Not too excited for the runner honestly.
I think I’ll wait for feedback on melodies since I think my preference is mid stroke bumps but at the same time I might have to try since its kinda the first of this kind.
It is advertised with 3.5mm on the other proxies.
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Anyone with Hyperglide Browns and pre-Hyperglide Brown and notices a difference?
I’m considering getting light tactiles and thinking about getting the Hyperglide (for that Cherry sound and being smoother), but it seems like they’re heavier?
Taken from ThereminGoat’s Github page
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That’s one sample point, knowing how bad are cherry springs I would put the difference on the variance.
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Anyone give these a shot? KTT Monochrome - Marble
They say that they are a “moderate tactile” but it seems more like a light tactile but with a HP style bump.
Sorry to necro this old post, but I’ve been on the hunt for a light tactile coming off my old soldered Gateron Browns and you seem really knowledgeable on this. I have a new hotswap GMK67 so I’ve been expanding my horizons since there’s so many new switches now.
I started off with a small batch of Huano Bananas and knockoff pandas just to test the waters on what stronger tactility might feel like and to be honest I kind of hated them. The stronger tactility higher up top makes them feel heavier subjectively and the panda springs were definitely too heavy anyways. The bananas especially were pretty damn loud which I didn’t expect and feathering the switch around it’s tactile point felt kind of awkward compared to my old gateron browns. Not so much with the feker pandas. It’s almost like there’s a point of no return with the bananas like clicky switches.
Anyways… so I decided to go back to my comfort zone and got a batch of gateron G pro v3 brown switches that were on sale. They felt familiar and somewhat improved over my gat browns from 2017. I could call it a day with these, but they came with a spotty factory lube job and inconsistencies. I’ll probably tune them to my liking but I’d also like to try something similar in the meantime. After a lot of digging I came across the SP-Star Meteor Oranges as a suitable candidate for something with a tiny bit more tactility that will feel familiar. The Ducks also interest me as did the CAP browns, but after reading your thoughts on them I’m thinking of leaning more on the Meteor Oranges. I was also interested in pewters but they’re out of stock and a bit pricey.
How would you compare the Meteor oranges and Duck to Gateron Browns?
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That is a tough question!
Yes, I recently did receive some Gateron G Pro samples myself, back in the summer.
I agree with your assessment of them. They are better than previous Gateron Browns, but have spotty factory lube and inconsistencies.
It is the first time I have considered lubing Gateron Browns, though! In the sense that the effort would be worthwhile.
I have not contrasted them directly with SP Star Meteor Orange, but I can. I may be able to dig up some stock samples. I would venture in advance that they would likely be very close.
People already say that Meteor Orange stems resemble Gateron, even if they are not identical. So the difference with Gateron G Pro 3.0 would mainly be in the housing and spring. I really like the stock Meteor spring, which is probably better than (older) Gateron springs.
In a way, Gateron G Pro Brown 3.0 feels like Gateron catching up to SP Star Meteor Orange.
At least I know that Meteor Orange can be improved very nicely. Haven’t tried it with G Pro.
I’m going to be honest with you: the only things in the same league as G Pro 3.0 and Meteor Orange are KTT Mallo and maybe lightened Zealio V1 Redux. And both of those need work before they are usable. They are the only Cherry-like light-tactiles that are sufficiently smooth. [AKKO POM Brown is similar, but it’s a loud long-pole.]
SP Star Duck is made of worse materials than Meteor Orange. The latter is superior.
So Meteor Orange and Gateron G Pro 3.0 [and maybe Zealio V1R] are your best bets right now. You would be well-served by testing Meteor Orange [any version] side-by-side against G Pro. Because there are personal preferences in terms of sound, spring-weight, and so on.
The other things people will recommend to you aren’t the right ‘stem-shape.’ Durock Light Tactile variants are well-liked, but I think they’re a bit top-heavy [kind of like Huano Banana.] Invokeys / Aflion Blueberry Chiffon has the tactility at the top. Probably Corsas do, as well. Many light-tactiles are long-pole [the aforementioned Aflion switches, AKKO POM Brown, Geon Baby Blue slider].
