A Japanese company has started selling the My Key Keychain that accepts Cherry MX-compatible switches and keycaps, allowing you to bring your favorite keyboard feel wherever you go. This clear accessory measures approximately 20 x 20 x 12 mm, weighs around 7 grams, and features a 25 mm long chain and carabiner, allowing you to attach it to your bag or keys easily.

You do have to provide your own switch and keycap, though, so you’d need to order a single set if you don’t have extra pieces lying around at home. It’s currently pre-selling on the BTO Shop for JPY 380 (approximately $2.57 at the current exchange rate) per piece or JPY 2,980 (approximately $20.16) for a set of ten.

This keychain is a great way to show off your favorite switch and keycap combination to friends and colleagues, as you don’t have to bring the entire keyboard with you just for them to experience what it’s like to use. Aside from that, you can also use it as a fidget toy — so, whether you love a clicky, tactile keyboard or a creamy, linear one, you can pass the time with your fingers on your favorite typing sensation.

If you want to change its feel, you can use a switch puller to remove the installed switch and replace it with your new favorite one. It will also work great as a unique giveaway, say, for a gamer-themed wedding or birthday party, or a corporate event. Unfortunately, delivery is currently limited to Japan. Therefore, you’ll need to use a shipping forwarder or travel to Japan yourself if you wish to obtain it.

MSI just released a full-sized mechanical keyboard called the Strike 600, which uses Kailh Midnight Pro Silent switches, allowing you to type with little noise but still get the satisfying feeling of tactile switches.

MSI says that the switches “achieve noise levels below 35dB”, making it the perfect keyboard for open workplaces where you do not want to disturb others or late-night gaming sessions where you don’t want to wake your sleeping partner. Aside from that, it uses an aluminum top case for a premium build, while it utilizes various sound-dampening layers, including latex and silicon foam. This ensures you do not get unwanted pings, echoes, and other resonant noises while using it.

The company claims that the Strike 600 is a “groundbreaking” keyboard because of its silence, durability, and style, but we’ve already seen a few keyboards that delivered all three before. You can probably find one that can compete against the Strike 600 in our list of the best gaming keyboards. Still, its sub-$80 price means you get good silent performance and a premium build for such an affordable device. This makes it a likely candidate when we update our list of the best budget mechanical keyboards.

givenThe $79.99 asking price for this mechanical keyboard is pretty reasonable, as a pack of 110 Kailh Midnight Pro Silent Switches (Tactile) already costs $62. That means the rest of the keyboard costs less than $18—surprising, especially with MSI’s use of aluminum and extra foam layers. The keyboard also has per-key RGB control and unique octagonal keycaps. Unfortunately, the company didn’t say if it uses ABS or PBT material for its keycaps, but it seemingly uses an OEM profile.

Aside from those, MSI added a few other thoughtful features to help you build an ergonomic and clean setup, like adjustable keyboard feet and cable routing channels underneath the keyboard. Gamers will love its hybrid 6+N key rollover, three onboard profiles for work, play, and creativity, and hotkey customization for better efficiency.

While we don’t necessarily agree with MSI that the Strike 600 is a groundbreaking mechanical keyboard, it still looks like a solid option for its price, at least on paper. At nearly $80, its competitors include the Keychron C2 Pro and MSI’s own Vigor GK4, which are good mechanical keyboards, too. So, we’d love to get our hands on it to see how the MSI Strike 600 compares when used in the real world.

Over the last few years, we've seen a number of keyboards with analog switches that allow you to adjust their actuation points with software. Want a very sensitive key press so you can shoot faster in games? Set your actuation point to 0.5mm. Want a lower point so you don't end up with a slew of typos? Change it to 2mm. 

Most of these analog keyboards use Hall Effect sensors that detect changes in magnetic fields as you depress each switch. But Cherry, the company behind the popular Cherry MX line of key switches, has another -- perhaps better -- way to create analog switches: inductive sensors. And Ducky will be the first company to deploy Cherry's inductive "MX Multipoint" switches in a keyboard, its upcoming Ducky One X. 

With MX Multipoint, there's a series of coils on the PCB that detect changes in the electrical field as metal in the switches approaches them. This apparently uses less power than Hall Effect sensors because you don't need a sensor for every switch and the coils are built into the PCB. Cherry and Ducky also claim that there's less chance of interference from other electronics.

We got a chance to see the One X, which will be available in both 60 and 100 percent layouts in either black or white,  at Ducky's Computex booth. The keyboard wasn't connected to a computer so we couldn't adjust the actuation point and see how sensitive the sensors were. Ducky says you'll be able to adjust the settings via a web-based tool.

The keyboard doesn't look particularly special. It uses standard OEM keycaps. The back surface contains a USB-C port for charging / connecting wired mode and a switch that allows you to choose among 2.4-GHz, Bluetooth, or wired modes. There's also a USB Type-A port that we assume is for pass-through. 

The keys themselves felt pretty good for linear-style switches. Cherry makes three MX Multipoint switches: Silver, Cyan, and Black, all of which are linear but with slightly different feels. 

Ducky will use the Cyan and only the Cyan switches on the One X. The Cyan has a "progressive spring," which feels a little harder the further down you press it. So, if you set this for a high action point and don't bottom out, the key may feel quite a bit lighter to you.

Ducky says that it is going with the inductive technology because using Hall Effect switches would drain too much power from the battery. However, there are several wireless Hall Effect keyboards on the market so whether the differences in power consumption translate to longer battery life remains to be seen. The Akko MOD007B-HE has Hall Effect switches and claims 40 hours of endurance.

Ducky did not have a battery life estimate for the One X so we'll have to wait and see how it fares when we get one in for testing. It's due out in Q3 with prices likely to be in the $140 to $170 range. However, one thing is clear: Cherry and Ducky are trying something new by deploying this technology and, if it lives up to the hype,  keyboard enthusiasts everywhere could have a new and compelling option to rival the best wireless keyboards.

Cherry, the German computer input devices and keyswitch maker, has launched two new product lines. The first new product is its Cherry MX Experience Box. This presentation box contains one of each of the firm's full-size switches (10 in all), in a tray, with descriptions on the lid - much like a box of chocolates. The second product line is the Cherry MX Switch Kit, in a similar presentation box but featuring 23 single-variety switches. Naturally, there are 10 SKUs of this second new product line.

Cherry MX Experience Box

A reference set of Cherry MX keys could be an attractive proposition to collectors, enthusiasts, custom PC makers, retailers, reviewers, and so on. This boxed presentation set contains ten types of full-sized Cherry MX switches, which are all that are currently available. Thus the 5x2 row under the lid contains MX RGB Red, MX RGB Speed Silver, MX RGB Silent Red, MX RGB Black, MX RGB Brown, MX RGB Ergo Clear, MX RGB Grey, MX RGB Blue, MX RGB Green, and the MX Black Clear-Top switches.

You can see that there is a guide to the various switch specifications and characteristics in the opened lid of the box. We presume anyone who buys the box might poke these for some measure of their 'feel.' However, a better assessment will probably be gained by hot-swapping a switch out of your current keyboard for one of these and giving it a prod - in context. Remember, that the feel can vary considerably depending on your keyboard build, keycap material, and so on.

For its price, said to be €9.99, the Cherry MX Experience Box seems pretty good value for the ten switches and packaging. We don't have US pricing, but the Euro price will include VAT, so perhaps we can expect dollar parity, meaning $9.99.

One reservation we have about the Cherry MX Experience Box is that the packaging doesn't look like it will last a very long time with repeated handling. It isn't a product that could rival a dedicated hardware MX switch tester (Amazon US link), which is admittedly more pricey.

Cherry MX Switch Kit

This presentation box is designed more for customizing and building keyboard projects. It shares a similar presentation to the MX Experience Kit; it even includes the same chocolate box-style flavors guide indie the lid - not just detailing the selected switch.

Inside these boxes, purchasers will find 23 switches of the single variety indicated. In our picture, the MX Blue kit is featured. We query the creation of a kit of 23 switches, as providing just three more in the box would have made it possible to cover the whole alphabet with the kit supplied. Cherry's product pages and press releases don't mention the reasoning behind this number.

Cherry is making 10 SKUs of its MX Switch Kit available. Again we have Euro prices to share and, depending upon the kit selected, the price varies between €14.99 and €19.99 per kit, which seems reasonable.

While we are pondering over keyboards, please check out our guides to the Best Budget Mechanical Keyboards of 2023, as well as our very recently updated Best Gaming Keyboards 2023: Full-size, TKL, Mini, and More article.

One of the big draws of mechanical keyboards is the sound. That resonant, thocky, clacky rhythm can only come from the movement of plastic against plastic, and it’s one of the big things separating mechanical keyboards from their membrane-centric brethren. Compared to a cheap keyboard, the sound of just about any mech is heavenly. 

But maybe you're not so satisfied anymore. Perhaps you've started to notice other sounds--the pinging of little springs, or a scratching scrape-y sort of plastic sound that you don't enjoy. Or maybe you caught your favorite streamer with a new custom mechanical keyboard that sounds absolutely stunning. How can yours measure up? Is there a way to make it sound better, or is it time to just buy a new board?

There is a way: you can lubricate your switches. Lubing switches is one of the most common and immediately effective aftermarket modifications done by mechanical keyboard enthusiasts, and it's easy to see why: the process can make your switches sound better, deepening and clearing up those clacks and thocks; it can make them feel better, too, getting rid of any internal scratchiness and making the whole typing experience that much smoother. Lubing can also make the best gaming keyboards even better.

In case you've not seen this before, though, here's an example. First, here's a quick video of me typing on some stock, unlubed Cherry MX Red switches:

And now here's another video, on the same keyboard, except now those Reds are lubed with Krytox 205g0 lube (and the springs with Krytox 105):

Lubing switches is delicate work, but it's not hard to learn, and the rewards are huge. In this tutorial, we'll walk you through it. My biggest recommendation, though, is to approach this with an experimental spirit, testing out switches as you work, seeing how they sound and feel. The right way to lube switches is, ultimately, the way that feels best to you.

What You'll Need to Lube Switches

• Switch Opener (I strongly recommend a metal one, the plastic and 3D-printed ones just aren't stable enough in my testing)
• Switch lube (The standard recommendation is Krytox 205g0 for linear switches and Tribosys 3203 for tactile, with some Krytox 105 grease for springs)
• Switches
• Small paint brush, preferentially 0 or 00 brush size
• Plastic baggy
• Jeweler's Tool
• Lube Station (these are optional, but handy)

Steps

1.  Remove your switches from the keyboard. If you have a hot-swappable keyboard like the Hexgears Impulse, you can pull the switches out with a simple puller. Otherwise, you’ll need to desolder your switches.  Or, if you're feeling ambitious, you can desolder your switches from a more traditional soldered mechanical keyboard.  If you need a soldering iron, we have a great list of the best soldering irons for you to choose from.

Either way, these need to be loose switches--you could technically try to open up and lube switches while they're installed in the keyboard, but you run the risk of breaking a lot of things.

2.  Take the switches apart. To do this, grab your trusty switch opener. Now, if you look at your switches, you'll notice tabs slotted into the sides of the switch, from the top housing into the bottom. On Cherry-style switches, these are two tabs, like a fork; on Kailh's switches, they're two big thick tabs that cover the entire sides of the bottom housing. And if you look at your switch opener, it should have two interior surfaces, corresponding to each style--one with two tabs facing upward, and one with four.  

Place the switch, right-side up, on the switch opener on the corresponding part, lining the tabs up with the tabs on the switch opener. Then, just press down on the stem and the top housing. This should press the tabs against the switch opener, causing the switch to pop open. It shouldn't take a massive amount of force, but you might have to push a bit. Then, just pull the top of the switch housing off, and separate out all the components--the stem, the spring, the top housing, and the bottom housing. If you have a lubing station, put them in their corresponding spots. 

Note that this probably should not be done with clicky switches, as lubing clicky switches tends to remove their, well, click. But linears and tactiles will work just fine. 

3.  Lube the springs. I always like to do this first, because the process with springs is different than with the rest of the switch. There are two ways to lube springs: the painstaking way or the simple way. The painstaking way is to take your paint brush, lightly dip it into your lube of choice, and brush lube on your spring until it has a light, shiny coat. 

Or, you can bag lube them. This is my strong personal preference, as the results are good without being horribly tedious. To do this, place all the springs in a small plastic baggie. Then drip in a few drops of Krytox 105 grease, maybe 5 drops per 10-20 springs in my experience, though you can experiment to see what works for you. As with all lubing, the goal is to have a very light coating as even as possible. 

Now, close the baggie most of the way. When it's mostly closed, blow into the opening, inflating the bag. Then close it up and shake it vigorously until all the springs are coated, 1-2 minutes. After that, you can empty the bag and place them in your lube station, or a bowl, or wherever you want. Often, you'll have to untangle the springs, which you can do by gently turning them until they come apart, the way you take a key off a keychain.

4. Lube the bottom housing. Once the springs are lubed, it's time to get to the rest of the switches. You can do this in any order you want, but I prefer to start with the bottom housing. To do this, dip the tip of the brush gently in your lube -- Krytox 205g0 for linears and Trybosis 3203 for tactiles is my go-to-- and then wipe away the excess on the rim of the container. You want a light sheen of lube--if you can see the white globs of lube on there, you probably have too much. 

Now, brush one end of your brush along one of the interior sliders on the sides. Then, brush the other side on the other slider. Brush on each slider one or two more times, until the coating seems even -- which means you'll barely be able to see it. Always start with less lube than you think you might need, as you'll be amazed what a little bit can do. And it's a lot easier to add more lube than to clean it off. 

Finally, take what's left on your brush -- without dipping again -- and swirl it around the reset of the plastic interior of the bottom housing, avoiding the metal leaf spring. I usually do this just once, as it's not the most necessary place to lube carefully.

5. Lube the stem. Now, you want to set the bottom housing aside, in your lube station if you have it. Take the switch's stem, holding the cross-shaped part with your jewelry tool if you have it. Then, get some more lube on your brush, the same way you did last time. Apply a gentle coating and wipe off the excess. 

When that's done, it's time to lube the stem. Gently brush lube on the flat face of the stem, smoothing it out like you did before. Then use the same side of the brush to lube one of the slider sides. After that, you need to lube the face with the stem's legs. 

These legs are what comes into contact with the switch's leaf mechanism, actuating it. On a linear switch, these legs are smooth. On a tactile switch, they have bumps on them which provide the switch's tactility. This means that, on a linear switch, you do want to lube the legs; on tactile switches, you absolutely don't want to lube the legs, as doing so will reduce or outright eliminate the tactility. 

So, on a linear switch, gently brush lube on the legs and the flat space between them, brushing a couple more times to smooth the lube out. On a tactile, just lube that flat space, or avoid lubing that side of the stem entirely. Like all of this, it's up to preference. After that, use the remaining lube on the remaining slider side. 

You can also, after this, run the brush over the pole at the base of the stem.

6. Lube the top housing, if you want. Some people recommend lubing the interior of the top housing to reduce any plasticky sound or feeling you might get from the stem or leaf spring rubbing against the top housing. But in my experience, this is a pretty negligible problem and I usually don't bother. 

If you do want to bother, do the same thing you've been doing -- gently coat the brush with lube, remove the excess, and put a light clear sheen of lube on the plastic. 

7. Reassemble your switches. Congrats, you did it! Time to put those babies back together. Take the bottom housing, put the spring in its place, then put the stem in the spring, with the legs facing toward the leaf spring. Finally, snap the top housing back into place -- the side with the writing on it usually goes over the leaf spring. 

8. Put your switches back in your keyboard. Send those switches home, either by snapping them into a hot swappable or soldering them in if not.

Now your switches should have a smoother feel and a different sound. Enjoy.

All linear mechanical switches depress without any tactility along the way. This makes them a great choice for the best gaming keyboards and anyone who’d prefer a smooth keypress over a tactile bump. Linear travel is nothing new, but there’s a difference between a switch pressing down without interruption and going down smoothly.

Kailh x NovelKeys Box Cream mechanical switches are new this year and a collaboration between the brands, with NovelKeys sharing tooling costs, I’m told. If you’re thinking you’ve seen Kailh Cream switches before this year, you’re not wrong. There were already Kailh x NovelKeys Cream switches, but notice that our review focuses on the Box version, which not only has a different stem style but different specs too.

The Box Cream switch’s creamy beige color is enough to explain the name, but the switch takes an extra step. With the help of a nearly all-POM construction, Kailh describes these switches as self-lubricating. That might make you think each press is more creamy-smooth than rivals, but Kailh Box Cream doesn’t always rise to the top.

 Kailh x NovelKeys Box Cream Specs 

Design of Kailh Box Cream Switches

Before buying Kailh Box Creams for your next keyboard build or hot-swappable keyboard, note that these are 5-pin, also known as PCB-mounted, switches, rather than 3-pin, or plate-mounted, switches. While 5-pin switches aren’t uncommon to keyboard enthusiasts, this does affect compatibility. You should ensure that whatever keyboard kit or hot-swappable keyboard you use supports 5-pin switches; otherwise you’ll have to spend time technically damaging the switches to remove the excess pins. Hot-swappable keyboards make it easy to change mechanical keyboard switches, but many, including the Glorious GMMK and Redragon K580 Vata, won’t work with Box Creams out of the box.

5-pin switches mount directly to the keyboard’s PCB instead of the plate on top of the PCB. They have the same two metal pins and large plastic knob in the bottom-center that 3-pin switches have but add two plastic pins for extra stability.

Unlike 3-pin switches, 5-pin switches don’t require your keyboard to have a metal plate on top of the PCB. Instead of mourning to a top plate, like 3-pin switches, these mount to the PCB; however, you may like having a top plate for extra durability or because you’re a heavy typist worried about switch wobble. On the other hand, your keyboard should be easier to build without requiring a plate.

Unlike Kailh Silent Box Red switches, which are unmistakably pink, there’s almost no confusion about how the Box Cream switch got its name. I say almost because people may wonder about the Box branding, since the stem is in a circle housing rather than in a square, (like the design of many other Kailh Box-branded switches ). But the Box name actually refers to the switch’s box-shaped housing, which is in that shape to resist dust and water.

Additionally, Box Cream switches are IP52-certified, which allows for dust ingress but not enough to prevent satisfactory use and means the switches shouldn’t be damaged by dripping water, even if it’s tilted at up to 15 degrees. This certification is above what many, like Cherry MX Reds, provide and should bring extra confidence to those who travel or switch/store their mechanical switches a lot. After about 1.5 months storing and using the switches, they all still seem functioning, despite me seeing dust sitting on the base of some of the switches after storing and dust on my keyboard’s backplate.

When looking at a Box Cream switch, what stands out most besides its eponymous color is the circle surrounding the familiar, Cherry MX-style crosstem. It’s the same style stem found in Kailh’s Silent Box Red and Silent Box Brown switches. Kailh doesn’t market the Box Creams as being extra-quiet, but as you’ll find out in the next section, they offer a softer noise than other linear rivals.

The crosstem means the Box Creams are compatible with any keycaps that work with Cherry ones (that’s a lot). I was able to use them with HyperX doubleshot PBT pudding keycaps, Razer doubleshot PBT ones, Glorious ABS doubleshot caps and some cheap ABS keycaps I had lying around without incident.

Box Creams’ upper and bottom housing, stem and slider are all made from POM plastic that Kailh describes as self-lubricating. A rep told us that this is a characteristic of POM, but don’t think of it as having an equal effect as buying a lube product and applying it to the switches. According to Hackaday, POM has a naturally high lubricity, but these switches aren’t actively applying new lubrication to itself. As the engineering enthusiast website says, POM “simply has a high abrasion resistance and a very low coefficient of friction, making it appear to be self-lubricating.” Of course, these switches can benefit from your own lubing too.

Such a POM-heavy switch isn’t common. Cherry MX Reds use a CAD plastic polymer upper housing, glass fiber bottom housing and a plastic polymer stem and slider. Kailh’s own SIlent Box Reds have a PA66 upper and bottom housing and POM slider and stem. In terms of how the different materials feel in-hand and during installation and removal, the Box Creams feel slimier, and the northern parts seemed less strong than that part of Cherry MX Reds and more susceptible to giving and, potentially, breaking.

Box Creams also have a different crosspoint contact design than Cherry Reds. The latter’s boast use of triangular cross-contacts and, for fighting corrosion, gold plating. Box Creams have composite gold crosspoints living in a compartment within the switch’s bottom housing for protection against dust and water.

Typing Experience on Kailh Box Cream Switches

The Cream switches have 4mm total travel, actuating at 2mm with 45g of force, bottoming out with 60g. The specs are virtually identical to those of Cherry Reds.

You could remove the pins from a 5-pin switch to make it fit in a keyboard that only accommodates 3-pin one, but to keep things simple I installed the Box Creams in a Skyloong GK64x kit because it’s not too expensive and supports 5-pin switches while including a plate for extra stability. We topped them with Glorious’ doubleshot ABS plastic keycaps, representing a step above standard ABS keycaps but not as premium as PBT plastic.

In a side-by-side comparison between Kailh Box Creams and Cherry MX Reds, the most immediate difference was in the sound. Linear switches are generally quiet, especially when compared to the clicky nagging melody of alternatives, like Cherry MX Blues. But linear switches still typically make a sound when bottoming out and coming back up. The overall sound the Red switches make sounds slightly higher pitched, reminding me of their plastic nature.

The Kailh Box Creams also seemed more stable. The 5-pin switches’ keycaps showed noticeably less wobble in the same keyboard when I moved them intentionally. Although, I was still able to move them if I tried.

Kailh Box Creams adhere to their linear roots, providing smooth travel from the start of the press through the full 4mm of travel. But the very finicky may notice a slightly tactile feel when hitting keys, especially larger ones, from a side angle. This seemed more prominent when typing aggressively. It sort of feels like a very minor pop when coming back up. This wasn’t enough to upset me or interrupt my productivity, but I did notice it. If you type less aggressively than me (I’m usually bottoming out), your experience may vary.

But what makes this behavior extra disappointing is the so-called self-lubrication the Kailh Box Creams are supposed to have. While the use of POM may be aiding the overall feel and sound of Box Creams, they didn’t immediately feel smoother to press than Cherry Reds. They only, perhaps, had a more hollow-feeling. And we’ve felt switches with above-average smoothness before. The Varmilo EC Sakura V2 switches available in the Varmilo MA108M Moonlight are an example, making typing feel more effortless, quicker and slicker, despite having the same specs as Box Creams.

After a lot of time comparing Box Creams and Cherry Reds though, it became apparent that the Cherry Reds could feel more stiff when rapidly typing. For those who spend a lot of their day typing , this could be advantageous. But the difference was so minor that it took a lot of comparing to notice, and the EC Sakura V2s still out-smoothed the Box Creams.

I did enjoy typing on Box Creams more than Cherry Reds. For the record, I’d prefer typing on a tactile or clicky switch, so the accidental sense of tactility wasn’t an issue for me and, actually, closer toward my personal preference. The occasional variation in feel wasn’t too distracting. The more pleasant sound also made me more eager to type than Cherry Reds, which now sounds like someone lightly tapping their nails on a desk in comparison. And on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I was able to hit my typical average speed and accuracy, despite my slight aversion to linear typing.

