For those who have tried BKE domes specifically ultra lights and lights how would you compare the tactility and weight between them as well as against stock 45g and 55g topre domes? Also feel free to mention differences in silencing solutions too, thanks.
I’m on the fence about swapping my domes out since the ones in my fc660c don’t feel uniform.
Originally tried lights on a hhkb pro jis, but they were too loud on the upstroke. So now have ultra lights, still louder but with silencing rings its bearable. Much more tactile than stock, very snappy upstroke.
I have used lights in a FC660C and heavies in a Novatouch.
The BKE domes are much more snappy, and they do mellow out a touch when broken in.The light domes feel slightly heavier than stock to me, but that is probably due to the nature of the tactility. Both of my Topre boards use the KBD Silence-X rings, they dampen the upstroke just enough for me. Everything feels very smooth with the board lubed with 3204.
Which out of the 3 do you prefer overall?
Nice to know, I heard lights felt similar in weight to 55g but were more tactile and ultra lights were slightly lighter than 45g but have a similar amount of tactility as 55g. Right now I’m leaning towards the ultra lights since they sound a little more bearable for extended typing sessions.
Definitely prefer ultra lights.
I’ve had experiences with both the BKE lights and heavies for at least 6 months each.
HEAVIES
The heavies are the first domes that I purchased. They’re really snappy and the weight is definitely heavier than the stock domes. It’s comparable to pressing on bubble wrap. The upstroke is very snappy and the sound is ‘thockier’ than the lights. I prefer these ones over the lights.
LIGHTS
If you want something close to the stock domes but with punch of tactility then these are the way to go.
ULTRA LIGHTS
I tried these on a norbatouch. I probably did around 10 typing tests and realized that these weren’t for me. I thought they were kinda mushy.
EXTREMES
LOL these are seriously just meme switches, that being said I have these on the backspace, enter, esc, capslock, and space bar on my 660c. They’re just so heavy, you can still feel the tactility but its just so heavy.
Heavies, Lights, and Extremes were all on my 660c at some point. lubed with 3204 with hypersphere rings. I also added MOBO washers to the screws to regain some lost travel distance or tactility from the hyperspheres. I’m not entirely sure if that does anything but I like to think that it does.
Thanks for such a detailed response you’ve made some really good descriptions here. I think I’m on the opposite side of the spectrum to you, I don’t mind the tactility of the stock domes and I’m looking for something that doesn’t slow down my speed or fatigue my fingers over a long period of time. I heard the ultra lights have similar tactility to 55g topre but I feel like the weight of 45g topre is pretty much perfect and don’t know how much lighter ultra lights feel in comparison. On the other hand I heard lights can be fatiguing to type on if you’re typing for any extended amount of time.
Sounds like I have a similar concern to you. I’m curious how the BKE ultra lights compare to the stock domes in terms of finger fatigue for very long typing sessions. It sounds like the increased tactility might be more fatiguing than what the light weight suggests. I thought the ultra lights might be a nicer alternative to the 30g domes on some Niz/Plum boards, which are described as near linear, I think. Doesn’t sound like they are anything alike, however. But I’m still curious to hear more feedback from anyone that can compare the stock 45g topre domes to the BKE ultra lights.
Hello! Where can I get that kind of lube from? Thanks
To the folks in this thread: is there a place to buy these domes? Everywhere I’ve seen them seems to be sold out.
I find that BKE Domes have a great ‘wow’ factor, especially when you’re at a meetup etc, but in actual use they feel unrefined compared to stock domes.
I’m a huge fan of the ultra-lights. They’re more tactile than stock domes by a noticeable amount and I like that the ultralights are slightly lighter too
I have Novatouches (45g), 55g Realforce, and a Norbaforce with BKE Lights. I used to favor 55g Topre domes and I initially thought the BKE Lights were too heavy. But after using the BKE Lights on a daily basis for a couple months, I have come to like them a lot. Now, 55g domes feel too mushy to me. I use BKE Lights with KBDfans silencing rings (dental bands) and lubed sliders (small application of 3204).
Now where in the goddamn can I even find BKEs lately?
Keyclack sells them and so does mykeyboard.eu but only keyclack has them in at the moment unfortunately for me since I’m from the UK.
I ended up purchasing ultra lights just weighting on them now huehue that was a bad pun.
I just installed BKL Lights on my novatouched, hypersphered FC660c this morning.
After a typing test I’m getting mixed feelings, the are definitely more tactile and less rounder bump than stock. Also they are a bit more noisy (hyperspheres installed) than before. Noise had changed a bit and don’t know if I like it, it’s just different.
I started to type more and more relaxed on the original domes almost to the point that I was not bottoming out, or barely. On these I have to put a little more force for the tactility and they just go down under my fingers at a point and surprise me, it’s nearly impossible for me to not bottom out. I have to use them for a while, see if they brake in a little and if my fingers get used to the feel.
TLDR : Mixed feelings, have to use them for a while to see if I like them more than stock.