Sound on finger lift - how to damp it?

[Tuscany]

So, I have been reading a lot recently as I decided to get smaller keyboard.
I am currently using Fnatic Rush with Red Cherry MX + O-Rings. I ordered Keychron K6 - whether this was the best choice or not, is different topic.
I am preparing for some mods when it arrives - will put foam beneath the PCB, lube the stabs, maybe lube the switches.

However I noticed that the most of the sound on my keyboard at the moment comes when I actually lift my finger, not when I press it. Did some googling but couldn't understand for sure - is any of the popular mods intended to damp this sound or it wouldn't naturally exist on the new kbd?

[tp4tissue]

they've done it with the little silicone glue on the tip of the slider housing.

But they don't last and often fall off after a while.

There are silence type switches with little rubber stoppers already built in.  but none of them are particularly silent.


The most silent boards are thin low weight scissor keys.

[Tuscany]

So, in other words, none of the sound dampening exercises is directed to the sound of releasing the key, but rather to the sound of pressing and the feel of pressing?

[Tactile]

Not a lot of choices to dampen upstroke sound. There's silenced Topre.



Cherry has silenced switches (reds and maybe some others - I don't keep track of them).

[tp4tissue]

So, in other words, none of the sound dampening exercises is directed to the sound of releasing the key, but rather to the sound of pressing and the feel of pressing?

they have, the just don't work all that well relative to TRULY low volume keyboards.  They're only slightly less noisy than the louder mechanical crowd.

[jamster]

They work fine for many use cases. Totally acceptable for an open plan office, maybe not fine for the study room of a public library.

Far less of a sharp click and clack from undamped mech switches, and personally I prefer them to some scissor switched which, whilst quieter overall, have a higher pitched ticking sound.

[Findecanor]

Did some googling but couldn't understand for sure - is any of the popular mods intended to damp this sound or it wouldn't naturally exist on the new kbd?

There are silencing clips that clip on top of switches to act as O-rings and as silencer for when the slider comes up.
The downside is that they are incompatible with many keyboards out there: including many keyboards with backlighting. And you may still need to use O-rings with some keycaps.

All "silent" switches are more silent than any mod though.

[Pyk_]

Did some googling but couldn't understand for sure - is any of the popular mods intended to damp this sound or it wouldn't naturally exist on the new kbd?

There are silencing clips that clip on top of switches to act as O-rings and as silencer for when the slider comes up.
The downside is that they are incompatible with many keyboards out there: including many keyboards with backlighting. And you may still need to use O-rings with some keycaps.

All "silent" switches are more silent than any mod though.

They’re also very low tolerance. They work on some of my switches but not most, even though they technically support all of them.

I would recommend trying silent switches, though they tend to cost more. As far as currently available, Zeal makes silent tactile and linears, and Gateron makes silent inks. I think gateron also has budget silent switches. Like others have said they aren’t “silent”, but on the down and up bottom out you have rubber hitting plastic instead of plastic on plastic.