Gaming Experience on Kailh Box Cream Switches

As a linear switch, the Box Creams are a good consideration for gaming. Because there’s no tactile bump, I found it easy to press keys repeatedly and rapidly. I also happen to like the sound of these switches better than that of other linear switches. That means less distraction on the battlefield, albeit not as little distraction as something like a Silent Box Red or MX Red Silent would provide.

Very competitive gamers or those who want the smoothest linear switches may be left wanting. Key binding could be a distraction for such gamers, but most won’t find the issue severe enough to result in significant delays or mis-fires.

I didn’t feel any obvious advantage in using these for gaming compared to the current linear standard, Cherry MX Reds. Although Cherry Reds sometimes felt stiffer when typing rapidly, this was less apparent in-game. And in a non-scientific test I was able to press a key with a Box Cream switch about the same number of times in a limited time period as the same key with a Cherry Red switch. Both are also comparably easy to press halfway and/or actuate again without bottoming out; although the stability of the Box Creams make this slightly more natural.

Price and Availability of Kailh Box Cream Switches

There are no keyboards currently available with Kailh Box Cream switches out of the box, so if you want a taste of this linear switch, you’ll have to build your own keyboard or use a hot-swappable keyboard. Either way, you’ll be buying the switches on their own.

Kailh recommends buying the switches via AliExpress, where they’re available for $1.04 per switch if you get 10 or $0.81 per switch if you buy 70.

Of course, the Box Creams are available at other retailers, including NovelKeys. The switch collaborator has them for an alarming $7 each if you get 70. The price drops to a still steep $1.43 if you get 90. If you get 110 though, the price is better than AliExpress’ best: $0.70 per switch.

Not surprisingly, Cherry MX Red options are much easier to come by, with the switch available in more varied quantities and getting as cheap $0.43 each if you get a 104-pack. And plenty of keyboards come with the Cherry MX Red switches.

The Box Creams have advantages, but their seemingly inferior durability compared to Cherry Reds makes the premium harder to swallow, especially since you can also get quieter switches for less. Cherry MX Silent Reds from AliExpress are $0.56 each in a pack of 104. Even standard Cream switches (not Box) are cheaper on AliExpress (as little as $0.78 each).

Bottom Line

If you’ve ever thought Cherry MX Red switches are a touch too stiff, the Kailh x NovelKeys Box Cream mechanical switches are an appealing alternative. They also offer a softer noise that I found more appealing than Cherry MX Reds; although, it’s far from being as quiet as switches with Silent in their name.

As a 5-pin switch, compatibility won’t be as easy as with 3-pin PCBs. Plus, they’re more expensive than Cherry Reds, yet seem easier to break. And although this is a pleasant linear experience, we’d be lying if we said it’s the smoothest.

But for a linear experience that’s just slightly different from the norm, consider taking a splash of Box Creams with your next keyboard.

We’d be lying if we said we haven’t complained about the growing number of mechanical keyboard switches clicking their stems onto the market. Things are getting flooded, but the bright side of Razer’s light-actuated optical mechanical switches is they’re at least technologically different from traditional switches, rather than Cherry MX replicas. But that doesn’t mean every switch has been a homerun.

Razer’s Optical Clicky purple switches felt lightweight when we first tested them in our Razer Huntsman review, but the Linear Optical red switches debuted in the Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition last year left us less enthused. Razer is hoping to fix that by releasing 2nd Gen Linear Optical switches this August.

New Razer Linear Optical Switch

Linear switches are celebrated by gamers for their smooth travel, which can help with rapid actuation and near-silent sound. Sure, clicky switches make for an awesome typing experience reminiscent of typewriters and other classic input methods, but if you’re chatting with teammates, streaming or working with anyone else, a bunch of clicking can get you muted.

A quick recap on Razer’s optical switches. Introduced in 2018 with the purple Razer Clicky Optical Switch, each press sends the switch’s stem through a light beam that causes actuation. This differs from traditional mechanical switches, like Cherry MX ones, that actuate with metallic contact. It’s actuation via light that’s supposed to be quicker and smoother than what you’re used to. 

The second-generation Razer Linear Optical Switches are supposed to be quieter than the original. When we tested Razer’s first optical linear switch in its 2019 Huntsman Tournament Edition keyboard, we commented on its surprisingly loud nature, especially when typing heavily. It was a soft, plastic-like ringing noise that was definitely louder than what we get from Cherry MX Red switches. 

To remedy this, Razer added silicon sound dampeners to every switch and the keyboard itself for quieter typing, especially with the larger keys. I don’t have a unit on hand yet, so I can’t be sure (our Razer Huntsman Mini review unit had purple optical switches). But Razer played me a recording comparing the two new switches’ sound profile,The larger keys seemed to be roughly 50% quieter, and the H key demonstrated was barely audible. 

Razer’s use of new and more quantiful lubricant is also supposed to help reduce the new switch’s noise levels. This new approach to lubing also applies to the Huntsman Mini with purple clicky switches. 

First Impressions

Razer’s clicky optical switches are lightweight, easy on the fingers and offer a satisfying click that’s great for typing. Keen gamers also enjoy shorter travel and actuation points. But Razer’s linear approach to optical switches wasn’t as exciting.

Linear switches are great for gaming, and Razer’s debuting the 2nd Gen Linear Optical switches in a 60% keyboard particularly fit for first-person shooters and games that evoke a lot of mouse movement. This should at least get the switches in front of the right people, including die-hards who’d notice a 0.5mm difference in travel over traditional red switches. But that’s a small numerical change, and getting mainstream gamers to see it as big value is no easy task.

Sadly, the linear version of the Huntsman Mini will cost $10 more than the clicky version. It seems quiet comes at a cost. We’ll have to wait until August to see if Razer’s made it worth it. 

Gigabyte announced its latest keyboard over the weekend, a follow-up to its Aorus K7.  The new Aorus K1 features Cherry MX Red mechanical switches, full per-key RGB light, n-key rollover anti-ghosting technology and programmable macros. While Gigabyte is fairly new to the keyboard business, this marks its latest attempt to expand beyond attempts at making the best motherboards to hopes of offering some of the best gaming keyboards. 

The Aorus K1 largely features the same insides as the K7 but sports a new “neonpunk” design, as Gigabyte called it. The new design takes the K7’s fairly standard gray base and reimagines it in all-black with raised cosmetic vents on either side and the phrase “Team up. Fight on.” printed on the left side. 

Aside from that, the Aorus K1 got the same USB 2.0 braided cable, Cherry MX Red mechanical switches, RGB, 2mm actuation point key travel (4mm to bottom), 1,000 Hz max report rate and even dimensions as its predecessor. However, it does come in slightly heavier than the K7, and Gigabyte promises double the K7’s switch life at 100 million presses.

The Aorus K1 also comes with Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion 2.0 software, which offers RGB presets, like wave, cycle or ripple patterns. There are additional modes to only light up the most-used buttons for certain game genres, like MOBAs and first person shooters, as well as a reactive mode that lights up keys for a brief moment after being pressed. 

On top of that, the K1 has on-the-fly controls for music, volume, brightness and RGB, plus the ability to set any key to perform a specific macro using on-board memory.

Gigabyte has yet to release pricing or availability details.

Overall, this seems to be a largely aesthetic refresh, but if you love cyberpunk design and have yet to buy a mechanical keyboard, this could be one to look out for.

Keyboards with swappable switches aren’t a new thing; you’ve been able to move from, say, clicky blues to linear reds on some keyboards for years. But they’ve mostly remained in the shadows, made by small companies for a niche audience of keyboard enthusiasts. That changes today with Logitech’s announcement of its G Pro X, a $150 tenkeyless model with pop-out switches you can replace with $50 kits featuring GX Blue, GX Brown, and GX Red switches.

The GX switches aren’t made by Cherry, but have a similar feel to the well-known Cherry MX varieties. According to Logitech, Cherry MX switches will be compatible with the keyboard as well -- as will standard third-party keycaps for those who want to customize their keyboard even further.

The keyboard and the switch sets will both ship with a puller for removing both the key caps (latching on horizontally to each side) and the underlying switches (latching to the top and bottom and requiring a bit of a squeeze before popping them off). While it’s a bit tedious to pop off every key and every switch, the process is pretty easy after you get the hang of it. And the switches pop back in easily, only fit one way, and seem to stay solidly in place. A Logitech rep told me they test the switches and sockets to upwards of 100 plugs and unplugs, which is more than enough given that most people probably won’t swap their keys out more than three or four times at most.

According to Logitech’s rep, the company is “trying out” the swappable switch idea, indicating that if this is a success there will likely be more products with the switch-swapping feature, likely models that include a number pad. But that “trying” goes both ways, as there will also be a G Pro (non-X) version of this keyboard with switches that are soldered onto the PCB for $130.

Logitech sent us a review unit of the G Pro X with GX Blue switches, as well as two switch kits (GX Brown and GX Red). While I haven’t yet had time to do a full review, I can say the keyboard itself has a very solid, though plasticky feel -- much like the company’s previous mechanicals. The RGB key lighting also looks fine, though it’s not as bright as you’ll see on some other keyboards.

As someone who likes the idea of keyboard customizing (at home I use both a Das Keyboard with MX Blue switches and custom keycaps and a Corsair with MX Red switches), I like the idea of being able to swap in different switches, and am glad that a company like Logitech is bringing it into the mainstream at a reasonable price.

The problem, though, is that mechanical keyboards from smaller brands have become so affordable that you can often find models on Amazon and elsewhere that feel about as good as G Pro for as little as the $50 you’d pay for a set of new switches from Logitech. Granted, those don’t usually offer the robust software and lighting controls you’d get from a Logitch or Corsair keyboard, but not everyone wants or needs those features. I don’t mind not having lighting at all on my trusty Das with its Blue switches that I use for typing, but the colors and customization I crave for gaming are available any time I want to plug in my Corsair clacker.

So if you’re a fan of Logitech’s software and keyboard design, and you think you might change your mind about your switch preference down the line, the G Pro X is well worth considering. Just keep in mind that for the $200 you’d spend on Logitech’s keyboard and a separate set of keys, you could just buy two very good keyboards with two different kinds of switches. And as easy as Logitech makes the switch swapping process, swapping out a USB plug is still a whole lot easier than popping off and replacing 87 keycaps and 87 switches.

Whether you're typing or gaming, your keyboard experience is all about the switches. You can get switches with a low-actuation point that triggers when you barely press or ones with a high actuation point that makes you push the key nearly all the way down to the bottom before it registers. But with a few special exceptions like the analog Wooting One keyboard, you can't adjust the actuation on a keyboard.

Enter SteelSeries' new OmniPoint switches, which let set their actuation point in 10 different positions, ranging from a light 0.4mm to a hard 3.6mm. So, if you want a light touch for blasting enemies in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, you can set it to 0.4mm and rapid fire practically just by breathing on the key caps. Then, when you're writing a report, you can go for a more reasonable actuation point of 2mm so that you avoid accidental keypresses.

These switches are SteelSeries' own design and are exclusively available in its upcoming Apex Pro keyboards. I had a chance to go fingers-on with an Apex Pro here at Computex Taipei and I was impressed not only with the technology, but also with the keyboard's features and design.

Apex Pro's Other Features

Due out in a few weeks for $199 (or $169 for the tenkeyless version), the Apex Pro has some neat extras you don't find on every premium keyboard. A black and white OLED screen sits in the upper right corner of the keyboard with a dial and a button next to it. You can use these navigational controls to set everything, from the lighting configuration to the macros and the actuation level, without installing any software on your PC. You can also configure all these options through the SteelSeries app in Windows where you can upload an animated GIF to display on the screen if you want.

The Apex Pro comes with a comfy, detachable soft-touch wrist rest, which in my brief experience, felt much better than the cheap plastic units you get with most gaming keyboards. However, it's not padded or filled with gel so it's not going to be quite as comfy as our favorite keyboard accessory, the HyperX Wrist Rest.

The back surface of the Apex Pro has a USB Type-A pass-through so you can attach a mouse or another peripheral to it. Rather than acting as a hub, the keyboard has a built-in cable that splits into two USB Type-A ports, one for the Apex Pro and another for the pass-through port. The port itself has a white backlight to help you find it in the dark. There's also a cable routing tunnel in the bottom.

How OmniPoint Switches Work

The OmniPoint switches have a linear feel that's very similar to the Cherry MX Red switches you'll find on so many other keyboards, but they work in a way that's different from normal mechanical switches. Where a normal mechanical switch actuates when two pieces of metal make contact during the key press, these OmniPoint switches use magnets and sensors that don't need to touch.

As you press the key down, you're moving a small magnet in its stem closer to the sensor, which uses the "Hall Effect" to determine the exact distance between the base and the stem. When it hits the actuation point you configured in software, the system registers a key press. 

Aside from their configurability, "Hall Effect" switches have a couple of advantages over regular mechanical switches. Because there's no physical contact, there's less wear and tear on the mechanism so the switches last longer. More importantly, the debounce time -- the delay the system waits between presses to make sure it doesn't register the same stroke twice -- is just 0.7 ms as opposed to 6 ms on a regular switch. Combine that with an incredibly shallow actuation point and you can fire your in-game weapon more quickly.

Using a demo that's built into the keyboard, I was able to adjust the actuation point just by rotating the dial. Then, I watched the OLED screen which measured how far I depressed the key and lit up to show when it had actuated. With a 0.4mm actuation point, the system registered a key press, just from me resting my fingers on the home row, a potential horror show for typing. At 3.6mm of travel, I had to practically bottom out to register my key press.

The slider in the app lets you choose among 10 different actuation points. For typing, I'd probably go with the middle point or just one notch below whlie, for gaming, I think I'd choose something a little deeper than 0.4mm.

But the good news is that you don't have to pick just one actuation point for the whole keyboard. You can configure different actuation points for different keys. If you are jumping too often because you accidentally tap the space bar, you can give it a deeper actuation point so you have to really hit it hard to register. And you can configure the actuation points to change for every application on your computer. So, your favorite game could have one profile and Microsoft Word could have another.

Because the OmniPoint switches cost more to manufacture than regular switches, the keys in the function row, the number pad, the arrow keys and other keys outside the main letter / number block use standard red mechanical switches that SteelSeries makes in partnership with Gateron. 

The Apex Pro and the OmniPoint switches that power it have the potential to really change the way we think about gaming keyboards. We look forward to testing these more thoroughly when they get closer to launch.

Thermaltake (TT) is giving its Level 20 RGB gaming keyboard a Razer Green twist. In January, it announced the Level 20 with Cherry MX keys, a whole lot of RGB illumination, as well as a unique ability to control lighting via smartphone or tablet. Today, TT upped the ante with the Level 20 RGB Razer Green version. Naturally, it offers Razer Green mechanical switches. It also has a slightly lower cost of $129.99 (compared to $139.99-$149.99 for MX switches). 

The Razer Green switch has a tactile bump with a distinctive click sound and optimized actuation and reset points. That means users can expect to hear and feel every key press. This compares directly with Cherry MX Blue switches offering similar feel and sound (tactile feedback with a click) without the bump. The Razer Green switch takes 50g of force to actuate with an actuation point of 1.9mm and a total travel distance of 4mm. According to Razer, those switches make it the "best in class" when it comes to gaming and typing performance. 

Additional features on the Razer-branded switch include dual-side walls said to increase stability and help protect against spills and dust. Reliability is another important factor, with the Razer switches touting an 80 million keystroke lifespans (versus 50 million on the comparable MX Blue).

Switches aside, the Level 20 RGB Razer Green keyboard carries over all of the features found in the original. This includes a 2mm thick aluminum top plate with floating keycap design, dedicated multimedia controls, audio and USB pass-through ports, 100% anti-ghosting with full key rollover and 16.8 million color RGB lighting across the front/sides. With all of its RGBs, the keyboard is able to create 13 different lighting effects on the front/sides, along with 14 other lighting effects (sides/face) for a customizable RGB illumination experience.

You can control the RGB lighting in a couple ways. One is through the Thermaltake RGB Plus software, which is able to control other TT Sync compatible devices, such as case fans, CPU/VGA water blocks, AIO CPU coolers, power supplies, LED strips and other peripherals. You can also use Razer Synapse 3 software, which works with both TT and Razer's RGB ecosystems. In addition to the software on your PC, TT RGB Plus products also support Amazon Alexa, so you can control the lights or fan speeds by talking to an Alexa-enabled device. There are also iOS and Android apps that support voice command. If sitting back in your chair and barking out orders to your PC for lighting and fan control is your thing, look no further. 

The Level 20 RGB Razer Green gaming keyboard is available now with an MSRP of $129 through TT's network of authorized retailers and distributors. TT backs the keyboard with a two-year warranty. 

HyperX's large family of mechanical gaming keyboards continues to grow with the addition of the Alloy FPS RGB, the first Alloy FPS keyboard to come equipped with Kailh Silver Speed switches.

HyperX Alloy FPS RGB Specifications

The new HyperX Alloy FPS RGB is a full-size (104 or 105 keys) mechanical gaming keyboard crammed into a compact, steel alloy body with a huge emphasis on portability and reducing desktop space. As its name implies, the keyboard comes with customizable RGB lighting per-key, offering up to five levels of brightness. Other gaming-oriented features include a Game Mode function to disable the Windows key during gaming sessions, 100 percent anti-ghosting, full N-Key rollover, macro support, a detechable braided cable and a dedicated USB port for charging smartphones. The keyboard also has enough onboard memory to store up to three profiles, so gamers can take their light shows and macro settings with them wherever they go.

Kailh Silver Speed Switches

Of course, one of the HyperX Alloy FPS RGB's novelties is the usage of Kailh Silver Speed mechanical switches from Chinese switch maker Kaihua Electronics. Much like the Cherry MX Speed Silver switches from German rival Cherry, the Kailh Silver Speed switches are built with a short travel distance and light actuation force. They have a total travel of 3.5mm, which is only 0.1mm longer than the Cherry MX Speed Silver. However, the Kailh Silver Speed switches beat the Cherry MX Speed Silver switches in actuation force and lifespan. The Chinese switches require just 40 grams of force to actuate, while their German counterparts need a little over 45 grams of force. Additionally, the Kailh Silver Speed Switches are rated for 70 million key presses, while the Cherry MX Speed Silver switches are good for 50 million strokes.

The HyperX Alloy FPS RGB is now available in the U.S. and Canada through a vast number of retailers for $109.99 MSRP. HyperX backs the Alloy FPS RGB with a two-year warranty.

Varmilo’s new Sakura Pink EC switch is nigh, and we’ve got the MA104C full-size keyboard to test them in person. The Sakura Pink EC switch is the first switch produced by Varmilo. (Typically, Varmilo uses Cherry switches in its keyboards.) The new switch uses the same Electrostatic-Capacitive technology as Topre, except it does not include a tactile rubber dome or conical spring. It uses a traditional Cherry-style switch design with a spring and plastic slider. For fans of Topre, this is bad news (no “thock” here), but those who adore Cherry MX Red (linear) switches may want to check out this switch.

The mechanism for activating the switch is contactless. That is, there is no physical contact between metal parts when the key activates. Instead of a gold crosspoint contact, it senses the actuation by proximity. This means that there is less wear and tear during operation, which may increase the switch’s life span. We do want to point out, however, that the spring itself, or maybe the plastic slider, could still be a point of failure.

The word “contactless” makes it sound like this switch is light, linear, and smooth. You’d be correct, but the plastic slider and spring still provide resistance. In fact, the contactless mechanism in the switch doesn’t really affect the feel of the switch. They have the same 45g actuation force as Cherry MX Red, and they have a shorter actuation point of 1.8mm (compared to MX switches’ 2mm). Indeed, when we compared the Sakura Pink EC switches side-by-side to Cherry MX Reds, we found them to be minimally different. The new switches feel a little bit smoother, though, and there’s no subtle “chatter” like you find on Cherry MX Red switches. These are very subtle nuances, however, and the lower travel distance would probably affect your typing or gaming the more than any other aspect of the switch.

If you were looking for an even lower travel distance, there are Cherry MX Speed switches, which offer just 1.2mm, or Kailh Speed switches, which hot 1.2mm to 1.5mm actuation.

At first feel, this switch does not stand out as substantially different than the many custom switch options that use the Cherry-style design. Switches already seem to last forever, so durability is not something you need to really worry about. Also, there’s always the option to lube switches or swap out springs for a smoother feel on the switches you already own.

Replacing a physical mechanism that can fail with something that is theoretically wear-and-tear free without a loss of tactility is not a bad thing, however. Although this particular switch is linear, perhaps the Electrostatic-Capacitive design could give Varmilo more freedom in what it can produce in the future. For example, just as Topre has done, Varmilo could offer users the ability to set different actuation points. We have yet to see a tactile, clicky, or heavier linear version of the switch.

Above is a sound test to compare Cherry MX Red with Varmilo’s Sakura Pink EC Switch. Both keyboards have a steel plate, but the Ducky keyboard (with the Cherry MX Red switches) has thin ABS keycaps whereas the Varmilo includes thick PBT keycaps. The difference in keycap materials significantly affects the sound. For a more direct comparison, pay close attention to the switch when we press it without a keycap at the beginning of the video. Listen for the subtle chatter found on the Cherry MX Red. The audio levels were adjusted, but you may still need to wear headphones to hear the difference.

For those interested in the keyboard itself, here’s a quick recap and spec table: We really appreciate the build quality. There’s a steel plate that adds rigidity and a solid feel when you're typing, and the case is made out of plastic with a wood grain texture. That’s a bit of an odd look for some, but at a minimum, the textured case prevents fingerprints from smearing it up.

The font is modern with dye-sublimated lettering. The keycaps are on the thicker side, at 1.4mm, and they’re made of slightly textured PBT. Its Cherry-style stabilizers felt smooth--it appears that Varmilo went through the trouble of lubing them. The addition of the colorful modifier keycaps are much appreciated, but there are some gray replacement keycaps in the box if that isn’t your style. (Do note, however, that they are not true CMYK or RGB. They are Yellow, Orange, Purple, Cyan, and Magenta).

Media controls are on the function layer of F7-F9, and the volume controls are on the function layer of F10-F12. The keyboard has full white LED backlighting, and the USB port is Mini-USB. The price has not been disclosed yet.

For years, Logitech has relied heavily on its Omron-built Romer-G switches for its mechanical keyboard lineup, and it’s adding a new member to the family--a linear switch. That alters the nomenclature a bit; the older version, which is a lightly tactile switch, will now be known as “Romer-G Tactile,” and the new one will be “Romer-G Linear.”

It’s a mite curious that Logitech opted to create a linear switch given how light the tactility is on the pre-existing Romer-G Tactile. If you compare the force curves of the old and new Romer-G switches that are provided in Logitech’s marketing materials, they look quite different. They show that there’s a big tactile bump in the pretravel of the Romer-G Tactile switches, at 55g. However, our own measurements of the Romer-G Tactile switches conflict with that number by ~5g. We found that the tactile bump on most of the Romer-G Tactile switches we tested was closer to 50g. The tactile bump also has a rather shallow dip, so the tactility is quite minimal. Some would say they already feel a bit linear as a result.

We digress; the new Romer-G Linear switch does have a different force curve, including what looks like a lower initial force than its older brother. These will surely be incredibly light-feeling switches. Some of the basic specifications--actuation point (1.5mm) and actuation force (45g)--are the same, although the linear version does have a slightly deeper total travel (3.0 vs. 3.2mm).