So you improve the G Pro 3.0 or Meteor Orange.
If you are really, really picky, and want a ‘perfect’ light-tactile, I suppose you could take a light-tactile stem [Meteor Orange, Gateron G Pro 3.0, KTT Mallo, Zealio V1R] and put it in a nicer housing. The Boba [Gazzew] Linear housings will accommodate these stems, if you use loose RGB-slotted top housings. These switches will be stable, without much ping, requiring not-much lube, and you can use nice aftermarket springs in the 58-60 G range. With some minimal lube at key points, these could be premium light-tactiles with few compromises.
That would be a highly-customized switch, at any rate. I actually like the Cherry-topped Meteors.
I will see if I can get around to testing Meteor Orange vs Gateron G Pro 3.0 during a break. Shoutout goes to Naevy 1.5 as well. They actually are Cherry-shaped, and not much more tactile than a Brown. Factory-lube is decent, they improve with 3204. Don’t need films. They feel a little heavy for a Brown, but light for an Ergo Clear. If you can get a sample, they’re worth trying.
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Really appreciate all the information here. I’m thinking of waiting for 11.11 on Ali to see if I can snag a deal on a set of Meteor Oranges. It’s not that expensive for enough switches to fill this keyboard and at a further discount I’d forget about ordering a small batch. Being able to frankenswitch is also appealing no matter what my thoughts on the switch end up being initially.
That would be a highly-customized switch, at any rate. I actually like the Cherry-topped Meteors.
When you say cherry topped do you mean an actual Cherry switch top? I actually have a keyboard with ancient Cherry browns from 2015 still stored somewhere. I’d just have to desolder those since they have LEDs attached. Really enjoyed them back in the day but they were scratch city since I used them stock and didn’t know much about keyboards at that time.
Anyways, thank you so much for the thorough answer and even all the previous info you’ve posted along with others. These lighter tactiles don’t seem to get a lot of love nowadays it seems and it’s nice to see people going in-depth with them. Might also post an update myself eventually for anyone who might care in the future.
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Yes, heavy-tactiles were always favoured after Holy Pandas came out.
The first custom tactiles were medium-tactiles like Ergo Clears and Zealio V1, but it shifted over to a heavy-tactile emphasis.
Light-tactiles did enjoy somewhat of a resurgence around 2021, but this year the focus has been on long-poles.
I did test Gateron G Pro Brown 3.0 a little during a car trip today.
The tactile-bump seems to be a little higher than I remember Gaterons having. Less pre-travel, too. Maybe they have less pre-travel than Meteor Orange, but I will test later. Overall, seem to be more top-mounted when testing naked switches.
Also, the tactile bump seems firmer and a little more defined than older Gateron or Cherry switches. Larger, too, but there is still a lot of post-travel. Springs are strong on the upstroke.
The sound is plasticy, with lube. Lubed plastic. It could be a lot worse. At least I’m not hearing much ping.
I would guess, based upon memory, that Meteor Orange have a ‘thinner’ bump that seems to actuate lower, and maybe a softer spring. The housing will be scratchier, and there is less factory-lube.
Anyway, you will definitely want to test the two switches side-by-side if you are doing a serious build. You’re right, Meteor Orange will be cheap to test if you buy a sample pack of 10x switches during 11.11. They probably went down to about $56-57 CAD including shipping for 90x switches during good sales.
Yes, my Meteor Oranges literally have Cherry tops. They are from de-soldered MX Silent Reds from another project. But you can use any Cherry tops [not sure about MX Blue, avoid.] I am using a special recipe for Meteor Orange, which I can give to you. I think that, unlike Gateron G Pro Brown 3.0, that they probably require films.
Anyway, I will probably test them both tomorrow.
