After typing on my Bobas with 65g TX springs for a few days, I think your comparison of them to Niz domes is warranted. Obviously, MX and domes will never feel the same, but my Bobas do give me similar experience to the 65g domes (aftermarket from Niz) in my Niz 87.
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Thanks for the input @HungerMechanic and @fatalruin.
I realize that Topre’s keyfeel is neigh impossible to duplicate in a mechanical switch (SKCM Browns/Neon Greens being by far the closest in feel in my experience, but they are neither readily available nor MX-compatible); but as I’ve mentioned, it’s not necessarily the exact Topre keystroke I’m looking for, but instead a D-shaped “rubber dome”-style tactile event.
Your statement here piques my interest, would you mind elaborating? I’m attempting to compile a list of different MX switches and frankenswitches with some similarity to Topre (aside from your aforementioned Halo True, Pro Purples, Boba U4s).
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Hi Heffy,
It’s actually a pretty short list so far. You have mentioned three of them. The other, I would say, are Zilents. I think you have to take Zilents pretty seriously as a Topre or at least rubber-dome-like switch.
With Zilents, you definitely have a fierce tactile barrier at the top, which is a very large (some say rounded) tactile bump taking up a good portion of the keystroke. In theory, there is no pre-travel, but in reality there is a tiny bit.
And then, when the switch has accumulated enough force to clear the bump, it kinda races towards the bottom. Which is more than a little mushy. So there’s definite parallels to rubber-domes here, especially high-tactility ones (and not just Topre).
[There’s also a variety of frankenswitches involving Zilent / Zealio V2, but I don’t have the money to test those.]
A new contender on the block is Kailh BOX Silent Brown. It’s a 2020 switch. I have some, and I can definitely tell you that they feel like a cross between BOX Brown and Zilent V2. So I’m not sure if they are Topre-like, but they are Zilent-like. [I find that the travel of BOX Silent Brown is too short to be a true Topre-like.]
As for the D-shaped, that’s definitely the Boba U4. Maybe a Boba frankenswitch is what you are looking for. I intend to test Bobas frankenswitched with Pro Purples, and Pro Purples combined with Cherry or OUTEMU parts.
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I decided to try a Kailh Pro U4; a little more tactility than a Purple, but still pretty mild. @HungerMechanic described the Pro Purple well, and it feels pretty similar with the U4 stem - just a little stronger and with the dampeners.
I’m also preparing an experiment for later today; lubing Silent Box Browns. I agree that they might be worth a look for you. I’ve also heard of (and experienced) inconsistency with these; some make light clicking sounds and others don’t, and I’m pretty sure it’s the leaf and plastic pusher hitting each other. So - my plan is to put a little bit of lube on these surfaces:
I’m going to try it with just inside the box, and another with both sides of the pusher lubed - I’ll let you know how that goes.
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Yep if you are looking for Topre feel in a non rubber dome switch those two are your best bet. There is a bunch of SKCM/L ALPS compatible 60% & TKL PCBs out there making ALPS build feasible. Alas those two are pretty high on the rareness list & what you’ll pay for them will reflect that heavily.
Alright - I tried the lubing procedure I mentioned above on the Silent Box Browns, and I got a very different result than I anticipated - but hey - that’s why we experiment.
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Lubing the rails, inside the box, and donut dipping the springs made the switch noticeably more smooth - but the biggest change to the sound profile is the absence of spring resonance.
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Doing the above plus the part of the pusher outside the box as well as the tactile cam on the stem made a pretty significant change: The switch feels even more smooth and with a more clean sound - BUT - lubing those components actually appears to have encouraged the notorious Box clicking. In addition, there’s the predictable change of reducing the tactile weight. The tactile event is less heavy, but more sharp - I think it’s because the plastic parts don’t drag on each-other as much.
So - for someone looking for a big, round bump that feels like a good quality capacitive dome, I would not recommend lubing the tactile components in SBB’s (though I do recommend trying stock ones / lubed only on the rails and spring).
However - for someone interested in a crisp tactile click with a much more muted sound presence and a less harsh bottom-out, these might be worth serious consideration.
They’re definitely audible, but seem practically hushed next to any purposeful clicky switch - and I really do enjoy the style of dampening on the silent Box switches. I think silent Box dampeners strike a very good balance between a crisp feel and reducing the harshness in bottom-out sound and feel.
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what are your results? I’m curious as some folks said 205g0 is too thick for the bobas. Also I’m wondering how is the feel after lubing the legs.
