I’ve realized that very heavy key switches are actually very bad for me, as they cause severe muscle strain when typing fast for long periods of time. So I’m trying to go for lighter springs in my switches, and then maybe o-rings. I’m completely lost in massage when it comes to them though. So I’m hoping someone can recommend good “thin but very spongy” o-rings. Thanks!
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I wonder if combining 85 gram TX short springs with halo trues and a softer but consistent bottoming out via o rings is going to result in something like a poor woman’s Topre lmao.
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I think 62g Boba U4 silent tactiles or Durock Shrimp’s (silent T1) would be a better option. In my experience traditional keycap orings shorten travel too much and feel far too squishy. Honestly, if you can save up for a Topre board (Realforce R3, Leopold ec, or HHKB) you’ll serve yourself well.
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I second the suggestion going for damened switches instead of O-rings.
While O-rings might be a good choice in some specific situations, they tend to be rather inconsistent, at least in my experience.
If choosing dampened switches, looking for the softer types seems like a good point to start. Like @fatalruin suggested, silent Bobas may be something for you.
Or in general, other Outemu-made silent switches, since they are on the softer side.
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IMO it’s a balance of finding the right spring weight and travel distance that makes typing less fatiguing.
This may be super biased by my own experience, but I’ve found I really like long and triple stage springs in the 45-50g weight range. Anything heavier and I get fatigued.
The longer spring and/or triple stage gives it a poppy-ness and more apparent wall that prevents accidental activations. I’ve found the shorter the spring the “mushier” the switch feels and is bleh to me.
Personally I love the Geon triple stage springs and TX XL springs for this as they provide that artificial “wall” and a quick return that breathes some liveliness into switches.
But I’ve really been liking HMX switches for that reason; it seems they have longer springs and feel great. They’re also buttery smooth (consistently lubed) out of the box and require no modding so far in all the ones I’ve bought.
I’m enjoying the Deep Navy linears for longer bouts of typing atm. Super smooth, 45g bottom out, long-ish spring, feels poppy (if that’s the right word–not mushy). I can easily type for long periods of time without fatigue.
I also quite like “dirty” tactiles for long typing sessions, like cherry browns, that have just enough of a bump but not too much to make it a chore but enough to deter accidental key presses.
Also, in my experience (again), a shorter travel distance may help fatigue as well as your finger’s traveling less distance per stroke/activation. For me, Boba LTs at 3.2mm are too short (I also just hate those switches, they’re god awful), but anything 3.5-3.8mm is actually wonderful to type on for longer periods of time. 4mm is nice but you really start to feel that full travel distance after a couple paragraphs.
Lots of options. Spring swapping is a cheap way to start experimenting, and HMX switches are a cheap way to try out lots of switches lol
–I realized this is completely off track from the o-rings you asked about. oops.
I will say though, I don’t recommend o-rings. Did that when I first started the hobby and it felt awful and made little actual difference.
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They problem with saving up for a real TOPRE board is that I’m using a very specific non traditional ergonomic layout board (xbows) and I don’t want to go back to a traditional layout. I really like the Halo Trues a lot, but I’ll look into dampened switches as you and @63N suggest, although I do want to stop buying new switches at some point LOL. And yeah, I’ve refused to use O-rings for like the eight years that I’ve been into mechanical keyboards at this point, precisely because of how they lower travel, and feel mushy. I was just hoping there might be a compromise somewhere.
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I actually vastly prefer short springs! The pop is a bit painful for me, And long travel doesn’t seem to bother me even for very long typing sessions, whereas stork travel increases my probability of bottoming at which I do find painful — that’s why the Holy Panda Xs didn’t work out for me — but thank you for the suggestion!
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One more on the pile for dampened switches over o-rings, if only because every o-ring I’ve ever tried does shorten travel so much.
Maybe a more recent Outemu silent as they’ve gotten better about stem-wobble over the past couple years, but they remain the most cushioned as far as I know. Putting some short springs in those might be the move.
Some examples (there are quite a few more options): Peach V3s are linear, Lemon (Lime) V3s are light tactiles, and IIRC Mode Anthracites are tactiles with a more moderate bump; all three have nice gentle dampening.
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The problem is that all of those switches already shorten travel compared to the four millimeters I find optimal, so they’re not really that much better than O-rings in that respect.
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In that case you might try something like these KTTs, which are supposed to have 4mm travel. They aren’t as soft as Outemus but still have a good bit of cushion.
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I’m on the Halo Trues BC I really love tactile switches — is there a tactile version of these?
Yes, though I’m not sure how close the bump style will be to Halos. You might try the Halo or other short springs in them.
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Oh hell yes!! I could try putting Halo stems and my TX Short 80/85g springs in the KTT Matcha Tactile housings… if my Holy Panda X Clears with 78g SPRiT springs in them sell on eBay, then I could turn that money toward this. Would it be worth it though? How much of a difference does the housing make?
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Housing can make a lot of difference, and in at least three ways:
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The leaf interacting with the stem produces tactility, so this can change how a stem feels
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Housing material and the depth of the tube can affect sound, feel, and travel
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For silents, some switches have dampening in the housings while others have it on the stem; IIRC, KTTs have it on the stem, so using Halo stems in a silent KTT housing would make for a “normal” non-silent switch
We’re getting into both reasons why frankenswitching is a thing in the first place and why it’s a practice fraught with pitfalls, ha
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Silent Tactile w/o silicon dampeners and 4mm travel?
Sounds like Geon x Haimu Silent Yellows might be the play.
Slider has dampening “legs” cut into them making them silent but not mushy.
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Ooooh um holy shit these look really good. Ill buy them as soon as I have money. Thank you!
(Found the force curve here: SwitchesDB - Analyse keyboard switches force curves)
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I don’t have experience with the tactiles, but I bought some Haimu Heartbeat silent linears from CannonKeys when they released and found them to feel more “mushy” but in a slightly different way. You don’t get the rubbery sounds and stick of the silicone ones, but there seems to be more room for compression which makes them feel overly soft. Regardless it would be worth trying because they could be someone’s cup of tea.
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