Deskeys Gasket Switch Films are here! From the engineer that brought forth the wonderful topre silencing rings comes their foray into the MX switch accessory market, and they have truly hit a home run with these! At a thickness of 0.3mm, the natural compressive nature of the films allows for it to work with a wide variety of switches and creates a deep, thocky sound that many chase after. Just as other switch films, they help to reduce stem and housing wobble by creating a tight seal once the switch has been enclosed with the films applied to the bottom housing.
These are twice the thickness of the standard TX films we carry, but carry the same level of effectiveness with a bass-ier acoustic effect. Below is a comprehensive list of switches we’ve used these films with and have found success:
- Gateron Milky Blacks
- Gateron Milky Yellows
- Cherry Retooled & Vintage Blacks
- FEI Matchas
- NovelKeys Creams
- All ZealPC switches
- TKC x C3 switches (V2 Tangerines, Kiwis, and Banana Splits)
- Holy Pandas (BSUN and first Drop version)
- U4 Bobas
- Keebwerk. Tacits
The only switch that we’ve tried it with that didn’t work very well were Gateron V2 Inks, as it was just too tight. This could be due to the plate having a tight tolerance already, so your mileage may vary.
TX switch films have been kindly supplied by TX Keyboards, a Korean-based company that provides high-quality polycarbonate films to improve the overall feeling of the switch. As the community continues to expand and switches continue to be developed, these films stay at the forefront of achieving the elusive endgame, wherever that may be.
These extremely thin polycarbonate films rest on the bottom housing of the switch during application.. When closed, they reduce the stem’s directional wobble and increase the tolerance of the two in combination while not increasing friction.
TX has slightly reworked their design by removing the bar that is towards the bottom of the film and instead has two short nubs. This simply makes it easier for the film to sit in the switch during application.
A thin variant has also been designed to fit Kailh switches, and is perfect for NovelKeys’ branded switches: Creams, Nolives, and the Dry/Silk series!
Durock stabilizers are a screw-in, Cherry-style PCB mount stabilizer. Unlike GMK and Cherry stabilizers, these come pre-clipped and will sit flush to the PCB making the keyboard building process just a bit easier! The V2 stabilizers show an improvement over the previous version by adding a hook at the front of the stabilizer housing where the wire presses into; this helps to prevent wire popping.
While the stock stabilizers are quite smooth, it is always recommended to lube your stabilizers in order to reduce potential rattle. Recommended lubricants are Krytox 205g0 for the housing and SuperLube dielectric grease, or our own Krytox XHT-BDZ grease!
Available in two variants: smoky and clear housing.
TX springs have been kindly supplied by TX Keyboards, a Korean-based company that provides high-quality springs at an affordable price. Due to the quality control extent that TX Keyboards has gone through, these springs will not have a deviation outside of -1/+1 for spring weight.
They have provided a wide variety of spring weights; the force of these spring weights is measured at bottom-out. Differently-weighted springs will feel different depending on what type of switch they are put into, and it is important to understand that it can drastically change how the switch performs.
The difference in the spring length will affect the initial force for the keypress, but does not affect the bottom-out weight. So, the 16mm springs will have a higher initial weight than the 14mm springs, but the bottom-out weight will be the same on both.
Introducing TX Stabilizers! Implementing a patented technology, kin25 of TX Keyboards has improved the design of Cherry clip-ins to minimize rattling and prevent wire pop-out (using stab stoppers included with the set). The patented design features a double shot stabilizer stem with a POM outside and TPU & POM mixture inside. This mixture helps to minimize wire rattle and bottom out noise. Revision 3 brings the new white colour as well as a 1.2mm variant to support the more uncommon PCB thickness.
TX Stabilizers are available in WK (1x 6.25u + 4x 2u stabilizers) or WKL (1x 7u + 4x 2u stabilizers) kits in the 1.6mm variant.
Ever wondered what sort of brushes you’ll need when you are ready to start customising your switches?
The SK Lubricant Brush Kit is your answer. Each kit comes with 4 specialty-sized brushes that make lubing your switches a breeze. Because everyone is different, we’ve selected varying brushes depending on your preference and style.
What’s more, the pack also includes a specialised metallic stem holder to hold the stems while you lube them – ensuring no sticky fingers! (It can also double as a handy mechanical pencil when not in use – Please remove lead before using as a stem holder)
On the flip side, it has three handy holders to carry your 205, 3203 and even one designed for vials of 105. These hold tight and are very portable.
Each kit includes:
- Flat 0: The perfect all-in-one. Flat bristles tapered ends. This brush was cloned from an actual lube God and is regarded as the gold standard utility brush.
- Filbert 4: If you are looking for a bit more consistency and ease of use than a flat tip, this is for you.
- Round 1: This is the precision tip. Great for working around tactile legs or pole housings.
- Script Liner 1: An XL version of the Round to give a bit more depth inside the switch housing.
- SK Stem holder: 4 prongs emerge to secure your stems while you lube them. Button operated.
