What finally spurred me to come back and see what’s going on here are emails from Dorp that announced some revolutionary new keycap profile that’s just cylindrical ABS, big whoop. But then I realized that it’s been a long time since I was in the loop about what the “meta” is these days when it comes to keebs, and I wanna know what the big deals are at the moment. So, questions for you all:
What’s the current “meta” for linear switches? Best sound, best smoothness, best bang-for-buck, best springs, even? I recently relaxed by lubing up my Kailh Pro Burgundies, which I know are… not really any of those. But what matters is I had fun!
Has humanity finally come up with a good stabilizer yet? My set of Durock stabs is iffy for some reason, and I’ve got change that out on my HHKB Tofu. And are there any mods better than the Holee mod, which, while agonizing, made a huge difference for my boards.
What’s good in the world of cheap kits these days that I can bang up a bit with experiments? Right now my testing board is a Rakk Am-Lang Pro, which is decent enough, but not the best sonically. Bonus points if there are any Alice or 980 kits for the local keyboard cheapo…
Gateron has been killing it for their past several releases. Oil kings pleasantly surprised me for exceptional stock lube and I’ve heard good things about their other recent releases. Jwicks are the new budget king. TTC is a relatively new company to look out for, especially if you hate stem wobble.
Legend has it that staebies are amazing, but good luck buying them. Other than that, a few more companies have entered the arena of “standard” stabilizers but I haven’t heard of any of them being exceptionally different from each other.
Yeah I was kinda down & out for a couple months myself. Glad to see you back around! As for your questions,
1 - I am not qualified to answer this as I never really follow the meta to closely. However I just got a batch of Gateron Oil Kings not to long ago & they seem to be really good switches. Smooth AF, decently deep sounding with stock top, put a Cherry top on them & you have a damn nice switch!
2 - TX stabilizers & Staebies seem the best bet for a higher end stabilizer as it stands IMHO.
3- Haven’t seen anything new, but that through hole, FR4 skeleton Alice kit NK was selling a while back seemed pretty cool. I almost grabbed one. Not sure if they have any stock at the moment though.
Long pole linears seem all the rage these days. Long springs as well (for that “slow curve” feel) – dual stage springs are in too. I don’t have the link, but there is a thread on this forum that speaks to these springs.
I think Epsilon switches are the new hotness for their sound and smoothness. TTC is really pulling their weight on smooth and stable switches. KTT switches appear to be the king of value though there are other contenders such as the JWICK line and the Gateron Pro switches.
Personally, I will echo what has been said about Gat Oil Kings. I just did a build with them and I’m impressed with the sound, smoothness, and the linear/long spring. Gat CJ switches are also incredibly smooth, but have a clackier sound profile.
My GB for the EV-00 switches came in a little bit ago and they are a fantastic JWK option. They have the deepest sound profile of anything I’ve tried from the manufacturer. Crazy smooth, and the progressive spring is nice if that’s your thing.
You still can’t go wrong with Alpacas which are in their second version/mold and are top tier smooth. At 50¢ a piece they are a good value to performance proposition (not true budget option of course).
I think the take away here is that there are many more manufacturers for linears these days, using more interesting materials, and so many great options to pick from. Also, Gateron is stepping up their mid line of switches (which for me are better than the INK series).
Staebies and TX are the newest and most promising stabs right now (good luck finding either in stock). The last build I spoke of used the TX variety, and oh boy did they impress me – they are like a better version of the OG GMK stabs before they messed them up with new molds. Staebies aim to eliminate rattle with tight tolerances and do that for the most part out of the box, but I’ve found them to be too tight and unforgiving. I think C3 stabs (on their 3rd molds) are still great and now come with a little mod kit for tuning them (precut holee mod stickers, foam to elevate/stabilize the wires, and dampening pads for bottom out).
The ‘meta’ right now for linears seems to be cheap switches that may even be good-enough out-of-the-box.
Like Gateron Pro, or maybe CAP. Or there’s some new knock-off Durocks that are even cheaper than JWICK, I think. [JWICK is still pretty good value].
[KTT and AKKO are also killing it in the discount section].
People are mentioning Oil Kings, which seem to be the big new thing.
A cheap testing board that can also be used in practice is the MK870. About $50 USD, sometimes lower during sales. Hotswap [5-pin], south-facing, RGB, 3 USB-C cable locations, flip-out feet, plastic case cover, decent-lubed stabilizers out-of-box. Silicone insert already included.
