Love these caps. Such a nice cold feeling to them. They make good noises too.
Enjoy!
For desoldering, Iād also recommend the FR-301. Desoldering with it is so easy it feels like cheating.
Thanks yāall, for some reason I had thought the FR-301 couldnāt be used as a standalone unit without an external vacuum like the FM-204
Yeah, itās a great medium between a full-on station and a spring pump - the motor is right there in the gun. If you did de-soldering all day as part of a job, the 301 would be the portable / on-the-go kit - but I think itās more than enough for most hobbyists.
I de-soldered and re-soldered an entire fullsize in one sitting last night - can hardly imagine doing that without a motorized tool.
I knows most folks here love the Hakko and this may sound like blasphemy but Iāve been very happy with my AliExpress station, the Proskit SS-331. Itās about half the price of the Hakko and the vacuum pump sits in a tabletop unit instead of inside the hand tool.
Retrocast, matching yellow space bars from Oco, Staebies, TX stabilizers, new Raed and Blaeck switches
I was pretty interested in trying the new Naevies. I was looking at getting them from CannonKeys, but I have to rant that quantities of 40 is a real dick move. 2 batches is too small for a TKL, 3 is way too many.
Unfortunately, HeebieKeebies is already sold out of the Naevies in the VASTLY superior batch amount of 10.
I agree with you on this, 10 packs are definitely the ideal size to buy switches in (at least for me too). The only decent compromise Iāve seen is Divinkey selling switches in 18 packs. Which I thought was weird at first, but @Deadeye ran the math by me & it works out really well for not having to overbuy for any sized keeb. 40 packs though, yeah definitely a dick move. Have to pretty much over buy for any sized keebā¦
Cant agree more, now that im on TKL haha.
Whats your favor tactile these days?
I sat here for 5 minutes trying to think of a quantity worse than 40ā¦ Very interesting CK has hit the perfect number to piss people off. The more you think about it, the more it makes sense:
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40, like many said, requires most to spend about 40-50 bucks on these.
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If anyone asks, they can say itās from batches, simplicity, or just wave it off as wanting to do 40. Itās a multiple of ten, so itās not a crazy number. You canāt really justify hating these just because theyāre in 40ās, but it pisses people off just enough.
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Itās bags arenāt big enough to hold switches if you do buy these, so itās also forcing you to store in 40ās.
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These are switches that people are interested in, so if you like tactiles, better spend some money and get more switches than you need!
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What if you want these for a macropad or just want to try them out? Boom, 18 bucks.
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On the aftermarket, for the poor souls who like TKLās, people can buy these just for the purpose of selling the remaining switches they need to finish the board. Prices might go up to a dollar each for these, because you know itās cheaper than Cannonkeys.
Damn, it gets worse the more thought you put into it for real! Well hopefully CK decides to start selling switches in a smaller amount per package. IME they are a great vendor & anybody Iāve talked to that are associated with them seem like really awesome people. So Iām guessing it was just a really bad choice made on the fact it makes sense for them business wise to sell switches in 40 packs & not very well thought through. I think if they get enough negative feedback about it theyād lower the amount per pack. I mean even 20 wouldnāt be so bad, but like you said 40 seems to be the magical number where itās defensible but also really rubs people the wrong way!
43 would piss people off even more haha
40 is not far from the worst
Yes, but someone might put an extra switch for the caps lock or windows key, for example.
The older versions still had rough quantities (35) - AEBoards Naevy Switch R1.5 - Pack of 35 ā CannonKeys
However at least two packs of those would cover a 60 and a 65 percent pretty wellā¦
I still really like my Pewters. I think they strike a really good balance. Smooth, nice sound, nice size bump, and good weight. They are the only switch I have in multiple boards. I would put them in moreā¦ but that would be too same-y.