Have you ever been bandaid modding and thought “this is pretty tedious”? We’ve got you covered! Thanks to the folks at Upgrade Keyboards, we’ve been provided with stabilizer pads that serve as a high-quality replacement for band-aid modding. With a custom mix of silicone and rubber for the pad, the stab pad has been developed to prevent bottom-out noise from stabilizers on the PCB as well as potential damage. Due to the materials used for the pads, they also provide a deep, muted tone in comparison to the loud clack sans-pad. 3M adhesive on the underside of the pad will prevent slippage as well!
Two variants are available for the pads:
- 0.2mm: best for clip-in PCB mount and those that want a harder bottom-out feeling
- 0.5mm: best for all other stabilizers, as some of the clip-in PCB mount stabilizers don’t anchor into the PCB strongly enough for the thicker pad
Each variant has its own attractive points to them: the 0.2mm will have a slightly lower tone than band-aids, and the 0.5mm are approximately 300% quieter (as per Upgrade Keyboards), with a considerably lower tone. Both pads will spring back slightly as to not result in a mushy feeling. They are also compatible with PCB- and plate-mount stabilizers, cut perfectly to size for both. Just make sure that if you previously had band-aids or stabilizers mounted on the PCB to clean off any potential lubricant, as this will cause the stab pad to slide.
Video Example
The RAMA WORKS® Switchpuller XO is a must have in every mechanical keyboard enthusiasts tool-kit. This switchpuller is designed to safely remove a switch from a hotswap board or from a plate (just make sure the switches are desoldered).
The Switchpuller XO SEQ2 is now thicker to improve rigidity while still removing switches with ease and precision. Now featured in the SOYA colourway with a textured matte finish, classic laser-etched product code, and relocated X and O cutouts.
Many people like to have as much of their build prepared in advance so that when their keyboard arrives all they have to do is tune their stabilisers, solder in their switches and assemble.
The Stabiliser Testing Station was designed so that you can lube and tune your stabilisers in preparation when your keyboard arrives. This is achieved by mimicking as close to the properties of an actual PCB as possible.
We have also included a handy unit sizing guide for quick verification of keycap sizes. This legend was scaled for standard Cherry keycaps, other profiles may vary slightly.
Designed in collaboration with Jels__
Specifications
– 170mm x 80mm
– Standard 1.6mm thickness black core FR4 substrate
– Supports 6x 2u stabilizer and 1x 6.25u or 1x 7u stabilizer
– Standard Cherry keycap sizing guide (1u-2.75u)
– 4x BumponsOwlab is aiming to cover all aspects of a keyboard enthusiast’s needs, and their Owlstabs are another fantastic addition to the market! Owlstabs are PCB screw-in stabilizers utilizing Liquidmetal wires made of shape-memory allow allowing for slight bending of the wire to return to the original, straight shape – such an alloy or metal has not been used in the keyboard community yet and boasts great performance! That being said, we do not advise intentional bending of the wires to test this in order to help avoid deformation and material fatigue.
Owlab aims to constantly improve their product from customer feedback, and these stabilizers are no exception. They have made subtle, but crucial improvements to the stabilizer housing and stem, including reworking the wire clip-in mechanism, reducing wire entry hole size, and decreased width of the outer housing. These have helped with ease of application, wire wobble, and stem/housing contact.
Offered are an 80% and 100% kit, with the latter being able to support two smaller-form boards (65%-TKL) if one board uses a Tsangan/WKL (7u) bottom-row layout and the other uses a standard/WK bottom-row layout.
Owlabs 80% Kit Includes:
- x4 2u stabilizer wires
- x1 6.25u & 7u stabilizer wire
- x10 stabilizer stems & housing
- x12 washers
- x12 gold screws
- x12 Teflon stabilizer dampening pads
- x6 wire cushions
Owlabs 100% Kit Includes:
- x7 2u stabilizer wires
- x1 6.25u & 7u stabilizer wire
- x10 stabilizer stems & housing
- x18 washers
- x18 gold screws
- x18 Teflon stabilizer dampening pads
- x8 wire cushions
Photos taken by the wonderful Captain.Sterling!
Introducing TX Stabilizers! Implementing a patented technology, kin25 of TX Keyboards has improved the design of Cherry clip-ins to minimize rattling and prevent wire pop-out (using stab stoppers included with the set). The patented design features a double shot stabilizer stem with a POM outside and TPU & POM mixture inside. This mixture helps to minimize wire rattle and bottom out noise. Revision 3 brought the new white colour as well as a 1.2mm variant to support the more uncommon PCB thickness, and Revision 4 has had multiple adjustments made to the stem housing as well as inclusion of the Long Pole (LP) variant best suited for switches with a long pole stem due to the earlier bottom-out than a standard length stem.
TX AP Stabilizers now combine both WK and WKL into one box by providing both a 6.25u and 7u spacebar wire!
Durock plate-mount stabilizers are an excellent upgrade from the stock stabilizers provided with a lot of in-stock and entry-level boards, having a more reliable, higher-quality production. Unlike the V2 PCB-Mount Durock stabilizers, the stem legs will need to be clipped as they do not come pre-clipped. We’ve added in the new Piano version of these stabilizers, which come with milky white stems, black housing, and gold-plated wires!
While the stock stabilizers are quite smooth, it is always recommended to lube your stabilizers in order to reduce potential rattle. Recommended lubricants are Krytox 205g0 and SuperLube dielectric grease!
Available in three variants: white, black, and piano!
