Here are some reviews of a couple of YOK Panda derivatives I have been testing: namely Holy Pandas (2 weights), and MX Brown Pandas. All lubed with 205g0.
This is an extension of what I am doing in this thread, but since these are frankenswitches, I am describing them here.
BROWN PANDAS
MX Brown stem, YOK Trash Panda housing, 60 gr YOK Trash Panda spring. 205g0.
I assembled these as a joke. They are referred to derisively on other forums. Not sure if I’ve ever heard of a build with them.
I put together a couple of these without lube. I was kind of pleasantly surprised by these, as they are very poppy, but not excessively so.
But they lack refinement. They’re tactile, but some of it is just present and wasted. And that tactility makes a kind of grinding noise when typing.
They also wobble, but it’s not terrible.
But it has potential. The Panda housing amplifies the MX Brown’s weak tactility. The 60 gr YOK spring is a good weight, very robust. So I sent some to a builder.
Lubing with 205g0 brings significant improvement. The sound becomes less grindy, more clacky, and deeper. The switch loses some of the excess tactility, but becomes smoother. It’s still way louder than something like Ergo Clears, however.
The tactility is different than with Holy Pandas. With my heavily-lubed HP samples, you can feel that Halo True stem. There’s a thick resistance, and it just kind of totally collapses from there. With Brown Pandas, the tactility is more granular, like you would expect from MX Browns. The HPs are more authoritative, the Brown Pandas are poppier.
Maybe the thing to do is use the POM Panda housings for these, as it is probably quieter. And the 60 gr YOK spring is a bit too much for the MX Brown stem. I would like to try 58 gr Spirit springs, once they become available in Canada. [55 gr feels too light for Browns, IMHO.] I don’t know what you would call an MX Brown POM Panda with Spirit springs, but it could be an interesting switch.
HOLY PANDAS
Halo True stems, YOK Trash Panda housings. 68 gr and 63.5 gr Spirit springs. Lubed with 205g0. Lubed fairly substantially, to round out the bump and create a “big Brown” feel.
There’s nothing I can tell you about these that you don’t already know. I have 2 with 68 gr Spirit springs, and 4 with 63.5 gr Spirit springs.
I don’t enjoy the 68 gr HPs, since I don’t enjoy the 68 gr Spirit springs. I only used them because 68 gr is a popular weight for them.
Some people say that 67-68 gr and higher give better tactility for the HPs, but it isn’t worth it to me. There’s greater force and resistance, yes. But the stiff 68 gr spring [the 68g Spirit is particularly stiff] takes over the switch, drawing away attention from its characteristics. At least to me. I frown when typing on 68 gr HPs, just as I do with 68 gr Ergo Clears and OUTEMU Skies.
The 63.5 gr HPs, though… Very nice. Like the 68s, these are lubed to soften the tactility somewhat, making them into “bigger Browns.” The spring weight is good. As others have noted, 63.5 is well-suited to the Pandas. It’s light, but doesn’t lose as much tactility as some other springs. As always, the HPs go well with GMK keycaps and metal enclosures.
The 63.5s are light and pleasant enough that I wonder what 65 gr TX HPs would be like. There is a catch in the upstroke on the 63.5 when released slowly, which almost disappears on the 68. But it’s there, if you are looking for it.
These 63.5 HPs kind of feel like what I would imagine the more tactile mechanical switches of old felt like. A larger tactile area, a more ‘two-stage’ process, from high-tactility to almost none. Loud clacking noise.
I will not be using these in a build, however. You all know how HPs bottom-out. I think it’s harsh. And the sound, while amusing, is way too loud. Maybe those POM Pandas are the way to go? I could never use this in a quiet room. In a noisy, air-conditioned room, these would be great. Maybe a factory-floor.