Short review of the 4 tactile switches that I considered for my endgame board.
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L-R Cherry RGB Brown, Outemu Sky with clear no slot top, JWK Shogoki, Gazzew Boba U4T
1. Cherry browns were my first love so it will always hold a special place in my heart. These particular switches have generic 67g gold springs, bag lubed in 105, housings are lubed with 205G0, and filmed with TX films. They are smooth, light tactiles and with the white nylon bottoms, have a nice thock to them, and very low wobble after filming. With a bit (a lot actually) of work, this is a switch that I really love to use. My baseline to compare the other switches to.
2. Outemu Sky. Removed the original nylon top and replaced with clear no slot tops also from Outemu. Both components were developed in collaboration with Gazzew. I guess you could say it is the spiritual successor of the Boba U4T. Despite having a nylon bottom, this switch does not sound very nice to me. And the tactile bump feels a bit weird to me even after lubing. I think the start of the bump is a bit 'sharp'? It kinda feels like it is about to get stuck, then you overcome the bump and bottom out.
3. JWK Shogoki. These were from a GB. JWK Rara recolored to match the colors from Neon Genesis Evangelion (forgive me if I got that wrong, I'm not a fan of this anime). With a special 65g linear switch from Thic Thock. Covid delays plus lousy GB planning by Thic Thock (and lousy communication with me personally) meant that these switches arrived very late, so I ended up building with the U4Ts before these even arrived. And I must say I'm glad I did so. These were my first JWK switches and the legendary smoothness of the housing is well warranted. But other than that, just like the Outemu Sky, it did not deliver a nice sound despite a nylon bottom. To my ears, even my Cherry RGB Browns sounded better. Add to that, this is the first switch that I bought (including testers) that actually have a noticeable spring noise. I did not lube as I plan to sell it off, but I am nevertheless disappointed. Even unlube Cherries do not have this issue to me. The bump is nice and light though. Very slightly more tactile than the browns.
4. Gazzew Boba U4T. My new favourites. Long pole stems in a proprietary nylon blend housings. The pole bottom out delivers on the Thocks. Already smooth without lube, after lubing it is even smoother and sounds better. Very tight tolerances, no filming needed. And with very very light lube to the tactile bumps, a small amount of tactility is lost and smoothness gained, a tactical decision. Coupled with a light (to me) 62g spring, I'm getting the light tactile that I want, no wobble and beautiful sound. The only downside is the tops are opaque which I wanted clear for lighting purposes, but with my custom clear acrylic case, it turns out that didn't matter after all.
it's good to find out your favorites, out of the sea of switches (or other parts of your boards). for no. 3, it might be due to the leaf, not spring. we can always make springs to go quiet with lubing.