So about a month ago, I bought opal switches from Parallel’s store but the shipping took forever (around 4 weeks CONUS) and the customer service was non existent during that time. I’ve grown to like the switches and want to get more for future builds but I would rather avoid them if I can.
I leave a link to the switches here but I would be cautious of buying from their store in general. But to explain what I like about them:
They actuate very close to the top which I enjoy for gaming
The weight is comfortable but a little lighter could be nice
The sound is deep which I enjoy (so I would assume the switch needs to be similar materials (Pom stem, full nylon housing))
Not sure if there’s any switch in the market that sound and feel identical to these but hopefully someone has the answer to my question.
Basically any all nylon housing (top & bottom), full travel switch will substitute pretty well for them. Those are made of pretty common materials. Since Affilion is a pretty new switch manu AFAIK their tolerances will be better than say Cherry. But they should be very comparable.
Do you happen to have any personal recommendations? I would prefer something not from cherry since I prefer these more modern switch manu and I have used cherry for gaming already.
Gateron Deeppings would probably be a nice substitute. Make sure you get the full (4.0mm) travel ones though.They also come in a long pole version that only has 3.7mm total travel & bottoms out on the stem pole. They’re a little pricey, but films are not needed with them & they have pretty tight tolerances overall. For a more budget recommendation I’d go with the newest version of all milky or milky top/black bottom Gateron Yellows.
Hey, I ordered some of the gateron yellows and unfortunately, they sound quite muted in my board for some reason (maybe bad switches?). However, they main reason I probably won’t use it for my main board is because it does not have the same VERY close actuation point as the opal switches. I did not get to try the deeppings as they seem sold out from most vendors in my country. Hoping for another alternative to come around soon.