Halios? Zalos? Whatever you want to call them they feel & sound damn good! 🙃


So I finally decided to do something with some of the Halos I have yesterday. My aluminum Clueboard build I used MX Zilents in wasn’t getting much use, as I’ve been on a tactile kick lately. So after trying out a Halo true stem in a V1 Zealio housing with 78g Zeal springs & finding they do increase the tactility a little bit & have a softer rounder bump than Zealio stems I decided to swap out the Cherry silent black stems I had in the Clueboard for Halo true stems.

While I did this I also lubed the housings & stems with Tribosys3204, plus refreshed the springs with a tiny bit more Krytox VPF1514. The end result is a very pleasant switch to type on that has a really nice pronounced tactile bump with a very rounded smooth feel to it. Super smooth as well, although I didn’t expect much less using Zealio housings & Tribosys3204.

Here is a sound test I uploaded, the audio isn’t the best gonna redo it when I have time, but it should get the jist across of how they sound in this case. Now the elephant in the room, Holy Pandas. No they are definitely not as tactile as them, although the do have edge in smoothness from my limited experience with Holy Pandas. That’s not the point though, I wasn’t looking to replicate the Holy Panda feel with this stem swap. I was more curious as to what the end product would feel like, which ended up feeling great IMHO.

Anyways, just wanted to share my findings as I have seen very little about pairing Halo stems with Zealio housings. Give it a try if you can, you may just find a new switch to put in your arsenal! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :metal:

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I was just going to sleep, but stumbled upon your post and had to try it. It’s as you said. Not as tactile as Panda byt super smooth and nice. Hako Royals feel like scratchy bad switches next to it. I think I will still use my Halo stems with retooled mx blue housing, but now I’m addicted to that Halio feeling. I wonder if the v2 zealios will be anything similar to Halios, but I think not really as they are supposed to be very tactile. Do you think Ice 2.2 stem would have a similar effect in zealio v1 housing as Halios?

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Can’t comment on the Outemu Ice 2.2 stems as I don’t have any experience with them. Although as long as the bump is up high like halo stems it should give a similar feel. I have a bad feeling the V2 Zealios are gonna be are sharper tactility like BOX Royals from the reaction videos Zeal posted on their GB page here. Guess everybody’s MMV on that though, pretty preference dependant there.

If you’re looking for as close to Holy Panda as possible you’re right to go with the retooled Chery blue housings. Although I’m glad to hear you like the feel of the Halios! Maybe give them a try in a future build, Halos shouldn’t be crazy expensive anymore since MD seems to be running them fairly consistently. :love_you_gesture:

Outemu Clear v2.2 stems are nothing like Halo stems, I’ve heard that they’re pretty similar to Zealio v1 stems and putting Outemu stems in Zealios just feels like Zealios that aren’t quite as smooth. They’re modeled after MX Clear stems.

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Thanks for posting! I’ll definitely give this a try. Also, is that a black Clueboard case? I don’t remember ever seeing a black one. Is it a custom ano or did I miss something?

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I was going to do the exact same mod to my Mechmini 2 if I am ever able to buy halos!

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Thanks for this, you’ve inspired me to try this as well.

Is there any reason to think 67g Zeal springs wouldn’t work? Also, am I correct in assuming Tealios housings are identical to Zealios V1 housings?

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NP! It’s actually the dark grey from the 2nd rd. of them I believe. I got the kit 2nd hand off r/mm & it was advertised as dark grey. It does look pretty dark though, even in person.

I may have some extras in a couple weeks, I don’t want to promise anything but i will definitely give you first dibs if I do have some to let go of!

You should be fine with the 67g springs, they actually should make them feel even more tactile than the 78g springs I’m running! Also I’m 99% sure that the Tealios have the same housing as the Zealios from the round they came from.

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Thanks for letting me know! I’ll definitely purchase them if there’s a good price.

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