BTW machine-worn MX Browns may be an option for you. You can look up “Butter Browns.” Yes, they are expensive and uncertain. But MX Browns really aren’t so horrible once they are worn-in [and spring-swapped with lubed aftermarket springs], and in the right mounting system.
I’d rather just wear the switches in myself, though.
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I’m glad this topic got revived, because there’s a lot more ground to be covered. I have some input on Meteor Oranges, various browns, Durock Light tactiles, and others.
[Background is that I came into mech keyboard community around 2015-2016 after running a hand-me-down Cherry Blue board for a couple years at least. I bought a couple used boards with Gat Browns, and liked the laid back typing experience. I started chasing tactile perfection—not an easy thing back in 2017ish—but always looking for MORE tactility, but also looking for switches less expensive than Zealios. I frankenswitched lots of Kailh Pro Purple stems into Cherry Blue housings for builds. Eventually, I got to the point that I realized that anything more than Zeal v1s were fatiguing. The Holy Panda thing happened, and I couldn’t get on board at all. And when Zeal v1s went away, I didn’t know what to do, and generally stagnated. Coming back to MK realms in recent years, I was appalled that most tactile switch releases were chasing huge tactility still, but in looking for a replacement or Zeal v1s, I found some hopeful signs of a resurgence of light tactile appreciation.]
After seeing people still sometimes putting Cherry Browns in their endgame builds, I decided to give Browns a chance again, and ran them for the last year on my home board, This was in between trying as many new tactiles as I could afford, unsuccessfully, in other boards. The Browns stuck, and I’m still breaking in a batch manually on one board. It’s a little hard to appreciate them entirely in the days of factory lubed switches with similarly nice materials.
After some work, and an initial bad impression, I like SP Star Meteor Orange. They were undersprung from factory which made them laggy on return (dipped below 20g on return—Yikes). I went to 60g Sprit Extreme IIs, I think, and that was actually too far in the other direction. Otherwise, with attention, Oranges are good. Good without films. I don’t film.
Durock Light Tactiles were the most promising switch I’ve seen in this realm, and I really wanted to like these and run these. They feel to me like the closest thing to Zeal v1s. Unfortunately, they exhibit huge variation between switches, and some even have odd hanging issues. They have varying, but very forward, leaf noise that I can’t seem to lube out of them. Stock springs too heavy for my taste. I think Pewters should be avoided for similar issues. Probably Blush and White Lotus, too. But I haven’t tried them. But I’m not hopeful.
Zeal v1 Reduxes are a totally different animal with big tactility, and noise issues. I can’t recommend these. Penguins are better than these if you can handle bigger tactility, but have leaf noise (which tactile doesn’t 
).
I’m currently really enjoying trying Gateron Phantom Browns. They are very similar to the improved G Pro 3.0, in housing tolerances and lube, but with different materials (Ink Top!). They are a little light, and slightly inconsistent, but otherwise quite good.
I want to give Blueberry Chiffons a try soon, to see if I can get along with long pole.
KTT Mallos look like they’d be nice after a spring swap and lube, but I’m increasingly less interested in lubing myself.
I’m really looking forward to MX2A Brown release, whenever that happened.
I hear good things about Lichicx XCJV Purple Bamboo, and the stem shape definitely looks promising.
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Okay, I just tested Gateron G Pro Brown 3.0 on a built NCR-80, versus some test Meteor Oranges on a test board.
I would say that the prime difference between the Meteor Orange and the G Pro is that the Meteor Orange appears to have a more Cherry Brown-like bump. The ramp-up to the actuation point is a little more gradual.
The G Pro Brown seems to just go into a more ‘blocky’ or ‘squarish’ tactility very quickly. And the bump appears to be more definite, as opposed to the more nebulous one seen in MX Brown and classic Gaterons. [Although there was batch variation.]
I would say that the G Pro is a more modern switch design. Wobble appears to be less than with Meteor Orange. G Pro pre-lube is better. You can mod Meteor Orange into a more ‘Cherry-like’ sound, not sure you can with G Pro. G Pro 3.0 kind of reminds me of KTT Mallo stock sound: plasticy, some ‘squeak’ [probably from the leaf], but with a 50-75% lubed sound.
