I want something with the same tactility profile as Ergo Clears/Durock Medium Tactiles but has just a little more peak force. Something that is in between JWK Twilights/MX Clear stem in MX Blue housing and stock Ergo Clear/DMTs tactility but closer to the stock tactility strength.
Housing should enable full 4mm travel like Ergo Clears and Zealio V1/V1Rs do, and be Nylon top and bottom with a POM stem. Although I wouldn’t complain about POM housing with UHMWPE based blend stem either.
Spring should be a TX Long 16mm in 62g, which I feel is the best balance of all day typing comfort and springiness. Although springs are the least of my concern given how easy they are to replace.
The second that one of the switch manufacturers offers this switch, I’ll likely buy 300 of them on the spot and use them across all my keyboards with enough left in reserve to fill a full TKL. That’s how much I want a switch like this to exist.
There a couple switches out there that are really close. Melon Milks meet your criteria except the spring is 22mm instead of 16mm. Similarly DK Creamery Switches would meet the criteria except for the spring length, which is not listed. Keep up the search I am sure it exists somewhere!
Spring length isn’t that big of a deal since I can just buy TX Longs in my preferred weight anyways.
Looking at reviews for both the Melon Milks and DK Creamery Cookies n Cream switches, both of them seems to be with a similar bump profile to T1s/Holy Pandas, just lighter. I prefer slightly sharper tactility with some pre-travel so I don’t think either one is really what I’m looking for unfortunately.
Apart from the aforementioned Durock Medium Tactiles and their variants (Penguins, Mode Signals, Dragonfruits, Ceruleans) and Naevys in R1.5/R2, there isn’t really any newer Ergo Clear style tactiles. At least nothing that could truly be dubbed a “premium” Ergo Clear, everything else comes across as more of a modernized one to me (arguably not even matching the originals).
60g 18mm springs also felt really good for me in the DMTs that I have, its probably my second choice for typing. Definitely nicer feel for short bursts of typing than the 16mm springs can feel for me.
16mm I think pairs really well with tactiles that have a big and heavy bump in the top half of the travel, its the most preload that you can get in a spring that still feels somewhat “normal” like 14-15mm ones. Stuff like T1s, Holy Pandas and Boba U4/U4Ts would really benefit from a 16mm spring. To me anything longer makes the bottom out too harsh.
Top-heavy springs add to tactility so they’re great for adding tactility to linears and light tactiles at the top. Heavy tactiles don’t need extra tactility so not as useful.
Added tactility to linears is of simple kind. Added tactility to light tactiles can get pretty complex, making the switch not only feel different but sound different. I guess I’m drawn to complexity.
My ideal tactile is somewhere between a Holy Panda and a Holy Boba in terms of feel, stem length and material. I really like Holy Pandas but I also have a board with Keebfront’s Doom Switches which I really like. I think a medium between these two for me would be perfect. TBH, I think things like spring weight and stem length are simply something that I would need to just kind of fine tune.
As for a marriage between Holy Pandas and Holy Bobas, have you tried JWICK & Chosfox Voyagers? Their sale-price ended just yesterday on AliExpress, unfortunately.
I find that the bump on Voyagers is comparable to Holy Boba, but they may be gentler.
There’s also the new MMD Princess. Dirt cheap prices. They are basically a budget U4T. ‘D-shaped’ bump. I tried them side-by-side with Voyagers. The Princess is cleaner. Voyagers feel a little ‘richer’ in tactility, but aren’t quite as smooth. Princess has a tighter housing, I think.
oooo thank you for the suggestions! I have tried those chosfox switches, I think my biggest issue was they were pretty wobbly even with filming compared to others but those princess switches sound really nice!
Yeah, the Voyagers wobble more than such a switch [costing 60 cents or more] should.
But yeah, the Princess are a hilarious value proposition. I can fill up a hotswap NCR-80 with them for $20, thus negating its stupid north-facing switches.