Logitech did tell us that it may develop additional switch profiles in the future, so a light-but-clicky Romer-G seems likely. We would further be unsurprised to learn that the company is tinkering with unique keyboard tech such as Hall Effect or analog switches.

The Successor To The G413

The linear Romer-Gs will debut on the new Logitech G513 keyboard, which is the successor to last year’s G413. In fact, you’d be pardoned if you can’t tell them apart at first glance. Both are full size, have the same design, are made of the same aluminum materials, and sport the same colors. Both have a USB passthrough port. The “Silver” model is also a Best Buy exclusive. The G513 even comes with the same set of specially contoured replacement caps. And so on.

But there are a few key differences. One is the G513’s removable leatherette wrist rest. There’s the aforementioned new switches, although you can get a G513 with Romer-G Tactile switches, too, but the G513 has RGB lighting whereas the G413 offered red or white LEDs only (depending on the model). Of note, Logitech mentioned at one point that the price target of the G513 was under $100; but it appears they overshot it by 50 bucks. Per pricing on other keyboard product stacks we’ve examined, we’d expect the RGB markup from the $90 G413 to this model to be closer to $20. Then of course there’s the wrist rest, which adds a bit of cost. But likely most of the additional cost comes from the new software Logitech cooked up.

Lightsync

The RGB lighting is bolstered by what Logitech calls its LightSync technology, which it describes as “an intelligent RGB solution that reacts to content to deliver a dynamic lighting experience … to create and control RGB lights from any piece of content.” Basically, content--including games--can intelligently control the lighting effects, and those effects can sync across any Lightsync-enabled devices.

That family of devices includes Logitech’s new speakers (yes, this announcement is a twofer), the G560. It’s a 2.1-channel system that’s tricked out with LEDs on the underside and rear of each of the two main speakers. The rear LED zone is huge and is designed to glow brightly against the wall of your office or gaming den.

They feature 120W/240W (RMS and peak, respectively) and USB, 3.5mm, and BT 4.1 connectivity. The two satellite speakers are smallish, measuring 5.8 x 6.5 x 4.6 inches (HxWxD). The system supports Windows 7/8/10 and Mac OS X (although DTS:X isn’t supported on the Macs).

The G502 mouse completes the trio of Lightsync-enabled Logitech peripherals, so you can pair it with the G513 keyboard and G560 speakers and light it all up.

The G560 speakers will ship in April for $200; the G513 will cost $150.

Bloody seems to be selling its switches as much as it is its keyboards, although you can’t have one without the other anyway. The only devices that offer the company’s new LK Libra optical switches (its third-gen switches) are its own planks (at least for now). There are tactile and linear versions of the new Libra switches, but in a confusing break with conventional switch naming, the LK Libra Brown switch is linear, and the Libra Orange switch is tactile.

You can see the evolution of Bloody’s three optical switches (oldest to newest, left to right) in this handy little tester below, along with some other shots of the new switches:

The most obvious change in the new LK Libra switch is a curious stabilizer bar. We haven’t been able to spend enough time with these switches to ascertain fully whether that’s a help or a hindrance, but anecdotally, with our eyes closed we wouldn’t notice any difference in sound or feel compared to a more standard switch design. (If you’re wondering whether those LK Libra switches are the same ones in Razer’s upcoming Purple “optomechanical”switch, they are.)

Bloody has a refreshed trio of new keyboards--the B975, B945, and B930--and although the company hasn’t stated so explicitly, we believe you’ll be able to get either the linear or the tactile Libra switches on all models.

The B975 seems to be the new flagship. It’s a full-size keyboard that offers a large, detachable wrist rest and RGB backlighting. It’s already listed on both Bloody’s official site and on Amazon (for $150).

The B945 “Hybrid Left” replaces the existing B845R; both are full-size but flip the numpad to the left side of the keyboard--a nod both to lefties and to those who sometimes use the numpad but also prefer to have less space between their mouse and the keyboard.

Because there simply must be a TKL option in the mix, Bloody has the new B930, which--you guessed it--replaces the B830.

It's unclear when the B945 and B930 will be available and what they'll cost, although one can presume that they'll be priced less than the $150 flagship, at least.

MORE: What Are Optical Keyboard Switches, And How Do They Work?

LAS VEGAS, NV -- When we last looked at the low-profile mechanical switches from Kaihua, we noted that although most of the new models held a lot of promise for laptops and slim desktop keyboards, the scissor-switch design it had in development had some issues. It would seem that Kaihua isn’t satisfied yet either, because we spotted some artwork in the company’s CES booth that indicates another scissor design is in the works, as well as a new and unique laptop switch.

There’s nothing official, and there were no prototype switches in the booth, but this follows what Kaihua did at Computex: It had some of its switch prototypes on display and some renders on the wall. Those renders eventually turned into prototype switches that we got our hands on, so it follows that the images we spotted at CES will become Real Things, too.

Another Scissor Design: PG1421

Kaihua now has at least three mechanical scissor-switch designs for laptops, in various stages of completion--the PG1425 and PG1442, and now the PG1421. The PG1425 has a unique horizontal spring, although we still aren’t certain if that spring impacts the stem, the scissor arms, or both. The PG1442 has a centered light pipe design, which is ideal for backlighting, and it has a vertical spring (just like most switches) that makes the whole package taller than the PG1425.

The new PG1421 appears to have borrowed from both of the aforementioned designs. We’re speculating here, and it’s difficult to draw firm conclusions from a single render, but it appears that the PG1421 uses both a horizontal spring and clear middle housing that may offer some of the same benefits as the PG1442’s light pipe.

The horizontal spring should enable a switch package that’s as thin as the PG1425. The middle part of the switch looks to be clear--like RGB switches--but the surrounding pieces are opaque. That means an LED could be more or less centered under the switch yet shine only through the middle of the housing.

Even More Laptop-y: PG1325

The PG1325 switch render looks nearly identical to the PG1425 switches at first glance, but upon closer inspection, there’s a crucial difference: no switch stem. Among all the many mechanical switch variations and designs from Kaihua and its chief rivals, they’ve all had a stem; as far as we’re aware, then, this is a first.

It appears that there are no scissor arms, either. Instead, there’s just a flat piece of metal attached to a spring. We presume that this piece of metal is what the keycap pushes on when you press down. Kaihua should easily be able to make that action linear or clicky or tactile depending on what it adds to (or subtracts from) the chassis the metal touches.

Such a design could eliminate any issues with weak scissor arms, and it could further reduce the height of the switch package. The total package height of the low-profile PG1350 (Chocolate) switch is only 8mm (sans keycap), and the PG1425 is about half that. If Kaihua indeed ditched the switch stem and scissor arms from the PG1425, that’s about another 1-1.5mm, making the total switch package of the PG1325 an astounding 2.5-3mm.  

Again, we’re only able to speculate about the PG1325; we’re basing all of our observations about it on a single image, so take all of the above with a grain of salt. But if our observations and assumptions are correct, the PG1325 should fit onto any slim Ultrabook-type laptop.

A Linear PG1442

A final surprise at Kaihua’s CES booth was a linear variant of the PG1442. Previously, we knew only that there would be a clicky version (the one we recently tore down), but now we know there will at least be a linear version. It exists, and we were able to type on a PCB sample. More than the clicky PG1442s, the linear version feels most similar to a laptop typing experience, but obviously with the advantage of a mechanical switch over the rubber dome/scissor switches found in most laptops.

Let The Competition Roll

There’s now bona fide competition in the low-profile switch market. Cherry announced its first post-Cherry ML low-profile switch, alongside several prototype keyboards from various partners, and of course TTC is still making a play, mostly via Tesoro’s keyboards (which we also got a sneak peek of at CES). Kaihua, for its part, has only so many designs with its low-profile switches in the wild--we know of one or two community projects, plus a few shipping keyboards that we’ve covered--but it’s certainly leading the pack when it comes to rapidly developing and prototyping new designs.

Below is a table with our most up-to-date information on Kaihua’s low-profile switches. We still do not have full specifications on some of them, and as stated above, a couple are only theoretical because we’ve seen only images and no prototypes.

One of the biggest trends in keyboards these days is the proliferation of low-profile mechanical switches, and now that we’ve been able to spend some time with multiple low-profile keyboards, we believe that it will only become more controversial. And that’s because we’ve discovered that when it comes to low-profile mechanical switches, you’ll either love them or hate them.

Primarily, the low-profile options on the market all have exceedingly short travel, which results in a lighter typing feel despite the fact that the weights for some are relatively high (50gf, 60gf, etc.). That light feel will drive some people nuts. However, there’s a growing chorus of users who have quietly been clearing their throats and noting that they actually kind of like typing on their chiclet-style laptop keyboards just as much as a desktop mechanical plank, but gee, wouldn’t it be nice to have short mechanical switches under those caps?

If you’re one of those people, we have great news for you: Typing on these keyboards is your low-profile dream come true.

We’ve been treated to a handful of gaming laptops tricked out with low-profile mechanical switches, but now we have them on standalone keyboards, too. We have just two keyboards in-house that have them--the Havit HV-KB395L and the Hermes Gamdias M3 RGB--and both sport Kaihua’s PG1350 switches.

MORE: Teardown: Kailh Low-Profile Switches

Havit HV-KB395L

When we first plopped the Havit HV-KB395L onto our desk, a few things struck us immediately: First, the thing slides around like crazy. It’s quite light (that was the second thing we noticed), which doesn’t help, but it also lacks rubber feet at the top part of the underside of the keyboard (there are two on the bottom part). If you want stability, you’ll need to flip out the rubber-tipped feet, but we found that doing so pitched the KB395L at an uncomfortable typing angle.

The keycap font is also striking because the characters are enormous. We were a little surprised to find a full-size, 104-key layout--one would think that it makes more sense to pair a slim and light design with a smaller footprint--but Havit does offer another keyboard, the KB390L, that has the TKL form factor and the same switches.

Often when we begin evaluating a new keyboard, it takes up to a day or more to get comfortable with it. We frequently pivot from a keyboard with one distinct type of switch to another--on purpose, to get a clearer feel for each new plank--but doing so can be jarring and often slows down our typing for a while. Not so with the KB395L; it took us just a few minutes to adjust from a mechanical keyboard with standard-size switches to this low-profile model. If anything, our typing speed picked up after just five minutes with this thing. By design, it seems to demand a lighter touch, and that translated into fleeter-fingered typing.

The speed was further aided by the fact that the keyboard and keycaps are also lower-profile than a more standard board, which let us position our hands flatter than usual. A good wrist rest will offer this same advantage on a more standard-sized keyboard, of course. The KB395L doesn’t have one, but with such a flat profile, you don’t need one.

With all of the above, you also get that satisfying Blue-switch click. Well, most of that satisfying Blue-switch click. The click of the Kailh PG1350 is lighter and higher-pitched than the standard Kailh Blue switch, and across an entire keyboard’s worth of switches, the difference in typing sound is notable.

This is where we insert the disclaimer that the above is quite subjective. We enjoy the feel of a wide variety of switches, and that includes many lighter switches. But that’s not true for everyone; some people can’t stand anything under 60g, for instance. Others love or hate clicky Blue switches. And so on unto infinity.

That is all to say that this light, clicky, swift, flat typing experience is a particular one that will not appeal to everyone. But it’s perfect for a certain type of, er, typer.

When it comes to gaming, our opinion of the KB395L is less effusive. Don't get us wrong, it’s all there--the solid, consistent feel of the mechanical switches, the click, etc.--but it’s just missing that je ne sais quoi. Ironically, that light and breezy feeling that makes the typing experience so fluid and fast feels lacking in the heat of an FPS battle. We noticed this most clearly any time we typed into the in-game chat--suddenly, there was that lovely lightness again--and then when we went back to WASD-ing, that pleasant sensation evaporated. However, we never had any issues with accidental keypresses despite the shallower travel, neither while typing nor while gaming.

With thin switches comes a thin chassis, and indeed, the KB395L is slim at just 8.35-13.45 mm. Unfortunately, the thinness comes at a cost: The KB395L has terrible flexion issues. If you bang especially hard on the keys, you can feel and see the keyboard bend in the middle. To be frank, it didn’t both us all that much--and if you type like a normal, non-angry person, you won’t have a problem there, but the keyboard does feel a bit flimsy. (The Gamdias Hermes M3 RGB suffers less here because its chassis isn't as wide and is thus stronger in the middle.)

The switches are top plate-mounted, too, which let Havit essentially build the KB395L with a top plate/PCB and a thin bottom--two pieces with almost no space in the middle. The top plate is aluminum. That flat, dense construction, combined with the lighter switch click, makes for a fairly subdued auditory experience. If you bend down and listen closely, you can hear the switches ping-ping-pinging, but there’s just nothing to amplify that noise. (Some keyboard designs put the PCB and switches into a bowl-like lower chassis that reflects all those little noises right back at your face.)

The KB395L has accompanying software that should unlock features such as macro recording, lighting adjustments, and more. You do get plenty of onboard lighting controls, too.

Gamdias Hermes M3 RGB

Perhaps a little more appropriate for the slim design, the Gamdias Hermes M3 RGB comes in a TKL form factor, resulting in a completely compact little keyboard. Given the fact that the chassis of the KB395L and Hermes M3 RGB look almost exactly the same (although they have slightly different heights), employ a removable micro USB cable, have nearly identical keycaps (although with different fonts), and use the same switches, the typing feel on these two planks is strikingly similar.

Of course, the Hermes M3 RGB is even lighter by dint of the smaller form factor. In terms of evaluating the subjective typing performance, gaming performance, and noise profile of this keyboard, we’d simply echo everything we said about the KB395L. Indeed, these keyboards are two peas in a pod.

The Hermes M3 RGB enjoys the support of Gamdias’ Hera software, which lets you handle lighting configurations and programmability. You also get some onboard controls to execute your macros, as well as other perks. The LEDs on both keyboards appear suspiciously dim; they actually may be the same LEDs, and controllers, too. But that’s neither here nor there for now.

It’s worth noting that Gamdias has another low-profile switch keyboard in its stable, the Hermes P3 RGB, which has Gamdias-branded low-profile switches (Blue/Brown/Red/Black).

Keycaps And Stabilizers

And of course, following the thinness, the caps themselves are lower-profile than normal. The keycaps on the KB395L and the Gamdias Hermes M3 RGB are almost exactly the same size, as you can see in the chart below. Compare those to a more full-height cap that's 8.3-10mm tall, and you get a sense for how slim they really are.

The other obvious difference between these caps and full-height caps is that these are not Cherry MX-compatible. This is because the switches don’t have the Cherry cross stem design. Instead, they have parallel slots, and the keycaps have two little arms that fit into them. For as small and thin as those arms are, the caps feel quite sturdy. They wiggle a tad, but certainly not any more than caps on Cherry MX-style switches. These particular keycaps are ABS plastic with translucent lasered legends.

As you can see in the images, these two keyboards employ the same stabilizers--a wire bar onto which the keycaps snap. However, although this is in some ways a Costar-like stab design, it’s a bit simpler. Usually what you’ll see is a metal wire whose ends are bent inward and slot into two little plastic pieces that are snugged up into the keycap.

However, on both the Havit KB395L and Gamdias Hermes M3 RGB, there are no additional plastic bits, and the wire doesn’t have bent-in ends. Instead, the stabs make a simple U shape, with two arms that slot into little notches on the keycaps. For added stabilization, the keycaps have two thin posts that fit into guide shafts.

People have wide-ranging opinions on stabilizers; some can’t stand what they call the “mushy” feel of Cherry-style stabs, whereas others despise the feel and sound of Costar-style stabs. (And every permutation of preferences you can imagine.) Thus, again, our evaluation of the stabilizers on these two keyboards is highly subjective, but we found that they offer a consistent feel compared to the rest of the keys and introduced no additional noise.

A Good Start

If you’ve been eagerly anticipating low-profile keyboards and the low-and-light typing feel they promise, we can attest that these first offerings should please you, for the most part. Basically, if you like typing on a laptop keyboard but want an experience that’s superior to the standard laptop scissor switch / rubber dome design, these planks are for you. (If not, run far, far away from them.)

However, we found that for gaming, we missed the meatier feel of a full-height switch. Further, both the Havit KB395L and Gamdias Hermes M3 RGB--which are nearly identical in terms of construction and overall design--have plastic elements that make the chassis feel a little cheap, and they slide around too much on the desktop.

We wonder how much more attractive keyboards like these would be with higher-end features such as all-metal chassis, PBT keycaps, and more elegant lighting and configuration options. Indeed, a stronger chassis material could go a long way towards reducing the flexion of these keyboards.

Also note that the Havit model is just $80, whereas the Gamdias Hermes M3 RGB is available for $130, which is a striking difference. If you’re pining for the smaller form factor and want to pay (a lot) less than the Hermes M3 RGB costs, Havit’s 87-key KB390L is just $64.

However, taken as a whole, Havit and Gamdias have proven that a standalone keyboard with low-profile switches is a viable entry into the pantheon of mechanical keyboards. If nothing else, it’s a great start. We expect to see more low-profile mechanical-switch keyboards emerge over the course of the next year.

ZealPC began as a small company producing custom sleeved cables, but now it’s become an essential part of the mechanical keyboard community. Its latest contribution is Silent Tactile switches, which the company has now confirmed that it’s working on.  

In the past, ZealPC created the Zealio switch, Zealencio silencing clips,transparent screw-in stabilizers, and the popular Zeal60 programmable RGB 60% PCB. This unique mix of products has gained it a reputation as a respected innovator in the mechanical keyboard space.

The new Silent Tactile switches from ZealPC will include a dampener built into the switch stem. Cherry Silent switches use a similar design, but notably, it appears that ZealPC will beat Cherry to the punch with a Silent Tactile switch. Cherry offers Silent switches only in two linear versions, Red and Black.

We can’t confirm at this time whether ZealPC will use the same material as Cherry to create this dampener, but the dampener built into Cherry Silent switches uses TPE, a thermoplastic rubber. This reduces the noise when bottoming out and topping out the switch and reduces the travel distance only 0.3mm, from 4.0mm to 3.7mm. This is in contrast to alternative ways of reducing noise, such as O-rings or dampening pads, which reduce the travel distance by 1.5mm or more. O-rings and dampening pads can only reduce the bottom-out noise; they don’t have the ability to reduce any top out noise. (Bottom-out noise is when the stem of the switch hits the bottom of the switch housing, and top-out noise is when the switch returns to its original unpressed state.)

Zealio switches are some of the only switches that include a transparent switch housing on the base of the switch. This transparent housing is not only great for backlighting, but the nylon material provides a smoother response than the plastics used in Cherry or Gateron switch housings.

ZealPC's new Silent Tactile switch lineup will include the same four spring weight offerings as their original Tactile Zealio switches. They will be available in 62g, 65g, 67g, and 78g. You'll be able to purchase them by the end of the year or early January.

Update 2, 12/11/17, 8:28am PT: ZealPC confirmed that is it not working on Silent Clicky switches at this time. The above article has been amended to reflect that information.

Update, 12/8/17, 1:32pm PT: ZealPC replied to our query with information about the weights of the Silent Tactile switch lineup. We've added that information above.

There’s a proliferation of low-profile mechanical keyboard switches, and although multiple switch makers are working on them, ground zero is Kaihua. We got our hands on samples of some of the new switches and tore them apart to see how they’re constructed.

So Many Switches

Back at Computex 2016, we got our first glimpse of Kaihua’s low-profile PG1350 switches. At Computex 2017, the company showed off three new low-profile designs: the PG1232, which is strikingly similar to the PG1350 line, and two scissor switch-type variations, the PG1425 and PG1442.

That’s a lot of low-profile switches, and bear in mind that those are not linear/tactile/clicky variations. Those are distinct designs, each of which has (or could have) linear/tactile/clicky versions. It seems that Kaihua is creating several designs to see which ones work best and will stick with users when deployed on shipping keyboards.

For example, the PG1232 and PG1350 are more or less iterations of one another, so it’s possible that Kaihua is just feeling out the market with them.

Meanwhile, although the PG1425 and PG1442 are similar in some ways--mainly the presence of a scissor arm--they’re quite different in others. The fact that we were unable to obtain samples of the PG1445 switches tells us that, internally at Kaihua at least, the PG1442 is the frontrunner.

We tore down the PG1232 and PG1442 switches and compared them to PG1350 and standard full-size Kailh Blue switches.

The PG1442: Light Pipe And Scissor Design

Among all the mechanical switch designs out there, the PG1442 is one of the most fascinating.

First of all, it employs scissor arms, like a laptop or chiclet-style keyboard. However, whereas most scissor designs are just rubber dome switches that use the scissor arms for stability, these PG1442 switches are actually mechanical, even though they also use the scissor arms for stabilizing the keycap and pushing down the slider.

The other most notable aspect of the PG1442, and frankly possibly the primary reason Kaihua appears to favor it, is its light pipe design. The vast majority of mechanical switches with backlighting capabilities have a tiny slot somewhere in the switch housing, usually on the “north” part, to accommodate an LED. This is true even for “RGB” switches that have clear housings designed to let the backlighting explode underneath the keycap.

The problem is that the LEDs are therefore always off center. This can create uneven lighting behind keycap legends and also on the surface of a keyboard. It’s also a “messy” light design. For example, with clear switch housings, the light bleeds all over the place (which is desirable in many situations) but if you want a more controlled backlighting design and want to ensure even lighting under keycaps and legends, nothing beats a light pipe design.

Simply put, the LED is placed under the center of the switch, the light is kept from bleeding out by the light pipe, ensuring controlled lighting, even glow under legends, and optimal brightness. (Logitech employs this to splendid effect with its Romer-G switches.) One caveat with the PG1442 is that so many pieces of the switch are translucent that you’re going to see a certain amount of light bleed in this particular design.

In the case of the PG1442, the scissor arms are absolutely necessary. If you pop off the chiclet-style cap that Kaihua wants to deploy with them, you can see and feel how incredibly wobbly the actual switch stem is. It’s downright loosey-goosey.

When you put the cap on, it locks into and rests on the scissor arms, which provides fairly strong stability. Then, when you press down, the sides of the scissor arms press down on four nubs (two on each side) of the slider. In that way, it creates some additional stability for the slider itself. The keycap, then, stabilizes the scissor arms, and the scissor arms in turn stabilize the slider.

Having just a few samples on hand, it’s difficult to draw significant conclusions about how the switches seem to perform, but we found the PG1442 switches to be somewhat “sticky” on the rebound. This is because of the scissor design; the press feels just fine, but towards the end of rebound, there’s an extra little hitch before the scissor arms fully reset. The rub, as it were, seems to be where the scissor arms mount inside the keycap.

To be clear, some of our samples didn’t seem to suffer from this issue, but a few did, in spades. Kaihua may need to revisit some small aspects of the arm design--perhaps just the chiclet keycaps, which for all we know were an afterthought in the switches’ construction--or use a different spring. The spring in these switches is short and wide compared to others in the Kailh family, which is perhaps obvious but no less interesting. In any case, the problem may go away with a heavier spring pushing the scissor arms back into place.

The PG1442 switches have a thin plastic bottom switch housing. A rectangular slider with a stem underneath nestles into that housing, and of course the spring keeps the two in line. On one side of the switch housing is a hair-thin metal arm that’s coiled on one end; on the other side is a tiny metal contact point with a separate copper piece inserted into the housing. The mechanisms on both sides are covered by a translucent piece of plastic.

