If nothing else, it’s fun to watch trends bounce and ripple through the community and its associated vendors and manufacturers.
As time goes on, it seems to me that Gateron’s forte is identifying sub-types of switches that gain and hold some traction in the community, and then producing their own solidly-polished take on it.
These products aren’t necessarily always the best of their kind, but they’re rarely less than modestly above average - and I expect the same of these.
One would think they would do some research and engineering to make a jwk/umpalumpa smooth + cherry/Ink sounding + Boba Gazzew wobble and dominate the market…
Ha! I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if someone there wasn’t looking at all of those factors, at least individually.
Kailh seems a bit more open to throwing stuff out into the world; sometimes that means they’re early on or even set a trend, and other times it means a bunch of meh switches.
Damn I really like the silver/greyish color of the housings, but am not a fan of the extended pole stems. Probably will end up grabbing a batch of these just for the housings though. BTW what do you guys that like the extended pole linear switches like about them? The shortened travel, extremely abrupt bottom out, & harshness of the bottom out really turn me off from them. I can see how that can be overlooked with tactiles like Holy Pandas as the tactile event distracts from the bottom out, but in linears it’s a real head scratcher to me that extended poles are becoming popular.
I guess it’s a extended pole in the Bluish White but it’s dampened at the same time soo… But I love that one, don’t know if there is a linear version of it.
IC what you mean. IMO, I dig the exaggerated thocky pitch long poles make without that plasticky echo. A slightly heavier or longer spring will help a ton in alleviating bottom out harshness, to an extent of course.
For me it’s the sound, at least with some of them. The reduced travel is a bit of an annoyance for me, but I love the acoustics of switches like Deadpools.
I would settle for JWK smooth and Ink-like sounding. The wobble on either stock don’t bother me, and I am willing to film. So like Ink V1 with leaves that don’t fall out, lol.
I’m with you – I have no love for long pole switches. I’m not a fan of the sound or abrupt feel, and a bit confused as to why they are all the rage (I would love to hear counter opinions). I even clipped the poles on all of my halo stems to drop into Red Yok Pandas.
I’ve resorted to stem clipping as well! Definitely gets the job done, LOL! Personally I do like the raindrop style sound the stem pole hitting off the bottom of the stem well makes with extended pole stems. Although I am more about the feel than the sound when it comes down to it so that is what nixed extended stems for me ultimately.
Outside of sound and feel, long poles can help eliminate north-facing interference with cherry keycaps, but can also teeter-totter stabs since the center of the cap sits a tad higher. Win some, loose some I guess.
I clipped a few of mine as well. Recently I tried a different method of converting to normal travel; drilling-out the center tube. Pros and cons to this; if you lube the poles / tubes you’ll get the Gateron Cap effect of small amounts of lube occasionally dropping from the switch, and it does let a little more noise out compared to clipping the pole - but on the positive, the Halo stems retain their potential aftermarket value.
I can’t for the life of me remember which vendor at the moment, but somebody is running a “Gundam-themed” all-white switch that’s a long-pole linear, if you’re in the market.
They are very similar, with the same top housing and upper stem shape, but the pinks don’t have the little dampening plug at the bottom of the tube. (I got a sample set of TTC switches a while back that included a Pink.)
They’re light and very smooth, but they’re a little harsh on the bottom-out. I almost wonder if feedback on the Pinks is what inspired them to put the dampeners in Bluish Whites and Gold Blues.
Ahhh interesting, they really should add a linear equivalent then. That’s my favorite feature of the bluish white switch. Especially after using pandas that have that loud harsh clack at the bottom.
