So what makes the EC linears actually linear? I mean it has a rubber dome so that by itself pretty much guarantees at least a mild tactility. I’m guessing it’s just a super light dome (30g or less) as 30g Topre domes definitely feel way less tactile than 45g or 55g Topre domes. Although I wouldn’t consider it linear myself.
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I thought from earlier reading that the AEBoards EC / HE switches were rated at around 45 G.
They were thinking of producing lighter ones, but wanted people to try out the 45 G first.
Maybe the Chinese OEMs are already producing lighter variants, though.
The EC linears seem to be linear by virtue of having a relatively uniform upstroke and downstroke, according to the description. A more uniform push and return, like an MX linear. Agree that the term ‘linear’ doesn’t fit well with how rubber domes operate.
@Neprawda, the WS BigLucky seems to have an interesting tactile leg. Could you tell us how tactile it is?
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For the Wuque, after a long typing session, there’s one conclusion:
Buying the magnetic version, which supposedly has the same construction, is not recommended. Something I did was stupid. Magnetic ones don’t have a leaf lift. Unless they’ve changed the leaf, then it might make sense to check.
This Blue Wuque tactile switch feels light — the bump is light, the spring is light, and the bump is more toward the top-back of the press. The downward motion is more linear. The press feels very pleasant, probably because the travel is smooth and linear — not much wobble. Tactile switches usually have more stem wobble, but here, the whole movement is straight and light.
The only downside is that the stock leaf spring just sticks out into the mostly empty bottom housing. There’s no pinging sound — it’s more of a vibration, like a metallic scratching or as if a metal hair is scraping.
During slow presses, there’s no noticeable sound, and even with sharp key hits, it’s not too bad. But when you start typing at 110+ WPM, that sound starts showing up.
Lubing the leaf spring reduced that scratching sound by about 70%. Not completely (not 100%), but definitely more than half — it makes the scratching much quieter, though still not completely silent.
Let’s start. Tofu and the 2-in-1 magnet-type Texy domes. First thing: they’re fully silent. Second: using PBT caps that are 1.8mm or even 1.7mm thick isn’t great. Not only are they super stiff, but the travel feels worse too. Better stick with the usual 1.6mm or even 1.5mm.
Also, the base config software of the Venom60 doesn’t include them. There are some Areboards profiles but they’re kinda off — they show like 3.9mm travel, but those don’t even exist and never have, lol. You can manually set it to 3.5mm though.
Oh yeah - the Hyper plate for Tofu is not very suitable for the tecsee switches on Venom60. The switches can be moved manually by hand or by pressing, shifting their position, since they are flat bottom at the bots is not fixed on the psb, by pressing space, division Backspace or even 1.5u Ctrl you can mix them their correct position. And also it will not work to insert them in the usual way.
Agar’s plate has cutouts in the switch slots — turns out those are for the clips to snap in. A normal flat plate doesn’t guide the clips — they just stick out in different directions and won’t go in by themselves. You’ll break the switch before you’ll seat it. I ended up inserting every switch using a puller. Usually you pull them out with it, I pushed them in instead 
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I put tactile switches into the Agar too. When holding it in hand, on the table, or in a tester, the bump felt barely there — but once inside the keyboard, the bump shows up. It’s light but distinct, still rounded though, not like Browns. The bump covers nearly the full 3.5mm travel. Typing feels way nicer than with linears, especially for typing text. And they’re a bit louder than linears too.
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That’s very comprehensive! Both the Blue Wuque and the tactile domes sound promising.
Building custom EC / HE dome keyboards still sounds like a ‘work-in-progress.’ But it could become easier, given time.
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Picked up a cheap set from Aliexpress. Cherry profile, doubleshot PBT for $A40.
Also got these for <$A20 a set. The less said the better …
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You can sometimes get those clone sets for $21.5 - 26 CAD, especially during sales.
I’d aim for a price like that.
Sets like this “Korean Shoko” go for $27 CAD:
Blue Alert for $35 CAD:
GMK Lime and Retrocast full-kits are available for $21.50 CAD today:
And finally, these “KR Donut” keycaps were $38.79 CAD a few days ago, now $44:
So what I’m saying is, you might want to search for lower prices. Sometimes, identical or equivalent items show up as ads on an item page, and are cheaper than the item you are looking at.
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