Gateron North Pole switches. It’s factory lubed. Strikingly similar to Oil Kings in terms of feel. Stock sound is similar to Oil King lubed with 205g0 so may go even lower in pitch. Spring weight is tad heavy for me even though it was supposed to be 60g bottom out but overall first impression is good.
Tight Fit - lower housing latches extrude way too much, making it difficult to even open the switches using switch opener let alone fit these into plates. I’m going to grind them down a bit like I had to do with OG Panda to avoid having to press hard which can be disastrous with hot-swap PCB.
UPDATE: I tested stock spring against TX 60g long springs and I was right: stock spring is heavier even at the top although rated at 60g. And North Pole is indeed slightly lower-pitched than Oil King, at least when lubed, but has a hint of squeaking sound to it. Maybe they’ll go away after lube settles.
Are you referring to the keyset that KBDfans used to sell? If so, I have them and like them a lot. They’re thicker (~1.5mm) and in Cherry-ish profile. Sound is slightly thockier than to those offered by Escape Keyboard. But, like you, I like having legends at least on the number row, so tend to keep them on the shelf.
I liked the OG POM Jelly keycap sound, at least in typing videos, which is more pong pong than thock thock. This makes me wonder if OG POM Jelly caps were thinner even than 1mm. I think OEM profile with larger cavity inside is necessary to make that kind of sound.
I ordered a new switch from Epomaker - Budgerigar tactile switches. They are very interesting budget tactile switches (POM stem, Nylon housing).
Compared to a TTC Bluish white, the tactility is higher up with very little pre-travel. Like the Bluish white the Budgerigar switch has a dual spring that is very snappy. It is a little heavier, but the difference isn’t as great as you would think from the specs.
TTC Bluish white claims to use a proprietary blend for their stems, while the Budgerigar claims to be POM.
The Budgerigar is smoother.
The Budgerigar stem is noticeably thinner around the outside and the housing feels slightly thinner (I will let theremingoat pull out the calipers, hehe).
The Budgerigar is more stable with less wobble up and down, but side to side the TTC Bluish White is more stable.
The sound of the Budgerigar is deeper and better, despite the subjectively cheaper construction. It has really odd vent holes on the bottom of the switch where the pole bottoms out. Maybe this contributes to the sound.
Overall, very happy with this budget option.
Also, if you were wondering, Budgerigar is a fancy name for a Parakeet bird.
Picture below (TTC Bluish White on the left, Budgerigars on the right).
I got my drop order (mainly deskmats to use for backgrounds of pictures) and i just got back from the nashville meetup and i got two mck-142 pros and a tex keyboard
As an owner of an mck-142pro, I’m glad to see another featured here and in much better condition with what I can only presume is the original box as well! Great stuff.
KAT Refined delivered today. Ordered in October 2020. Now that it’s on the board - I’m mixed. I’m interested in the profile - but it still feels a bit too high for my taste. Also - meant to get the contrasting mods correct - guess which key I didn’t take into account in my purchase nearly 2 years ago… /shakes head in shame. I do like the packaging - very Apple™ -esque. One nit-pick - the stickers to identify the sets in the box - were placed outside the shrink, instead of on the box itself - so now I have 4 unlabeled boxes. I know, I know - it’s something that stuck out to me as annoying.
