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Recommended replacement keyboard switches?

sswilson said:
Yeah, but unless I'm throwing them together for other people there's an upper end to how many keyboards I can justify having in the house (and I think I'm probably over that now.... :) ).

I suppose I could try different switches since that's not generally crazy expensive, but that still leaves me with excess hardware with nowhere to go.....
Click to expand...
Well you could start the "sswilson custom keyboard sales division" under the BST thread. I might be a customer ;)
 
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Zuoya GMK87
Continuing on with the new hardware.....

KB arrived today in a relatively beat up box, but appeared undamaged. Pretty standard fare with KB, cable, switch/keycap tool, and manual which strangely enough doesn't actually specify a website for downloading the software (VIA for mapping keys, and the LCD tool for the display) but instead directs the consumer to "get it from their distributor"? (One of the youtube reviews had links to the file....)

GMK87 board partial fill.jpg

The case pretty much came apart the same way as the GMK67 I showed earlier, but had a much thicker plastic membrane than I remember and I was having difficulty forcing the 5 pin Duhuks into the slot. My solution was to use Gateron G Pro blacks to break in the socket (only 3 pin, and beefier metal pins) and then install the Duhuks afterwards.

GMK87 board switches no rgb.jpg

GMK87 board switches rgb.jpg

As stated in my description of the switches, there's a lot more LED action going on here when compared to the Oil Kings.

GMK87 KB complete.jpg

These keycaps were purchased because I thought they were shine-through.... they're not, they're just translucent bodies. OTOH, the lettering is a much higher contrast than the board I had in there previously (the blue samurai) so it's definitely an improvement, but I'll probably keep hunting for a decent shine through set.

The sound profile on this KB is significantly different from the RK84 boards, but not necessarily in a bad way, just different. It still sounds like what I'd consider to be "thocky" but it's a much more pronounced bottom out than the RK boards. These switches have a heavier feel to them (reviews on the Oil Kings suggest they overstate the bottom out weight of 65g so maybe these are closer to that) and I do notice the different "throw" to the switches, but again it's not bothering me all that much so I suspect my dislike for the cherry speed switches was more about the weight of them than the throw.

As far as the KB body goes..... feels substantial enough, and has both a volume dial (press for mute) and a mini-LCD that displays date/time (pulled from windows) or you can upload animated gifs.
 
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As far as looks go..... I personally think that the 80% format (essentially TKL - 1 or 2 keys) is where the lower end plastic KB cases start to lose their lustre. The smaller formats are essentially a frame around the keycaps which looks fine, but once you separate a grouping of keys it becomes obvious that you're dealing with a plastic case.

edit: Oh, and I've ordered some proper shine through keycaps for it...... :rolleyes:
 
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The Duhuk switches are growing on me. The combination of board/switches/keycaps is louder than my RK with Oil Kings, but it's a less "harsh" bottom out without being mushy. Not completely sure, but maybe that's what folks are describing as "creamy"?

I managed to snag a second set for under $35. Going to throw them onto an RK so that I can do a side/side comparison to see if the feel is the switch or possibly the board.
 
This has become a hobby on its own for you. Love it! No joke, you could make a successful YouTube channel on stuff like this IMO. There is a demand for info on cheap/well performing keyboards.
 
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The problem is that it's all so subjective. You can get a general idea from the review sites, but unless you've had a chance to physically try the reviewer's boards you really don't know what they're describing outside of basic weight and/or switch type.

I've listened to a ton of youtube keyboard sound reviews, and quite honestly, they all sound pretty much the same to me..... :)
 
Well, if we can use the word "creamy" to describe a mechanical operation... we are certainly well and far into subjective land! :)
 
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[Instock] Duhuk Matcha V4 Linear Switch/Have you heard of stems made of TC308

[Instock] Duhuk Matcha V4 Linear Switch/Have you heard of stems made of TC308
geekhack.org

Decent enough description of the Duhuk switches I'm using that does a particularly good job of describing the bottom out sound/feel of these. I managed to snag a set of 90 for $35. At that price, I think it's a no-brainer if you like a slightly heavier linear switch.
 
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