Same - mine came in a day or two ago and I’m just now getting to fiddle with them.
MTNU first impression
I’m a little surprised by the sprue mark location, but they’re quite tiny as those go. Some stick out pretty far, but nothing some flush cutters can’t handle. They’re more consistent in appearance than those from CYL caps, but also kinda stand out more due to the more curvy nature of the profile. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t count these as a point against MTNU - but it’s a small one, and all the smaller next to what I’ve been enjoying about it.
My 6.5 spacebar isn’t totally flat - but it’s also not causing any issues as I type this. I plopped it right on some stabs I’d tuned for a DCX set, and there’s narry a rattle. That is, it passes the test that actually matters to me; working well in practice.
I’m also a fan of the velvety surface - how it feels to the hands as well as how it looks to the eyes. The legends look fantastic - all the more impressive that they’re in PBT. Frankly it’s my favorite profile to look at since MT3. I’m interested to see how these hold up over time.
I’m still too new with it to say how I’m feeling about the typing qualities, but I do see what you guys mean about row 2 being aggressive - I’m wondering if it might be more comfortable with a higher tilt angle to the board.
Today i got the new MMD cream v4 and Sillyworks gateron type A.
MMD cream v4 are quite nice. I feel like they are made by BSUN but not sure. POM housing, LY stem this time, rather than full POM. Stem wobble is very minimal and they are very smooth, but also very heavily lubed too. Very nice sound because of the LY stem too.
Gateron Type A are… something. I would rather get KS3 than these, to be honest. They are linears, but feel more like scratchy light tactiles for some reason. They are also just… Nylon housing with POM stem, so basically a KS3 with different color and different springs. I don’t think there is anything else special about them. my KS3 reds perform better than these.
Seems to be a ‘product-improved’ Mallo in some respects.
It is quieter in a board [MK870] than stock Mallo. The leaf rings when you press on a switch in your hand, but it isn’t as musical as Mallo is during actual typing.
The stem is probably an MX Brown copy or something similar, as Mallo was. However, Macaron Orange feels heavier at the top. I attribute this to the 18mm spring, whereas Mallo often used a 55 G 15mm spring. Using an 18mm spring on a Brown should add force at the top.
Overcoming the stronger spring means a harsher bottom-out, IMHO. Whereas Mallo is helped by the stiff construction of the MK870, Macaron Orange feels harsher. I would want to use this on a soft polycarb build, not stiff metal.
Maybe this switch should use a 58.5 G 15mm spring. That might be best. I wouldn’t say it needs films or heavy lubing, maybe just a spring-swap.
Damn really. Sillyworks supposedly went through a bunch of iterations with Gateron on the molds for these. There is one big difference between SLAYs & OG KS3, the SLAYs have their housings adjusted to allow for pole bottom out & full travel like the HMX switches I posted about. I’m surprised they don’t at least have that fresh mold smoothness. Guess I was right to hold off on them for now. I’m hoping the type Y will use some unique blends of plastics which would make these switches way more interesting IMHO. I completely get what you are saying about them being just nylon housing & POM stem.
that’s a bummer. Mine are supposed to arrive today. I was excited for no reason, apparently. I’ll take some measurements on the stem and bottom housing. If these are no different from the original KS-3, then it’s false advertising and I’ll ask for a refund, right? It’s possible they didn’t even try them out from the factory. Wouldn’t surprise me.
Ooof, that really makes me leary of Sillyworks then. Cause they made a big deal out of the new molds & it bottoming out on the stem while being a full 4mm travel on the GH thread for them. Not gonna point the finger at Unikeys cause I would guess they are just repeating what Sillyworks told them. Also the HMX cloud & swift switches I got based off their GH threads were as advertised. That definitely sucks though, I agree with @pixelpusher, if the measurements are the same as OG KS3 try to get a refund on them.
Grab some of the HMX cloud or swifts if you want what SLAYs were supposed to be. I still haven’t put either in a board yet, but they are as advertised. Pretty smooth stock (they are factory lubed), pretty much full travel (3.9mm), & definitely bottom out on the pole. With the added bonus of being cheaper than SLAYs & using some novel plastic blends, not just the standard nylon housings/POM stems.
Couldn’t find the Spoiler button but here’s some visual reference. Same length stems and putting them in the housings without a spring returns the same measurements too, so the pole well must be just as deep as regular KS3.
So far this appears to bear-out; I brought the board to work with me today and am using it on a surface that already has a relatively steep angle, and I’m finding the caps a bit more natural to type quickly with. At my normal angle, it does feel a bit like I’m “reaching” a little with these. Granted I’ve been using them less than a full day so far, but I can say that MTNU does feel all the more natural to me with a little more angle than I’m used to.
That makes sense I guess. But supposedly KS-3 bottom out on the rails or main body of the stem and “slay” bottom out on the pole stem. But if you can’t really tell a difference in feel and sound, i have doubts.
so they are what they promised, but you don’t really notice the difference. I wonder if you could grind off the tip so that they are flat on the bottom and 4.5mm travel
Nice score! They are really nice caps, I got the Stone set also & was pretty impressed with them. For $25 that’s a steal, especially considering all the accent keys that come with it! Bonus being it’s a set that can go well with pretty much any case color.
