Pretty nice medium tactile switch. It reminds me somewhat of a kailh pro purple but with a better sound signature. It has a little, tiny pretravel like zealios v1. I think anyone who likes a moderate tactile would be happy with this switch. It’s a bit more tactile than cherry clear. But nothing as jarring as a holy panda or zeal v2.
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Are these a suitable replacement for zealio v1s? I miss those guys.
Slightly more of a bump, but I’d say that it’s close!
These are, I think, probably the cutest Rara variant
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Supposedly mimics MX Clear stem in T1 housing. Mild, rounded tactility (it feels rounder than Ergo Clear). A bit scratchy, probably because no factory lubing (which is uncommon nowadays). Slightly muted bottom out (even more muted return), low pitched bottom out. Did not experience binding although the switches feel very light when pressing.
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How did this slip under my radar?
I actually built something similar to this while frankenswitching.
I put Everglide Jade stems in more tactile housings [maybe OUTEMU Sky?], and also Aliaz into T1. Both led to very poppy, fun and interesting switches with a ‘spicy’ tactility.
You get the tactile ‘noise’ of the T1 housing, but with a more conventional Cherry-style tactility. Not the top-mounted BOOM-nothing of Halo stems.
Interestingly, the stock 65 G Durock spring was what I preferred in the Taliaz.
So these should be really interesting. They also sounded horrible when I built them unlubed, so they will definitely need a lot of lubing. I think Taro Ball is lightly lubed from factory, but that won’t be enough.
The new “Twilight” switches are the same, and will probably ship without lube, which will be the preference of modders here.
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New development on Taro Ball switch:
Apparently, it is not necessarily a T1 leaf. Could just be a regular Durock Medium Tactile leaf [if there is such a thing] in the housing:
"Yeah after doing some testing with Oreo and koala switches it seems like the taros leaf is definitely different than regular t1 leafs (less tactile). Unfortunately cannon keys could not provide more information, but i did update with all the info I got in the comment section of the video! I wish switch distributors were more forthcoming with switch specs but it seems like most of the time we are left to figure it out on our own.
Testing: the taro as a whole is actually quite tactile, just with a more p-shaped bump thanks to its stem. However, putting a Oreo (t1) stem into the taro housing produced a much more subtle tactile feel than the Oreo on its own, which means that the taro leaf is definitely more on the medium-to-light tactility scale vs t1, and therefor a different leaf altogether. When I made the video cannon keys emailed me back saying they “thought it was probably a t1 leaf” so I imagined they would know better than me lol.
I’ve made sure to have extra switches lying around for future videos if direct comparisons are needed so I won’t need to rely on memory or distributor assumptions in the future, cause that obviously doesn’t work well."
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If I learned one thing in that video, it’s that I need to find a local place that sells taro ice cream.
Oh yeah, I think I ordered some switches, too.
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That little play at the top of the switches is the one thing I really don’t like. It’s the same in my v1 zealios. It feels less like a planned pre-travel and more like a rattle. I’m constatly rattling them at the top when I use this board. I know from lubing my zealios top housings that I can silence it, but the wiggle is still there.
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My first impression is that these are remarkably well-balanced, well-executed switches.
I think I’ve been hearing about the virtues of MX Clears and their derivatives for as long as I’ve been using mechanical keyboards, but even after years of switch collecting, I think this evening is the first time I’ve properly experienced that style of tactility.
I’m not counting my babby’s first switch tester that had two whole Clears in it. I’m also not counting the Dragonfruits (which quickly became frankenswitches) - in their stock form they feel a bit muddled and loose, and I get the impression they don’t represent what they were aiming for all that well.
These Taro Balls, though…
It’s like finally watching that show your friends have been suggesting for years, or trying that food you didn’t think would be anything special but ends up a new favorite…
Now that I’ve populated a full board with a proper example of the style, I think I’m gonna have to call myself a fan. I didn’t expect to like these as much as I do, buying them mostly out of curiosity - but I think I’ll be keeping these in fairly regular rotation, as I like them quite a lot.
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Thanks, Deadeye. I think you conveyed your impressions exactly.
MX Clear and “Ergo Clear” are supposed to represent a particular sensation. They, and the clones, often fall short.
Attempting a ‘medium tactile’ and Clear-derivative has been a surprisingly experimental process for Durock, and sometimes others got it more ‘right.’
So if their leafs, housings, and stems finally came together properly in Taro Ball, that’s great news.
I bought some and they should be on their way - bought them earlier because I thought they had T1 housings, because I thought that the Penguins had been too bland.
What, if I may ask, did you do with the Dragonfruits? I have nearly 100, and I doubt I’ll be able to unload them.
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Thanks!
Half of them got Halo stems, and the other half got U4Ts - these housings make for extra-short (but still functional) travel with long-pole stems. (Links are to recipe pages with descriptions of the combinations.)
If you have or can find those washers originally sold as being for North-facing GMK compatibility, they make perfect spacing washers for stabs when using long-pole / short travel switches. They’re basically necessary for the second of those combinations.
I’ll also note both of those combos can be functionally improved by using a Gazzew top, thought I wouldn’t say it’s necessary for a good experience - and besides, then you’d have to sacrifice that gorgeous crystalline magenta top…
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@iaman would these be pretty similar to FFFFs?
sorry for the ping, I have some FFFFs and wanted to use them in a purple board but figured I might as well pick some of these up if they’re a similar feel
They’re both the same “type” of switch in JWK’s offerings—a medium tactile consisting of their sharper tactile stem with pretravel and a lighter leaf to reduce/round out the tactility—but the FFFF tactiles are marketed as having a nylon top (rather than the standard PC-top the Taro Balls are marketed as having).
In practice the difference in sound between them seems minimal at best (which could just have to do with the specific switches I have), so I think that if you like the sound & feel of the FFFF tactiles you’ll probably also like the sound & feel of the Taro Balls.
Another option in this type would be the Durock Medium Tactile, which features a clear housing and purple stem if you want something a little LED-friendlier (not sure if that matters for your build).
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appreciate it again!
No LED so I’m happy with trying out the Taro Balls. Thanks!
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Interesting. @mwb, how are those FFFF switches?
They didn’t seem to be rated as highly as Taro Ball by users, so I didn’t pick up any.
Yet there are extras still available in Canada from a GB. Strange, because the GB sold out in like 10 minutes.
I could pick some up right now, but I have a feeling I will prefer Taro Ball.
I honestly couldn’t tell much of a difference with them (I have swapped Moyu stems) from the RARA V1. Though the sound profile seems different, I can’t tell if that’s from my inconsistent lubing or the material itself.
I am not a great person to ask though, because I don’t have a real good feel for differences in switches.
They are great looking switches though, in my mind
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