All-in-all, the G Pro Brown 3.0 kind of reminds me of a CAP Brown, but without the long-pole. I wonder what a comparison of the two tactile curves on the stems would show.
So it’s a matter of preference. Classical Brown-like bump is Meteor Orange, where you can also get a Cherry-like sound with Cherry-tops. G Pro Brown 3.0 is a little punchier, spring likely punchier. Has pre-lube, but not consistent enough. At least it doesn’t need films.
If you like the G Pro Brown 3.0 already, you can just go with it. All it needs is a more-consistent hand-lube.
It would be best to test Meteor Orange as well, though. The switch is a solid ‘B’ [by 2019 standards] in stock form, but is noticeably nicer with careful lube and films. Respringing is possible, I have tested it, but I enjoy the mild factory spring.
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MX blue & white housings are the same as all other Cherry switches, I think they may have a stiffer leaf though.
Damn, I guess I got lucky with my Pewters. I am running them in my salvation now, but had in a KlippeT for awhile before that. I got them on a crazy flexcut per row PCB so the keystrokes are very soft & bouncy. Although I haven’t had any leaf noise issues with the batch of 100 or 110 I got, admittedly the ones on Salvy are the only ones I have really put a decent amount of use on. Can’t speak to the factory lube as I never trust factory lube & will still lube them myself. Even clean then lube is necessary (I’m not a huge fan of lubing myself anymore too, but am so picky about how my switches are lubed I have no choice but to do it myself). I have a batch of either light or medium Durock tactiles that I never really inspected so I’m thinking that may have the issues. Will have to check later.
Your description of the Phantom Browns makes them something I feel I need to try (also the linears to as they are price great for a switch any INK material in it!). They could be a winner for me in the light tactile realm, full travel & no long pole bottom out, yes please LOL! I really dislike long pole tactiles, same as you the Holy Pandamonium really soured me on both huge tactile bumps & long pole switches. Since then I find long pole acceptable in linears as long as you still have travel over 3.5mm (the longer the better for me personally).
I have a few loose Blueberry Chiffons just try them out & they do have a very nice MX brown-esque bump, they also are pretty smooth. However they are 3.3mm travel which is super long pole & quite a jarring difference if you are used to full travel switches. I’d try to find a decently similar in materials switch with travel 3.5mm or above, preferably above.
Then the MX2A design has actually seems to be a set back when compared hyperglides from all I’ve heard. So I’d temper your expectations. Although with a proper lube job & possibly films if need the should shine up just as good as the OG MX ones I’d imagine.
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Hi,
Welcome back!
I had a similar experience [started in 2018, was experimenting with Kailh Pro Purple and others, as Zealio V1 was going out-of-production]. Things like HP and Zealio V2 were coming in just when I was trying to find nicer medium and light-tactiles.
Thanks to Durock and some other manufacturers, we got light-and-medium-tactile renaissance during the pandemic.
Yes, Meteor Oranges were an early decent light-tactile than can be made better. 60 G Spirit Extremes are definitely too far! Even 14mm 55 G TX springs are decent enough with these. I found that those 55 G springs seemed punchier somehow than the stock springs!
But I also tried 60 G TX long. It was heavier than stock, but not obnoxious. You may wish to try that.
I am going to repost a builder’s experimentation with Meteor Orange for your and @Alders benefit:
You can see the variant I chose, but others may prefer those using replacement springs.
I agree completely about Durock Light Tactiles. I wanted to like them so much. Everybody is recommending them, and many like them. But I find the same problems - I don’t know what to expect when I press down on them. There does seem to be inconsistency, possibly with the factory-lube. And the shape of the tactility may present issues with actuation, just as with Zealio V2.
I suppose if I wanted better DLTs, I would have to buy unlubed Cotton Candy switches [nylon housing] and then see to it that they are very carefully and consistently lubed. Even then, I may not like the shape of the tactility.