I picked up some Cotton Candy switches too. On paper they are very similar to the Pewters, which is why I grabbed them. I have them stock in a tester and really like them. Different sound, and the two-stage spring provides a different feel too. Real easy to press and then a feeling like youāre pushing your finger through a tight piece of paper. Little resistance but then it gives and you go right through. Makes me think of punching through those Japanese style paper doors or that scene from the Shawshank movie where the warden sticks his hand through the poster
I have also been having a love-hate relationship with some KTT Mallos. I was interested by these switches, liked them stock, but once I got them lubed and in a board I realized they have a bump smaller than Cherry Browns. They are by far the most ālinearā tactile switch I have tried. I think they would be great for someone that is a tactile fan, but intrigued by linears or a linear fan intrigued by tactiles. Like a stated, they really arenāt my favorite but there is something about themā¦ I will probably not buy any more, but I like them enough to keep them soldered in one board. @HungerMechanic had some great write ups on them on this site as well. I think he and I are in agreement, but I do enjoy the sound where I believe they didnāt care for it. More info here.
I have a Gingko65 on the way, and it will be getting some 63.5 egro clears. I have been liking these a lot more lately, hence why I was trying to find a similar switch in the Naevies. My hope was to get something similar, that would get smoother over time and maybe I wouldnāt have to lube them out of the box with the POM stems.
Finally, the Lilac tactile switches from CannonKeys that are supposed to be like T1s have caught my eye. I havenāt made the purchase yet, or had the chance to try them at a meet-up but I would like to revisit T1s. They seemed like another āergo-clearā like switch that are just different enough, and it has been a few years since all the T1 hype and when I tried them.
Sorry for the log post! Let me know what you are interested in!
Yeah, I was curious to see if you still like Pewters after all these times haha. Good to know that you still like them! I might have to pick them up.
I have been on linear for almost a year. Before transitioning to linear, durock light tactile was my favorite tactile switch. While they felt a bit too heavy to type on sometimes, I liked using them for everything, and I like jwkās standard short springs. So there is a good chance that I will like Pewter, given the similar stem designs.
Currently, I am in love with those milky cap brown. They feel pleasant to type on. They sound deep and poppy out of the box. The bump is a tiny bit bigger than browns and gat brown, but they are still in the realm of light tactile. The only things I am not sure about are the 20mm long springs in them. Iām not too fond of long springs in linear, but these seem okay in a tactile.
I agree with everything you said there, and also 63.5 G is a great weight not only for Ergo Clears but similar switches [OUTEMU Silent Forest, Kailh Pro Purple, Durock Medium Tactile] and lightly-lubed linears.
Yes! The Lilacs are great. I had samples of the earlier Rose + Black versions. Theyāre like a slightly toned-down, smoother, and better-sounding T1. The only T1 I would use. SP Star Polaris Purple is probably similar, and you might want to pick up 10 of each to try. [Also āMagic Girlā Dark - I found them boring, but itās a well-built medium-tactile.]
@linch I agree that Durock Light Tactile is surprisingly heavy/stiff, like punching through paper as djmantis says.
If you like CAP Brown, I found Ergo Clears using 62 or 65 G TX 14mm springs to be similar. Some switches that are a little lighter than Durock Light and CAP Brown are SP Star Duck and AULA (Leobog) Matcha Axis, which are still heavier than MX Browns.
[The Leobog tactiles went on sale for about $16 USD / 110 during the AliExpress sale, must have sold out in the first day!]
I have some milky CAP browns that I need to give a second chance as well. Thanks for the reminder. I remember liking them but felt that the return was a little slow. It made for an odd sensation to me.
I am coming to the conclusion that my first impression of a new switch is pretty heavily colored by the switch/board I currently have in my rotation. If a go from a heavier tactile to a lighter one or a light to a heavy, my initial impressions can be pretty negative. I have noticed that if type on a similar switch compared to the new one coming, my assessment seems to be a little more fair since they are not two extremes.
Cap brown doesnāt feel slow return to me but I am used to standard short springs. I ordered some pewter for my tiger TKL so I am excited to try them out.