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I can’t speak for others, but lube ruined the feel of them for me. I tried out light applications of 3203 and 3204 on a couple of switches (not the legs mind you), and while the tactility size didn’t seem to diminish, the snappy/poppy feeling was gone, and the bottom out distance felt shorter for some reason. I ended up just oiling the springs (105) and calling it a day. Honestly, they seem to smoothen up with just a little use (not that they were really rough to begin with) – to me stock Bobas feel smoother than lubed V2 Zilents.
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I really appreciate your feedback!
It’s a little bit strange that “Sumthing” mentioned above that he tried it with 205g0 and he noticed an increase in smoothness. What do you have for a spring force? maybe it needs a heavier spring for maintaining the snappy/poppy feeling after lubing.
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I mean, the switches were a bit smoother than unbroken-in switches. The testing was done with the stock 68g springs (which feel really heavy with the bump profile) and with 65g TX springs which are in all the switches now. I would recommend lubing a few as you may not have the same experience as me – you can always wipe it off if you don’t like it or want to try another viscosity.
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All right, I’m gonna go this way. I also ordered 68g, but I still have 60, 62 and 65g TX Springs lying around.
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The 68g springs do make them pop, but they were a little heavy for me. I did repurpose them in some Silent Gat Inks though – they feel much lighter when used in linear switches. The 65g TX springs feel really good, still has a snap to the tactility. I actually ordered some 62g and 65g 16mm TX springs (linear curve) to test out in them.
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I did my normal thing I do on most switches (although most of mine are linears) which is 3204 on the stem (sliders and legs) and bike lube (tri-flow) on the stock springs, I like how they feel with that.
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I lubed them with Gazzew grease blend #4 . They were decently stock smooth and improved with the addition of lubricant.
They sound silent and quiet. I liked the feel of them, but they were too tactile for me, so I sold them.
Would recommend to a friend.
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Yep, I use 205g0 for everything and like I said I’m super picky and careful with my thin application of it. Added benefit of it almost fully eliminating my Boba’s leaf noise, which is a problem with silent tactiles, while still staying very tactile on the downstroke due to it’s strong tactility in the first place, made me a very happy camper. These babies are dummy quiet.
I can understand where fatalruin is coming from with snappy/poppy going away, since 205g0 butters out the whole experience. With my 62g zilent v2’s, which I did not lube the tactile legs or the leaf, they were very snappy and fun but much louder than I wanted from a silent switch - granted it’s a tactile. Ended up selling the board with them to a friend, but find myself wanting to type on it again here and there.
Just a quick note on your heavier spring comment, I find that heavier springs on my tactiles soften out the bottoming out. While they do aid in lifting the finger back up when resetting, I’m almost certain it’s a different feel than the snappy/poppy feeling of a lighter zilent. Hope this helps!
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I got some of the new 62g 16mm (long, aka linear curve) springs in from TX today and like other tactiles, at the same weight, the preloaded springs give a higher sense of tactility than the stock springs on the 62g Boba samples that I have (while still being in a comfortable typing range). So while I’m pretty happy with the 65g 14mm TX springs that I have in them now, I think it’s worth swapping over to the new 16mm variants as they are lighter yet a bit snappier.
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I tossed these stock into a NK65 frost and I’m really liking them, they feel very different to anything else, like typing on mechanical pencil erasers. If I focus I can start to feel the “click” in some switches so I think I’ll forgo lubing if that accentuates it. Helps that they match the case really well!
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Some very interesting comments in the last day or so, mirroring my own experiences.
The U4 stems are very tactile in the Boba housing, close to Zilent V2 in intensity, although not shape.
Unlubed, they are smoother than unlubed Zilents. And quieter. It’s best to lubricate the spring, though, in either switch. Shuffling noises are present in both, and that would require housing lubing to dampen.
Lube did not enhance the experience of U4 Boba for me, although I haven’t lubed many switches. It was only helpful when using really light springs, to make the switch return. I don’t think ‘buttery’ feel makes these switches better. They’re best as crisp and snappy unlubed switches.
I see people using 65 G TX. That’s one of the best springs out there. How does it differ from the stock 62? I already find the 62 plenty snappy.
Ultimately, I would like a lower tactility Boba, so I have been experimenting with Silent Sky stems. The guide says to use at least 68 G with the Silent Sky stems. I am using 55 G, as you may have seen. Maybe you need 68 G to get the full tactility, but I don’t care.
Fatalruin, can you elaborate on how the 16mm TX 62 G compares to the stock 62? In terms of weight and return?
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Ha. Yes, that’s a perfect description! I think I can feel the fear of clicking too many times and getting the lead too long as I press! 
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We really just need more custom Topre options. Bobas are okay, but topre is so much more pleasing to my fingers.
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