Keychron Q9
Such a nice gray. Would you mind sharing which paint you used?
3 Likes
Put together some themed sample packs just for fun;
1st - Brand Tour
Cherry:
- Black (HG, 3-pin)
- “New Nixie” Milky-top Black
- Silent Black (de-soldered)
- RGB Brown
- Ergo Clear (factory)
Gateron:
- KS-3 Yellow
- Oil King
- Ink Silent
- Brown
- GoPolar Azure Dragon (V1)
TTC:
- Wild 42g
- Ace (V1)
- Frozen Silent (V1)
- Gold Brown V3
- Matrix-01 Tactile
JWK:
- EV-01 (R1)
- NK_ Silk Awaken Yellow
- Kono Nightcall silent linear
- JWICK Nylon T1
- TKC Dragonfruit
Outemu:
- Gazzew Boba LT prototype
- Gazzew Boba LT production
- Silent Peach
- Silent Lemon
- Gazzew U4Tx (Smith + Rune special plum edition)
HaiMu:
- Raw
- G-Square + MOYU EMT V2
- Heartbeat silent linear
- G-Square + Moondrop Tessence tactile
- G-Square + MOYU Betty
Kailh:
- Black V2
- NK_ BOX Cream
- Deep Sea / Ocean
- Speed Copper
- NK_ Cream Tactile
2nd - Kaih & Gateron sampler
Kailh, NK_ Creams:
- OG
- Nolive (R2, different stem)
- Launch
- Arc
- Tactile
- BOX
- Dream (preworn, same different stem as Nolives)
- Plus (with inserts)*
- Clickie
- Blueberry
Kailh:
- Red V2
- Polia
- Halo Clear
- Speed Bronze
- Clione Limacina linear
Kailh BOX:
- Crystal Royal
- Brown (black-bottom)
- NK_ Mute Jade
- White Owl
- Navy
Gateron Yellows:
- KS-3 (Black Nylon)
- KS-3X1 (Milky)
- KS-9X14 (G Pro V1)
- KS-25 CAP Golden (V2)
- KS-8X62 Ink (not certain if V1 or 2)
Other Gaterons:
- Silent Brown
- Hippo
- CJ
- Oil King
- Limbo
- Ink Silent
- Ink Blue
- GoPolar Azure Dragon (V1)
NuPhy × Gateron (POK stems):
- Glacier Night Breeze
- Glacier Rose
3rd - JWK-heavy assortment
JWK, T1 Family:
- JWICK Nylon T1
- Lilac Tactile
- TKC Kiwi
- Durock Koala
- Durock Dark Amber T1
Other JWK:
- Alpaca
- NK_ Silk Olivia
- TKC Tangerine
- TKC Banana Split
- Moyu.studio Queen
- Durock Piano
- Durock Black Lotus
- TKC Dragonfruit
- Kono Solaris
- Kono Nightcall
Tecsee:
- DK Oni
- DK Saru
- Bolsa Zaku
- Lychee Tactile
- Purple Panda
HaiMu:
- KK Light Wave V2
- Geon HG Clear
- Heartbeat
- EMT V2
- Betty
Cherry:
- RGB Brown
- HG Black
- “New Nixie” Milky-top Black
- Silent Black
- Ergo Clear (factory)
Greetech:
- Brown
Aflion:
- Invokeys Blueberry Chiffon (dry)
- Invokeys Black Sesame (lubed)
- Iceberg (Keebmonkey Version)
SWK:
- GoPolar Yin
I plan to do some sort of give-away with these; haven’t decided if it will be promotional or just for fun.
4 Likes
Love this! How about a linear pack from most silent to loudest? 
or improved the most by lubing? Or scratchiest to smoothest? (Not as crazy as it sounds, I found it difficult to ‘get’ the difference between scratchy, pingy and bottoming out sounds at first). Or ‘educational’ sets - same switch, lubed, not lubed, different lube, filmed, different springs, oiled/lubed spring, etc…
Oh the possibilities 
2 Likes
I dig all those ideas - sounds like a fun evening. :3
1 Like
Salvation
Cotton Candy switches L&F from Loobed
TX Stabs
GMK Modern Japanese Desko w/GMK Minimal alphas
8 Likes
First I’ve seen of this one. Very nice. Nice setup.