So DLTs so far are not the solution to the problem.
Zealio V1R wants to be a medium-tactile, so it’s not an ideal Brown-replacement. However, I find that with some lubing and use of 14mm 60 G TX springs, they can be brought closer to a Brown. This makes them maybe palatable for light-tactile typists. [Also, use a PC plate.]
VERY interesting about Gateron Phantom Browns. I believe you, since I know that G Pro 3.0 are okay. Maybe a chance to try them on 11.11
On the subject of long-poles, I certainly have been along that journey a little. They became the ‘de facto’ switch since last year or so.
There are long-pole light-tactiles to choose from, and you seem to know of them. The Blueberry Chiffons have a decent bump. But I bought V1 with the noisy leaves, so the factory-lube doesn’t always cover it. V2 is alleged to have improved this.
I suspect that the Blueberry Chiffon is more of a light-medium or even medium-tactile unlubed. But once drenched with lube, it resembles more a top-mounted Brown, kind of like a Pro Purple. The long-pole isn’t too obnoxious, but you do notice it.
I’m gonna cut to the chase here - tried several long-pole light-tactiles and others.
If you enjoy light-tactiles, you might actually enjoy long-pole linears more than these. The long-pole already gives you a ‘feedback’ [albiet after activation] similar to that of light-tactiles. In testing various switches, stock OUTEMU Boba LT were more enjoyable than many light-tactiles.
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Thank-you for the advice about Pewters. I always suspected that maybe they could be built and utilized properly. [The very first factory batch, which I received, was badly-lubed.]
I think for the punchier light-tactiles like Pewters and maybe even Zealio V1R, mounting setups become a prime consideration. I agree that flex cuts and gaskets could make them more light-seeming.
A build that’s upcoming is lightened Zealio V1R in a Cycle7 with polycarb plate and gasket mounts. That should be relatively benign, I think.
Conversely, with very-light tactiles, like Mallo, you can get away with harsh mounts. KTT Mallo actually benefited from being put in a tight sandwitch-mount on stiff metal in the MK870. It made the switches punchier, gave them character.
And yeah, based on what I’ve heard about the MX2A, I’m not hyped about them. It might be better to buy and break-in some Hyperglides, or wait for a discount on ‘Butter Browns.’
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Thanks for posting that link to Meteor Orange tuning. I think I read that before I bought these originally. I’ll probably revisit these eventually since I’m trying to make them work in my work daily, and they are good, but not perfect.
This is almost certainly the case. Plus. I suspect using low wobble, long-pole linears for the couple K series key cap sets I have would be just the ticket. So, yes. Maybe time to spend for modern linears.
I might have to give this a crack, because I have a heap ton of these rotting on the shelf, and I was salty about that because they were $$$$.
Question regarding HG Browns: When mine are broken in adequately, I want to lube and spring swap. I wouldn’t mind bringing the bottomout force down around 60g and replace the “ping factory” stock springs. I don’t want to change the feel too much, but probably go slightly longer. Suggestions?
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That’s good feedback on the Pewters. I can only go on what the internet says, and given price and availability and several small issues, I couldn’t see them being worthwhile.
They are pretty good. There’s some small amount of leaf noise, and a touch of inconsistency, but definitely no more than par for the course. I like the sound in top mount alu plate.
I’m sure you’re right. I’m cautiously optimistic, but I’m stopping well short of expecting perfection.
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The Boba LT variants that I tested are the ones with the all-pink housings, and purple stems. That means a “tight, no-slot top,” maximizing stability instead of light-bleed. The pink/purple variants were known to have less extraneous noise, highlighting the stem instead.
They are really good, I think they were 62 G, the best-sounding loud switch in my NCR-80 test. There’s something nice about OUTEMU custom linears [Boba LT, Bobagum] that even those accustomed to tactiles can enjoy.
On Zealio V1R, I can give you more information later. It’s long in the pipeline. Bought Zealio V1R last year, got in on the Cycle 7 GB in the summer.
