I recently watched a video called ‘‘My creamiest keyboard yet’’. When I readed the specs in the description, they had KTT Kang White V3 that they modified by adding 63.5g springs.
Now this is what im confused, does heavier springs give better sound then lighter springs? I’ve also noticed that good switches have heavier springs.
Also, whats the difference between 1 stage, 2 stage, and 3 stage springs? Does more stages equal a better sound?
I’m asking this for some information and also so I can learn more about switch springs. Plus i’m planning on making a video where I mod the cheapest hot-swap mechanical keyboard, with exceptions that I can’t change the switches, stabilizers, keycaps. Just pure modding. (Honestly, I’m not sure if changing the switch springs count as changing the switches or modding the switches haha.)
No heavier springs do not give switches a better or really even different sound. Springs are more about the quality of them, regardless of the weighting. Bad springs will sound pingy & sometimes even give scratchy, grinding noises. Although pretty much all springs will have a slight metallic resonance when dry. That’s why most people will use a krytox oil or grease to lube their springs, it will completely eliminate that slight resonance from high quality springs.
Multi stage springs are best described as 2 or 3 springs stacked on top of each other, but they are made from a single wire. The pic below is of a 2 stage spring, a 3 stage spring would have another section, & a single stage spring is just a regular spring.
The deal with multi stage & long springs (14mm is Cherry spec for spring leaf IIRC) is you get more resistance at the beginning of the key press since it will have more force pre-loaded than a shorter spring of the same bottom out weighting if that makes sense. They also will have a more forceful rebound than a shorter spring of the same weighting.
Then there is the opposite of multi stage & long springs, which is progressive & complex springs. With them they start off lighter than a normal spring of the same weighting but more rapidly increase in resistance towards the bottom of the key press. This is accomplished by having the windings tighter on one end of the spring.
So there is some room to subtly change the feel of your switches with different types of springs. I stress subtly though, the difference between any of the different types of springs vs a regular 14mm single stage spring of the same weighting is not gonna be hugely noticeable.
As for your last statement, I’d say most people would consider spring swapping a form of modding the switch. The spring (given it’s a high quality one) will not substantially change the sound or feel of the switch. The materials of the parts, the quality of the molds used to make the parts, & the slider being long pole or not have much more influence over sound & feel than the spring. The weighting & type of spring used is mostly a personal preference.
Oil kings do not use such a heavy spring, the spring the use has an actuation weight of 55g & a bottom out weight of 65g with a variance of up to 5g. Gateron Oil King Linear Switches – Divinikey So they are not that heavy at all, 80g bottom out is Cherry MX black weighting. Cherry MX Hyperglide PCB Mount Switches – Divinikey. The thing is even if someone is comfortable with the stock weighting of either switch they will still most likely swap to a better higher quality spring. Cherry springs are notoriously bad, very pingy & have a wide variance, they say ± 5g but I’d say it’s closer to ± 8g to 10g with Cherry springs. Gateron’s stock springs are a little better but still subpar to good aftermarket springs such as Geon’s or TX’s springs. Both of those have a stated variance of ± 3g & feel much more consistent than stock Cherry or Gateron springs.
Yeah you are right, turns out oil kings have 56gr springs, not 80gr springs. I got the 80gr information from the Gateron website, it said “55gr actuation, 80gr bottom out”. I just took the one that says bottom out since most of the time the bottom out is what identifies how heavy or light the switch springs are.