2 Likes
Not to be confused with KAT LaLa
Thanks a lot for sharing. Definitely gonna use this when I finally get around to doing a DIY haha. Looks great
1 Like
Another one with a couple themes;
Details & commentary
Top to bottom, left to right: rows 1-8, columns A-E
First theme: Factory-basic vs Factory-tuned - various designs in basic, un-tuned examples in the first row, with comparative factory-tuned counterparts in the second, and some further topically-adjacent examples in the third.
Row 1: Un-tuned switches - these need your love to bloom:
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A: Cherry MX Black: the overall baseline, recent tooling w/ standard factory treatment
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B: EV-01 (R1): basic dry JWK, older tooling
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C: Haimu Raw: novel plastic blends, dry
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D: KK Light Wave V2 (early Haimu): novel stem, smooth but noisy
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E: NK_ Cream: stock, old version, novel housing material, dry
Row 2: Factory-tuned relatives - more or less ready to plant:
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A: Cherry MX Clear-top Black: a modest but extant improvement
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B: TKC Tangerine: night-and-day; better tooling, novel materials, lubed
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C: Moondrop Lunalight (recent Haimu): trad materials, newer tooling, lubed
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D: Haimu Heartbeat: evolved novel stem w/ lube, smooth and quiet
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E: Kailh Clione Limacina linear: hardest name to remember award, different novel materials, lubed
Row 3: Free-associative from the last row:
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A: Gateron Yellow KS-3: a better baseline? maybe a butter baseline
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B: Moyu.studio Queen: a JWK that’s factory-dry but smooth anyway, gets better from there with tuning
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C: Moondrop Tessence: tactile counterpart to the Lunalight, also good-to-go
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D: Skyloong Glacier Rose: tactile counterpart to evolved novel stem
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E: Kailh Clione Limacina tactile: tactile counterpart to the hard to remember linear
Second theme: The Hype → The Move - some high-demand or otherwise hyped switches in the first row, with alternative suggestions in the following two. Pattern repeats for the final two rows. The “hype” switches are all good or can be made good, and the alternatives might be easier to find, less expensive, maaaaybe better sometimes? >.>
Row 4: The Hype - whether from brand or community, these have lots of lip-service:
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A: Cherry MX Silent Black: baseline for MX-compatible dampened linears; set the format and can be tuned / frankened to perfection - but kinda sandy and dead in their stock form imo
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B: Bolsa Zaku: long-pole linear, pc housing - recent run, not as good as the switch that earned the name recognition, hard to find in stock anyway - still good, great when tuned - just not worth the fuss, per-se
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C: Everglide Aqua King V3: my personal poster-child for don’t trust the hype but still deserve credit for being the first all-clear MX-compatible switch, and for setting the format for many all-clears to follow: tight tolerances over fast movement, butter-smooth but slip-sticky, stable and slick at the risk of sluggishness. Deep sound. What the followers left behind is the extreme inconsistency of the water bois.
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D: Gateron Ink Black V2: great switches, maybe even milestone switches for the state of MX-compatibles so the hype is deserved - but the switch population has evolved around them quickly
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E: Alpaca V2: the darling pre-buttered JWK alongside Tangies, and for good reason. They’re very smooth, low-grain switches right from the bag, and they were some of the first of their kind around these parts besides being super cute, so they have plenty of well-deserved name recognition. The downside is they are often out of stock and cost a hair more
Row 5: The Move - these alternatives either punch above their weight or notably outclass their format-setting predecessors
-
A: TTC Frozen Silent V1: compared to the Cherry; this is less mushy, less grainy, more consistent, more smooth, and more quiet - inconsequently, it’s a lighter switch. On the down-side, these need shimming with PTFE tape to fit with some keycaps
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B: NuPhy Glacier Night Breeze: POK stems accentuate the long-pole sound, butter-smooth and sounding clean from the factory, no hipster tax
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C: Gateron North Pole Yellow V1: this is Gateron’s distillation of the Aqua King formula, and I think they’ve done it the best so far: it’s not just clear, it’s wet-ice clear. It’s butter-smooth and stable if a touch sluggish. A little inconsistent (but nothing like AKs), similarly deep sound. These have been replaced by a V2 already which apparently trades the deep-thok bottom-out for more reliably-swift, less-sluggish operation. Fair, I suppose - though I’d still recommend this version for the sound if they kept making them.