The rectangular part of the stem assembly has two little nubs that flick the copper contact point and metal arm when you press down. That’s what gives you the click.

PG1232: Like The PG1350, But Smaller

Although it’s certainly important to compare the PG1232 switches to the PG1442, it’s perhaps more informative to put the PG1232 next to its bigger brother, the PG1350.

A quick look shows that the former is slightly thinner than the latter--even lower-profile--and the underside protrusion (that slots into a PCB) is a bit shorter as well. The actual slider assemblies of the two switches are nearly identical in size and shape, but there’s one key difference: Whereas the underside of the PG1350 is solid, the underside of the PG1232 has cutouts. Thus, when you press the PG1232, it nestles down further into the switch housing. It’s a clever modification to the original stem design, to be sure.

The edges of the PG1232 also measure a bit smaller than the PG1350--but just a bit. The former measures 15 x 14mm, whereas the latter is 15 x 15mm.

Inside, the construction is all but identical. Although we have only Brown (tactile) PG1350 switches and White (clicky) PG1232 switches on hand, which effectively gives us an apple to oranges comparison, we externally confirmed how the construction of the White (clicky) PG1350 differs from the Brown. Thus, we know that the White (clicky) versions of both the PG1350 and PG1232 share the same slider, clear top housing, and clicky metal bar with the coil on the end. They have what appears to be identical stable contact points, although the dynamic metal contact points are slightly different sizes. They also have different springs and different pinouts on the bottom, and whereas the PG1232 has a little wraparound stabilizer bar, like the Brown PG1350, the White PG1350 does not.

The biggest difference between the two is the actuation point and travel. With an actuation point of 1.5mm and overall travel of 3mm, the PG1350 is certainly on the short side of what you’ll ever see in a desktop switch (most standard mechanical have 4mm travel), but the PG1232 is even shallower. It offers 1.2mm actuation and just 2.4mm total travel. For context, many standard mechanical switches have 2mm pretravel; the PG1232 has 2.4mm travel total.

Interestingly enough, both switches require 50gf at the actuation point and 60gf at the pressure point.

What’s What

Considering the above teardowns and what we know (and presume) about Kaihua’s low-profile switch efforts, we have some preliminary conclusions.

First, it’s a little odd that Kaihua would develop both the PG1350 and PG1232, considering how similar they are. It would perhaps make more sense to have just the standard (“full size”) desktop switch plus the PG1232 for low-profile desktop keyboards and laptops. However, Kaihua sees the PG1350 as a ‘tweener option. Whereas the PG1232 was designed explicitly for laptops, the PG1350 is for either desktop keyboards or laptops. (The PG1232 could be used in a desktop keyboard, but the company thinks users won’t like the extra-short travel on such a peripheral.)

We wouldn’t be surprised if Kaihua is just waiting to see how the market reacts to both switches and is planning to focus on whichever one seems to gain the most traction, and where. Of course, both could end up in their own respective niches, too.

The PG1232 and PG1442 are both designed for laptops, but they’re significantly different designs. Obviously, there’s the scissor design on the latter, and they have incompatible keycaps. Further, the PG1232 has a spot for an LED at the top of the housing, whereas the PG1442 has the centered light pipe design. They also have different springs and completely different sliders. They do have the same click mechanism (via the thin metal bar with the coil on the end) and similar contact point designs, though.

They’ll almost certainly be deployed in different types of laptops, too. Gaming notebooks, where users will demand something that feels much more like their desktop mechanical switches, will be the vehicle for the PG1232, whereas the slimmer PG1442 will be more likely to end up on more mainstream notebooks for OEMs that want to offer a superior typing experience to the current standard of scissor switches. As we noted, though, Kaihua may need to polish up the PG1442 a little more to ensure a smoother rebound.

And let us not forget about the PG1425 switch--another scissor design, intended for notebooks, that employs a horizontal click action rather than a vertical one. Kaihua doesn’t have samples of this one yet because its engineers are still tweaking it. Thus, although we’ve seen these in the wild (at Computex 2017), the version we saw there isn’t the final one.

To recap: Kaihua has no fewer than four low-profile mechanical switches in the works. It’s unclear if the PG1425 will ever become a Real Thing; its scissor sibling, the PG1442, is not yet in production but is “finished,” although there are no promises that it will end up in shipping products. By contrast, we fully expect to see the PG1232 switches appear on gaming notebooks soon enough, and possibly desktop keyboards, too. Meanwhile, although the PG1350 could land on notebooks, it has already begun to proliferate on shipping desktop keyboards.

Recently, a legal feud erupted between Massdrop and Input Club over a new set of mechanical keyboard switches. As the dust (maybe) settles and both parties move forward, the kerfuffle may actually result in three new sets of switches.

Halo Switches, We Hardly Knew Ye

The switches at the center of the legal dispute are the two tactile Halo switches, the Halo True and Halo Clear. They were designed by Input Club and built in collaboration with Massdrop. The latter company paid for the tooling and secured an exclusivity arrangement for distribution. Input Club asked for, and was granted, a license-back deal that would allow it to sell the switches directly to end users.

However, a disagreement erupted when Input Club launched a Kickstarter campaign for its Whitefox keyboard and offered Halo switches as a configuration option. Massdrop viewed that as a violation of their agreement, Input Club disagreed, and so began months of legal wrangling.

Hako Switches Are Born

When we last covered this story, things were still in legal limbo, and it seemed that a lawsuit was forthcoming. We knew that Input Club was likely going to, at the very least, build a new set of switches. With the sudden announcement of the company’s Hako switches, that plan has come to fruition.

In addition to the obvious nod to the Halo name (note that “k” is the neighbor of “l” on the keyboard), what’s notable about the new switches is that Input Club went with a variation on Kaihua’s new Box switch design rather than another Cherry-style switch.

There are obvious questions here. Why is Input Club making new switches already? First, there’s obviously some value for Input Club in having more switch variations in its stable. Regardless of the existence (or not) of the Halo switches, the Hako line is a quite a different design. Thus, the group may have been planning to release them all along.

Because Kaihua is involved in all of this--all of the tooling lives inside of Kaihua manufacturing facilities, regardless who “owns” it--it was not a stretch for Input Club to keep working with the switch giant, especially because the Hako switch owes so much to the Kaihl Box design.

The design similarities and that pre-existing relationship certainly also sped up the process of getting the tooling set for the new switches.

A New Old Switch

Input Club representative Andrew Lekashman told Tom’s Hardware that although the group believes that the Hako switch offers lots of advantages--that they’re self-cleaning, last a long time, are more tactile than many other switches, have a plastic-on-plastic actuation, and are still Cherry MX-cap compatible--it may yet release a (new) Cherry-style switch as well.

This may seem to be a surprising move; Input Club already designing and (with Massdrop’s help) built the two Halo switches. If all that stands between it and the freedom to use those designs is a bit of legalese, why go to all the trouble of manufacturing a whole new switch that’s more or less identical?

The answer mostly boils down to cost, surprisingly. “At some point in the future, we will sort this [legal issue] out, but for now, the best path forward is to spend time and money on keyboards and keyswitches and not court and legal fees,” said Lekashman. He pointed out that it could cost $60,000 or more to fight the legal battle, but just $30,000 to pay for new tooling. And because Input Club is the designer of the Halo switches, that fresh tooling is all the group needs to clone them

It wouldn’t be difficult. Remember, all of this is Kaihua machinery; there’s no manufacturing-related reason why there couldn’t be two identical sets of tooling in a Kaihua facility, one owned by Massdrop and the other owned by Input Club, that can produce identical switches. All of the assembly lines, we’re told, are automated, so there’s not even any variation due to human intervention.

However, Lekashman said that it’s highly unlikely Input Club will clone the Halo switches, even though it could. Instead, the group would work on a sort of “Halo mark 2” that would have some improvements over the original. (It’s also possible that cloning the switches, even with freshly paid-for tooling, could be legally tenuous.)

Based on what we know, there’s a 50/50 chance that Input Club will make a version of the Halo switches. It if does, though, the group may return to some of the “Halo” nomenclature. Or, to avoid confusion, it may use a different name.

What’s In a Name?

It’s unclear whether or not Massdrop will pursue the manufacture of the original Halo switches, but we would be surprised if it didn’t. The company declined to comment for this article, so we can only speculate. However, we know that it owns (and paid good money for) the tooling to make the Halo switches, and the company is involved in numerous keyboard and keyboard-related group buys. A logical next step would be manufacturing its own switches for some of those projects.

One wrinkle is that Input Club owns the trademark to “Halo.” Thus, Massdrop would use the name at the risk of incurring a legal challenge from Input Club, so it would probably be wise to change the name.

That is, it could make Halo switches as we know them now but with a different moniker. For our purposes, let’s call them “Schmalo” switches.

Switch Lemonade

Given all the above, it’s entirely likely that from the fog of this one legal dispute will emerge three new sets of switches:

To be clear, there’s no guarantee of anything other than the new Hako switches. As we noted, Massdrop has no further comment on anything related to the matter, and Input Club isn’t certain whether or not it will make a "version two" of the Halo switches on its own.

What we do know is that this Halo business has become a lemon of a situation, and there are some ways to make lemonade from it.

Input Club is now taking orders for its newly-designed Hako switches. Invented by Input Club members Jacob Alexander and Brandon Muzzin, the Hako switches are a variation on Kaihua’s Box switches and feature a vented, self-cleaning mechanism and a more stable slider that results in reduced wobble, purportedly increasing lifespan by 25%.  

Like the Halo switches designed by Input Club and produced by Massdrop, there are two version of these new switches, a “True” and a “Clear.” Both are medium-weight tactile switches designed to create a smooth actuation curve similar to Topre’s 55g switch.

The Hako Clear features a standard spring with the tactile event occurring at ~0.66mm at an actuation force of ~55g, with a peak tactile force of ~63g. It uses a plastic half-cylinder and metal leaf design, giving it a defined tactile bump much like the Cherry Clear switches they emulate.

Though similar in construction to the Hako Clear, the Hako True switches feature a shortened spring with the tactile event occurring at ~0.54mm, and a slightly greater actuation force of ~60g. However, a lower tactile force of ~58g makes for a more subtle tactile bump than its sibling. The True switches also feature a lighter preload on first touch.

Both switches feature ~3.6mm of travel with actuation at ~1.95mm. There’s a tension bias at the end of the travel, peaking at ~94g in the Trues and ~79g in the Clears, that’s intended to discourage you from bottoming out the slider when you type. The switches are rated for 80 million presses and are compatible with both through-hole and SMD LEDs. Both have clear housings.

Order buy-in is $54, which gets you 120 switches of either type. The group buy runs until November 28, and shipping is set for after the holiday season, on February 18 of next year.

Table source: (True, Clear)

Update, 10/30/17, 6:55am PT: You know how sometimes you see a keyboard and think, "That would be cool if only it was available in a tenkeyless form factor"? SteelSeries is offering just that. The tenkeyless version of its Apex M750 keyboard is the aptly named Apex M750 TKL. It has all the same features as its larger sibling, including the linear QX2 switches, but without the numpad. It costs $120, making it $20 cheaper than the full size M750.

Original article, 8/15/17, 10:30am PT:

SteelSeries’ newest keyboard, the Apex M750, is the vehicle by which the company debuted its latest switch.

QX2 Switches

One of the oft-overlooked features of some of SteelSeries’ keyboards is the fact that the company has its own switches. For example, there’s the Apex M800, which is loaded up with the SteelSeries QX1 switch. The QX1 sports shallow travel (3mm) and actuation (1.5mm), and it’s a light switch at just 45gf. They also were topped by low-profile keycaps.

The next generation of the company’s switch, the QX2, is quite a bit different. On the Apex M750, the keycaps are standard height, for example, and the QX2 switches offer 2mm actuation and 4mm total travel.

The switch housings are clear, so the LEDs shine all over the backplate. That particular design feature is the same as the QX1, but whereas the QX1 has a centered LED for more uniform lighting, the QX2 has its LEDs positioned at the top of the switch housing.

Basically, whereas the QX1 was unique and innovative, the QX2 is a clone of the Cherry MX RGB switch, from the specs to the design.

Both the QX1 and QX2 are linear switches, and the QX2 maintains the same 45gf as its predecessor.

Software Fun

Other than the new switches, it seems that the defining characteristics of the Apex M750 are all around the new software capabilities in SteelSeries Engine (SSE). For example, it now offers Discord integration, so the keyboard’s backlighting will offer you notifications. It also lets you sync lighting between the Apex M750 and other SSE-supported peripherals, and the GameSense feature offers up reactive effects to in-game events and needs such as low ammo and health. Specifically, it’s integrated with a game called Gigantic, which SteelSeries said delivers “real-time, in-game reactive illumination and haptic feedback across all SteelSeries-compatible devices.”

There’s of course complex lighting features available via the PrismSync feature. You can enable numerous active effects (Wave, Breathing, ColorShift, Rippling, Firework, etc.) and reactive effects (Fade, Hexagon, Ripple, Runout, etc.). And through the software, you can bind keys and create and edit macros.

The keyboard also can serve as a music visualizer, which is to say it flashes its lights in various colors in response to your music. You can also load up any animated GIF, and the lights will replicate it as a customized lighting effect.

Wait, what was that? GIFs? Yes, GIFs. You can download one and play it back on the keyboard’s backlighting. In the pantheon of worthless but awesome product features, this one has a special place. It’s something that you can share with basically no one, unless someone is peeking over your shoulder, and it serves absolutely no purpose but to entertain you.

We were eager to test out the feature to see how delightful it may be, but alas, the app is not yet available. So it goes.

We believe it’s coming with the next SSE update, though. We noticed that the most recent version that’s available is SSE v.3.10.12, but the spec sheet for the M750 states that the software that has all these features is v.3.11+, which means the company hasn’t pushed the final update yet.

All of the above features are app-based; that is, you have SSE itself, but you can plug in various “apps” that offer additional functionality. There aren’t many just yet--SteelSeries is clearly hoping the community will make and share more--but what is available, you can find here.

New Look

In terms of the look and feel of the chassis, the Apex M750 is a bit of a departure from the M800. Both are full-size keyboards, have the teardrop-shaped sides, are all black, and feature black backlit keycaps, but there are key differences. For example, whereas the M800 has a more traditional “bowl” design, with the switches mounted onto a backplate with a top panel over it, the M750 sports the top plate-mounted design that’s become so popular.

Further, the M800 has an extra chunky spacebar; the M750’s is normal-sized. And, of course, there’s the aforementioned keycap height difference.

The M750’s top panel is “Series 500” aluminum alloy. Notably, it’s not brushed metal, and it’s not that matte finish that you see on Razer keyboards. Rather, it’s a slightly textured, sparkly finish--but it doesn’t appear to hide fingerprints any better than any other metallic finish.

The Apex M750 costs $140, which is a fairly good deal compared to other gaming keyboards with similar specifications and features. For another $15, you can get a wrist rest to go with it. The Apex M800 was $200, but it’s dropped down to $170.

Cherry, a long dominant mechanical switch maker, has cast an eye towards the DIY market by offering its switches “in different variants and as a special developer kit.” Although big names like Razer, Corsair, and Logitech sell keyboards to throngs of consumers, there’s another whole class of keyboard enthusiasts who make or mod their own planks. Those people need to buy loose switches, and most could use a little help figuring out exactly which switches to buy and what other components to include.

Of course, you can already get Cherry switches (and many others) from a number of outlets, such as MechanicalKeyboards.com. Further, the mechanical keyboard community is quite large, knowledgeable, and generally quick to share tips and help, so it’s not as if build help isn’t readily available.

So what is Cherry trying to do here?

The obvious answer is that Cherry--wisely--just wants to capitalize on this DIY market a little more directly and cleanly. You can see that in the detailed guidance it gives on its “developer kit” page. Further, the company stated that you can buy, individually or in kits (110 switches per kit), Cherry MX Red, Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Clear, Silent Black, Silent Red, and Speed switches, and its new dev kits are available with Silent Black or Speed switches.

The key, though, is buried down at the bottom of that page. It says, “Currently, only switches without mounting pins (requiring a mount to the keyboard housing) are offered online. Versions with a direct mount for the PCB are only available from Cherry itself.”

In other words, Cherry is keeping a little bit of exclusivity for itself.

Oddly, Cherry is offering its developer kits (€40) only through etailer Reichelt Elektronik, although you can also buy its switches through Arrow Electronics and Greendich Enterprise.)

A final note: That dev kit page is quite informative for anyone who wants to better understand Cherry's product stack and SKU nomenclature.

The grab bag of new low-profile mechanical switches from Kaihua that we saw at Computex 2017 continue to emerge into the real world. Just a week or so after the company made its Kailh Choc PG1232 switches official, Kaihua released pictures of its intriguing PG1442 switches.

The 1442 switches have a scissor design, which is similar to, but not identical to, the (as yet unreleased) 1425 series. (You're reading that correctly: Kaihua is working on two separate low-profile mechanical scissor switches.) That's unique enough, but the other compelling part of the design is the light pipe.

On most mechanical switches, you'll find the LEDs at the top of the switch housing. This is why some keycap legends are positioned close to the top of the caps instead of in the center, and it's also why you often see slightly uneven underglow. Another limitation of that placement is that usually, secondary keycap legends are backlit unevenly. This is true even of "RGB" switches that have clear housings.

It's generally accepted that a centered, through-stem lighting design is superior, because the light is easier to control and is less messy. Perhaps oddly, though, it's rare to see it. One major vendor that uses such a design is Logitech, on its Romer-G switches, but major switch makers like Cherry and Kaihua have eschewed this design.

Also note that, obviously, these switches will not offer Cherry MX-compatible keycaps. Instead, they're meant for chiclet-style caps, which you can see in the images.

We do not yet have any specifications on these switches, unfortunately.

These 1442-series switches, then, are notable for multiple reasons: They're low profile (apparently a growing trend), have a scissor design, and use a light pipe. The fact that prototypes now exist--at Computex, remember, there were no prototypes to be seen on the show floor--means that Kaihua has now at least taken one step closer to turning them into a Real Thing.

The latest round of low-profile Kailh switches (no, not those), which we first saw at Computex this summer, are now officially available. We also have some specifications to share.

The new switches (Choc PG1232) feature a total travel of just 2.4mm (+/-0.5mm), with a pretravel of 1.2mm (+/-0.5mm). For such slim switches, they’re rather heavy--60gf (+/-15gf) at the click and 50gf (+/-) at the actuation point--although they bottom out with 70gf, which is a little lower than what you’ll find on most mechanical desktop switches.

For comparison, the low-profile PG1350 switches have a travel of 3mm (+/-0.5mm) and 1.5mm pretravel. Earlier, they were listed as requiring 60gf at the actuation point, but the official listing has them pegged at 50gf. It’s likely that, like the PG1232 switches, the clicky and tactile version of the PG1350 require 60gf at the bump.

The PG1232 switches promise a lifecycle of 25 million keypresses. We’re on record about how little the lifecycle ratings matter in real life, but in this case it’s worth noting that 25 million presses is half (or less) of the promised lifecycle of all other mechanical desktop switches. However, considering that a key application of these switches is in laptops, which consumers typically don’t hang onto for all that long, the 25M rating makes more sense. (Here’s a curveball, though: The PG1350 switches promise a lifecycle of 70 million presses.)

We do, however, expect some enterprising keyboard makers to develop standalone keyboards with these switches. Small shops are just starting to put these together, as evidenced by the Meira group buy and some other small projects that have begun to appear online. The Meira, though, uses Kaihua’s earlier slim switch, the PG1350. The PG1350 and PG1232 have compatible stems, though, so we could see there being a tiny niche for slim caps that aftermarket enthusiasts can apply to either switch.

For now, the PG1232 is available in White (clicky) only, but if there’s market demand, Kaihua said it will make additional colors/types, such as Red (linear) and Brown (tactile).

We’ve been wondering where we’d see some of Kaihua’s low-profile switches pop up, and perhaps predictably, they’re appearing in a project borne of the enthusiast keyboard community. WoodKeys is running a group buy for a keyboard called the Meira that uses the slim Kailh Choc (1350) switches that we first saw at Computex 2016. (These are not to be confused with the spate of new low-profile Kailh switches we saw at Computex 2017.)

As is often the case, this particular group buy won’t be for everyone, but it will certainly light up the eyes of a handful of enthusiasts. Meira is a 40% ortholinear keyboard (simply put, the keys are all aligned in a neat grid instead of staggered). In this case, it’s a 4x12 grid.

There’s Esc, Insert, Home, and Fn on the left side, with a few more necessary keys along the bottom row, including a Windows key. The arrow keys are arranged horizontally on the right bottom row. There are no number keys.

You can opt for any of the three Kailh Choc switch options--Red (linear), Brown (tactile), or White (clicky). You can opt for an LED pack to backlight these switches, and they’re individually addressable, but they’re limited to one color only for now. However, WoodKeys noted: “The firmware currently only supports setting a uniform backlight, but with the new driver it will support setting individual LEDs brighter (e.g., status indicators) and even animations. There are connections for WS2812 strips for RGB underglow as well.”

Because these switches don’t have the MX-compatible cross stem, keycap compatibility is an issue. However, by dint of the fact that this is supposed to be a particularly low-profile keyboard, you won’t want standard-height caps anyway. Instead, WoodKeys is working with NovelKeys on special Kailh caps for them. The caps are available in black or white (with no legends, for the bravest among us), black with white legends, or white with gray legends.

The images currently available don’t show a completed prototype, so you’ll have to use your imagination, but for the finished product you can opt for white PCB or stainless steel options for top and bottom plates.

There are various other options you can choose; just hit the page here to tick your preferred boxes. The total cost will depend on what you pick.

Although we still don’t have specifications for the upcoming Razer Purple optomechanical keyboard switch (we believe the specs are not yet finalized), we now have some renders to scrutinize.

Note that the overall design of the Razer Purple switch is quite a departure from standard designs. Instead of a simple, square switch housing with a stem, the Purple switch's housing is partially cut away, and in its place is some kind of extension of the stem. There's a metal arm attached to this part of the stem, and it appears to act as a stabilizer of sorts.

Even so, it maintains the Cherry cross stem top, so it should be compatible with aftermarket keycaps.

We're unsure what else that extended stem houses, and therein lies the great question. It seems that Razer has taken the same approach to optical sensing as A4tech, essentially. In both cases, there’s a beam of light shot horizontally across the shaft. In the A4tech (LK) design, the light is blocked by the stem, and when you press it down far enough, it allows the light to connect with the sensor to trigger actuation. Razer’s design seems to be the opposite: Actuation happens when you interrupt the light beam by pressing the switch stem down.

You can see the A4tech design here:

By contrast, other designs like Adomax’s Flaretech switches (which are used on the Wooting One analog keyboard) use a light source mounted on the PCB. That light shoots up vertically, then is bent 90 degrees to cross the shaft. The switch stem has a prism, and when that prism crosses the light beam, the light is shot 90 degrees (again) back down to a PCB-mounted photo sensor and actuates.

Because of the way they’re constructed, LK switches are optical but incapable of analog input, whereas Flaretech switches can be made to offer analog input (see Wooting One review link above).

Looking at Razer’s images, it’s difficult to ascertain whether or not this optical switch design can offer analog input. We’d need to know if there are reflective surfaces or prisms inside the stem and switch housing, and if so, how they function.

