Getting extra funky this evening. Iâve found a handful of apparently viable, even enjoyable combos - but one in particular has me fairly excited. Iâm putting together a full board now for a detailed post. Cheers!
6 Likes
Holy Dragon
- Dragon Fruit housing & spring
- Input Club Halo stem
- Thin films & spring lubing recommended
- Extra-short travel
- Crisp top-bump
- Light but loud
Smooth, short, and snappy. Lots of thock for little effort.
- [ Sound Test ]
Mounted in a GK61 with cheap foam beneath the PCB, modded GMK stabs, and ABS MT3 keycaps.
I used thin polycarb Kebo films (TX seemed a little too thick), and donut-dipped the springs in 3204 - though in retrospect it might have been better to just bag-lube them in an oil like 105.
Edit: If youâre interested in doing a build with these, I recommend you check out this post about resolving teeter-totter on stabilized keys with short travel switches by @Walkerstop - it will save you some headache when it comes to the stabs.
Comparisons:
VS:
-
Stock Dragon Fruit: sharper & higher bump, snappier bottom-out
-
Ink Kangaroo (NK): pretty similar, but lighter bump & more smooth
-
Holy Panda: lighter bump, more smooth / clean operation
-
Heisenberg: lighter bump, less harsh, but nearly as clacky
-
Holy Boba: lighter bump, bottom-out more crisp / less softened
-
Lilac Tea: higher & heavier bump, a bit more harsh
-
Holy Dragons have shorter travel than all of these.
Flavor-text:
As much as Iâm trying to get away from Holy-whatevers, and as obvious as it is to put Halo stems into every new housing, I really couldnât not share this one.
Theyâve got a great, thocky sound and enjoy above-average smoothness even with just leftover factory lube. (Lubing the spring is kind of a must, though - unless you enjoy light metallic rattle.) Holy Dragons have a very short travel, even when compared to most other switches using Halo stems. Actuation lines-up well with tactility despite the short throw.
Even though the tactility of this switch is very affirmative, actuation only requires a light touch. Itâs basically impossible not to bottom-out with these, but itâs pretty mild thanks to that extra-short travel.
As a funny aside, I wanted to get a bit more creative with the name on this one, and thought to look up the proper name of the mythological Chinese celestial dragon kings. I thought that might be more fun than the obvious âHoly Xâ Halo stem naming convention. WellâŠ
The linguistic phenomena of false friends being a thing, I wasnât about to call these LĂłng WĂĄng.
7 Likes
Howâbout Halo Fruit
1 Like
Dammit. Thatâs nice. Dude. Seriously. I have so many new options for switches. Thank you!
What would be the lightest spring weight youâd recommend for the Ink Kangarooâs or even the Heisenbergs? In your opinion, would the Giant 62g springâs extra preload help with key return where a normal 62g spring might not?
2 Likes
This is basically what I do for fun. Very good questions!
The lightest I have at the moment are 52g Catweewee springs from TX Keyboards - and they work just fine in both Kangaroos and Heisenbergs. (I honestly didnât expect them to work with the 'roos, but not even a hit of catch. Noice.)
I havenât tried the Giants yet, but Iâm going to say âvery probablyâ.
Iâve been experimenting with the Kangaroo stems in other housings, and while they donât have any return issues in their own, they do in some others.
Based on your question, I tried the extra-long 'roo spring in place of the ones normally paired with the housing Iâm experimenting with, and that cleared-up the minor return issue with the combo. Hey, thanks! This frankenswitch is now viable and will be the next one I post about.
3 Likes
Alright. You guys get a two-fer this evening - and two more Dragon Fruit frankens before I move on to something else for a bit.
PB & J
- Dragon Fruit housing
- Gazzew U4T stem
- Spring is down to preference
- Very clacky
- Crazy short travel
- Still works normally w/ synced bump
Think of this as a high-tactility speed switch.
Flavor-text:
Kind of like the Holy Dragon, but âmoreâ when it comes to their defining features.
I donât have the means to measure it, but this switch has a very short travel for a full-sized mx-compatible; easily the shortest Iâve used. The bump remains synced with actuation despite the short throw, though this does make it all but impossible not to bottom-out.
This snappy snack is even more clacky and short-throw than its Halo-stemmed cousin, making this one of the more unique frankenswitches Iâve tried.
Credit goes to @patcoll for suggesting this!
Bonus switch!
Raspberry Limeade
- Dragon Fruit housing
- Gateron Ink Kangaroo stem & spring
- Drown that spring in lube 'cause she rattles
- Sharp, crisp, & short top-bump
- Might look more dragon-fruity than the original
Mostly about aesthetics, this crisp tactile feels much like the stem & spring donor - though some sacrifice is made for the looks.
Flavor-text:
The original switch might look a bit like a dragon fruit sliced open, but this switch looks more like one from the outside. I mostly wanted to include it here for that reason, and I havenât done a purely âjust for funâ switch in a while.
Credit goes to @ajoflo for suggesting a longer spring might help overcome bump-hitch, which this switch definitely suffered from when using the Dragon Fruit spring.
9 Likes
Jade Dragon
- Dragon Fruit bottom housing
- Dragon Fruit spring
- Drop Everglide Dark Jade Black top and stem.
- Lubed and Filmed
Feels like all the other previously mentioned super short travel super tactile.
Edit: After using these for a while Iâm not sure I love these compared to the Holy Koala (Holy T1), they are a bit wobbly at the bottom.
8 Likes
Kiwish
- Kiwi housing
- TTC Bluish White Stem and Spring
- Least wobble of all the switches I have
- Super stable all the way to the bottom
- No pre bump travel
Really nice if you like stable tactile switches.
11 Likes
Any suggestion for a frankenswitch that would have deep thock thatâs like ink black but with similar tactility as kiwi or U4T and same bottom-out force of 67g but a lighter start?
2 Likes
Good question!
You might try putting a ThicThock MP spring in a U4T / Holy Boba.
If itâs still too heavy up-front with the bump, you might try Linear Boba (pink) or Black / Red / Yellow Ink housings. (The leaves will make for a lighter bump.)
1 Like
The lighter start would likely accentuate the tactility of the stem. Not sure if thatâs what youâre looking for
3 Likes
I would say is having a very small pre-travel or making the against force getting stronger over a longer period of time
I have just done some testing with U4T stem and ink housing. It has the deepest sound I ever heard of. Deeper than cherry blacks. But the tactility is not strong enough. I am wondering would changing the leaf be possible? 
1 Like
I donât have Blue Inks to test with but I believe those have the more tactile leaf so perhaps thatâs what youâre looking for
3 Likes
I will need to get some sample switch for testing then
1 Like
I really want to try this now, but cant seem to find U4Tâs shipping from CONUS. Are these obtained directly from heroinebob?
1 Like
Havent heard of this store yet. Unfortunately, they do not have U4Tâs in stock.
1 Like
They will be restocking, but I believe hbheroinbob has some now. He has a stickied post listing his inventory.
2 Likes
Just built my preonic up with some polia / trash panda frankenswitches and I can confirm that they feel the exact same as my trash pandas with halo clear stems. So anyone looking to build some holy pandas, you can get the polias and trash pandas from novelkeys. there is absolutely no housing wobble on the trash pandas either.
7 Likes
Sorry for late reply but I got the stems directly from heroinbob/gazzew. I already had housings so I didnât need to buy the full switches from vendor
2 Likes