switch

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.

We’re happy to announce that we’re (finally) carrying Gateron switches! The first two that we’re carrying are the full milky-housing Gateron Yellows, and milky-top Gateron Blacks. These were chosen primarily for both their acoustics and smoothness. They’re very budget-friendly, and while they do have some scratch to them while stock, they take very well to lube and films, and Gateron Yellow springs are so well-loved that the switches are bought just to harvest them!

Behold, the long-awaited Nebula switches from Prevail Key Co! These beautiful switches are a collaborative project between Prevail and Cobertt from Control on Caps originally conceived in 2020, featuring a full nylon housing, LY material long-pole stem and 62g long progressive springs.

The star-spattered Nebula switch is genuinely the most aesthetically pleasing switch we’ve carried to date and boasts a super solid stock switch feel and great bassy acoustic. Due to the revised factory lubing job there isn’t much of a need to hand-lube them, but if you so desire, you’ll want to use an ultrasonic cleaner first, then apply your lube of choice. We would recommend 205g0 switch lubricant for the housing and stem, and GPL 106 switch oil for the springs.

Shoobs

 

Karan

Beloved by the community, the Zaku linear switch has come to be one of the most sought after linear switches on the market today. To expand upon that line-up, Bolsa Supply has brought in the Zaku II tactile switch to fill in the void. The Zaku II colourway follows the more widely recognized, and appropriately named, Zaku II gunpla.

The switches boast medium tactility with a sharp, P-shaped tactile bump at the top of the keypress. The material components match the Zaku linear switch directly, with a longpole POM stem, PC top housing, and Nylon bottom housing with a 63.5g double-extension spring.

Canada: You are here!
USA: Bolsa Keyboard Supply

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!

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!