Hi,
There is a helpful switch tester on AliExpress:
3 of the switches are Gateron Low-profile. WRT to the Brown, is that a 1.0 low-profile?
I understand that there is a 2.0 out, a V2 that has a whitish bottom-housing instead of the black of the 1.0.
I just want to verify - the switch in that switch tester is a V1.0? It has a black bottom-housing.
EDIT: This may be about the difference between KS-27 and KS-33.
So I did some research on this recently, since I was trying to id some Gateron LP’s as V1 or V2. You are correct that the KS-27 is the V1 and the KS-33 is the V2. This post from Gateron is probably the most informative I found on the topic. From it, I think the main difference is the height of the switches and the total travel distance – from the specs in the listing, those look like V1’s with 2.5mm travel instead of 3mm?
I think the white vs. black bottom housing distinction isn’t useful, as I think there were both black and white bottomed V1’s and definitely both for V2.
Great response!
I also noticed the apparent correlation between KS and V numbers. And I think you’re right that some versions have both black and white bottom housings.
Thanks for finding that Gateron page! That’s about as informative as I could have hoped for.
I tried this tester some months ago.
Was surprised by how nice the Gateron low-profile Browns were. They are like a regular Gateron brown in terms of bump feel. But they are more stable, less-wobbly, less-scratchy and a little smoother than typical MX tactiles.
It’s just not clear from the tester if it’s a V1 or a V2, but the height-difference is a giveway, if it can be measured. I suspect it’s an older tester holding V1s, anyway.
The Brown switch in the tester had a soft bottom-out, so it probably wasn’t long-pole like the V2s are supposedly. Meaning it’s V1. Shame, since the V1 are rarer and more expensive now!
Also, the Kailh switches were very interesting. They feel more like ALPS switches. Someone likened them to dampened Cream. I can verify that the Kailh Browns feel more mechanically ‘complex’ than Cherry MX switches, and are the most ALPS-like ‘Brown’ I have tried recently.
The Kailh LP Banana is simply a top-bump Kailh LP Brown, maybe with slightly heavier spring. The Mint is a heavier Banana. Not quite as ALPS-like as the LP Brown.
If I wanted an ALPS-like light-tactile keyboard, I’d get something with the Kailh LP Brown. There may not be anything like it.
[The Gateron LP Brown (V1?) is like a nicer Gateron Brown, if you don’t mind the low-travel.] They all sound pretty mediocre, and some people lube them. But I’d just use them stock, the Gateron LP Brown is fine for typing, and the Kailh version should be appreciated for what it is.