Your favorite tactile?

My favourites tactile so far have to be Topre in a HHKBv2 Type-S (stock). Nothing else has come close, except perhaps my silenced 45g (variable weight) Realforce in a Norbaforce case.

After receiving Halo stems, my favorite switches are now:

  1. Holy Panda (67g)
  2. Holy Bsun (67g alpha, 65g mods)
  3. Clear-minded Bsun (65g)
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My all-time top 5 list:

  1. SKCM Orange Alps
  2. Holy GSUS
  3. Topre 55g (lubed and silenced)
  4. SCKM Cream Alps
  5. Zilents V2

Honestly all of these are end-game switches IMO, but I had to type on only one tactile for the rest of my life it would be Orange Alps.

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So far, Holy Chickies have been my favorite, but the v2 Zealios feel better as a loose switch and Iā€™ll probably like them more once I actually solder them into a board too.

V2 zilents will probably be my favorite though once I get my hands on them because I adore the softer bottom out on my Cherry silent reds along with the deeper sound.

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78g V2 Zealios have quickly become my favorite MX tactile switch, even over Holy Pandas & their variants. They got just enough extra punch without being overwhelming to top HPs for me. Although Halo stems in V2 housing do make for a very nice combo, basically a super smooth HP IME. Pretty much the same as the V1 housings I swapped Outemu Sky leaves & Halo stems into. V2 with their stock stem still has more punch than either though so I find myself using them the most lately.

As for you looking forward to V2 Zilents, I have heard the do indeed have a softer rubber this time around, but IME with V1 Zilents they do not have that deep thock Cherry silents do. Iā€™m 99% sure that is due to the housing materials so you may want to experiment with swapping the stems, springs, & leaves into regular black Cherry housings. That should give you the best of both worlds, the huge rounded bump of V2s with the lovely deep thock of the Cherry housing.

I will say though swapping leaves between housings is a very tedious process to do right. Definitely doable, but make at least 5 extras cause leaf swapping can lead to switch chattering if the leaves get tweaked even slightly the wrong way during the swap. As long as you use brand new unsoldered switches & are extremely careful they will come out fine IME. If that is something you would want to do PM me & Iā€™ll give you more detailed instructions, Iā€™ve come up with a pretty good order to do it in that keeps from damaging either leave. I only ended up with two chattering switches out of a batch of 70 I did for my Holy Sky Zealios (LOL, didnā€™t know what else to call them) build, which wasnā€™t an issue since I only needed 62 for the build.

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Thatā€™s an interesting concept. Iā€™m definitely going to try putting some Zilent sliders in a Cherry housing. Iā€™m not sure Iā€™d want to spend the time swapping out the leaves. I just donā€™t think I would have the patience.

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Has anyone tried zilents v2 in panda/gsus housings yet? Iā€™m waiting for my zilents, but wondering if that would produce a nicer sound closer to the cherry housing without having to change the leaves?

I have some zilent v2 stems in some retooled blue housings with milky tops, and they feel similar yet different. And here is why. Overall the tactility has been changed only marginally, yet instead of being rounded, or more rounded I should say, the tactility has gone to a more diluted and slightly sharper version of the same thing. I have a little of each, both lubed and not, and the lubed ones are obviously better, but the difference is really not all that noticeable or nessecary. I think this then applies to the panda housings as well, since they wouldnt add a terrible amount to the switch as a whole.

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This is good to know. The tactility of Zilents is so good, Iā€™d be very hesitant to change it. Because Zilents are essentially Gateron switches, has anyone tried putting them in a stock Gateron housing? Iā€™d be tempted to try them in a Gateron Black housing, since it has an opaque bottom.

From what I understand the v2 tactility is due to a more aggressive contact leaf in addition to the stem change. I would think a Gat housing would diminish tactility by a fair amount.

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yeah, I thought the same, thatā€™s why Iā€™m thought of the panda housing insteadā€¦

hako royal true followed by hako true.

i always support company which innovates. not using beaten dead horse tech.

Do Zilents actually feel alright with 45g? Iā€™ve wanted to try them for a long time, but I really enjoy light switches (unless theyā€™re linear!!)

  1. topre 55 + BKE light
  2. holy pandas
  3. ergo clear + tx films 62,5 spring

How different is 45/BKE light from 55/BKE Light? Thinking about getting a Realforce RGB to put in
a Norbaforce but I think theyā€™re only available in 45g - I guess I could also just get a 55g Realforce and use niz sliders?