I see! Would you recommend Krytox 205g0 for the Cherry MX Blacks or some other lube?
I still plan to desolder the MX Blacks to replace them with Unholy U4s, and then place these MX Blacks in a hotswap 60% PCB (that’s arriving soon)
Yes. I’m now using only 205g0 on Cherry MX Blacks.
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Will be getting some in that case! Thanks for the recommendation 
I must say, day 2 of using the stock MX Blacks and they’re surprisingly nice to type with. This is coming from someone who prefers tactile switches and had a pretty meh experience with Gat milky yellows
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Cherry MX Blacks are my favorite linears because of two things:
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Sound is just right, pitch and depth wise. Takes experience with more than a few different linear switches to start to really appreciate the quality of Cherry black sound. I didn’t get it until started polishing them. Not all cases can bring out the sound in full though. Gasket cases, in particular, needs some experimenting. One downside is, once you get hooked, sound of other linears will seem to lack something.
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I didn’t like Gat milky yellow either. It’s spring was nice (original long spring?) but the sound seemed kinda cheap which made the feel kinda cheap too. I’ve some KS-3 X1 Pro on the way. It’s supposed to be improved Gat Milky Yellows so I may change my mind. I found that, when a lot people like a switch well past initial hoopla, there is something to them that I likely missed.
What 205g0 adds to Cherry black is the snug buttery feel, not unlike how expensive audio set volume wheel feels. Very addicting.
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Sweet! You’re really hyping me up in getting the MX Blacks lubed. Really nice to hear about the sound - I come from silent tactiles so sound hasn’t been something I’ve explored much. I had a go with my friend’s Gateron Ink Blacks (205g0, filmed) which I thought sounded nice, but they were way too expensive for what I was willing to pay for switches. I have two other questions:
- Is it important to film MX Blacks? Or would lubing be sufficient
- Is there a recommended plate material for MX Blacks? I currently have an alu plate for the build, but I’m wondering if I should consider other materials like brass or PC
Initially, I thought that after the meh experience with Gat milky yellow, all other linears would just be variations of the same. Interestingly, it seems like MX Blacks are the ones opening up the “easing into linears” for me.
Would love to hear your thoughts on the KS-3 X1 Pro when they arrive! Hopefully they bring about good improvements and allow for a more affordable switch. And also, a nice analogy to the audio set volume wheels.
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I like it better filmed but I also mod my switches heavily, opening it over and over, which wears on the housing fit. You may also not notice the difference so my recommendation is use film if you have some around, skip otherwise.
If you get hooked on them, this won’t be your last Cherry black build so you can do it later. If you don’t, question becomes meaningless.
Awesome recommendations! I’ll skip the films as I don’t have any on-hand, and I don’t really foresee myself opening the MX Blacks that frequently. Will update again when I get the MX Blacks desoldered and lubed, looking forward to the difference
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Interested to hear your thoughts on the yellow pro. Had some pros in my cart waiting to check out but received a stock notification for the milky cap v2 and went with that instead.
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What would you say is the current best linear?
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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