Finally got my hands on Pewter switches, got these from parallel - I was happy with milky cap brown, but couldn’t resist to try a new light tactile after reading suggestions from @HungerMechanic, @djmantis and @gab.a . My first impression of Pewters is positive: I like its tactility and the spring. They have a smaller bump than milky cap brown and the bigger bump than gat brown and cherry brown. Not sharp like cap brown and not too round like gat brown. 58.5g springs weight is comfortable. I think I like the shorter springs in these more or the longer springs in cap brown. With cap brown it is ab bit too easy to bottom out and I prefers long resistance after the bump. Will need more time to tell if I truly prefer short springs in a light tactile.
Got some TX Stabilizers in the mail to put up on our storefront. We also received TX’s films and stab testers. I swear that this bulk shipment was not an excuse for me to personally stock up on the TX products that seem to evade me at every turn.
Been getting a lot of inquiries about our stabilizers, but I’d say the sleeper items are the stab testers. Being able to test without breaking out my spare PCB is such a timesaver.
Ice Mint is all POM housing like NK Cream. Sound is just as loud but a bit dirty, likely bc it’s two edges striking the housing instead of a single poll. No sticking but weirdly scratchy sometimes despite feeling smooth rest of the time. At least at par with TTC Gold Pink except priced significantly higher.
JWICK Black, far cheaper than Ice Mint, was a surprise. It’s sound profile is pretty close to Cherry Black. And it’s pretty smooth so no need to polish. Going to play around with it before building a stash.
Of the two, I think JWICK Black was the better buy. Maybe I’m just a cheapskate.
UPDATE1: Lube - factory lube on Ice Mint feels very similar to 205g0 and sounds slightly lower-pitch so going to use them as is initially. I do like lower-pitch but not if sound is deadened like Ink Black. Compared to TTC Gold Pink, it’s less defined like hearing loud sound through earmuff. Fit - it’s nearly as difficult to insert into plates like NK Cream. Everything wears down so not a big issue. Film - skipping on filming as well. Housing is pretty tight. Spring - long spring (20mm?) like TTC Gold Pink but slightly heavier which I liked. Just as lively though.
UPDATE2: Filled a board and used it for awhile, not long enough to form a solid opinion but my initial impression is that it’s a gift-switch, a pretty switch to use on a board built as a gift for someone or show other people but not a keeper for an old grouch like me to use every day.
600 Gram Domikey grabbag from kprepublic. Coming from things like Aifei, Shenpo and Capturer i have to say i’m pretty whelmed. The legends, texture and the keycap thickness is pretty close to Capturer. I’m not sure how to feel about them based on the price, but i think i will still buy a set or 2 just in case.
I didn’t realize until reading on your site that the TX stab stems are double-shot with internal dampeners. This is a specific thing I’ve been waiting on for years! Well now what am I going to do with all these other stabs… /s
When someone figures out how to add dampening to the stem/housing interaction without compromising too much smoothness, well… I might have to replace them all again.
Can’t really take credit for the prediction, though - as I mentioned a couple sentences later, Walkerstop was working on it years ago, and it was really only a matter of time.
On the one hand, I’m surprised it took this long - and on the other, it’s a pleasant surprise that it finally happened!
Have you seen that Akko has their new keyboard models that come assembled. They have new akko stabilizers. They are for plate mounting. And they are double shot stems. They stole the idea from Mekibo))) ha.
I agree with your views on the limitations of CAP Browns.
If you like having a bump greater than MX Brown but lesser than CAP Brown, you might also want to try Zealio V1. [They are on sale rn]
The stock 62 G springs are a little heavier than necessary, as they are intended to reduce bottom-out. I find you can get away with 60 G 14mm TX, which is closer to the 58.5 G you like with the Pewters. The Zealio V1 are better at post-travel than the CAP Browns.
First I’m hearing of the Iceberg Silent Rose tactiles. Any thoughts on how they compare to other silent tactiles (particularly Zilent v2 if you’re familiar with those)?