Razer has perhaps left things intentionally ambiguous with these images, but we do know that analog input is on the company’s roadmap, however distant. It’s also possible that Razer will alter the design before they debut--these are renders, after all, not photographs.

We’ll look forward to more details as they emerge.

Update, 8/22/17, 2:07pm PT: We now have renders of the new switch, which you can see above.

Original article, 8/22/17, 8:50am PT:

Another homegrown member is coming to Razer’s keyboard switch family later this year or early next. Dubbed the Razer Purple switch (for now, although it may end up with a different name when it comes to market), it’s going to be the company’s first foray into optical switch technology.

It’s more than just a switch, though; you can think of it as a platform onto which Razer will continue to build, and it’s the full realization of the company’s decision to develop its own production lines within switch-making factories.

When Razer started playing with making its own switches, all the company really did was build a near clone of Cherry MX Blue switches, using multiple manufacturers for the task. Then it added a tactile Orange switch (essentially a clone of the Cherry MX Brown). Eventually the company sought more control over the process and now has its own production lines within its partners’ factories.

Since then, it’s added the Yellow (linear) switch, the “mecha-membrane” switch, and a low-profile switch that’s made its way into a Razer Blade laptop.

The Purple Platform

To its credit, Razer has been unafraid to delve into experimental keyboard switch technology, and the Purple switch effort shows that in spades.

Essentially, when the optical Purple switch debuts, it will be the first of multiple generations for Razer. Before it pushes the boundaries of what an optical can do, Razer is planning to just focus on getting all the fundamentals as perfect as possible: characteristics, actuation, reset, consistency, tolerance, keyfeel, bounce/return, and so on.

Then, it will explore unlocking some of the benefits that optical switches can bring.

The Optical Advantage

Although optical switches and standard desktop mechanical switches are the same in that both use a plastic plunger mounted in a squarish housing, they have different sensing methods and are therefore implemented differently on keyboards. In the simplest of terms, whereas a standard mechanical switch has two metal contact points, an optical switch actuates when the plunger interrupts a light beam that emanates from the PCB.

For a primer on how optical switches work, head here, but the upshot is that because of the difference in construction, optical switches have some advantages.

For instance, there’s no soldering, so the switches can be hot swappable, which means you can easily swap different types of switches. For example, you could load up a keyboard with clicky switches or linear ones, or a mix (whatever your heart desires), and change it back whenever you feel like it, like on the Epic Gear Defiant keyboard.

Although we don’t have a way of testing it ourselves just yet, some optical switch makers claim that the inherent lack of metal debounce in optical switches makes them “faster.” We’ve also seen several demos of optical switch keyboards functioning underwater--in other words, you won’t nuke your expensive plank if you drop your water/beer/Mountain Dew on it.

Analog?

Most importantly, though, optical switches unlock the possibility of analog input on mechanical keyboards.

We’re on record that analog keyboard input could become enormously important to gamers, but so far, there are just two analog mechanical keyboards in existence. One is a promising prototype, the Aimpad R5 (why has no one bought that IP yet?), and the other is the Wooting One (full review here).

By dint of being a shipping product, Wooting has the advantage, but for all of the keyboard’s wonders, it still needs a bit of work. What analog technology needs is the focus of a big company with plentiful resources. Enter Razer.

Platform Patience

It’s surely exciting for gamers to imagine how quickly analog keyboard technology could accelerate once Razer gets behind it, but don’t hold your breath. As we mentioned above, Razer is pacing itself with the development of its optical switch platform.

Don’t expect first-gen Purple switches to have analog input, or ever hot-swap capabilities. They’re going to be fine switches, but it won’t be until the second or third generation that we’ll likely see more of the features that optical switches offer over and above what standard desktop switches do.

However, there’s a hidden advantage there, and that’s why we’re referring to this as a “platform:” Once the hardware is perfected, the technological upgrades can primarily come in the form of firmware and software updates--including analog capabilities. Therefore, it’s not at all unreasonable that we could see a Razer keyboard ship with first-gen Purple optical switches, and then you could keep that same keyboard and load up second-gen Purple switches when they’re available, or at some point install a big firmware update that enables analog sensing.

Finally, it’s important to note that Razer’s efforts on the standard desktop mechanical switch side of things will continue unabated. The new Purple optical platform will alongside the Razer Green, Orange, and Yellow switches.

What’s next for Razer and its keyboard switch skunkworks? Who knows, maybe we’ll see a version of the Hall Effect switch emerge at some point.

Three of the most important/most enjoyable/most interesting trends (you can decide which superlative you might apply) in mechanical keyboards right now surrounds analog input, compact designs (we see your TKL and raise you a 60% model), and ever-slimmer switches and chassis. All three are present in, and thanks to, Adomax’s latest Flaretech switch.

Like the super-slim Kailh and TTC switches we saw at Computex, the Flaretech Prism Slim Edition mechanical switches are designed for laptops and low-profile keyboards. They’re also optical switches (the Kailh or TTC switches are not, as far as we can tell), which means that they’re hot-swappable. Thus, if they populated a slim keyboard or a laptop keyboard, you can pop them out and drop in a different switch type (from the same brand, one presumes). For example, if you don’t want a clicky switch, you can swap it for a linear switch.

Again: This could be on your laptop.

Analog?

The other major feature that the Flaretech Prism Slim Edition switches could offer is analog input. We’ve waxed long about the virtues of analog input on mechanical keyboards, and it’s exciting to see mechanical switches come to gaming laptops (in an elegant way, finally), so the prospect of having slim mechanical switches on a gaming laptop that can offer analog input is, frankly, rather amazing.

We say “could,” though, because it’s not a certainty. Yet. We spoke with Calder Limmen of Wooting about these switches. (The Wooting crew was showing off their wares in the Adomax booth at Computex. Wooting, many readers may recall, uses the full-size Flaretech Prism switches in the Wooting One.) Limmen noted that although it should be feasible to offer analog input via the Slim Edition switches, they do have a slightly different way of tunneling the optical signal than their desktop counterparts. He hasn’t yet had the opportunity to fully test analog input with the new switches, so he didn’t want to confirm of disconfirm anything for certain.

Looking at a couple of side-by-side images (below), we don’t see much of a fundamental difference, although we’re looking at the underside of the switch, not the interior. However, the underside shot is informative to an extent, because it appears to have the same bits as its desktop variant. Below is a shot of the Flaretech Prism Slim Edition with the contrast dialed down so you can better see its parts:

Now, here’s an underside shot of the original (desktop) Flaretech Prism:

The way the optical sensing is done on the desktop Flaretech Prism switch is that a light beam, pointing up from the PCB, gets shot across the opening of the switch shaft. When you press the key, the switch stem descends, and when the prism interrupts the beam, it gets bent 90 degrees, down to the photo sensor (which is also mounted on the PCB).  

On both switches, you’ll note that there are two circular lenses. One pipes the light beam up into the switch housing, and the other is the lens through which the light is redirected back to the PCB. You can see that the lenses are laid out more or less the same way on the two switches.

Thus, we don’t see a reason why that same mechanism for enacting analog input couldn’t be implemented on the new slim switch, although we don’t know what different optical tunneling there is inside.

The new switch actually has 3mm of travel, which could also mean that, depending on how the switch is internally constructed, the Slim Edition could offer analog input that would occur across the same distance as the desktop switch. The Flaretech Prism gets you analog input starting at about 1.8mm into the travel, which means that you have 2.2mm worth of analog input (1.8 + 2.2 = 4mm, and 4mm is the total travel). It doesn’t engage right away because the prism doesn’t catch the light beam until the stem has been depressed a certain distance. Depending on which parts of the switch Adomax reduced in the Slim Edition, it may engage the analog input earlier and could thus give you that same 2.2mm (or thereabouts) of analog input, even though the total travel is 3mm to the desktop version’s 4mm.  

Also note that, physically speaking, the switch is designed to make keycaps quite stable. It has four stabilizing “pillars” or “posts,” one in each corner, plus one in the center. This way, even though the keycaps are incredibly thin chiclet-style caps, they should feel sturdy when you’re typing away.

Slim, And Small

Adomax had two keyboard design mockups in its booth. One was a fully dressed model, with an actual chassis that had the PCB nestled into it and the switches mounted on top of that. The other was a “naked” PCB with switches.

The full mockup was thin, to be sure, but not exceptionally so. If the switches had full-height caps, the whole thing would be nearly as thick as many of the slimmer full-size keyboards we’ve seen.

The PCB-exposed version, though, showed more promise. We weren’t able to measure precisely while on the show floor (we didn’t exactly bring our calipers to Taiwan), but our educated guess is that it’s under 10mm thick. That is ludicrously thin for a mechanical keyboard. Granted, once it’s enclosed in a chassis, the whole package will be thicker, but surely it would be similar to or slimmer than Tesoro’s slim mechanical keyboard, which is between 12-15.6mm thick.

And, of course, these are RGB switches. The LEDs on the PCB support RGB lighting, and the switch housings have transparent tops to let the light emanate from underneath the keycaps as well as through them.

Also note the layout. It’s not just that these are slim designs, like the aforementioned Tesoro keyboard; they’re also quite compact. Both of the models Adomax was showing off actually had 60% layouts--sort of. Because they maintain the F keys, they’re sort of a cross between 60% and 75% layouts. Really, they look like they’ve been designed for laptops.

And that’s kind of the whole point. These slim mechanical switches could be employed in super-slim standalone keyboards or dropped into numerous laptop designs--especially gaming laptops, which tend to have thicker chassis. As we’ve seen, you can already fit low-profile mechanical switches into of slim Nvidia Max-Q gaming laptops. What the Adomax Flaretech Prism Slim Edition switches promise is not just mechanical switches, but optical ones with (probably) analog input.

There’s no word on when we might see these designs come to life as actual products you can buy, but for a certain subset of users who crave thinness but also demand the typing experience that only mechanical switches can provide, they can’t come to market soon enough.

Although it still doesn’t have an official name (or all that many confirmed specs), Tesoro has a final version of its super-slim mechanical keyboard that we first saw at CES in January. Further, we found what we believe to be the reference design for the Tesoro keyboard at the iOne booth at Computex, and therefore we can extrapolate some key features and specs. (iOne is a factory, and every year it shows off new keyboard designs on the Computex show floor.)

We also believe that there will be a wireless version of this mechanical keyboard. (More on that below.)

The Reference Design

There are several reasons why we’re reasonably certain that the reference design we dug up at Computex--which bears the ungainly name “Scorpius-M15N-M155FL”--is what Tesoro is using for its yet-to-be-named device. First of all, you can look at the two side by side; there are zero discernible differences outside of the Tesoro branding in place of the iOne branding. Even the shape of the sides of the chassis are the same.

Second, Tesoro mentioned in our meeting that it’s added a bit of height to this final version of its super slim mechanical keyboard. At CES, we learned that it was 12mm thick; the specs on the Scorpius indicate that it’s 15.6mm thick.

Wireless Goodness

Third, and most exciting for some users, is the fact that Tesoro told us that it might release a wireless version of the slim mechanical keyboard, and although no such thing was on display at iOne’s booth, the other side of the Scorpius specs card revealed details on a Bluetooth variant called the Scorpius-M15BT. Presumably, then, when Tesoro said that it’s considering a wireless version, it’s more or less just deciding whether or not it wants to use this wireless version.

The keyboard will use Bluetooth 3.0, and it can connect to up to four Bluetooth-enabled devices at a time, including Macs, PCs, and Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. It promises a range of 10 meters. To preserve battery life, the keyboard will use Smart Intelligent Power Management, and it will rely on a rechargeable Li-Ion battery (or the detachable 1.8m micro-USB cable).

TTC Switches

The most notable change from the prototype Tesoro showed us in January to the one it had at Computex has to do with the switches. Gone are the Gaterons, and in their stead, Tesoro went with ultra low-profile TTC switches. The switches on the keyboard were TTC Blue, and we found the same on the iOne Scorpius model. (The spec card lists the Blue switch for the wireless version, too.) iOne calls this switch “tactic,” which appears to be an accidental sort of portmanteau/onomatopoeia of “clicky” and “tactile.”     

However, Tesoro is planning a Red switch option, so linear lovers (or clicky haters, perhaps), rejoice. Also note that these TTC switches have clear housings to show off the keyboard’s per-key RGB lights.

Tesoro did not provide specifications on the switches, but we obtained a few from iOne. We don’t know anything about the force, but we know that these clicky, tactile, low-profile Blue switches have a total travel of 3mm (+/-0.3mm) with a pretravel of 1.1mm (+/-0.4mm). Of note, the expected lifetime of the switch is rated for 20 million presses; that’s significantly less than the 50 million+ you see from other mechanical switches, although it will take you quite a while to hit 20 million presses, so we wouldn’t be concerned about that.

Another major player in the slim-profile mechanical switch market is Kaihua. It seem we have a competition brewing.

Some Specs

For some of the detailed specs on the keyboard, we’ll have to look at the iOne version and extrapolate, but we assume that most if not all of these other features will be present on the final Tesoro plank:

-Five profile keys-Embedded media keys-Macro instant recording (no software)-Five brightness levels-Six preset lighting modes (Wave, Lighting, Breathing, Trigger, Explosion, Spectrum) -Built-in “4M bit” flash memory-NKRO with 6KRO toggle-PC/Game Mode toggle

Tesoro did mention that its keyboard will be accompanied by software., which is getting completely redesigned and will include a full suite of capabilities--macros, key bindings, granular lighting controls, and so on.

The Tesoro version will be available in black or white when it become available in Q4 2017. The cost, for now, will be about $170.

A year ago, we found that Kaihua had developed a line of low-profile mechanical switches that were designed for laptops. This year at Computex, the switch maker significantly expanded those offerings to include three more separate low-profile switch series.

We don’t have exact specs on any of the new switches at this time because that information wasn’t available at Kaihua’s Computex booth, and the catalog the company had to hand out includes only the 1350 series that we saw last year. An online search yielded nothing useful.

There’s a new iteration on that same 1350 design (model series 1232). The primary difference, we were told, is that the new version is a bit shallower. We actually wonder if the 1232 will simply replace the 1350 in this next cycle. In any case, one of these--most likely the 1350--populates the MSI GT75VR gaming laptop.

Running With Scissors

Further, both are similar in structure and design to regular desktop switches; for the most part, it’s just that every component has been made thinner. However, with a new series, the 1425, Kaihua tried something different and pulled off a clever trick. The 1425 is basically a mechanical scissor switch. Each switch has scissor arms, but there’s also a mechanical switch at the core. The kicker? The whole assembly is 90 degrees from where you’d expect it; so instead of the plunger and spring moving up and down vertically, it appears they move horizontally.

There are two benefits to this design. First, it enabled Kaihua to push the size of the switch assembly down to 4.2mm (not including the 1mm-or-so thick cap), which will fit slightly better into a laptop or super-slim keyboard than its other notebook switches. Second, the scissor design is one with which users and laptop OEMs alike are already comfortable, which may make them an easier sell.

Let There Be Light

Kaihua has a third new type of laptop switch (the 1442 series), but the company didn’t have any samples on the show floor. In fact, the only reason we know of it now is because we spotted a graphic of it up on the wall--Kaihua reps hadn’t even brought it up in our conversation.

This switch also uses the scissor design, but instead of the sideways spring mechanism of the 1425, it’s vertically oriented. It offers through-stem lighting, which means that this particular switch would deliver superior backlighting.

Representatives would not state one way or another if they’re close to sealing deals with any peripherals or laptop makers to use any of these new switches, but they certainly have their eye on the MacBook. (The below is just a render.)

From what we saw at Computex this week, the mechanical laptop switch game is escalating, and Kaihua is taking it to a whole new level.

Update, 5/18/17, 7:13am PT: In the original version of this article, we did not have a force curve graph for the Halo Clear switches. We've now acquired it, included it below, and added to/adjusted the copy accordingly.

Original article, 5/17/17, 5pm PT:

Disclaimer: Members of the Input Club have written for Tom’s Hardware.

Update, Mechanical keyboard enthusiasts are always keen on new switches, and the Input Club has served up two more. Released along with its K-Type keyboard, the two new switches were designed by Jacob Alexander of the Input Club and are manufactured by Kaihua Electronics, which makes Kailh switches.

Halo True

The Halo True is intended to improve upon the Cherry MX-style slider. On its Halo True page, the Input Club describes it thusly:

The true innovation invented with the Halo is the recreation of an entirely smooth curve, combined with a lack of pre-load or tension on the spring at rest. With normal switches, there is a small amount of friction present when you first press down. With the Halo, this is largely absent and you are able to enjoy a smooth press from beginning to end.

The Input Club basically wanted to build a switch that’s as smooth as a Topre switch but eschews Topre’s conical spring for a more Cherry-ish design. You can see the force curve of the Halo True here:

Just as we draw some conclusions from our own switch testing, you can see quite a bit in the Input Club’s Halo True force curve. Although this is a tactile switch, the overall curve looks relatively smooth. Note, for instance, that the peak force is about 60gf, but the actuation point (which is well after the peak tactile force) is just 52gf. That’s a delta of just 8gf.

Further, just after the actuation point, the force bumps up to about 62-64gf. Thus, if you were to draw a line from the peak of the tactile bump to the beginning of that force increase, it would be a nice, gentle slope.

Also note that this is a fairly heavy switch; 60gf on the peak of the tactile and 52gf at actuation is significant enough, but the Halo True requires a whopping 100gf to bottom out. This, compared to Logitech’s Romer-G switches, which we discovered had a peak force of ~48gf, actuation force of ~43gf, and bottom-out force of only ~60gf.

It's also important to bear in mind, though, that the Input Club designed this switch so that you don't need to bottom out. The design, in fact, specifically encourages you not to bottom out the switch, so you have a nice, bouncy keyfeel when typing.

Halo Clear

The Halo Clear switches are designed to have the same spring weight as the Cherry MX Clears with the smoothness (the Input Club calls it a “velvety sensation”) of the Halo slider. In other words, the two Halo switches have the same slider but different springs.

The Halo Clear, you may have surmised, has a clear switch housing for RGB lighting. The Input Club stated, “This switch was invented for the K-Type, to fill the void made a lack of RGB capable switches similar the Cherry MX Clear.” 

The Halo Clear has much lower spring force and bottom-out force than the Halo True, so you can expect to bottom out these switches more. It's also interesting that although the switch specs indicate a full travel of 4mm, the force curve chart above shows that the travel ends a little closer to ~3.7-3.8mm.

This switch will have a much more tactile keyfeel than the Halo True. The peak tactile force is at 65gf, and it dips all the way down to ~47-48gf just before actuation. Then, right at the actuation point, the force bumps up again to about 60gf.

Both switches are currently available only on the K-Type, which you can order from MassDrop (for the next thirteen days or so). However, eventually you may be available to acquire batches of the switches so you can build your own keyboard with them.

How We DON'T Test

But before we dig into our testing methodology, it's more enlightening to start off by explaining what we don't do, and why.

How NOT To Test Switches

Some have tried to measure switch actuation and performance using tiny weights, and even in some cases, coins like nickels and dimes. This method is wholly inaccurate, for multiple reasons.

First, there is the issue of balance. Every key cap is shaped in a certain way, and maintaining the balance of multiple weights placed on top of them affects the measurement; it's far too easy for the weight to be off-center. Second, because the weight required to actuate a switch is so minute - often around 50g - the added force of placing (which amounts to dropping) even tiny <1g weights can throw off the measurement.

Some have tried to measure switch height (the distance to actuation, the switch travel and the depth of the rebound) with calipers. This can be somewhat accurate, but in our vetting process, we felt that, again, because of how tiny that distance is, human error made this method of testing too unreliable. Consider that the full path of a switch's travel is only a couple of millimeters; manually measuring to the tenth of a millimeter with any reliability is next to impossible.

In our own testing using a set of reasonably quality calipers, the results we collected were inconsistent. Further, testing is complicated by the inability of the tool to reach all of the keys, and without the ability to test more than a few on any given board, the results, even if they were accurate, would fail to provide sufficient data from which to draw any conclusions.

Why We Don't Test Key Caps

We know that many users are keen to test the durability of key caps - specifically, the printed characters. There are multiple ways of adding characters to key caps, and they each have their pros and cons. It makes some sense to perform abrasion testing to the key caps, and applying abrasion is simple enough. However, at this time, we have decided not to attempt abrasion testing. This is because although such testing would provide data, we're not convinced that it would offer relevant or actionable information. Besides, keycap wear is more likely to occur from dissolution (eg, the oils from your fingers) than abrasion.

Abrasion testing does not reproduce the normal, day-to-day wear and tear of fingers on a keyboard, and it offers no sense of longevity. For example, if the printing on one key cap lasts for 10 minutes under duress before fading, and another lasts for 12 minutes under the same conditions, you come away knowing that one lasts longer than the other, but nothing about how long the printing will last in real life. Maybe the former would hold up for five years, and the latter for five years and six months. One is "better" than the other, but it's possible that the "worse" of the two is actually more than sufficiently durable. Therefore, that data is not useful to you, the reader, prior to your purchase.

Longevity Simply Takes Too Long

One aspect of switch testing that would be of benefit to readers is confirming (or debunking) common switch maker claims of switch longevity. Typically, switches are rated for tens of millions of keypresses. Testing these claims is beyond the scope of normal reviews, though. Even with a proper fatigue testing machine, it would take months to reach, say, 50 million clicks on a single keyboard's worth of switches. (For reference, there are approximately only 31 million seconds in one year.)

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How We Test

Historically, “testing” of switches has been woefully unscientific. In an effort to bring a more science-based and data-driven approach to evaluating switches, we run our keyboards (as well as samples of loose switches) through a machine called a texture analyzer. In our case, we specifically use the TA.XT Plus from Texture Technologies.

Texture analyzers are used in a variety of fields for a variety of purposes, but it’s ideal for testing keyboard switches. Simply put, we place a keyboard on the texture analyzer’s plate. We push a button to activate the test, which consists of a probe that descends, presses a key, and then retracts. Using its proprietary software, the texture analyzer records the data of the keypress and outputs it to a file. We gather that data and input it into our own template to generate our charts.

It records the force required to depress and release the key (all through the travel and rebound) and the distance the switch travels. These metrics together give us what’s called a force curve.

We perform the same test on every switch on every keyboard. For stabilized keys, we also run the test with the probe positioned directly above each point of stabilization. For example, the spacebar gets three runs: on the left side (above the stabilizer), in the middle (above the switch), and on the right (above the other stabilizer).

To ensure accuracy, we’re careful to position the keyboard in such a way that it cannot wobble, which could throw off the measurements to a certain degree. We also manually and forcefully press each key multiple times before running any tests to ensure that all key caps are firmly seated - sometimes key caps on shipped keyboards are slightly loose, and loose key caps return test results that appears as outliers.

Setting the test parameters is important, for safety and practical reasons. The probe is quite strong; for example, if you get your hand caught underneath it while it’s descending, you’ll end up with gelatin for an appendage. Therefore, in order to avoid sending the probe cracking through a keyboard, we set the test parameters carefully. We capped the force such that we knew for sure that the travel would complete, but not so much that we were jeopardizing the integrity of the keyboard.

You can also set the speed of the probe. It can depress and the release the key over the course of many seconds, or perform a rapid press, as if you just tapped the key with your finger. However, the faster the press, they less data the machine acquires about the keyfeel. A fast probe will show a smooth line; a slower probe will be more jagged, and that tells us something about how smooth the shaft actually is. There is an “nth degree” to this, though; if you set the probe to go too slowly, the force curve becomes so jagged as to be almost unreadable.

