Bought and been using some KTT Strawberry switches for the past week or so now. Light (43g A, 62g BO), stem-pole bottom out (while still sounding muted and not losing much key travel @4mm), very adequately and evenly factory lubed. Polycarb top and bottom, POM stem. Minimal wobble with GMK at least.
I might just leave these unlubed and solder them into my next bluetooth yasui build… it’d be my first time not modding switches but they really don’t seem to need it badly if at all.
Just curious, but is there a consensus that box switches are more or less a goto option for dealing with this sort of gnarly wobble?
No, not at all. Box switches have completely fallen out of the favor of the community, ever since preium-ness became the norm for keyboard enthusiasts. They’re not horribly scratchy but not smooth enough to be called smooth in today’s climate, sound like shit imo, have less travel than normal MX switches, can’t be lubed…there’s a lot stopping them from being used nowadays. If you can’t stand wobble get the new revision aqua kings.
I hate BOX switches, but half of what you said is false. BOX switches are on the smoother side compared to other brands, and they absolutely can and should be lubed. You lube them like any other switch, hitting the points of friction on the stem as well as the spot where the stem hits on the top housing and bottom out.
other brands, meaning like outemu reds? There are so many switches that are so much smoother nowadays. jwk, zeal, tecsee, akko, gateron…there are more frictionless linears than one can even keep track of. box switches do not cut it anymore. and no, you can not really lube them. The drainage feature intended for water spills has the effect of pushing out lube. Obviously it’s not gonna completely remove the lube from the switch but compared to normal mx linears they pretty much shouldn’t be considered lubeable. When you lube a box switch they feel great, but then two weeks later the majority of that greatness is gone. With normal mx switches that feeling lasts a really long time. Box switches have pretty much no redeeming qualities with the current options.
Never heard that. But then I stopped paying attention to Box switches after the stem cracking fiasco so others would know better. A box full of unusable switches make good impulse purchase protection.
I’ve recently been a fan of tactile’s and tried out my first linear switches (since Red’s) which are Gateron Ink Blacks and they’ve been awesome!
All the lubed and filmed linears I own feel the same 
(when their spring weights are similar). ((Tangies, Seals, Gat Blacks, Cherry Blacks, Snow Whites, and Tealios))
@ajoflo I’m building a PCB with Midnight Jades sometime soon. I’ll let you know if I see any meaningful difference.
@donpark you got me into buying another patch of hyperglide black. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but when I compare them side by side, I like using them unlubed(only filmed and spring swap) than the first patch I have lubed.
Welcome to the Hyperglide party. 
I tried using unlubed real hard but, in the end, I couldn’t shake that snug feel only lube can provide.
Gotcha.
I was just wondering if the stem design on box switches is inherently less prone to wobble, especially for caps greater than 1U. My interest was intensified after seeing Gateron Box Ink V2’s. Hmm.
Maybe it’s just an aesthetic choice, but I have to assume those guys/gals have a good reason for going this route with one of their more popular switches.
Me too! The only thing that stops me from pulling the trigger is the reduced travel. Maybe I should get box cream since I haven’t tried cream yet.
@donpark I may as well keep rotating two boards with mx black, one unlubed and one lubed. The lubed blacks have a buttery feel but are noticeably heavier. It could be a sign that I have over lubed them.
If you want really stable switches with a similar stem design but no reduced travel, you can’t go wrong with TTC switches. My Wilds are rock solid (and smooth…and really enjoyable to use).
Agree with this. Can’t wait to get the matrix TTC switches. Really hoping they’re going to be the best linear yet. I really like the sound and feel of Momoka Frogs as well, but they still have a slight bit of wobble… and they’re 3 pin. Boo.
I so appreciate the recommendation. My wallet isn’t too thrilled, but who cares. Order placed.
If you really really dig a switch, how many do you-all keep in reserves? Let’s say you’re a 60% kind of guy, would you keep enough for at least two builds?
I got enough of my favorite switch for two more builds and for one more build of another switch.
But I might not be the best example cuz I plan to only make two more builds and have just sold switches enough for five+ builds.
Pretty much enough for 2 builds. I hate to put more than that in boards because something you like even better is sure to come along. I have over 100 keyboards in my collection that I have built, and several OEM and vintage boards. Out of those, I have 2 with Gateron blacks, 2 with Gateron FEI, 2 with Tealios, 2 with Creams (N’olive and OG creams). Everything else is unique to a single board.
No reserves. New build, new adventure 
For me, enough for 2 60% and 1 TKL.
Historically, I would buy enough for two builds (always a few extra in case you get a bad switch), but these days I find myself just buying enough for one build (especially if its a new/unreviewed switch).
If the boards you put them in don’t feel wildly different from each other (or bring anything super distinct to the table), using the same switches give you next to no reason to swap between them. This is especially true for me as I’ve worked out a layout with QMK for a 60% that I use on every form factor that I own, almost making every board function identically.
That being said, if the switch you love is super rare, and you want to have a build’s worth on hand as backup, it’s not a bad idea. But @pixelpusher is spot on: something new and exciting is just around the corner, and storage space is limited, lol (learned my lession with the three builds worth of Tangies that I’m sitting on).
