC/POM plate).
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Yes. I’ve made Ergo Clears with Clear/Brown/Gateron Orange stems in T1, and it’s fun. A more-pretravel stem in Durock Medium Tactile would indeed make for a better Twilight.
Hey, put the Zealio V1Rs in T1 and let me know what happens!
Could you tell me why you’d prefer to lube the rest of your switches with 3204 instead of 205g0? It seems as if 205g0 may be preferred for Zealio V1. Is it because you have already been lubing with 3204?
RARA V2 is honestly different from other DMTs like Mode Signal. I have 3 types of DMT, including the above variants, on the same board right now. Dragonfruit and Mode Signal are relatively-gentle. But the RARA V2 spring is very aggressive. Seems overpowered for what the stem is. At least they are really tight, no wobble. And sound good.
I just received a MK870 keyboard, so it should be fun to test Zealios in that.
I just tried putting the zealios v1 stem into kiwi’s housing. The tactility is probably about 15~20% stronger than Twilight but with more pre-travel. Or you can say it’s a ergo clear with a stronger bump (is this still “ergo” clear? lol).
I would say 3204 a lot more forgiving than 205g0 on the zealios v1 redux. You really need to be careful with the right amount of 205g0 on the brush before you put it on the stem. To prevent over-lube with 205g0, I like to brush off the excess lube on a palette before I brush it on the stem. It’s just more time consuming so that’s why I prefer just lube it with 3204 instead.
I guess the spring itself is sufficient enough to make up the differences between all the DMT variants right? The Shogoki tactile switch I got definitely feels snappier than the Mode Signal and my Taro balls with 62g multi-stage springs has a stronger rebound.
My personal favorite medium tactile switch is the 63.5g ergo clears + QMX clips combo. It’s not the most silent combo for a silent switch but it’s very pleasant to type on with muted bottom out. Boba U4 and Zilent V2 will make you feel like crushing bones whenever you type. lol.
Please share the experience once you got the chance to build them with MK870. I received my mr suits r2 yesterday but I don’t think I will put zealios v1 in it since I haven’t had the time to lube switches lately.
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I learned to be careful, even economical when lubing my Ergo Clears with 3204 recently [built almost an entire board], so I think I may have under-lubed my Zealio V1R with 3204 when I tried it.
I used the technique of wiping away lube on the container, even seeking a ‘pallette’ to remove excess. Some of my Ergo Clears ended up under-lubed. So I think can use the same method with 205g0 to get the right amount for V1.
Shogoki came with 65 G stock springs, I think. I had Taro Ball, and I didn’t like the 65 G stock spring. I thought they were too heavy for the limited tactility. 63.5 G Durock springs were just-right. Taro Ball was otherwise a great switch, though. I sold mine, but I guess they would have been okay L + F using 3203 on polycarb plate.
I think we need a new category of “Ergo Clear” for switches that use Ergo Clear-like stems and heavy tactile housings+leafs (heavier than anything Cherry ever had) like T1, Boba, Twilight. A lot has changed since the term “Ergo Clear” came up, and there were nothing like those housings. But you can put Gateron Orange, MX Brown, etc… in a Panda/T1/Boba housing and get wild results, and a distinctive type of switch that didn’t exist before.
I will try to build some Zealio V1R in MK870 as soon as I can.
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When I lube my switches I have a very particular way I do them where I put a ultra thin layer of lube on almost all the internal parts. I’ve tried the pallets from Kinetic Labs & honestly find wiping as much lube as you can from the brush on the side of the container much better than a pallet for thinness of your coating & consistency.
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OK, I used your 205g0 lubing method with the 62 G Zealio V1 redux. I only lubed the stem, thinly with 205g0, avoiding the legs.
Wiped the brush off on the lube container before lubing each stem.
It definitely works better than the way I was lubing with 3204 before, which was a heavier coating on both the stem and housing.
The switch operates pretty smoothly now, and sounds a little deeper and less waxy than the 3204 ones. I could probably get used to it, although I still think I would prefer a spring 1-2 G heavier than whatever the 62 G is using.
I’ll have to experiment with TX and Spirit springs, 55 G Spirit is often good with light tactiles, I could try the 63.5 G Spirit for smooth Ergo Clears as you point out. Too bad about the ping issues with aftermarket springs.
Aliaz is a good housing for OUTEMU Silent Sky stems, and they are said to be clones of Zealio V1 housings, so I should try Zealio V1 as a basis for Silent Sky.
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I found that lubing 205g0 on smooth rails and stem like JWK’s can sometime give you that waxy/sticky feeling if you are not consistent with the amount of lube brushing onto either rails or stem or both so lubing just the stem itself is enough to prevent accidentally over lube the switch. That’s why I would just lube mine with 3204. Scraping off the excessive lube on the container is enough and also less time consuming.
Let us know how it feel after you test it with other springs! To me long spring does give you the consistent force curve throughout the entire switch travel and we can definitely go lower weight, however you might loose a little bit weight from the tactility coming from the rebound. This is really more personal preference so finding the right balance does take lots experiments!
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I’ve gotten good with the consistency of lube on the stems, so I should be okay going forward. I do prefer the deeper sound that 205g0 offers these switches, it’s closer to the ‘raindrop’ sound desired by some.
Right now, I have more 205g0 than 3204.
I bought a number of the 67 G switches just to replace their springs [while keeping the 62 G consistent.] I intend to try various light springs, and I agree that long springs could address some of my concerns about the Zealio V1. But they have their own issues on the rebound, as you indicate.
So far, after building a few, I would say that Zealio V1 is definitely a viable Ergo Clear alternative. With minimal lube, the 62 G is a decent step up from Browns in tactility. I would say that Gateron CAP Brown and lubed Zealio V1 are of similar intensity, but the CAP Brown tactility is shallower and rounder, whereas the Zealio V1R are steeper and sharper. Sharper tactility is fine in light, low-tactility switches IMHO.
The lubed Zealio V1R actually feels a lot like a more intense SP Star Meteor Orange. I have these all on the same board (MK870) right now.
Bottom-line is, these live up to the hype if you lightly lube the stems (not legs).
You also need to lube the springs, of course.
They are arguably preferable for typing with than Durock Medium Tactile or Gateron CAP Brown, but it’s close, and largely down to preference.
Yup. Totally live up the hype. I have been looking at many force graphs and none of them actually match with ergo clear’s in terms of tactile bump and key travel except zealios v1. To me, it’s pretty much a MX Clear clone (lol) but with smooth housing, stem, and pre&post travel. The only downside (to me) is that the leaf spring pings a little bit on actuation. Really glad that Zeal brought back these V1 zealios. It was so hard to find those on r/mm. Hopefully Zeal can also bring back the V1 zilents so I don’t have to add QMX clips for my silent medium tactile build. 
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Yes, exactly my thoughts. I find the bottom-out a little harsh on the 62 G, so a 62 G Zilent V1R could be the solution.
Would be much faster than hand-building silent tactiles.
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