Therefore, we settled on a test speed that captures enough of the key feel for us to draw some conclusions. The press is two seconds (the release is a little faster). Each test run produces the force curve of one switch and collects around 100 data points per millimeter of travel, total. Because there are over 100 individual keys on a full-size keyboard, then, testing a keyboard with switches that have 4mm of travel generates approximately 40,000 data points.

Understanding Switch Terms

The terms used to describe switches include:

• Pretravel - The distance from the beginning of a keypress to the actuation point.
• Actuation point - The point at which the switch triggers a keypress event. The pretravel ends at the actuation point.
• Actuation force - The amount of force required to push the switch down to the actuation point.
• Tactile point (depending on the switch type) - The point in the key travel where the tactile bump is located.
• Tactile force (depending on the switch type) - The peak force required to push the switch past the physical “bump” in the key travel.
• Full travel - The distance from the beginning of a key press to the bottom of the key travel.
• Bottom-out force - The amount of pressure required to push the switch to the bottom of the key travel.
• Reset point - The point at which the switch stops registering a keypress. The switch must cross this point after a keypress before the switch can be actuated again.
• Key feel - A description of the relative sensations when operating a switch. For example, if it feels smooth or scratchy, light or heavy, or if the tactile bump is sharp or gradual, strong or weak, etc.
• Hysteresis - The delta between the actuation point and reset point.

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What Our Machine Does NOT Measure

It’s important to understand what the texture analyzer can tell us, and what it can’t. It cannot measure actuation point, pretravel, some aspects of the rebound, nor switch lifetime.

Actuation point is one of the more misunderstood switch metrics. For example, with a tactile switch, you’ll see a bump in the force curve; it stands to reason that the bump is the actuation point, right? But those are unrelated; the tactile bump is caused by a part of the switch mechanism that might not be the same part as the one responsible for registering a keypress. In the vast majority of keyboard switches, the part that causes the tactile bump and the part that facilitates actuation are not one and the same, and as a result they don’t generally coincide 100%. Actuation may happen at virtually any point in the key travel, technically. You can see that here:

This brings us to another important clarification regarding the actuation point: There’s a difference between when the switch actuates (triggers a digital event) and when a character appears on your monitor. This process requires a longer explanation, but in a nutshell, when you press a key, at some point the switch actuates; it sends a digital signal across the PCB and into the MCU; then it goes from the MCU, across another path on the PCB, to the USB bus; and from there the signal flows through the keyboard cable and into the computer, where it’s processed and tells the computer to produce the character on the screen.

All of this happens extremely fast - but there is a certain amount of lag. A texture analyzer is incapable of such a measurement; to do so requires measuring electrical signals, and it would also require precise knowledge of where in the key travel the switch sends the electrical signal. Therefore, we cannot measure the actuation point using a texture analyzer.

If we cannot precisely determine the actuation point, then we cannot accurately measure pretravel, because the pretravel ends at the actuation point.

Further, the texture analyzer cannot measure switch lifetime. We stated earlier in this article why the switch lifetime claims from switch manufacturers are mostly pointless marketing spin. (In short: The vast majority of users will never reach 50 million keypresses in the time they own and use a keyboard, so whether a switch is rated for 50 million, 60 million, or 80 millions presses is meaningless in real life.) In any case, testing those claims is an impossible task for a texture analyzer like the one we use. It requires an incredibly expensive piece of factory equipment that presses all the keys on a keyboard fast enough and over a long enough period of time to measure any claims about switch lifetime.

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Issue Concerning Rebound

Although the texture analyzer does measure the switch rebound, we discovered that there is an issue with our testing method that throws off the measurement slightly.

Note that in our charts, at the end of the key travel there’s a sharp upward spike in the force measurement. This spike is where the probe found the end of the key travel and encountered resistance. (Because of this spike, we can look at the raw data and determine the end point of each switch’s key travel.)

Bear in mind that switches are made of plastic, which is of course a material that compresses, and further, the probe can apply high amounts of force and can flex even a sturdy metal backplate. Therefore, the spiked portion of the line measures the force the probe applied and the distance the probe traveled, not necessarily the force and distance of the switch, because the probe will continue to depress (and compress) the switch far beyond what human fingers can.

When the probe retracts, the force drops down from that spike. By looking at where the spike ends, we can also find where the rebound of each switch begins, and the texture analyzer measures the force and distance of the rebound.

For individual switch measurements, this is not an issue. In the graphs, you can plainly see where the travel ends (at the beginning of the spike) and where the rebound begins (at the end of the spike). Looking at the raw data, we can further pinpoint the end of the travel and the beginning of the rebound.

However, when we combine all the switch data together to look for a median, we encountered two problems, because we were comparing raw data line-by-line.

Because the ends of the travel are all slightly different switch-to-switch, and the amount of force/distance during the spike was slightly different switch-to-switch, the beginning of the rebound switch-to-switch didn’t line up well at all.

This first problem is easily solved by identifying the ends of the travel for each switch and the beginning of the rebounds of each switch and aligning them. However, this method leaves some small gaps in the data that we had to account for.

The second problem is that, upon close examination of our raw data, we discovered that the distance measurements, switch-to-switch, no longer aligned precisely once the switches begin their rebounds.

For example, below is a spreadsheet showing measurements of multiple switches on the keypress - note that the distance is identical across all cells, and thus the distances between each measurement are uniform:

But during the rebound, those same switches give us data like this (below). Note that some of the distances are different across the cells, and also the distances between each measurement are not uniform:

Were the deltas between each distance measurement still uniform, our solution to the first problem (manually aligning the beginning of each switch’s rebound) would solve this second problem. But because the deltas are not uniform, it cannot.

Therefore, in looking at the median performance of a given set of switches, we have had to sacrifice a small amount of precision (artificially filling in gaps in measurements) for the sake of accuracy (better showing the median of the ends points and of the rebound beginnings). Further, because of our current testing procedure, the data showing the median of the full rebound is also accurate switch-to-switch but not precise as a true median.

Again, none of the above affects the measurements and graphs of the individual switches, including the rebound. However, because we use the median of all the switches as a baseline from which to evaluate tolerances and spot outliers, this means that we will refrain from making any evaluative determinations about switch rebound performance.

Further, these differences, we should point out, are fairly minute - often a matter of less than a tenth of a millimeter - but even so, we want to be careful about making judgments without precise, objective measurements.

Still, our rebound data is instructive in some ways. For example, it shows the force curve of the rebound of each switch, and that’s informative. And if there are any aberrations in the force curve of the rebound of any particular switch, such as a particularly ugly dip or spike, that’s also useful data.

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What Our Machine DOES Measure

There is much, however, the texture analyzer tests can tell us.

Switch Consistency

At a glance, you can see the consistency of a given set of switches - for our purposes, that’s all of the standard switches on a given keyboard, for example. Because we can plot the force curve of each and every switch in a batch of tests, we can detect any outliers, and we can see how tight the tolerances are.

The at-a-glance approach is a bit unscientific if you’re comparing one batch of switches to another, but it is informative, and we can drill down to look at specifics. See the chart below:

Note that a few force curves are clear outliers, with a cluster that’s above the median (the red line), whereas for the most part, the switches show a fairly tight grouping. Because we have hundreds of data points for each of those curves, we can look at the raw data to see where and how an individual switch deviates.

With enough data, we can therefore examine the quality and consistency of a given switch type. If we test multiple batches of Switch Type X and find that 50% of the switches are outliers, whereas perhaps only 1% of Switch Type Y are outliers, we can draw some conclusions about Switch Type Y versus Switch Type X.

Force

The force required to depress a switch (at the various points in its travel) is just as important as the distance of the travel. Both speak to the overall keyfeel switch-to-switch, and just as some gamers and typists may prefer deeper or shallower travel, they’ll also prefer “lighter” or “heavier” switches. (“Lighter” and “heavier” here refer to how much force you must apply to a switch to begin a press, actuate, get over any tactile bump, and bottom out the key press.)

The force also speaks to the consistency of switches.

The texture analyzer measures the force throughout a key press. Although as stated above, we cannot accurately measure actuation force nor actuation, we can cross reference some distance events in the key travel with the force required at those points. For example, it’s clear where the key travel begins on a force curve, so we can extrapolate the force required to begin the key press. We can also find the peak of the tactile bump on a force curve and see the force required to get past it:

We can also determine actuation force - sort of. As stated above, it’s impossible for the texture analyzer to detect the actuation point, but if we take the manufacturer's specification at its word, we can assume that the actuation point is where the manufacturer says it is in the key travel, and from that we can determine the actuation force. For example, if the spec says that the actuation point is at 2mm, we can simply look at the force being applied at the 2mm mark. Therefore, although this method assumes one metric based on a stated spec, if we trust the spec, we can measure the second metric.

So then, we can measure force throughout the entire key travel and examine it at parts of the travel, such as the tactile bump (where applicable), at the end of the key press (bottom-out force), and even at the (specified but not measured) actuation point.

Total Travel

We can’t measure pretravel because we can’t measure the actuation point, but as we discussed above, we can measure the total travel of the switch. It’s quite clear where the travel ends, because the force spikes upward suddenly, so examining that spot in the travel of any key tells us where the travel ends. (The same applies to the beginning of the rebound.)

Outliers

Because we can measure aspects of force and travel, we can spot any switches that are outliers (that is, they’re clearly out of sync in terms of force and/or travel compared to any individual switches) and also find the median of all switches.

Stabilizer Performance

Because we can measure aspects of force and travel for individual switches and also determine the median of all switches, we can measure stabilizer (and stabilized key) performance against those metrics and also against any stabilizers/stabilized keys from other keyboards.

Hysteresis

In the debates about which switch is better for what (often, it’s around the best switch for gaming), hysteresis is an oft-overlooked factor.

Simply put, hysteresis is the delta between where a switch actuates and where it resets. Once you actuate a switch, you can’t press it again until after it resets.

For example, let’s say you have a switch with 4mm total travel. If the switch actuates at 2mm into the travel but resets at 1mm - so, it has to travel 3mm back from the bottom-out point to reset - the switch has to rebound 1mm past the actuation point before it can be pressed again. Compare that to a switch with an actuation point and reset point that are at the same location in the key travel (let’s say both are 2mm). The former has a large hysteresis, but the latter has none at all.

Although for the reasons we stated previously, we can’t actually measure hysteresis on a given switch, we can see where a switch’s hysteresis is set to occur based on the switch’s stated specifications. Further, if we take the switch spec as a given and compare that to our measurements, we can get an overall picture of where the hysteresis occurs relative to the tactile bump. For example, if a given switch type has actuation and reset points that are identical, but the tactile bump is further back in the travel, we can note that the tactile bump and actuation/reset points don’t align, which is important in determining keyfeel.

Key Feel

The keyfeel gives you an idea of what it feels like to press a key. Although often discussed in a subjective manner (and the interpretation of a keyfeel as positive or negative is wholly subjective), force curves give us detailed information on what you expect the switches to actually feel like in the flesh. For example, if a tactile bump goes from very high to very low, you’ll experience a large force difference across it, meaning the tactile force is strong, whereas a small difference is indicative of weak tactility. If the dip after the tactile force is very sudden, the tactility will feel sharp and more apparent compared to that of a more gradual dip. Rubber dome keyboards have especially rounded and gradual tactile bumps, for example.

Similarly, the force curves can tell us about the degree of linearity of a switch. If the force curve is essentially linear except with a slight distortion in it for a tactile bump, the switch will feel, for the most part, linear. Conversely, if the force curves’ lines don’t really line up, you can expect the keyfeel to be less linear and more tactile.

The slope of the force curve, and at what force it begins and ends, give you information about the weighting of the keyfeel, as well as its springiness. A force curve that comes practically from the origin will feel more gradual and springy than a force curve that is essentially flat. Similarly, the length of the force curve gives us information about the key travel; a short curve means a short travel.

The jaggedness of the line is a by-product of switch smoothness, and can therefore be used as a rough estimate of how smooth or scratchy the keyfeel is. The jaggedness comes from micro-hangs in the keyfeel caused by rough textures sliding over each other. Smooth surfaces will experience these hangs less and will produce a smoother, less jagged force curve.

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“Naked” Versus Capped

In our preliminary evaluations, we had to determine whether it was accurate and fair to test switches with key caps on or off. This was further going to be an issue because we test switches mounted on keyboards and also “loose” switches placed into a tester backplate. The latter, of course, have no key caps.

We tested numerous switches at random, performing the probe test on the same switch with the key cap on and with it off. We found no substantive differences between those results.

By testing with caps on, we have the ability to get some insight on whether and to what extent switch test results are affected by slightly wider keys. For example, although the Tab key is not wide enough to require a stabilizer, it is slightly wider than a standard key. By testing with the cap on and comparing that result to the rest of the switches, we could see if the cap affects any of the results.

Additionally, testing with key caps on also allows us to test the performance of the stabilizers.

Another practical issue is that because a switch stem is small, it can be tricky to align the probe correctly above it. If the probe is off center just a bit, the pressure and distance tests could be thrown off slightly.

For those reasons, we opted to run the tests with the key caps on when possible, and as stated above, we manually and firmly pressed each key to ensure that the key caps were all firmly seated to avoid any inaccurate results from loose caps.

When we test loose switches with no caps, we spend significantly more time aligning the probe correctly than we need to when testing capped switches.

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Relating Switch Testing To Keyboards

Testing keyboards and testing switches are actually rather different tasks, although they relate to one another. As we’ve said, there’s only so much a keyboard maker can do to change the force curves or performance of a batch of switches they buy from a supplier. However, there are some aspects to consider:

Binning

Some keyboard makers bin the batches of switches they purchase. That means they run their own internal QA on them and dispose of the ones they deem of insufficient quality. Other keyboard makers do not. For the latter, this is a cost-saving measure; it takes time, money, and resources to bin switches, and those costs end up affecting the price tags of the final products. By not binning their switches, though, keyboard makers risk allowing substandard switches on their keyboards.

We know that binning is a common practice of some keyboard makers, especially when it comes to Kailh switches. If you ever notice that some keyboards will be marketed as having “[Company name] certified switches,” that’s a clue that the switches on those keyboards have been binned.

Therefore, it makes sense to test common switches - say, Kailh Blues - on an individual keyboard as opposed to only testing a set of random Kailh Blue switches and extrapolating and applying that data to individual keyboards. (Other factors may affect switch performance on keyboards, such as the type of top or back panel a keyboard has. Although we have not yet determined a reliable method for comparing backplate types, we know that there are differences, and so when we collate all data on a given switch culled from both multiple keyboards and loose switches, we can label and parse data based on backplate type if necessary).

Proprietary Switches

Some keyboard makers have adopted the practice of putting their own branded switches on their keyboards. Razer is perhaps the most prominent example with its Razer Green, Yellow, and Orange switches, but others such as Das Keyboard (Alpha-Zulu) and Epic Gear (EG MMS) do the same thing.

In some cases, those companies are quite secretive about the source of their branded switches. Others are more forthcoming, such Logitech, which has been clear that it co-developed its Romer-G switches with Omron.

In virtually all cases of branded switches, though, you can be assured that they’ve been made by a switch manufacturer, not the keyboard maker. In some instances, the keyboard maker has worked with the switch maker to build the switches with its own slightly different specifications. Therefore, although a proprietary switch may be manufactured by X switch maker, the specification on the proprietary switch may be different from the specifications on X switch maker’s standard switches.

Because of the proprietary nature of some of those switches, many individual keyboards are the only one or two devices in existence equipped with those particular switches. In that sense, evaluating a Razer keyboard with the company’s own switches and evaluating the Razer Green, Orange, and Yellow switches is essentially the same task.

Buying In Bulk (Or Not)

Finally, although you can purchase batches of loose switches, some are harder to acquire than others. Loose Cherry MX switches, for example, are widely available and easy to find, whereas loose Kailh switches are much harder to come by. You can buy bags of switches from some other brands as well, but others - such as the proprietary ones mentioned above - are available only on the keyboards that ship from those keyboard makers. Thus, in order to test a specific proprietary switch, you would have to first desolder them from the keyboard they shipped on.

For our purposes, we acquired numerous loose switches; some we purchased, whereas for others we had to request batches from the switch maker(s). For the rest of the switch types we've sought to test, we were limited to the switches that came mounted on a given company’s keyboard(s).

So then, for individual keyboard reviews, we look at the switches on that particular keyboard; in some cases, we may be able to compare that keyboard’s switches with other data we have on the same switch type. For example, if we review Keyboard X with Cherry MX Brown switches, we can look at the switch performance on Keyboard X and then could compare that to the data we’ve gathered from all Cherry MX Brown switches - including any loose Cherry MX Brown switches we tested.

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In recent months, Kaihua (maker of Kailh mechanical keyboard switches) has developed no fewer than eight new switches. Four of them are “speed” switches, and four are designed to be waterproof and dustproof--handy for sloppy gamers, sure, but ideal for industrial environments.

Speed Switches: Silver, Copper, Gold, And Thick Gold (Or is it Platinum?)

It seems that Kaihua doesn’t want to miss out on the speed switch phenomenon; there's a handful of switches out there designed with shorter actuation and travel than standard Cherry switches, and they're all fairly new.

For example, there’s Cherry’s own linear Speed switch and Razer’s new linear Yellow switch. Both follow Logitech’s lead with its Romer-G switches. Whereas standard Cherry and Kailh switches have actuation around 2mm and full travel of 4mm, all of the above actuate earlier in the key travel (1.2 to 1.5mm) and have a shallower overall travel (3 to 3.5mm).

Kaihua, though, saw fit to create four "speed" switches: Gold, Silver, Copper, and--well the name of the last one is actually debatable. In a document we acquired, the fourth switch is referred to as “Platinum,” but the online listing calls it “Thick Gold.” We’re going to operate under the assumption that the published listing is probably correct, but it is interesting to see that Kaihua was likely fiddling with the name up until the last minute. (Of note: There’s nothing extra thick about the Thick Gold switch.)

One could argue that the final decision (Thick Gold) and the penultimate option (Platinum) are equally problematic. The colors of platinum and silver are too similar, as are the colors of gold and, er, gold. However, the Thick Gold is actually not quite gold; it’s more of a light brown--bronze, perhaps. In fact, our friends at the Input Club skipped Kaihua’s confusing nomenclature altogether and called the Platinum/Thick Gold switch “Bronze.” (Ack, that’s awfully close to Copper though, isn’t it?)

We digress. Two of Kaihua’s new switches are tactile and clicky, one is linear, and one is tactile. All of the switches have a total travel of 3.5mm.

A quick glance at the table below makes it seem as though these switches are all more or less the same, but upon closer inspection, there are key differences.

First, note the differences between pretravel and pressure point. Pretravel is simply the distance from the beginning of the key press to the actuation point. On the tactile and clicky switches, though, there is also a pressure point, which is where you feel the bump.

On the Gold switch, the pressure point is right at 1mm, but the switch doesn’t actuate until 1.4mm. The Copper switch is the reverse of the Gold switch: It actuates early in the travel (1.1mm), but the tactile bump doesn’t come until 1.4mm. By contrast, the Thick Gold switch’s actuation point and pressure point are at the exact same spot in the travel--1.1mm.

Further note how light the Silver and Copper switches are--both require just 40gf to actuate, which is a hair lighter than other popular linear switches that actuate at 45gf.

To understand where the Kailh speed switches fit in with others on the market, here’s a concise, handy comparison:

BOX x4

The other four new Kailh switches all bear the “BOX” moniker. Whereas the Kailh speed switches are meant to compete directly with other “speedy” switches, and maintain the cross stem design to ensure compatibility with aftermarket key caps, the BOX switches are a different animal entirely.

Primarily, the difference is the “box” design. Instead of the cross stem just sticking up, there’s--well, a box--around it. The box extends to the contact plate and leaf, and the whole thing is designed to keep out dust and avoid corrosion-causing moisture. It’s rated for IP56 protection.

It also has a transparent top and what looks like room for an LED on each one.

The weights are nothing new--this is what you would normally expect from a Red, Brown, Blue (in this case, White), and Black switch--but the slightly shallow pretravel of 1.8mm and total travel of 3.6mm make these speed-ish switches. Further, their reset points are all right at the actuation points, so they’re made for rapid key presses.

Availability

To borrow the metaphor, if a manufacturer makes a switch, but no keyboard makers use it, does it truly exist? These are rather new switches, so it’s not surprising that we haven’t seen a raft of keyboard announcements with these switches in tow. However, we do know that the speed switches are coming to at least one keyboard manufacturer--a Korean brand called Hansung. The BOX switches (or at least the BOX White switches) are currently available on a keyboard from China’s DareU called the EK835.

There’s no word on when keyboards packing the new Kailh switches might find their way to North America.

For reasons unknown to us, keyboard makers are often squirrely, if not downright secretive, about who makes their keyboard switches--unless they use Cherry, in which case it’s stamped all over the packaging and marketing materials. Tesoro fell into that camp somewhat with its optical switch keyboard, but now we know that the company worked with Gateron to design and build those switches.

At Computex last year, we spotted a prototype optical Tesoro keyboard using optical switches, which were actually prototype switches made by Gateron. Then, when we learned that Tesoro was making an optical-switch version of its Gram Spectrum keyboard, it only made sense that the switches were the final version of the Gaterons we’d just seen. However, Tesoro disconfirmed that theory, leaving us scratching our heads as to what company was making them.

Then, we saw a super-slim, chiclet-style Tesoro mechanical keyboard prototype at CES. We presumed that the low-profile switches were made by Kailh, but then we later learned that these were actually Gateron switches, made in partnership with Tesoro.

We thought it odd that Tesoro was working directly with Gateron on one type of switch but not another, especially considering the presence of the optical Gateron switches in Tesoro’s suite at Computex. It turns out that we were right all along: The Tesoro Excalibur SE Spectrum does indeed have Gateron-made optical switches after all.

What’s more, Tesoro and Gateron partnered up to make them. A Tesoro rep let us know that the two companies were on a quest to make a better optical switch than the one Gateron originally worked on.

These co-developed optical switches are Cherry compatible, meaning you can easily find aftermarket keycaps for them, and what’s more, they’re hot-swappable.

A final note of intrigue: Even though Tesoro was involved in the development of the switches, it does not have an exclusive on them. That means any other keyboard maker interested in optical switch technology now has another option in Gateron to compete with the likes of Adomax and Flaretech.

MORE:What Are Optical Keyboard Switches, And How Do They Work?

MORE:Behold, The Rise Of The Optical Mechanical Keyboard Switch

Recently, Razer announced its third desktop mechanical keyboard switch, the Yellow linear switch, which was arguably a long overdue addition to its stable. The switches are available on the new Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2, which is under our fingertips right now.

We already wrote about the BlackWidow Chroma V2 (with Razer Orange switches), and everything we said there applies here; the only difference is that we now have a version with the linear Yellow switches. (We noticed that when we first plugged the keyboard in, the LEDs lit up in yellow before gently cycling through the RGB spectrum. Whether Razer intended that as an intentional wink or not, it gave us a chuckle.)

What’s most notable about the Yellow switches is that in terms of specs, they have more in common with the Cherry MX Speed switch than MX Red or Kailh Red switches.