I’ll know more later. But in tests, a decent Zealio V1R is acheived using lubed 60 G 14mm TX spring, and 3204 only on the side-rails and bottom-pole.
You could definitely lube them the normal way, but I think the “lubing only in certain areas” method, above, is worth trying.
I agree that Zealios sound weird and that probably can’t be solved. If I wanted a medium-tactile [other than Zealio V1R or DMT], I’d maybe go with MODE Tomorrow. Those are shaped like an elongated Ergo Clear, surprisingly mild, and come lightly factory-lubed with 205g0. They are a long-pole, but the deepest-sounding of the LP light-tactiles I’ve tried so far.
Speaking of Durock Medium Tactile, they can sorta be turned into light-tactiles. The variants that come in at 63.5 G aren’t too heavy to begin with. But I hear you can use a 60 G 16mm spring. And I’m pretty sure a 55 G 18mm spring will work - might even be overpowered. They don’t have the most pre-travel, but are otherwise a reasonable switch.
BTW some other interesting linears are AKKO V3 Cream Yellow Pro, a cheap semi-lubed long-pole linear, and Gateron CAP yellow isn’t bad either. The Wuque Studio [Haimu] WS Yellow is a box-stem 53 G nylon linear with a pleasant, light weight. These are all things light-tactile users can easily adjust to. [Wish they would make a Brown stem in a Novelkeys BOX Cream housing.]
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Regarding your last question, which I didn’t notice at first, I can give you some suggestions. I haven’t played around much with MX Browns, surprisingly, after some initial efforts.
But I have read of what other people have done.
The stock weight of an MX Brown is supposed to be 60 G 15mm [according to the way Korean springs are measured, I believe.]
However, there is significant inconsistency in Cherry springs. I mean, you could be dealing with 53 - 63 G bottom-out for all I know.
So the act of using more consistent aftermarket springs alone could improve the perceived consistency of the typing experience. [It would also allow lighter weights.]
You seem to find the 58.5 G Meteor Orange spring to be a bit weak. So I guess 58 G 15mm is not the direction to go. I think 15mm 60 G Spirit was an attempt to create a better, more consistent spring than the Cherry version, so that might be a good start for you.
I have seen people go as high as 63.5 G 15mm for MX Brown, but I find this to be unnecessary. That’s a more appropriate weight for Ergo Clears, IMHO.
So 60 G 15mm Spirit would be a starting point. But in terms of “going longer,” yes you could use a 16mm TX or Spirit spring. [I think 16mm springs are noisier.] The longer spring will affect the perceived tactility, but I am not sure how. It could create additional “ghost tactility” at the top, or subsume the limited Brown bump under its weight.
[I find Long springs to be more helpful when trying to tame heavier top-mounted tactiles, or get better return when going to lower spring weights with them. Such as U4/U4T.]
I could almost imagine a 55 G Long spring would be more desirable on MX Brown than 60 G Long. It is supposed to increase perceived weight at the top.
If you could try a Naevy 1.5 switch, it might give you some ideas. They use ~58 G on an Ergo Clear stem. And that’s a pretty light choice, but it works. Some people say it is basically a Brown.
Also, I experimented with 55 G 18mm springs. They are fun, almost overpowered for an Ergo Clear. You could try something wild like a 52 G 18mm spring or something.
Anyway, I think 15mm 60 G is what Browns are supposed to use, as an “ideal-type.”
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It looks as if Kailh has some kind of new BOX POM Brown.
37 G or so actuation and 50 bottom-out, but these are 19mm weights. So it’s a poppy Brown like CAP Brown.
Might resemble what a BOX Cream light-tactile would be like.
I have been enjoying Pewters for years. I have heard people make similar comments, like this across various forums during the time I have enjoyed them. I never noticed it, it was great.
Something happened in the last couple weeks, and now I notice it. And I can’t unhear it lol.
I suppose I can try the leaf shroud mod with all my left of Deskey film scraps, but part of me is getting tired of switch chores 
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