I recently built some MX Brown stems in OUTEMU Blue Ice housings with 55 G Spirit springs and the white Boba tight-tops.
It actually worked-out pretty well, and they have advantages over regular Browns: better sound, less crunch, lighter, and less wobble.
So this might be a viable concept.
It was bound to happen!
Liked that thocky sound, making me wonder whether 205g0 would improve or hurt the sound. Thx for the video. I enjoyed it.
I wouldnāt be surprised if a light touch is needed to use 205g0 to the benefit of the sound.
Sorry to revive a dead thread but I canāt seem to find much info/experiences with the boba switches & I canāt send private messages.
I just wanna know how the Zilents 67g compare to the 62g bobas. Iām switching from a 67g Zealios to either 62 or 68 gram U4Ts (similar situation as you just non-silent version of the switches) and I currently find the Zealios slightly too heavy for me. How do the bumps compare? Iāve heard that the U4/U4Ts have a slightly less aggressive tactile bump compared to Zealios/Zilents and Iām wonder if it will feel lighter due to that despite being 68g. Iām leaning more towards ordering 62g right now but just want to get some more confirmation.
I like the stock 62g springs for the u4t in my board now. 68 was too much for me. The 62g ones seem to sell out faster if that helps for getting a sense of the more popular weight. I will say that 68g boba switches feel noticably heavier than 67g zeals (of any type)
In the regular u4 I went with 60g tx springs which I still occasionally use.
Bump wise really P shape for zeal switches and D for u4 is the best way I can describe it. They are both on the heavy tactile side they are just different.
I hope that helps. If not reply and someone else might chime in with a better description.
Itās hard to do this from memory, but Iāve used both.
Iād say 67 G Zilent and 62 G U4 Silent Boba are very comparable, but not the same.
Zilent bump is sharper and more abrupt - a more rapid downstroke after actuation. Even at 67 G, although the Zilent bump / tactility is gentler at that weight than 62 G Zilent.
U4 bump is indeed longer, more rounded instead of sharper and abrupt. Less of a slam down, more like a Topre / Niz downstroke.
They are both high-tactility switches. U4 is more like a silent T1 or Panda than the sharper Zilent.
U4T is a more refined stem than Halo [HP]. It is smoother and more rounded at the end of the tactility, which makes for an easier upstroke, in my experience. Definitely a more ergonomic stem than the Zealio V2, in my opinion. Iāve only used it at ~55 G though, so I canāt compare with 67 G Zilent. U4T is a civilized heavy tactile, but it is loud.
Both U4 and U4T are great, but I probably wonāt be building any because I like light tactiles. Getting ready to probably sell my mint condition Bobas.
Iād say the Zeal bump is sharper, where the U4 bump is more round, taking up more of the travel. (What Dave said about P vs D, phrased differently.)
All Gateron-made silents have a high resting position and a bit of pre-travel before the bump; not so with the U4s - their bump lasts pretty much the entire travel. U4s also have a very slightly lower-than-normal resting position, vs Zeal (Gateron)'s sitting higher. (This is because the U4 uses thicker, taller dampeners at the top and bottom of the stem.)
U4ās also have a more quiet and soft-feeling bottom-out; not too unlike a dome, honestly.
Between the two, Iād pick U4ās every time - though I might prefer the Zeals for non-silent offerings.
I canāt comment too much on the spring weight; the only Zeals I have are samples and I donāt think I have any 67ās. Iām typing on 62g U4ās right now, though - I wouldnāt say they feel light. Even though itās not as sharp as the Zealās, the U4 bump is still quite snappy - it totally prevents accidental actuation from resting my hands on the keys for me. Pushing through the bump is intentional and definitive, even if the bump itself is big and round.
Echoing the above sentiments: Zilents have a sharper tactile event (P-shaped), while Boba U4s have a rounder tactile event (D-shaped). To me, both switches are excellent silent tactiles, with the Boba U4s being that bit quieter than Zilents. If youāve used Zealios and really like that tactility, then Zilents are the natural silent alternative to them. However if you prefer something a little more rounded in tactility, Boba U4s should be the switch to consider.
If youāre just looking for the quietest tactile switch, the most silent tactile Iāve used thus far (and I now daily drive) are lubed Aliaz 60g in Cherry black housings. They are orders of magnitude softer than Boba U4s, to the point that they can be āunsatisfyingā, since Zilents and U4s have a nice āthudā whilst you donāt hear anything with Aliaz. The tactile event of Aliaz is more similar to MX Browns, and thus are way less pronounced than Zilents and U4s.
Just passing along what worked for my U4Ts. I ended up using 50g Sprit springs and lubing the sliders on the bottom housing with 3203, following Gazzews lubing recommendation. I also filmed them as well as lubed the springs with Hoppes No9. Iāve been using them for the past couple days and the sound/feel is fantastic. There is a slight sound pitch difference between these and the usual lubed/filmed HP switches I use in new builds so I cannot yet say whether I prefer HPs or U4Ts as my favorite āthockyā tactile.
Cheers
Good work getting the 50 g springs to work. I find that U4 / U4T in the Boba housings like Spirit springs.
Just wanted to bump this thread because I also recently just acquired some 62g Boba U4Ts. My previous tactile switch experience included 55g Topre domes, 67g T1 switches, and 58.5g Pewter Switches. So far I havenāt been totally satisfied with any of those. With these Bobas however, I feel like I am coming somewhat closer to what I want out of a tactile switch.
The feeling is somewhat comparable to 55g Topre, but somewhat lighter in my mind, as well as more snappy. However, I. do think I might prefer a slightly heavier weight. Wonder if anyone has tried using 65g springs in these and if they make any appreciable differenceā¦
Sounds as if you like fairly heavy tactiles, or at least ones with a discernible snap. Maybe with roundedness.
I tried 65 G springs with U4 [silent] Bobas, and it was just a little heavier than the stock 62, might have operated a little more smoothly/snappier.
The Bobas also come in 68 G, and that is a preferred weight for many.
IMHO, the weight differences in the 6x G range are not extreme for Boba switches. The differences are much more apparent once you go below 60 G.
You might consider 72 G, which should give you a noticeable weight upgrade from 62. Iāve also seen people running them at 78. No experience with those weights, they should still be fairly tactile, but offer more spring stiffness as well.
Thanks for the recommendation! I might try 72g springs. Do you have any recommendations? I was thinking of using Sprit slow 72g springs to see if that might be what Iām looking for.
Just want to say 55g is actuation force. Even 45g topre bottom out at around 65g iirc
Interesting that you should go for Slow springs.
I talked to someone who was doing that, but with 57 G springs. I havenāt heard back from him yet, so I donāt know how it went.
Regular stainless 72 G Spirit springs should definitely give you something that is noticeably stiffer than stock 62.
Update on using 50g springs:
I have come to the conclusion that using 50g springs seems to be just over the line of too light. Most of my switches have been working great but I have a couple that if you push them a certain way, they stay down.
I have not found the enthusiasm needed to desolder all the switches but that is now the plan. I have a bag of 55g Sprit springs that I am going to replace them all to avoid any other issues.
This is why I miss my hotswap, switch tester board. :salute:
Have you tried any of the multi-stage springs? From what I understand theyāre supposed to have a lighter overall weight but are stiffer at the top. Might help on return issues like youāre describing
Haha, same! After typing this, I decided to pull out the desoldering station and get to work. It helped that my blue LEDs showed up in the mail so I needed to solder those in anyway.