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D: Invokeys Black Sesame lubed version: I’ve never encountered a factory-perfect switch and this is no exception - but it’s closer than most. Butter-smooth, solid-stable, and sounds so good. Thock-word all day. If not for the occasional metallic crunch these would be ascendant-tier; a great competitor to the Ink Black.
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E: NK_ Silk: these come in lots of colors, and might be the most truthful example of “JWK recolors” within their own product line yet - but that’s kind of the point. These are no-fuss smooth-as-heck skates. Trusty. Reliable. Available in many colors. They’re also at least as good as Alpacas at this point, and given there’s always a new version floating around, they’re easy to find.
Row 6: The Move continued - another set of alternatives in the same vein, and relative to the same switches in Row 4
-
A: Outemu Silent Peach: this budget option isn’t even close to the best silent linear Outemu makes, but I still prefer it to the MX Silent Black in pretty much every way
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B: Moyu.studio EMT V2: you want a ready-to go, stable, clacky long-pole linear and don’t want to wait on NuPhy’s shipping? Snag some of these and fuggetaboutit
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C: Haimu × Geon HG Clear: another better AK-like; compared to the Gateron, this one is less butter, more skate - less sluggish, but a little more bind-y at extreme angles (a factor for most of the all-clears to a greater or lesser degree) - uses a diffuser instead of a lens like the Gateron
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D: Durock Black Lotus: these kinda hyped themselves; they showed up with a distinctive look and backed it up with solid if imperfect excellence; much like the Black Sesame. Deep and (mostly) clean from the package; I think these will more than satisfy most as-is, and the rest after some light tuning.
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E: Gateron G Pro Yellow: can’t find Alpacas? don’t want to spend that much on freaking keyboard switches anyway? definitely don’t want to lube a bunch of little parts just to have some nice switches? Jeez, greedy - you know you can’t have it all at a discount, this isn’t candyla… oh. Yeah, there’s these. Akko Cream yellows, too.
Row 7: The Hype pt2 - some more hype and/or fancy switches for your testing pleasure and contextual comparison
-
A: Holy Panda frankenswitch: patient zero for MX big-tactiles? Either way, these made a big splash and inspired loads of switches
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B: Gazzew Boba U4: when these came out, (imo) the only thing even remotely as good in the category were Zilents - and I have issues with those I don’t have with these. Gazzew went from a guy you had to DM on reddit to get switches from to a near household name in just a few months because of these, and it’s well deserved. The improvements he brought to Outemu’s budget silents moved the whole category forward.
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C: Gazzew Boba U4T: for me, this switch is an emblematic franken-killer. People quickly figured-out that Boba housings made even more distinctive sounds in lieu of Panda ones in the otherwise popular Holy-recipe - why not have a switch like that you don’t necessarily have to crack open? Replace the dampeners of a U4 with standard rails, add a long pole, and bam. They aren’t the same exactly, but why bother making with Holy Bobas when you can just get U4Ts?
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D: NK_ Clickie: innovation continues in the clicky space, and it continues to include Kailh. These are novel, interesting, and also quite nice to use - they’re smooth linears with a click. There’s a weird hysteresis where it’s possible to reset the contacts before resetting the click mechanism, and repeat-actuate without engaging the click mechanism - I think this makes it kind of weird for gaming, but it’s not a factor in normal typing for the most part. I think of these as “luxury clickies” - but like, maybe not quite as luxury as Zeal’s… speaking of which:
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E: Zeal Pearlio: Smooth. Deep. Fancy. Umwipe. But seriously, they’re as nice as you’d expect: they’re Gateron CAPs with Zeal tops and UHMWPE stems. Smooth and stable with some further tuning headroom. Also expeeensive.
Row 8: The Move pt2 - hold that thought, and consider this instead
-
A: Moyu.studio Betty: lots of switches are made on this formula - most of them aren’t as good as this one. Snappy, clean, well-balanced - and good to go from the factory. In a plentiful sea of heavy tactiles, this one manages to be outstanding imo. More index-y than a Holy Panda; it snaps down and back up.
