Easing Into Linears

I frankly don’t know. Since I started polishing Cherry black switches, I lost interest in new switches. KS-3 X1 Pro was an exception bc switches with long lasting reputation peaks my interest.

Currently using alpacas. While they feel really smooth and sound good. My typing is rather sloppy compared to using a tactile switch. Have you noticed if using heavier switches helps to eliminate typing errors?

By that do you mean the actuation weight is too light? Heavier springs or long springs may help.

You can also try long springs. They’re top-heavy, requiring more force to press at the start which, in theory, should help reduce typos.

Could I find out what does polishing mean in this context? I’ve heard of lubing but not polishing. Would it be buffing out the plastic with some sandpaper?

We have a rather long thread (actually more of a travel log like this thread) on switch polishing.

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Yes, actuation weight is rather light. I was thinking about maybe trying something in the 67 to 70g range.
Is there a certain brand of springs that you would recommend?

After using my Katana60 v2 for 20+ days, I don’t think I’m going back to tactiles. Except maybe occasional the Topre. These OA’s are heaven.

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I’ve been really happy with my symmetric springs from Kinetic Labs. I also see that Cannon Keys and many others hand started selling them as well. Let preference on spring weight be your guide but long springs feel heavier than their linear counterparts because of the higher starting weight. I appreciate the higher starting weight though for exactly the reason that you described: they help reduce accidental key presses.

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Linear’s force curve is a straight line. Either increase the starting weight(longer spring) or the bottom-out weight(heavier spring) will raise the mid point weight which is usually the actuation force.

TX 67g short (14mm) are my current spring of choice for linears. They don’t feel overly linear or progressive – they almost feel like it has a swell in the middle of the press to my fingers (like a faux tactile), but your milage may vary. They don’t feel heavy either; more like a 65g spring at the top of the press. While I enjoy other spring configurations like two stage longbois, I keep coming back to these.

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Bought and been using some KTT Strawberry switches for the past week or so now. Light (43g A, 62g BO), stem-pole bottom out (while still sounding muted and not losing much key travel @4mm), very adequately and evenly factory lubed. Polycarb top and bottom, POM stem. Minimal wobble with GMK at least.

I might just leave these unlubed and solder them into my next bluetooth yasui build… it’d be my first time not modding switches but they really don’t seem to need it badly if at all.

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Just curious, but is there a consensus that box switches are more or less a goto option for dealing with this sort of gnarly wobble?

wobble

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No, not at all. Box switches have completely fallen out of the favor of the community, ever since preium-ness became the norm for keyboard enthusiasts. They’re not horribly scratchy but not smooth enough to be called smooth in today’s climate, sound like shit imo, have less travel than normal MX switches, can’t be lubed…there’s a lot stopping them from being used nowadays. If you can’t stand wobble get the new revision aqua kings.

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I hate BOX switches, but half of what you said is false. BOX switches are on the smoother side compared to other brands, and they absolutely can and should be lubed. You lube them like any other switch, hitting the points of friction on the stem as well as the spot where the stem hits on the top housing and bottom out.

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other brands, meaning like outemu reds? There are so many switches that are so much smoother nowadays. jwk, zeal, tecsee, akko, gateron…there are more frictionless linears than one can even keep track of. box switches do not cut it anymore. and no, you can not really lube them. The drainage feature intended for water spills has the effect of pushing out lube. Obviously it’s not gonna completely remove the lube from the switch but compared to normal mx linears they pretty much shouldn’t be considered lubeable. When you lube a box switch they feel great, but then two weeks later the majority of that greatness is gone. With normal mx switches that feeling lasts a really long time. Box switches have pretty much no redeeming qualities with the current options.

Never heard that. But then I stopped paying attention to Box switches after the stem cracking fiasco so others would know better. A box full of unusable switches make good impulse purchase protection.

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I’ve recently been a fan of tactile’s and tried out my first linear switches (since Red’s) which are Gateron Ink Blacks and they’ve been awesome!

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All the lubed and filmed linears I own feel the same :joy: (when their spring weights are similar). ((Tangies, Seals, Gat Blacks, Cherry Blacks, Snow Whites, and Tealios))

@ajoflo I’m building a PCB with Midnight Jades sometime soon. I’ll let you know if I see any meaningful difference.

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@donpark you got me into buying another patch of hyperglide black. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but when I compare them side by side, I like using them unlubed(only filmed and spring swap) than the first patch I have lubed.

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