Subjectively, the Razer Yellow switches feel somewhere in between Speed and Red switches. To me, Red switches feel firmer than Speed switches, and in that regard, the Razer Yellow switch has more in common with the former than the latter--but of course, in terms of actuation and travel, it most closely resembles Speed switches.

We can’t be 100% certain without desoldering a switch, but we’re reasonably certain that the Yellow switches on this particular BlackWidow Chroma V2 are Greetech-made.

In comparing the Razer Green, Orange, and Yellow switches to one another, it struck us that the Orange and Yellow switches sound the same, but at different pitches. You can hear all three Razer switches in the video above--first on three keyboards, and then on a handy little tester plate that Razer sent along.

Razer has been pushing its own Razer Green (clicky) switch, and to a lesser extent its silent Orange switch, but now it’s produced the Yellow switch to appeal to gamers who demand linear action.

As implied by that introduction, the Yellow switch is linear, like Cherry MX Red or Speed switches. It’s not even slightly surprising that Razer has its own linear switch--in fact you could argue that it’s way overdue--but it's noteworthy  that the Yellow switch appears to have more in common with the Speed switch than the Red, as you can see in the table below.

The Razer Yellow switch and Cherry MX Speed switch have nearly identical specs: The actuation points are the same and the full travel distances are 0.1mm apart, but they have the same actuation force. It is true that Razer’s switches are rated for 80 million clicks over Cherry’s 50 million, but frankly that’s a mostly immaterial distinction for all practical purposes.

That brings Razer’s desktop mechanical switch total to three.

Razer also has the almost-mechanical Mecha-Membrane switch and the Ultra Low Profile Switch, of course. However, the Mecha-Membrane switch is still fundamentally membrane, not truly mechanical. We expect to see the Ultra Low Profile Switch appear on desktop keyboards eventually, but for now it’s limited to an iPad keyboard (of all things) and a Razer Blade Pro laptop.

At launch, you can find the Yellow switches only on Razer’s new BlackWidow Chroma V2, but presumably they’ll become a standard option on subsequent Razer keyboards.

Sometimes it’s almost impossible to miss a tech trend (see “VR, 2016”), but others sort of gently creep into view. Such is the case with the growing prevalence of new types of mechanical switches on laptops and slim keyboards.

For a time, MSI was the only laptop maker (that we're aware of) wading into these waters, with the GT80S Titan SLI and its Cherry MX Brown switches, but we’re starting to see more laptops serving gamers’ desire for mechanical keyboard switches, as well as some super-slim mechanical keyboards and ever-shorter switches to accommodate them.

Laptops

We saw at least three laptops sporting mechanical keyboard switches at CES 2017. MSI’s just-announced GT83VR Titan SLI comes with Cherry’s MX Speed switches, which offer a reduced actuation point and shallower travel compared to standard mechanical switches, and Acer’s beastly Predator 21x, with its “everything but the kitchen sink” concept, has Cherry MX RGB Brown switches on board.

Although no one would confirm which switches populate the new Gigabyte Aorus X9 gaming laptop--and we weren’t permitted to pop off the key caps-- we do know they aren't Cherry switches. Because Gigabyte made a point of noting how slim the X9 is overall, we infer that they may be equipped with Kailh’s CPG135001DXX laptop switches, which have not just a shallower actuation point and overall travel, but a thinner overall switch housing, which would ostensibly enable the laptop maker to produce a commensurately thinner laptop.

There is also the latest Razer Blade Pro, which sports Razer's Ultra Low Profile Mechanical Switches that have a shallow travel of just 1.6mm. We first saw the switches deployed on a Razer iPad keyboard; we doubt it ever expected to sell of the iPad keyboards in any volume, especially at $170, but it was a way to test consumer interest (and possibly manufacturing) with a low-risk venture. We wouldn't be surprised to see a version of the Razer Deathstalker with these switches on board at some point, too.

Slim Keyboards

On standalone keyboards, expect to start seeing thinner designs enabled by lower-profile mechanical switches and key caps.

Tesoro showed off a prototype at CES that used special slim Gateron mechanical switches. It’s not in production yet, but you can see the appeal. The keyboard is just 12mm thick in total, and it has chiclet keycaps. These switches don’t have the familiar Cherry cross stem design; instead they have a small rectangular switch stem with two small holes for the cap. It has Blue (clicky) switches, but we expect to see linear and tactile versions at some point, too.

Azio had a similar prototype keyboard at CES, the MK-C. It's nearly as thin as the 12mm Tesoro prototype and has chiclet key caps, but it has low-profile Kailh switches instead of Gaterons. It also sports RGB lighting, which is a nice touch.

And of course, there's that Razer iPad keyboard mentioned above.

Scissor Switches And Heresy

Laptops and slim keyboards typically employ scissor switches. One could argue that scissor switches are superior to the membrane switch design you find on cheap non-mechanical keyboards, though inferior to real mechanical switches.

As someone who has spent an extraordinary amount of time typing on, tinkering with, and reviewing mechanical keyboards, I’m certainly a proponent of mechanical switches. Mechanical keyboards are undeniably more pleasing to type on and offer more consistent performance than membrane keyboards, but at the risk of sounding like a heretic to the enthusiast mechanical keyboard community: I also really like typing on my laptop’s scissor-switch keyboard.

On its face, I admit this seems absurd. Not only is the underlying switch technology between mechanical keyboards and laptops completely different, everything from the key caps to the actuation point to the total key travel are different.

Desktop mechanical switches have tall key caps; laptops usually have chiclet caps. The actuation point of mechanical switches is usually 2mm, although some are 1.5mm or even less, whereas my laptop switches actuation at almost the very top of the travel--I would estimate at less than 0.5mm. Finally, most mechanical switches have a total travel of 4mm--Topre switches are actually 5mm, and some of the short-travel switches are at 3.5mm--but most laptop switches should offer a total travel of around 1.5-2mm.

Further, there are aspects of my laptop keyboard I would change: I’d prefer just a bit of contour to the key caps instead of totally flat chiclet caps, but mainly I find that off-center key presses sometimes don’t actuate, and they don’t feel quite right under my fingers, either. I do, however, like the shallow travel and lower-profile key caps.

You know what would solve the above problems while meeting my preferred criteria? Low-profile mechanical switches on my laptop. A couple of informal polls of colleagues and strangers tell me that I may be in the minority regarding my enjoyment of typing on a laptop keyboard, but there does seem to be a market for shallow-travel switches and even low-profile key caps--on standard mechanical keyboards, on slim keyboards, and on laptops.

And why not? The industry is obsessed with speed, which is why we’re seeing more of these shallower-travel desktop mechanical keyboard switches, like Cherry MX Speed switches, Tesoro’s low-profile Kailh-made “Agile” switches, and even to an extent Logitech’s Romer-G switches. The switches we’re about to see more of in laptops and slim keyboards is simply the next evolution of the above.

Back To Gamers

Don’t hold your breath waiting for such switches to land on your Ultrabook. In a mobile world obsessed with laptop thinness and lightness, almost any version of a mechanical key switch is going to add unwanted height and, possibly, weight. But gaming laptops, few of which can ever approach the thinness of super-lightweight laptops and 2-in-1s, are the perfect foil.

Gamers demand precise, consistent performance from their switches, and there’s room to install slim switches and low-profiles caps on their gaming laptops.

Although cramming desktop mechanical switches into a big gaming laptop is rather awkward, these new types of mechanical switches should provide laptop makers with something more elegant to work with.

For now, OEMs are experimenting, but if consumers find that they like the various types of shallower mechanical switches on laptops and slim keyboards, expect the feature to become a differentiator in the next product cycle or two. 

Update, 1/21/17, 7:51am PT: Added a reference to the newest Razer Blade Pro, which has Razer's low-profile switches on board.

When we visited Das Keyboard’s suite at CES 2017, we first thought the company was showing only the 5Q keyboard--an intriguing device, but one we’d already written about--but the folks there buried the lede. There was also a new gaming keyboard, which brought with it two important pieces of news: First, Das Keyboard is renaming its gaming line from “Division Zero” to simply “Das Keyboard Gaming,” but more importantly, the first keyboard in the new family, the X50, sports Omron-made switches that go by the name “Gamma Zulu.”

Omron Switches

These replace the Greetech-made “Alpha Zulu” switches on the Division Zero X40 keyboards. In a statement to Tom's Hardware, Das Keyboard said that it has no plans to discontinue the X40 series at this time. Therefore, the X50 with the Omron switches is simply an addition to its gaming keyboard line.

We were struck that those Omron switches look exactly like Logitech’s Romer-G switches. That makes sense, because Logitech worked with Omron to develop them, but it seems that a couple of things are at play here. It’s likely that Logitech had some sort of exclusivity deal with Omron, which apparently has expired, or else these are oh-so-slightly different enough from the Romer-Gs that they can co-exist without any legal infringement.

Both are possibly true; the one detail that stands out is that Romer-G switches have a short, 3mm travel. A Das Keyboard representative told us that the “Gamma Zulu” (Omron) switches have 3.5mm travel. Therefore, Romer-G and Gamma Zulu are probably different--by just 0.5mm. Otherwise, the eyeball test says they’re identical, except for the fact that Gamma Zulus have a black switch housing whereas Romer-Gs have a blue one. They even require the same 45g actuation force.

For what it's worth, a Das Keyboard representative told us that it gave Omron its own set of switch specs, and Omron has a dedicated production line for them in its factory. 

In any case, we believe that the Omron-made switches on both the 5Q and the X50 are essentially identical to Romer-G switches (other than the travel depth). That’s perhaps not so great for Logitech, but it’s a good thing for consumers, because those switches feel delightful (if you like lighter switches and shallower key travel) and they offer superb lighting by dint of their through-shaft LED design.

Das Keyboard will have at least one additional switch you can pick, too; company representatives told us that the X50 will have both tactile and clicky switch options.

Some Observations

Das Keyboard has yet to reveal full specifications of the X50, so we’re a little in the dark about every jot and tittle, but we did have a chance to see the new keyboard for ourselves in the company’s CES suite.

The X50 is a full-size keyboard. There were two models on display, one all black and one silver, but both had black wrist rests attached. The X50 has a top plate design, which is at odds with Das Keyboard’s standard “bowl” and top cover designs (including the X40).

Although you’ll usually find that top plate keyboards have hidden screws so as to keep a cleaner look, the X50 has prominently protruding hex screws. We believe that this means you'll be able to swap out the cover of the top plate. If you look closely at the images above, you can see that although the switches are top plate-mounted, there's also a white background under the keys. That means the top plate is actually two pieces; it appears that it's white, and you can layer on black, silver, or other colors and designs. This is in keeping with the swappable top plate feature on the X40.

There are three M keys located on the upper right corner of the X50. Often, you’ll find dedicated macro keys in a left-side vertical bank, so the placement here is uncommon. Next to the M keys is a volume dial--not a horizontal roller, but an actual knob. Again, this is a rather unusual design.

It appears that both have RGB lighting, and it stands to reason, then, that they’ll enjoy software support. (The X40 keyboards do.) Certainly you’ll be able to adjust the lighting in numerous ways, and you should be able to alter various settings and program keys, too. There appears to be lighting strips under the lip of the top plate, on either side of the keyboard--or at least, there is on the silver model.

The X50 should offer at least a couple variations on a theme, and they should be fairly high end. You’ll be paying for the privilege, at least, because the X50 will cost $180 when it launches around Q2 2017.

Update, 1/20/17, 10:05am PT: Das Keyboard replied to some of our inquiries. Regarding the similarities with Logitech Romer-G switches, a representative said, "We leverage the Omron switch technology, and ask[ed] Omron to make the Gamma Zulu switches based on Das Keyboard specs. Das Keyboard has dedicated production lines at Omron for those. (We don't know about Omron's arrangements with Logitech.)"

He further noted that the X40 will continue to live on in its current iteration, based on positive costumer feedback and demand.

We have added to and amended the original article copy to reflect this new information.

Perhaps it’s somewhat ludicrous to offer to let people hear what something “silent” sounds like, but here we are. Of course, Cherry’s MX Silent Red and Black switches aren't literally silent, but they are pretty quiet.

We had a chance to chat with Cherry representatives at CES 2017, and they explained how the bumper system works on the Cherry MX Silent switches to reduce noise at two points on the full switch travel.

After an exclusivity deal with Corsair expired, other keyboard makers are free to bring the Silent switches to their own devices. Cherry has one of its own--a version of its G80-3000 keyboard. Yes, it looks like something out of the 1980s, but it comes bearing brand new switches. 

You can hear a comparison between Cherry MX Red and Cherry MX Silent Red in the video, as well as one (in a more quiet setting than the CES show floor) showing the audible difference between MX Silent Black switches and standard MX Red switches.

Technically, this is an apples to oranges comparison, but in this case it’s apt. Red and Black are both linear switches and have essentially identical specs, save for the force required to actuate them. Therefore, they make roughly the same sound.

But you can judge for yourself when you check out the video.

Hall Effect switches are a completely different beast from most of the mechanical keyboard switches that are ubiquitous on the market. Some early keyboards offered them, but due primarily to their high cost of manufacturing, their popularity evaporated. Now, though, they cost significantly less (and are easier) to make, and as we wrote earlier, they may be re-emerging thanks to a grassroots effort.

But...what are they, exactly, and how do they work? The video below explains the science of Hall Effect switches and the advantage they offer over most types of mechanical keyboard switches.

In a nutshell, whereas most mechanical keyboard switches (from the likes of Cherry and Kailh) require two physical contact points for operation (which introduces friction), Hall Effect switches use magnetism (with a conical spring for physical resistance) to engage a key press. This inherently eliminates key chatter and debounce, and it makes the key presses feel incredibly smooth by comparison.

Further, the lifetime of Hall Effect switches is beyond absurd; whereas the likes of Cherry and Kailh (and others) offer life spans in the tens of millions of clicks, Hall Effect switches will endure for tens of billions of clicks.

Now that the cost of making the switches and installing them on keyboards has become feasible, it’s possible that we’ll see more keyboards sporting Hall Effect switches in the not-too-distant future.

The team developing the Wooting One keyboard, which promises analog keyboard input, held a livestream recently to announce that the One has entered its trial production phase. Ideally, this is effectively a test of the manufacturing process before the device enters mass production.

For a tiny team that raised its initial funding on Kickstarter, the trial production is a major milestone. However, Wooting discovered some lingering issues with the Flaretech switches it’s using on the One that could delay mass production.

In fact, this is not the first delay. On the livestream, the Wooting team noted that they were planning to get the trial run going back in August, but they wanted to clean up a few issues with the switches first.

Primarily, this had to do with the range of the switches. As we noted after we saw a demo of the One at Computex this summer, the full travel of the optical Flaretech switch is 4mm. Technically speaking, you could program the analog input for anywhere in the full 4mm range, but the design of the switch itself limits this capability. The light from the switches optics is occluded until 2mm into the travel. Therefore, you’re stuck with 2mm of pretravel and just 2mm to play with for the analog input.

MORE: Behold, The Rise Of The Optical Mechanical Keyboard Switch

It appears that Flaretech found a way around this problem, but issues remained. After the trial run, the Wooting team found that numerous variances in the top plate, the plastic switch itself, and the optical lens molding together created inconsistencies that caused problems. Partially, you can solve this through calibration, but as the team pointed out, that still leaves you with 88 switches that each have their own behavior and variances, so calibration is only so practical. Furthermore, calibration doesn’t completely ameliorate the consistency issues.

Therefore, they aren’t completely satisfied with the consistency of the switches and may, in fact, need to do another trial production run.

Assuming they do another trial and are satisfied with the results, the Wooting team said that they’ll need to perform extensive QA before the One goes into mass production.

Wooting CEO and co-founder Calder Limmen described the situation as “three steps forward, one step back.”

All of the above puts Wooting’s planned delivery date of February 2017 in jeopardy. However, there is a way to yet meet its goal: If Wooting and Flaretech can solve the current issues with the switches quickly, they could yet enter mass production in December and get keyboards to customers in February. If the issues take a little longer to fix, and they have to push mass production back to January, there’s still hope; Wooting would just have to ship the finished products by air instead of by boat, which is faster but more expensive.

No one likes delays, but considering that Wooting is a three-man team that got its first round of funding in June of this year--and still might hit their promised shipping date despite setbacks--the feat is still impressive. It’s also worth noting that the guys who created the One are focused on ensuring that the end product is up to their standards, so whenever the Wooting One arrives on your doorstep, you’ll be getting what you paid for.

Although G.Skill announced the availability of the KM570 mechanical keyboard just a few weeks ago, it made the surprise announcement that there will be three versions equipped with Cherry MX RGB switches, too.

The original release included KM570s with just Cherry MX Red, Brown, or Blue switches, and they all offered only red LEDs for backlighting. They cost $100; now, for $120, you’ll be able to opt for RGB versions of all three.

Standard Cherry MX switches with backlighting have opaque switch housings with an LED added to the top. Cherry MX RGB switches have a transparent switch housing, ostensibly to distribute the light better.

In the case of the KM570 keyboards, the RGB switches come, predictably, with the added benefit of RGB lighting. Along with that comes support for G.Skill’s configuration software, which could actually be the more noteworthy feature addition, because it should allow you to program individual keys, too. The non-RGB KM570 keyboards do not offer any support for G.Skill’s software.

The RGB Red and RGB Brown variants of the KM570 will be available “early December,” with the RGB Blue option coming January 2017.  

Update, 11/7/16, 1:20pm PT: The article below was written based on a protoype of the Ornata. We now have a finished, shipping version of the Ornata on hand.

On first inspection, the differences between the prototype and the final version are negligible. It appears that the key caps on the final Ornata have slightly more texture than on the prototype, and that should reduce shine a bit. The plastic chassis looks to be slightly brighter and more textured, as well.

More pronounced is the difference in the feel of the switches. We noted in our original coverage that the switches felt somewhat “sticky,” but Razer seems to have ameliorated that issue. Indeed, when we reached out to the company for additional information, we were told that the switches had been “refined” for “tighter tolerance, lighter actuation, and an overall better feel,” with “a newer spring mechanism for a more refined click.”

Razer has not responded with clarification on what, exactly, that means. Subjectively, though, we noted that the sound of the “click” is less punchy on the newer version, and most of the switches feel less sticky. However, we noticed a certain degree of inconsistency among the switches on the final Ornata. Some of the switches sounded and felt different than on the prototype, but others did not. We believe, then, that the switches are certainly different, but perhaps the new tolerances aren’t actually so tight.

Razer also told Tom’s Hardware that it “optimized the padding on the wrist rest and lighting for better comfort and aesthetics,” but we could detect no difference at all.

Original article:

When I put my fingers on Cooler Master's "memchanical" MasterKeys Lite L, I noted that you would never mistake them for real mechanical switches. With Razer’s new "Mecha-Membrane" switches, built into the Ornata Chroma keyboard, though, you just might. Maybe. But if you’re intimately familiar with mechanical switches, you’ll probably frown and furrow your brow and promptly pluck off a key cap to see what’s up.

What is up is that Razer, using its very own factory equipment, developed a not-quite-mechanical but allegedly-just-about-as-good-as-mechanical switch.

To hear Razer tell it, the company developed its Mecha-Membrane keyboard platform--and that’s really what it is, more than a “switch”--to serve consumers who prefer a softer, cushioney feel over what typical mechanical keyboards offer. (One could argue that Topre and Romer-G switches already serve that very market, but, hey, options.)

Blue Switch Lite?

Razer’s goal here was not merely to create a gussied-up membrane keyboard: These actually are switches that you can remove from their sockets, and they have a click, just like Blue switches or Razer’s Green switches (but no tactile bump).

The click, though, feels lighter and somehow less substantial than real Blues or Greens, yet they feel a little sticky. (This may change after more hours of typing.) Razer did not share many specifications, so we don’t know exactly what the key travel is, but it felt a little shallower than the 4mm you get with most mechanical switches. That could, however, be an illusion created in part by the low-profile key caps.

In any case, it seems that Razer’s goal was to give users a taste of clickiness within a non-mechanical keyboard, and it has done so. The switches are squarish, with flexible wings on two sides and a tiny nub on another. The switch housing has a tiny, springy metal blade; when you depress the switch, the nub pushes past the blade, creating the click.

In that regard, it’s not completely dissimilar to a standard mechanical switch. However, there is no spring; the rebound action comes from the membrane that pushes the switch up from below. The LEDs are located in the center of the switch shaft, so they shine directly up through it.

The stabilizers are simple. There’s a u-shaped metal bar, and two plastic pieces under the key cap clip onto it, essentially just like Costar stabs. Flanking the switch casing are two post holes. The underside of the key caps have posts that drop into them for stability. There is no mechanism rebounding the stabs.

Surprisingly, I found the wider keys to have better consistency than on a standard mechanical keyboard. To be clear, that’s a purely subjective observation, but I fully expected the stabs on a keyboard like this one to be sub-par. These aren’t.

(Below, you can see the Razer Mecha-Membrane switch next to a standard key cap.)

Design And Experience

Unlike Razer’s new BlackWidow X designs, which feature steel plate-mounted switches, the Ornata has a bowl design like earlier BlackWidows, and it’s made entirely of plastic. Because the keys are set into the belly of the chassis and sport low-profile key caps, the whole look of the Ornata Chroma is slim and trim.

However, in what in my opinion is the strangest design choice of the Ornata Chroma, the squared-off flat look comes at the sacrifice of pitch. Whereas most keyboards have an upward angle, the Ornata Chroma is as level as the Great Salt Plains. It’s striking when you first sit down to type--almost disorienting.

I eventually (over the course of an afternoon) became accustomed to the flatness, but I definitely preferred flipping up the keyboard’s feet to get some semblance of an angle.

The wrist rest throws a wrench in things, too. It’s probably the largest one I’ve seen; it spans the full length of the keyboard, and it provides a wide and deep area for you to lay your weary arms. It’s also thick and soft; a small child could almost use it as a pillow.

This, combined with the flat angle of the Ornata Chroma, makes for an oddball typing experience. I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as uncomfortable, though. Just...different. The wrist rest attaches to the Ornata via a few relatively weak magnets. You can easily snap it on and off, but the wrist rest may shift around somewhat while you type.

Another unique design choice Razer made was employing low-profile key caps. Again, this contributes to the smoothed-out look of the keyboard, but it’s unclear to me what advantage these might afford the user. The key caps bear the same new font Razer has been using for its latest keyboards and Blade laptops.

Although the all-plastic chassis and backplate will inherently fail to provide the same rigidity and solid feel of a metal-reinforced keyboard, it did allow Razer to create a beautiful backlighting system. The backplate is translucent plastic, and when it’s illuminated by the LEDs underneath, the key caps appear to float. This is not dissimilar to Cooler Master’s MasterKeys Lite L, nor for that matter KBP’s V60 RGB keyboard.

Dissecting

We took the Ornata apart to get a closer look at this Mecha-Membrane business. The top panel was held on by a few obvious screws, as well as a raft of screws hidden underneath little plugs. (It’s almost as if Razer didn’t want me to disassemble one of the Ornata Chroma prototypes.)

Usually, switches are PCB-mounted or plate-mounted. The Mecha-Membrane switches on the Ornata are kind of neither because the switches aren’t really mounted to anything. The backplate is molded plastic, and the switch casings are part of that mold. (The clicktastic metal blades inside the switch housings are inserted after the mold is produced.) The switches themselves snap into the casings, but you can pluck them out at any time, with ease.