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B: TTC Silent Bluish White: my favorite silent tactile, maybe my favorite switch. Pretty similar to the U4, but with more firm dampening pads - this means less mush, more solid thud.
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C: NuPhy Glacier Rose: long-pole big-bump tactile, you say? Like the U4T, this is a ready-made relative of the Holy-whatnot frankens in that it has a distinctive clack to go with its big, snappy bump. With the POK stems, I think theses are worthy alternatives to Holy Pandas and U4Ts - and they’re definitely cheaper.
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D: Kailh Speed Bronze: want a nuanced clicky with a clean sound and a feel that isn’t too sharp? Want to also game with it? Want to skip the boutique tax? Low-key one of my favorite clickies.
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E: Tecsee Jadeite / Diamond: want pearls and crystals and luxurious smoothness? Want umwipe? Again, want to skip the boutique tax? Give these delicate gems a go.
8 Likes
- Salvation
- Lumberjack PCB
- GMK Oblivion
GMK Oblivion arrived today to go on the Salvation, I hadn’t expected the Salvation to take almost as long as GMK but they arrived within a month of each other.
9 Likes
OTC Modo Light (Icons Only) with Zeal 75g Clickiez in my Freebird 60 case. So much fun to type on but these switches are heavy. Absolutely zero accidental key presses for me! Very happy with the icon version of Modo Light; it’s a simple design with pleasantly muted colors done well.
5 Likes
One more for the week; novel materials.
Only the first row is “traditional” POM stem with some combo of Nylon and polycarb - all the rest have something else going on.
I’m in a hurry this evening so I’ll be back later to fill-in what these are - I bet some of you can guess most of them. Material oddities include:
- UHMWPE stems and housings, pure and blended
- Nylon stems
- Polycarbonate stems
- Polyketone (POK) stems
- PME & HPE housings
- Glowy stuff
- A PBT housing
- 4 Bobas & 1 of Gazzew’s new blend
6 Likes
Does this thing count as a desk? I’m calling it a desk.
The three non-keyboard switches on the left belong to the operator station of a Jet Varnish 3DS - a machine designed by the French company Master Graphics International, with help from the Japanese Konica Minolta. To the right of those switches is a keyboard tray with way too much angle on it - and they keyboard it came with died last week. You know what that means…
I get to use whatever keeb I want with it - and today, it’s my grey-on-grey-on-grey Bakeneko65 w/ MT3 Black Speech and Tecsee Snow Globes. I rarely fail to find enjoyment in a given build, but I’m enjoying this one more than I expected to, which is always nice. This is another one of those times where I didn’t plan to pair these parts, but they look so good together I don’t really see myself separating them.
I think MT3 is great for standing work, by the way.
10 Likes
Thanks for your themed collections! I find them very informative and fun!
My baseline is Black Sesame - still my all-time favourite, though they sounded dreadful in the Orion for some reason. Aflion Blue Sky would be great if it didn’t have the QC problems…
I’ve got some Emogogo Hybrids (apparently designed by an Aussie annd inspired by Cherry Mx Blacks and H1s) and London Fog (these are super promising!) recently that I still need to test - fun times ahead!
1 Like
You weren’t kidding about the typing angle! I got curious and found the keyboard in this epic promo video.
1 Like
Built my Devastating TKL today.
This was the bundle that included a random color PC case, stabilizers, switches, a carrying case, and keycaps for just $125.
This is a white PC case. The switches are Jwick yellows. The keycaps I got were nicePBT Grayscale. I have them on another board so it’s shown here with GMK sky modo.
It’s a great typing experience. But the purchase wasn’t the best experience. The keycaps weren’t in my shipment. Customer support took care of it quickly. The first PCB I received had several diodes torn off in shipment. Again, customer support took care of it.
The case was pretty rough on the bottom and sides. I was able to sand it with a white 3m pad and buff with a microfiber cloth. It feels very smooth now.
When I went to assemble today, I found one of the mounting holes for the plate to the top of the case was stripped. The screw held in but only loosely. I wrapped with Teflon tape for a pressure fit. It works, but not ideal.
I do like the switches a lot. Impressive performance for budget switches. I lubed them with 205g0.
8 Likes