- 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).