Interesting… I thought linear is the majority. 8 out of 10 boards being sold on mechmarket are built with linear switches. I think linear is really where MX switches shine. I wonder whether hall effect is even smoother than the latest generation of MX linear switches.
I’m interested in your feedback about the differences.
1 Like
So i got my dry yellows in today & did some comparing them to Gat yellows loose. As far as the feel from the spring goes the drys definitely feel a little bit lighter than the Gats. Which I found kinda crazy, but after comparing a few different switches I’d say they feel almost weighted the same at the beginning of the press , but after that Gat yellows ramp up in weighting slightly making them feel heavier & also have a snappier return. You can feel more rebound force on finger with Gat yellows IMO. While the dry yellows have a very linear feel to the weighting, it feels pretty much the same throughout the whole key press. Here’s a pic comparing the dry yellow spring (left side gold one) & gat yellow spring (right side silver one), beyond the Gat one being a little taller I can’t see any super noticeable differences.
Beyond that, the drys are a good bit smoother & actually have tighter housings than the gats! It looks like at least for the silk/dry series JWK tightened up the tolerances & there is much less wobble than with Alpacas, Tangies, Marshmallows, etc. My overall take on silk/dry yellows vs Gat yellows is get silk/drys unless your budget just can not cover them. They are definitely a superior switch to Gat yellow IMHO.
6 Likes
Dang I finally broke down and ordered some dry yellows… gonna be my first durock switch. People have been saying they don’t need to be filmed, do you think that’s true? if it is I might just buy a ton of the silk yellows/blacks next time I can for all future builds and like not have to lube/film anymore which would be lit.
1 Like
They are definitely tighter than previous JWK/Durock switches, although I still plan on filming mine with deskey films when I lube them. For what it’s worth I have heard a few people say the silks don’t need filmed as long as you don’t open them. Then I saw @donpark said somewhere in one of the linear threads he felt like films may even be detrimental to silks. Best bet is to grab a smaller batch, like 70 to 100 & see how you like the silks. If they’re not your thing you could easily get most if not all of your money back on them.
3 Likes
TL;DR: My Silks do very subtly and slightly benefit from being filmed, but I think it falls into diminishing-returns territory (and might even lead to premature weakening of the clip legs, see below) - especially if you’ll be doing your own lubing (including the springs) with Drys.
The Silks I got a couple days ago definitely have a good tight grip between the housings - definitely no obvious rattle.
I decided to try filming one just to see if it made a difference - and while it did, it’s very subtle. I will say if I hyper-focus in on the sound and feel, the top-out does sound ever so slightly more tight and clean.
These are stock - so both of them have some spring ping - and if you’ll be lubing the springs and moving parts anyway, I’m not convinced that subtle difference made by the film wouldn’t evaporate.
There is a pitch difference between the one already in my tester and the one I filmed - but after trying a few more, there were minor pitch differences between them, too - so it’s hard to say how filming affected it except to say any change would be subtle.
If you’re borderline obsessive like myself (which, hey, the hobby seems to attract us), you’ll definitely be able to detect differences in smoothness between some of the Silks, just due to the lube application not being done meticulously.
That said, those inconsistencies are slight and subtle, and less noticeable than those you might find with BOX tactile switches, for example. The inconsistencies lie mostly with travel feel when pressed slowly - the weighting is consistent, and with the exception of one kinda off, rattly switch that was in my bag, normal typing feel is consistent as well.
Similarly to YOK or Cream housings, these will close with TX films in the middle, but it looks like the legs don’t fully snap back into normal position. (Like maybe 95%+ the way? Just enough to notice.) They hold onto the bottom housing just fine, but aren’t able to close all the way - so if you decide you want to film these, I’d use something thinner than the TX ones in the interest of housing longevity.
Edit: I think that last point speaks to what @Rob27shred mentioned in terms of hearing films might be detrimental to Silks - whether it’s the act of opening them alone or of having not-the-thinnest film in there, I was able get more play out of the filmed one - but only with force that I don’t think would be a factor in normal use. BUT… if legs that haven’t closed-down all the way sit like that for a little while, I wouldn’t be surprised if that weakened their ability to grip the housing over time and led to increased rattle.
4 Likes
It’s sounding like a smart thing to just buy the dry yellows, lube them, and you have something like lubed + filmed Alpacas, right?
thanks @Rob27shred and @Deadeye it sounds like i really need to try some. I got 400 tealios like a year and a half ago or so and have been lubing and filming but I think I might be happy with silk yellow or black going forward, definitely sounds good to me.
2 Likes
Thank you very much for your review!
Based on what you said I think I’ll definitely love those switches.
1 Like
I run Tealios daily after going from my initial choice of Kailh Box Jades. Linears feel awesome. My first linear in my custom board was NovelKeys Creams stock but those were far too scratchy. Didn’t see the light until I lubed up Tealios, and I was in heaven.
This was followed by Gateron Black Inks, Gateron Reds, lubing my NovelKeys Creams, and Cherry Blacks.
4 Likes
Always happy to talk about switches.
So far the only thing I do wish was done differently with the Silks is that their springs could use a good coating of lube. I could see these things really singing the song of their people on something like a brass plate. What makes this a real negative instead of a minor complaint is that opening them does appear to slightly but significantly weaken the clip legs.
I’ve seen cases where switch housings are ostensibly the very same plastic blend aside from pigment that end up behaving a little differently from each-other. (Looking at you, Panda family.) I’m interested to know if the Drys have the same issue in terms of being opened - I hope not given the intended use!
What I’m hoping in the back of my mind is that while choosing pigment options for these switches, they used the less pliable one on the Silks knowing the point of the product was having them just be good out of the bag, vs the Drys which are specifically intended to be modded.
2 Likes
Weaken, as in the clip legs don’t fully restore to their original form once bent or something else?
You got it.
1 Like
Yep, a good practice is to flex top housings’ legs back in towards each other before putting the switch back together. That seems to make the switches come back together more uniformly IME.
4 Likes
yeah, I do this on pretty much every switch i take apart
2 Likes
Thanks for the tip with the legs - I’ll be doing that from now on.
1 Like
Aha. Plastic versus elastic deformation. I might need to start testing switch openers that don’t exceed the clip leg’s elastic region 
4 Likes
Speaking of linear, Pinoko GB is still on going. Kinda like the looks of the switch but reviews seems mediocre for switch that price.
Welcome to the party, @kinglau66
I hadn’t heard of the Pinoko, but after checking it out I’m inclined to agree. JWK switches are fine and with a little TLC can be fantastic - but whoo that’s steep for what’s essentially the Honda Civic of switches.
Gotta hand it to 'em though, the recent string of JWK recolored switches lately have all been pretty gorgeous and are great options for builds centered around specific aesthetics or colorways.
1 Like
Since you’ve tried all of those, what would you say are your fav linear?? Also have you tried gat yellows? I feel like I hear a lot of people love them.
1 Like