You can use it to test switches [metal plate, plate-mount stabs], bonus points if you mod it with an aftermarket polycarb plate and PCB-mount stabilizers for real typing. [Can do gummy O-ring mount maybe, there’s some kind of mod mounting system].*
I don’t know what the good stabilizers are. My Zeals are pretty good. People are saying good things about C3 Version 3, I’ve heard this from many quarters. And I’m due to receive TX stabilizers soon. They seem to be the new hotness.
*There’s also an 1800-layout version of this from the same manufacturer, I think.
Believe it or not, I still see Cherry Hyperglides going strong. Browns are still nice light tactiles, and Blacks are still one of the best linear switches in terms of push feel, sound and bang for your buck. Being Cherry MX switches though, you need to lube and film them nicely so they can perform at their best.
Besides Cherry, JWK/Durock, Gateron and others are still pumping out nice linears that can be used stock, namely Epsilons, Oil Kings, etc…
TX stabs all the way. They only need lubing, no further mods needed. If you’re hardcore about stabs you might want to do wire balancing as well.
I do know a 980 kit that features a south facing PCB, 3 connectivity options: TM980
I’d say YouTube is a better source of product/trend/technique summaries information now even more so than 8 months ago.
There are more Cherry profile keycaps than ever, from decent to great quality. GMK orders and extras will be flooding in. (It’s already started, I suppose.) You can consistently find GMK Minimal at $120-$130 shipped—which seems like a nice trend (for buyers) if it lasts and expands to other aftermarket keyboard things.
1.Linear meta! This has pretty much been covered by the other commenters here; lots of long-poles, people still love the deep “thock” but higher-pitched and crisp “clack” has regained a healthy spot in the meta. A few other tidbits:
JWK’s in-house name JWick has been getting lots of traction as a solid budget brand.
UHMWPE blends are a bit more popular than straight umwipe these days; JWK’s P3 stems used in Epsilons, Cobalts, and Pianos (Durock POMS) are a great example - smooth like umwipe, but not as easy to deform and easier to produce consistently.
Tecsee’s HPE housings are another example that seems to have more benefits than drawbacks; smooth like polycarb, but also softer.
Lots of pre-lubed switches that don’t suck these days; some of my personal faves are TTC’s more recent linears like Wilds and Aces, Gateron’s V2 CAPs, and JWK’s Epsilons.
2.Stabby stabs. Most of this has also been covered; I’ll add there are now pre-made kits out there to facilitate Holee / Epsi modding, and they’re pretty good.
The one I’ve used is called “Soulmate” from Equalz, and it comes with a bunch of pre-sized foam and teflon bits for dampening.
On that note, Equalz’ V3 stabs aren’t bad at all - though nothing revolutionary. They do come with the Soulmate kit, which is nice.
My own personal meta has been figuring out what makes for a set of stabs I like; all I’ve managed to nail-down so far is that I prefer Nylon to polycarb - but it seems there’s some experimentation happening in the space, with Dorp having released some UHMWPE plate-mount stabs not too long ago, and all-POM stabs are making the rounds. I still think stab-space is the arena most in need of further innovation.
3.Cheap kits! There are more of these and at lower prices than ever - here’s a handful:
GK## series; I think these had already been around a while last time I saw you post but I’ll mention them just in case. I think this is an open source design, as multiple brands sell them - you can usually find them around $50, give or take. The ubiquitous GK61 has branched-out into a few other sizes including 96%, and is in a second generation that has a better plastic case - still uses plate-mount stabs though. You can remap the keys with some iffy software, kinda like the Rakk. The newer generation supports split space bars (denoted by an “x” after the number), and has an optional bluetooth version available (denoted by an “s” at the end). It’s a tray-mount with a cheap plate, but I do think it sounds better stock than a stock Rakk TKL - plus, you can always try burger mounting them. They’re North-facing hot-swap, but they have 5 pins, RGB, and are very easy to swap switches in and out of.
CIY’s TES series; comes in various vendor flavors, but you can get them from AliExpress for crazy cheap. The TES68, also called the Tester68 and a bunch of other vendor-specific names is probably the cheapest basic one out there right now; I’ve seen it as low as $15, $25 is more common, and $35 is the markup price. Wireless and bluetooth, but no wired connection. Plate-mount stabs. Hotswap & 5-pin, but North-facing and with a very tight plate. Tray mount, no lighting, no remapping. Probably the cheapest hot-swap keeb you’ll ever see, but hey, it works!
CIY’s soon-to-be-released GAS67, in the $60 range IIRC; these are largely untested at the moment but appear to be the ultra-budget take on gasket mounting. Uses PCB-mount stabs, has North-facing RGB, comes with a polycarb plate, and even has a daughter board for the USBC. Can be re-mapped through proprietary software. Has all kinds of dampening for “Noice Cancellation”, to quote the sales page. They’re up for pre-order on KeebMonkey among others; if an inexpensive tester that isn’t tray mount is what you’re after, this might be worth checking out.