Beneath the plastic backplate is a thin, floppy rubber membrane. This is the membrane--the one with the nubs that stick up into the switch casings and rebound the switches. Sandwiched between the membrane and the PCB are three layered pieces of paper-thin flexible clear plastic. The top and bottom layers have trace paths, and the middle layer is a buffer between them.

The PCB has an MCU, of course, and four LED controllers. The LEDs are small, flat squares as opposed to the bulgy LED bulbs you usually see in keyboards.

Specs, Such As They Are

Razer was light on details about the Ornata Chroma, such as the switch travel, force required for key presses, switch lifetime and more, but we do know a few tidbits.

There are (or will be) two Ornata models, a Chroma version (the one we have on hand) and one that has only green backlighting. (This is similar to Razer’s strategy with its BlackWidow Chroma and BlackWidow Ultimate keyboards.) Both are full-size layouts with standard bottom rows.

The Chroma version will have Razer Synapse software support, meaning you can configure a multitude of RGB color effects and options (the keys are individually lit), and you can tweak the keyboard’s settings and create and assign macros. The green light-only Ornata will also have Synapse support.

The keyboard offers 10KRO has a dedicated “Game Mode,” and as you would expect, many of the F keys serve double-duty as media keys and lighting controls.

Make no mistake--the Ornata will not completely replace a true mechanical keyboard, but for what it is--plastic on plastic on plastic--Razer seems to have made an overall quality product. You can preorder a Razer Ornata or Ornata Chroma now from Razer’s site for $79 and $99, respectively, and both will ship worldwide in October.

Those prices are premium for this kind of almost-mechanical keyboard; you can find perfectly good mechanical keyboards for much less. What you’re paying for with the Ornata keyboards is the original Razer switch technology, the lighting and software support, and of course, that Razer snake logo.

Update, 9/6/16, 9:43am PT: Since publishing this article, we've now learned that the force required to depress the switch is 60g, and the total switch travel is 3.5mm.

I-Rocks is something of a quirky company, as evidenced by peripherals like its Golem M20E gaming mouse (which seems to have taken design cues from lightning bugs), and its latest strange concoction is a LEGO-inspired mechanical keyboard with, of all things, Alps switch clones.

I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence. And I can’t believe the i-Rocks K76m Fun Illuminated Mechanical Keyboard is a real thing that you can buy:

Here is a brief slideshow of adorable madness:

Alps Switch Clones?

Yes, Alps switch clones. It’s not surprising that a peripherals company would make Alps switch clones--Matias, for example, has built a business on them--but what’s odd is that i-Rocks would debut them in such a weird product.

In any case, i-Rocks said that it’s created four versions of this switch: Red, Brown, and Blue, with the respective linear, tactile, and clicky characteristics, and a white “Geek” switch that it said has “very light resistance and no click or tactile bump for quick responses at minimal effort.” It requires a relatively minuscule 28g of force to operate.

It claimed that it built the switches from the original Alps design but used “Taiwan's best machining techniques to bring a classic back to life.”

The company said that the switches offer o-rings for sound dampening--its “patented O-Ring System” (ORS). These are LED-equipped switches that come in single-color and RGB versions. The switches have gold-plated contacts, the key caps are doubleshot. The switches actually have Cherry MX-compatible stems, so you can swap in aftermarket caps if you so desire.

LEGO Compatibility?

Yes, LEGO compatibility. The top panel of the K76m is removable, and you can employ a black or white LEGO-compatible top--meaning you can further customize it with actual LEGO bricks. That is downright bizarre, but you can also employ different non-LEGO tops. These include some that look like wood grain or metal, some with patterns, and so on. The bottom portion of the chassis is clear, because sure, why not.

The K76m is a 104-key device with NKRO, and some of the keys serve double duty as media controls. The device will be available this month with a $139 MSRP. You can preorder one now on the Indiegogo page.

Bloody is not exactly a household name when it comes to peripherals, but the brand and its company, A4tech, are not to be ignored. Bloody’s keyboards are the only ones to date equipped with A4tech’s optical Light Strike (LK2) switches, and there are some new keyboards in the family coming, too.

The company has numerous keyboards in its lineup already, but it’s adding and/or replacing many of them with a new crop of devices. Of the new keyboards, Bloody has the B860 and B840 listed now on its website, and the B830 is forthcoming (although it may not be sold in the U.S.).

Coming Soon

The B860, B840 and B830 are strikingly similar to one another. As you’ll note in the table below, the only differences pertain to chassis design and form factor. The B830 is the TKL version, and the B860 has a removable wrist rest and some extra chassis flair, including a slot where you can prop up your smartphone.

A4tech did not divulge pricing for any of these keyboards but did tell us that they’ll be available in September. They’ll be available in “Golden Black” or “Gun Black,” which are really just metallic gold and gunmetal gray, respectively.

The Others

Although we’ve been given no timetable for the rest of the the new Bloody lineup, we do have a sense of what’s coming.

The B845L, which was on display at Computex, appears to be essentially the same as the B840 but has the numpad on the left side of the keyboard instead of the right. This design decision is one we’ve seen elsewhere, mainly with removable numpads that can slot onto either side of the keyboard, and it’s a smart one. With the numpad on the left, you can use the extra buttons for macros, without having to use your mouse hand.

The B740S appears to be identical in every way to the B740 and B740A (they differ only in color, as far as I can tell). The new member of the family is all black with RGB lighting and LK2 Black switches. In a similar vein, the B850 looks to be a copy of the B840, but with LK2 Red switches instead of LK2 Blue.

The final four upcoming keyboards in Bloody’s lineup are the B2148, B2318, B2328 and B2120, all of which have a numpad and blue backlighting. (The B2418 and B2318 have wrist rests, too, and the B2318 has a left-side bank of macro keys). Unlike the rest of the keyboards mentioned above, this quartet of products has LK2 BLue switches only under eight keys--the WASD cluster and Q, E, R and F. Although we have no pricing information on any of these keyboards, clearly the B2000 series is meant to be a budget line, offering gamers a semblance of the performance of the LK2 switches on oft-used keys.  

Every year at the large tradeshows we attend, trends in the industry emerge, and without a doubt, the dominant innovation in keyboards these days is optical switches. Although they are currently on few shipping products, some keyboard makers are planning to release optical switches on devices in the near future, and many more are exploring the idea.

MORE: What Are Optical Keyboard Switches, And How Do They Work?

In The Offing

There are presently only two companies--Adomax and A4tech--that are definitely making optical switches. Neither Cherry nor Kailh is currently pursuing optical switch technology. Gateron is at least experimenting with optical switch technology--we saw a prototype keyboard with Gateron optical switches at Tesoro’s suite at Computex--but we have been unable to substantiate anything further with Gateron (or Tesoro).

To my knowledge, the A4tech Light Strike “LK” switches are presently available only in the company’s own Bloody line of gaming keyboards, but that may change soon. Instead of making its own retail keyboard(s), Adomax is actively working to get its Flaretech switches onto other companies’ keyboards.

One of the more promising upcoming optical switch keyboards is the Wooting One (Flaretech switches), which we’ve written about extensively. Ducky, maker of the popular Ducky Shine keyboards, has also publicly shown that it’s planning to use Flaretech optical switches on a keyboard soon. BenQ is planning a keyboard in its Zowie line that will have optical switches, although the company would not divulge any further details.

The Bigs

It’s not just a miscellany of keyboard makers looking into optical switches, either. Sources with knowledge of the situation tell me that major keyboard makers including Corsair, Razer, Cooler Master and SteelSeries have all been investigating optical switch technology.

According to one source, both Corsair and Razer are actually in “phase two” of discussions with A4tech about using its LK switches. Another source indicated that Adomax (Flaretech switches) had been in talks with Razer, but they couldn’t agree on sufficient terms, so it’s likely that potential partnership has fizzled.

Razer has declined to comment. Corsair, Cooler Master and SteelSeries all demurred on official responses, but representatives from each told me that their respective companies have no plans for an optical switch keyboard at this time but are always investigating possible emerging technologies. Specifically, Cooler Master said that it is looking into optical switches but stated nothing further.

We must be careful, though, not to assume too much here. Aside from the few reported deals that are in the works, the fact that these major players are looking into optical switch technology means only that they’re doing their homework on emerging technologies that are germane to their business. They would be foolish not to investigate optical switch technology, even if they eventually decide not to implement it.

Market Forces At Work

To be clear, even if all the major keyboard makers decided to roll out keyboards equipped with optical switches instead of standard mechanical ones, users may notice little change in keyboard performance at first. The idea of increased speed is a sexy marketing tidbit, but in real life, most users won’t be fragging n00bs much more effectively than they already are. The analog input feature that Wooting is developing is an exciting potentiality, but that will be available only with Adomax’s Flaretech switches, not A4tech’s LK switches.

That, however, brings up the more important possible development in the switch market: The current dominant switchmakers could see their market share drop.

Cherry and Kailh are, of course, the two titans of the switch market. There are numerous others--including TTC, Greetech, Matias, Gateron, Topre, and so on--but both Cherry and Kailh are presently completely dominant in terms of sheer volume and market penetration.

But what if users suddenly begin clamoring for optical switches?

Make no mistake, although there are plenty of sharp product managers developing keyboards, market demands shape many product decisions. For example, we’ve had more than one product manager tell us that they chose Cherry switches for their keyboard not because they’re necessarily better or worse than any other, but because they’re simply more popular with consumers.

The logical conclusion, then, is that if consumers want optical switches, they will get them. And presently, the only two companies that are definitely making them are Adomax and A4tech. (As we’ve mentioned, Gateron may be experimenting with them, as well. We have been unable to reach the company for comment on the matter, though.) That means if demand spikes, Cherry and Kailh could be in for some difficult market challenges.

The next six months to a year should be telling, as it appears that the biggest keyboard makers in the world are looking into optical switch technology, and the biggest switch makers in the world are not.

We’ve written about the seemingly inevitable rise of optical keyboard switches, but surely, questions linger as to what exactly they are and how they work. Simply put, optical keyboard switches differ from typical mechanical switches in that they use light for actuation instead of a mechanical connection. Of course, there’s more to the story.

How Do They Work?

To be clear, optical switches still have mechanical components. Just like a standard mechanical switch, they have physical moving parts. You push on the key cap, a stem moves within a shaft, and a spring pushes the switch back to its reset position. Optical switches can have the same physical characteristics as regular switches, too, such as a linear action (like Reds), tactile (Browns) and clicky (Blues).

The important bit is in how the input is received and transmitted. Optical switch makers will tell you that traditional mechanical switches suffer performance degradation due to the oxidization and wear of the metal contact points inside, and there is also the issue of metal debounce noise that can add delay to the signal between the keyboard and PC by many milliseconds. Optical switches purportedly suffer from none of those issues.

Further, the nature of optical switches obviates any need for soldering switches to a PCB. This could both cut down on production costs (maybe) and eliminate a potential point of failure; when the welds under a key switch are done poorly, for example, it can wreck the whole key matrix, and the switch where the solder is befouled could eventually fail.

The Big Two: A4tech (Light Strike “LK”) And Adomax (Flaretech)

The two companies that we know for sure are making optical keyboard switches are A4tech (Light Strike “LK” switches) and Adomax (Flaretech switches). Although LK and Flaretech are both optical switches, they differ in key ways.

Light Strike “LK” Switches

LK switches have a horizontal infrared light beam shooting across the inside of the switch shaft. The stem of the switch blocks the light beam, but when you press a key, you push down the stem, allowing the light to make a connection across the shaft and actuate the command.

LK switches actuate at 1.5mm--this, as opposed to the 2.0-2.2mm actuation of most standard mechanical switches--and A4tech said that the switch resets faster than most, too. The company claimed that the LK switch could “respond” as fast as 0.2ms.

It also claimed that its Key Response PK Software could demonstrate this speed. Regarding such a claim: First of all, one should always be wary of a test that favors the entity that created both the test procedure and the testing software. Second, we have seen this test and the software in action, and although it’s certainly a great way to show off the switches’ capabilities on a tradeshow floor, it’s by no means scientific.

The test is set up with a small piece of plastic, about the size and shape of a spacebar, straddling two keyboards--one a Bloody keyboard with LK switches and the other an unknown model with regular mechanical switches. To perform the test, the demonstrator presses down on the plastic bar, pushing down a key on each of the two keyboards simultaneously, and the software spits out the actuation data.

In person, I noticed that the plastic bar was pressing down on a regular-sized key on the Bloody keyboard and a larger key on the no-name keyboard. The performance of those two differently-sized keys, even if they were using the same switch on the same keyboard, will always be slightly different. Then, of course, there’s the fact that the actuation points of the two switches were certainly different--remember, the LK switch actuates at least 0.5mm sooner than a normal mechanical switch, so you’ll always get disparate data if you press them at the same time.

This is not to say that A4tech is a shady company with a snake-oil product. Simply, the claims A4tech makes seem grandiose and not exactly scientific, but the concept, design and execution of the LK switches all appear excellent--just not as over-the-top excellent as A4tech would make it seem.

Flaretech Switches

Whereas LK switches work using an IR light running across the inside of the switch shaft, Adomax’s Flaretech switches have all of the important components of the switch mounted on top of the PCB. The actual switch is basically “dumb,” and eminently replaceable.

In fact, the nature of the design makes the switches inherently modular. You can pluck any of them from their sockets with a special puller and swap in any other Flaretech switch. That means you can freely use any type of Flaretech switch (Red, Blue, and so on, depending on which types are available) to customize your keyboard. (This modularity may also be true of LK switches.)

Under each switch casing, and mounted onto the PCB, is an LED for backlighting and a sensor that uses infrared photothermal radiometry (IR PTR) technology to detect actuation when a physical object (in this, a switch) descends upon it.

It’s important to understand that the actuator can technically be almost anything. When we saw Wooting’s One keyboard at Computex 2016, we discovered that a fingertip would actuate the key event in the absence of a switch.

As the Wooting fellows have demonstrated, this technology is particularly compelling because it allows a keyboard maker to create analog input and also set the actuation point anywhere in the key travel (with a caveat).

The analog input allows you to use gradations of pressure to control a character or race car (or what have you) in a game. This input is in contrast to the simple on/off function of both traditional keyswitches and LK switches. When you depress a key on a keyboard--let’s say the “W” key-- you’re sending an on/off message to the computer. Essentially, it says, “turn on the ‘W’ key.” When you depress a key (again, let’s go with “W”) on a keyboard with Flaretech switches (and well-written firmware) in analog mode, it says, “move forward more slowly or more quickly” depending on how far down you press the key.

Regarding variable switch actuation points, technically, with the right firmware, you can set the actuation anywhere in the Flaretech switch’s key travel. Presently, the Flaretech switch occludes the IR sensor until 2mm into its travel, though, so actuation may be adjustable only between 2mm and 4mm (when the switch bottoms out).

To explain further, we’ll quote ourselves from our earlier article on the subject:

It’s possible for Flaretech to adjust this issue, and upcoming iterations of the switch should offer pretravel of just 1mm, or even 0mm. Therefore, for now, Wooting can set the actuation point anywhere between actuation and the end of the total travel (a total of 2mm) to the tenth decimal. That is to say, actuation could be set at 2.0mm, 2.1mm, 2.2mm, and so on, all the way to 3.9mm. Presuming that Flaretech enables actuation earlier in the switch travel, the actuation point could then be set to 0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.3mm, and so on, all the way to 3.9mm.

Obviously, this variable actuation is really only ideal on a linear switch, because any tactile bump will throw off your tactile equilibrium.

One of the big selling points of this technology is that in the absence of any soldering, making a keyboard outfitted with Flaretech switches is ostensibly less expensive, and presumably, keyboard makers would pass those savings on to consumers.

On the other hand, those PCBs could possibly be more expensive because you have to factor in the cost of the IR sensor (not to mention the LEDs) that they slap on top for every single key switch.

Both LK and Flaretech switches are Cherry stem-compatible, so they’re just begging for users to trick out the keyboards with aftermarket key caps.

Why Optical Switches?

There are several reasons why optical switches portend to be superior to traditional mechanical switches, including speed, durability/ruggedness and the ability to expand the capabilities of the switch.

Speed

Several keyboard makers are experimenting with modifications to switches that ostensibly enable you to press keys faster for better gaming performance. Cherry has its Speed Switch, Tesoro has its low-profile Agile switches, and Kailh has a mechanical switch aimed primarily at laptops (but could be used on a regular desktop keyboard). Steel Series has its QS1 switch, too. All feature reduced actuation points and total key travel compared to traditional mechanical switches, all in the name of speed.

Optical switches could enhance speed, too. A4tech posits speed as the main selling point of its LK switches (which also have a shallower total key travel than typical mechanical switches), claiming that because optical switches do not suffer from the debounce issues that purely mechanical switches do, they are inherently faster.

(However, even assuming that all of the above--earlier actuation, shallower travel and no debounce--positively affect speed, there’s a human element at play here that may mitigate, or even obviate, the benefits of “speedier” switches.)

Robust Operation

We saw more than one keyboard submerged in water at Computex, and although one was an inexpensive non-mechanical keyboard designed for difficult environments, others were meant to show off how optical switch keyboards can function. Tesoro had one dunked in a tub, and Adomax had one under a little waterfall. Both still worked. (Hurray for sealed electronics and no solder.)

The underwater business is just a gimmick, but it points to the nature of the switches’ functionality. There are still physical moving parts inside the switches, but fundamentally the action concerns interrupting or affecting light. (But hey, if you’re into underwater gaming…)

The absence of solder on the switches and the non-mechanical actuation should contribute to longer-lasting switches, too.  

Innovation

The most compelling door that optical switches can open is innovation, and it’s here that the two primary competing optical switch makers may differ sharply. The LK switches are intriguing, but as I mentioned, they still fundamentally offer a simple on/off function. By contrast, Adomax’s Flaretech design helped enable the analog controls and variable actuation that Wooting is developing, and that’s creating exciting questions about what capabilities mechanical gaming keyboards could and should offer.

In any case, it’s myopic to limit new technologies to the few use cases that early generations may offer. Once enterprising minds engage with new tech, they tend to come up with ideas and solutions that no one ever previously considered.

And Then There’s Marketing

Of course, no wise keyboard maker would allow itself to miss out on a marketing opportunity. Switch lifetime (50 million! 60 million! 80 million clicks!) and RGB lighting are two prominent keyboard features that are often more hype than substance. Sure, having a longer switch lifespan is great, but in real life, are 80 million clicks effectively better than 50 million? And RGB lighting is certainly something that appeals to many users, and there are better and worse ways to implement it, but there are plenty of users for whom RGB lighting is nothing more than an expensive cupholder (as it were).

By the same token, expect every possible spin from keyboard makers on why optical switches are better than standard mechanical ones. And as we’ve previously written, expect to see and hear more about optical keyboard switches in the coming months.

Razer’s new Thing is just an iPad Pro case with a keyboard (seriously, that’s it), but the switches the company employed on the so-named “Razer Mechanical Keyboard Case” portend more intriguing products in the future.

The case uses a new switch developed by Razer called the Razer Ultra-Low-Profile Mechanical Switch, and although the company was mum on any additional products we may see with them on board, a representative did tell us that this is “the first of many products to feature the Razer Ultra-Low-Profile Mechanical Switch.”

The obvious use case is on laptops. But let’s back up a bit.

Low-Profile, For Real

The new low-profile switches have a total travel of just 1.6mm. For scale, a typical mechanical keyboard switch has a total travel of about 4mm and actually has a pretravel of around 2mm. The actuation point of these new Razer switches is a mere 0.9mm, with a reset point of 0.6mm. Ultra-low-profile, indeed.

They also require an operation force of 70g, which frankly seems high. As it has done with its Green switches, Razer designed the new switches and “owns” the production of them but works with multiple partners on the actual manufacturing.

There are at least two other low-profile mechanical switches that we’re aware of. Tesoro has its Agile switches (that are made by Kailh), but the total travel on those is still 3.5mm; the “low-profile” part is largely the slim keycaps, less so the switch operation.

Kailh has its own, different low-profile switch (with low-profile keycaps) that we believe the company designed with laptops in mind, and those have a total travel of 3mm.

Further, whereas the Tesoro and Kailh caps look and feel like regular key caps, but thinner, Razer’s new switches are actually chiclet style. In retrospect, we could have seen this coming. Both the Razer Turret lapboard and Deathstalker keyboards have chiclet-style (but not mechanical) keys, and so do Razer’s Blade laptops, so it follows that the company would keep the chiclet in the event that it wants to put these ultra-low-profile switches on those products.

A key spec to note is that whereas the new Razer switch has a 1.6mm travel, the Turret and Deathstalker keyboards have chiclet keys with 2mm travel. Therefore, in a market that is toying with shallower mechanical switch travel and lower-profile key caps, Razer developed a product that’s significantly shallower than them all.

The iPad Pro Case

We almost forgot to mention the actual Thing that Razer is announcing, the Razer Mechanical Keyboard Case for the iPad Pro, and that’s because I don’t believe Razer cares too much about it. Instead, I think it’s likely that this case is simply a vehicle for announcing the new switches in a low-volume product. (Suppose the public receives the switches poorly; launching them on a fresh lineup of Razer Blades, for example, could be an ugly financial hit.)

Also, the thing costs a gut-punching $169.99. It seems Razer doesn’t expect to sell too many of them.

Nevertheless, for inquiring minds: The case features a metal kickstand; a detachable polycarbonate protective case; Bluetooth connectivity (for “talking” to the iPad Pro); and a battery that claims to last around 10 hours with the display at maximum brightness, or 600 hours with the backlighting switched off. It is available now worldwide directly from Razer’s website.

Expect More

It seems, concerning this trend of lower-profile mechanical switches, that the industry is almost trying to reverse-engineer laptop switches, but with higher-quality mechanical action than the old scissor-style switches. The Kailh switches I referenced above, as well as these new ultra-low-profile Razer switches, more than any others, seem to be doing just that.

It’s likely that we’ll see these ultra-low-profile switches pop up on products such as the Turret and Razer desktop keyboards and laptops in the relatively near future.

We’ve already seen some of Kaihua’s new Kailh switch concepts, but another has emerged. The company is also making a modular switch, in the same vein as Epic Gear’s EG MMS modular switches.

The idea is simply that instead of being bound by the particular type of switch that ships on your keyboard (Red, Brown Blue, etc.), modular switches allow you to change the switch type at any time.

That brings obvious value, as you can buy one keyboard and then play with your switch preference, but the notion of swapping out all 104 switches (or fewer, on a TKL or 60% keyboard) sounds like a tedious task at best. It seems that some people may prefer to employ a certain type of switch only for certain keys--for example, the WASD cluster or the numpad. (Personally, the idea of having different switch types on one keyboard sounds unpleasant, but that’s just me.)

Kaihua will offer Red, Brown and Blue modular switches. Although the company has not enumerated which keyboard makers may employ the modular switches, at least one--B.Friend--already has a keyboard (the G Master MK1) sporting them.

Although these Kailh switches will be available in Red, Brown and Blue, we presently have access only to the Blue specifications. What’s most noteworthy about these specs is that they’re nearly identical to the Razer Green switch as opposed to the standard Kailh Blue switch.

There’s no word on when these switches might be available on other shipping keyboards.

Seth Colaner is the News Director at Tom's Hardware. Follow him on Twitter @SethColaner. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.