Switches

Following the massive success of the Zaku linear switches, Bolsa Supply wanted to take things a little farther and have certainly done so! In collaboration with Tecsee, Bolsa has designed a proprietary stem unique to the Corsa switches, landing them in the light to medium tactility range inspired by MX Clears. Modern touches have been added, such as a longpole stem for that snappy feel and sound, and a lighter 60g slow spring to soften the tactility and still maintain a noticeable bump.

Photos taken by the wonderful Sterling Photography!

Gateron Blue Bubblegum linear switches were designed by KeebHut, a small vendor based out of Southern California. These super smooth linear switches are built with Ink bottom housings, Nylon PA66 top housing and a POM stem. The POM stem and Ink bottom housings aim to retain smoothness and feel of the much-loved Black Inks while using a Nylon top to lower the pitch of the keypress, and a 65g gold-plated spring to allow for these switches to be a daily driver and avoid finger fatigue over a long work day. And believe it or not, but the switches are as smooth as they are completely unlubed!

Photos taken by the wonderful Karan Chauhan!

CIRCLE – TRIANGLE – SQUARE.

KNC Keys has released another Jacket-themed switch, this time the Green Jacket linear switches! These phenomenal switches feature HPE top housing, Nylon bottom housing, and an extra long 13.9mm POM stem for a super smooth stock feel and clean, clacky sound. The 63.5g double-stage spring will keep the switches feeling super snappy, especially on the upstroke, and no factory lube means that if you feel like you want to make the Green Jackets a little more to your liking you can do so with ease!

Also available are the tactile variant of the Green Jacket switches! They have little to no pre-travel and once over the bump you’ll nearly be bottoming-out. All of the specs are identical to the linear variant.

Attempting to match the colour of the switch housing to the show the switches are inspired from was quite a challenge but they came out just perfect. They’re incredibly vibrant and will look amazing in your board and in a container waiting for the right time to be used!

TTC Bluish White switches are a real sleeper hit of a tactile switch! The name of the switches isn’t particularly creative, yet the specifications are where it really shines. The first notable feature is the dust-proof stem, as seen on Kangaroo Inks and Gateron Yellow Inks, which simply aims to reduce the chance of dust falling into the switch itself and affecting performance. The other two most notable features are the double-coiled spring and the muted bottom-out.

The double-coiled spring results in an extremely satisfying press and return combined with the light spring weight (42g actuation), the top-out being described as “punchy”. There’s also a small silicone plug at the bottom of the center tube of the bottom housing which allows for the bottom-out to be muted as the stem pole makes impact, but the top-out is louder by comparison as a result.

The switch shines whether it’s stock or lubed, and if you’re really interested in trying to create a new silent switch, try lubing the top housing and see how it turns out!

The Fruit switch line has another fantastic entry with the Kiwi tactile switch! At 67g stock spring weight measured at bottom-out, the stock press has a prominent “p-bump”, with the tactile bump towards the top with a more linear press afterwards. Kiwis have the same chemical composition in the housing and stem as the V2 Tangerines, so the stock smoothness with light factory oil lubing is a fine choice for beginners into the hobby, and as the factory lube isn’t over done, it’s very easy to clean and re-do.

The switches work great with all types of switch lubricant we have available, with our personal favourite being 205g0. While it may slightly affect the tactility when properly applied, the smoothness is phenomenal and you’ll still have a satisfying, poppy tactile switch.

Photos taken by the amazingly talented Karan Chauhan!

From 43 Studio comes the second iteration of the Rara switch, one of the first JWK tactile switches to hit the Western market! First ran on Drop at the start of last year, this run was previously entrusted to us and a selection of other regional vendors! One of the major improvements over the previous version is the reduction of housing wobble, which is prevalent in JWK switches. The housing material has changed slightly, with adding a polycarbonate top instead of nylon for a smoother experience. It comes stock with ThicThock DL springs, as well as shipping with his own designed PVC films on a sheet.

To help answer some potentially common questions, I will list my experiences with the V1 Rara switches that I have. They are a medium-light tactile switch, in the realm of Ergo Clears with a b-bump that begins shortly after the initial keystroke. They are quieter on the upstroke than other tactiles that they’re compared to, such as T1s and Koalas, though with the change to a PC top it will most likely be a bit clackier. I personally really enjoy them, and think you will too!

The third switch in the Ashkeebs line-up, Alexandrite linear switches aim for a smooth stock typing experience and thocky acoustic. Following our previous switch nomenclature, Alexandrite is a stone that appears bluish green in daylight or fluorescent light, and purplish red at night, tying in perfectly with our brand colours!

The UPE stem and HPE top housing combination allow for a nice, smooth keypress, and the Nylon bottom housing gives the switch a solid, thocky bottom-out. These switches are provided with no factory lube for a consistent stock typing experience, however as with lubing most linears, we recommend 205g0 applied to the bottom housing and stem, with GPL 105 or your choice of oil for the springs. This will help to deepen the sound further and guarantee a super smooth keypress.

Photos taken by the amazingly talented Karan Chauhan!

Canada/USA: You are here!
USA: Prevail Key Co
EU: CandyKeys
UK: Protozoa Studio
SEA: Zion Studios
OCE: SwitchKeys

PangHu’s Giant switch series has seen numerous material changes to its components, and now they’ve changed manufacutrer from Gateron to Tecsee! The Giant V5 linear switches continue the frosty aesthetic with a matching light blue UHMWPE stem and Nylon bottom housing, and milky UHMWPE top – boasting a super smooth linear keypress all the way through. The UHMWPE top gives the Giant V5s a satisfying, bassy upstroke so all of the thock enthusiasts will enjoy these switches!

Photos taken by the wonderful Captain.Sterling!

CIRCLE – TRIANGLE – SQUARE.

KNC Keys’ first Jacket switch has been remade! Red Jacket 2.0 Linear Switches feature UC Nylon housing, a long 13.5mm HPE stem for a super smooth stock feel and clean, clacky sound. Similar to the Green Jacket switches, Red Jacket 2.0 switches feature a double-stage spring, with a lighter actuation weight of 52g and bottom out weight of 60g and 3.5mm of travel distance.

Designed by GEONWORKS and manufactured by Haimu, HG switches feature a KOS steel spring that helps to reduce ping. HG Clears are fully transparent, made from a polycarb housing with a PA12 stem, and come in two flavours – a factory-lubed variant with a 3.5mm travel distance, and an unlubed variant with a 4mm travel distance. HG Blacks are linear switches that differ from HG Clears in their housing and stem material, with Nylon housing and a POM+PTFE stem.

The Fruit switch line began with the Tangerine linear switch! Their UHMWPE housing and POM stem combination result in a super smooth keypress, thanks to both materials being low-friction. These switches are also factory lubed, though only lightly and can be lubed over without needing to remove what’s already there.

The switches work great with all types of switch lubricant we have available, with our personal favourite being 205g0. This can help to slightly deepen the clacky sound Tangerines produce and improve the smoothness even further.

Photos taken by the amazingly talented Karan Chauhan!

Following the success of their Tungsten linear switches, Owlab has returned with their latest long-pole linear offering, Owlab Neon! Like the Tungstens, the Neons are a linear switch with a Nylon housing and POM stem, though the composition of the plastics have been altered to provide a more refined sound and reduced friction. Additionally, the Neons come with a light coating of lube that gives them a great feel straight out of the bag, and feature a 20mm dual-stage spring with a 62g bottom-out, as well as a new anti-wobble housing!