KeebMonkey’s soon-to-be-released KBMG68Pro; tip-toeing up the budget ladder, these are in the $80 range. South-facing 5-pin hot-swap with flex-cut gasket tabs and an acrylic case - oh, and it’s got some super-duper RGB going on. Uses plate-mount stabs, though, and they aren’t included. Apparently supports QMK & VIA, and claims to offer a “bouncy” experience compared to other products on the site. Another as-of-yet untested option; might be worth sticking a pin in for when the reviews come out.
My personal favorite board for switch testing right now is the TKC Portico; it’s more of a middle-market board with a price tag above $100 and very sporadic availability, but it’s the quickest of the “budget-premium” boards to dis-assemble for safe switch swapping (something I don’t even worry about with the GK because a. it’s so cheap and b. the somewhat loose plate makes it easy to feel if pins aren’t aligned). This one is South-facing hot-swap with an FR4 plate and foam gasket mounting. It’s also QMK / VIA compatible, and uses PCB-mount stabs. The board has RGB but that function is buggy on the current generation. For me this board hits the sweet-spot of typing quality, ease of swapping, compatibility, and sound.
Linears? Sadly still no good nixies to speak of - lot of players in the game now - plenty of collabs.
Stabs? TX is the current rage and constantly sold out everywhere. Holey modding is out, and better kits / better lube is in (XHT-BDZ)
Cheap boards? Owl Labs started qwertykeys and since 65s were all the rage last year their qk65s are dropping monthly now with a lot of customization options for the sub $200 / low $100 range. A lot of other options in the 65 space (parallel sequence, meletrix zoom, bakeneko rejigged, nk65, etc) … seems like TKLs and 75s are on an upswing this year.
I remember why I love this place now! Taking things one step at a time:
Having used TTC Gold Reds, what I wanna know is if the bottom out is harsh. For whatever reason, using those tired out my fingers more than any other switch, and that includes BKE Lights. If they aren’t super abrupt, I’m happy.
So TX is still at it making quality products that don’t hop on a big hype train? That’s good to hear for sure! I’m super happy with the lubricant, springs, and pickers that I got from them.
Considering I just paid around 70 cents per unit for Kailh HUSH switches, bimbo that i am, that’s definitely within my reach. It’s nice to see switches have some staying power after the flashes in the pan that were Kailh Creams and Gateron Inks.
One of these days, I’m going to decide whether I’m going to do any of the crazy things that @donpark does to his poor black switches. They still sound amazing, while they’re not the smoothest there’s still nothing like them, and what you lose out on fancy features like cool RGB, you gain right back with amazing sound. I just wish their silents weren’t so scratchy…
Bite me, Zuck.
That looks really promising! That might be perfect to put together and throw in my bag for classes.
And now, for a few more questions - all about lube!
Is Tribosys 320x dead in the grave now? I see some stores advertising 204g0 as an alternative, but I haven’t been checked inot that particular game for quite a while now. I assume that Krelbit has turned to GBs over selling lubricants.
What’s the deal with this new XHT-BDZ stuff, and what’s it do better for stabilizers that nothing else has done at the same level before?
Is there a lubricant that’s not horribly sticky but does dampen sound well? I love the stock feeling of my Kailh Hush switches, but I want to get a good lubricant to take the edge off of the sound. 205g0 didn’t work very well on account of it being sticky, and thus making a louder noise and unpleasant feeling on the stem’s return. Yuck.
Some of TTC’s newer switches are like that, but not all of them. The Flame Red linear seems to be made out of a softer plastic, and doesn’t have that almost glassy-hard bottom out that some of their other linears do (like Gold Pinks and Wilds - haven’t tried the reds myself). In that way, it reminds me of Momoka Frogs - not dampened, but decidedly not harsh.
320[34] is still pretty standard for tactile rails - streamers have been pumping up 205g0 for general purpose and 105 for mass bag lubing springs. I think the trend may be moving towards lighter lubes, and then films (deskeys, etc) for tightening housings depending on the switch
XHT-BDZ has a slightly lower viscosity to dialectic grease and still pretty smooth - so that’s the go-to for stab wires (looks like marshmallow creme) - seems to fill the gaps pretty well and negates the need for crazy stabilizer mods (then a typical 205 or 320x for the housings) … it’s been around since 2015 or so, but gotten more popular recently thanks to the streamers
.
They’re up for pre-order on KeebMonkey among others; if an inexpensive tester that isn’t tray mount is what you’re after, this might be worth checking out.
