Kailh Noble Yellow?

[atomizeme]

I plan on building my first keyboard this summer, or whenever the GMMK Pro starts shipping for batch 2. I've been using Cherry MX browns my whole life and I just want something different and smoother. I want to go the clicky/tactile route and I've been spending way too many hours researching the best clicky switch. In the end I know it's personal preference but I think I've narrowed it down to Kailh Box jades, whites, pinks, and noble yellow. It sounds like whites are lightweight, slightly better cherry blues. Jades are nice but have trouble returning past the clickbar. Pinks don't appear to be very tactile. Out of these, it looks like the noble yellow switches might be the best of the bunch except... I can't find many reviews or feedback about them. Almost no one is talking about them so I it's hard to compare. Any thoughts? Does anyone have them and cares to share their opinion?

[Leopard223]

FWWI I have the BOX Pink and they’re tactile, they’re not crazy tactile but there’s s pleasant feedback imo. 
Not sure about noble yellows but they seem like a bit clickier version of pinks, with lighter spring iirc.
I love Gat yellows weight and I found the BOX Pinks to be comfortable, to give you a comparison.

[Maledicted]

Box whites are even less tactile than MX blue, but that tactility is crisp and refined, whereas MX blue feels like typing on a plastic grocery bag.

Noble yellow seems, to me, to be even less tactile than whites. The sound is surprisingly muted for a clicky, if that matters (I only have one in a switch tester).

I have not felt pinks, unfortunately, but they have a mid-sized clickbar (whites have the smallest), so tactility should be greater than that of whites. They're also much more lower pitched sound wise, being up there with jades amongst the deepest-sounding of the family (pink and jade being deeper than all other clickies currently being made that I'm aware of, besides maybe Matias).

Jades are usually my go-to of the family, though I use navies sometimes too (which are wonderfully crisp and enjoyable to hammer away on). They have 0 difficulty returning past the clickbar. This comes down to perception. They have the thickest clickbar of the family and a weaker spring than the navies, so they don't return as quickly as the rest. I have typed with them extensively and have had no problems with them returning. Because of the spring and clickbar combination, they actually have the most perceived tactility and are the closest thing I have ever found in a modern MX-compatible switch to Alps SKCM.

Another factor here is weighting. If you're used to MX brown, a lot of the switches in this family are at least a little heavier.

As far as I can tell, the most-liked of the family are jades, pinks and pale blues. Pale blues seem to be a compromise for people paranoid about how sluggish the return feels on jades, while giving up a deeper sound and sacrificing some tactility. It seems everyone enjoys navies but may find them too heavy for continuous typing (I do not, but slightly prefer the overall characteristics of jades).

Have you thought about getting a switch tester to flesh some of what you prefer out for yourself?

[ddrfraser1]

Noble yellows feel like lighter pinks to me and heavier whites.

[atomizeme]

Noble yellows feel like lighter pinks to me and heavier whites.

-snip-

Thanks for the feedback. The pale blues look interesting but based on their listed forces, they would be the biggest change from mx browns in terms of weight to press down. I wouldn't mind something heavier than browns but want to see how it feels typing on something in-between first. I'd be getting a hot swap board so sometime in the future I could use different switches. I have considered getting a switch tester but I think feeling a few switches on a tester vs typing on them in a keyboard would create a different experience. For now I'm leaning towards pinks, jades, and noble yellow. Since the keyboard probably won't arrive until Q2, I'll wait a little longer to see if there's more videos and opinions/feedback regarding the noble yellows. 

[Maledicted]

Noble yellows feel like lighter pinks to me and heavier whites.

-snip-

Thanks for the feedback. The pale blues look interesting but based on their listed forces, they would be the biggest change from mx browns in terms of weight to press down. I wouldn't mind something heavier than browns but want to see how it feels typing on something in-between first. I'd be getting a hot swap board so sometime in the future I could use different switches. I have considered getting a switch tester but I think feeling a few switches on a tester vs typing on them in a keyboard would create a different experience. For now I'm leaning towards pinks, jades, and noble yellow. Since the keyboard probably won't arrive until Q2, I'll wait a little longer to see if there's more videos and opinions/feedback regarding the noble yellows.

A lot of this is subjective, of course. What may seem heavy to one person may not to another.

Jades have the same click bar as the navies, so the tactile event is very substantial. The lighter spring of the jades makes them feel the most tactile of the entire family, although they're lighter overall than the navies.

Pale blues use the same spring as the navies, but they use the thin click bar like whites. To my touch, this makes them feel very lightly tactile and lighter overall than even jades due to that.

Jades and pale blues are both noticeably heavier than the most common MX switches

You should probably get a tester that has all of the box switches in it that you would like to try. It would be a shame to get a board full of switches that end up making you look over the fence for some greener grass. Box clickies don't feel quite like anything else that exists, so you may even find that you prefer something else entirely. MX brown feels very different from anything in the box family, even box browns.

I would hope that something has changed recently, but I haven't seen any switch testers that have all of the popular box clicky switches. This is why I have never tried pinks. KPRepublic has a 130 switch tester that always seemed to be a reasonable price to me. Otherwise, there are smaller sets around as well.

[Leopard223]

Noble yellows feel like lighter pinks to me and heavier whites.

-snip-

Thanks for the feedback. The pale blues look interesting but based on their listed forces, they would be the biggest change from mx browns in terms of weight to press down. I wouldn't mind something heavier than browns but want to see how it feels typing on something in-between first. I'd be getting a hot swap board so sometime in the future I could use different switches. I have considered getting a switch tester but I think feeling a few switches on a tester vs typing on them in a keyboard would create a different experience. For now I'm leaning towards pinks, jades, and noble yellow. Since the keyboard probably won't arrive until Q2, I'll wait a little longer to see if there's more videos and opinions/feedback regarding the noble yellows.

A lot of this is subjective, of course. What may seem heavy to one person may not to another.

Jades have the same click bar as the navies, so the tactile event is very substantial. The lighter spring of the jades makes them feel the most tactile of the entire family, although they're lighter overall than the navies.

Pale blues use the same spring as the navies, but they use the thin click bar like whites. To my touch, this makes them feel very lightly tactile and lighter overall than even jades due to that.

Jades and pale blues are both noticeably heavier than the most common MX switches

You should probably get a tester that has all of the box switches in it that you would like to try. It would be a shame to get a board full of switches that end up making you look over the fence for some greener grass. Box clickies don't feel quite like anything else that exists, so you may even find that you prefer something else entirely. MX brown feels very different from anything in the box family, even box browns.

I would hope that something has changed recently, but I haven't seen any switch testers that have all of the popular box clicky switches. This is why I have never tried pinks. KPRepublic has a 130 switch tester that always seemed to be a reasonable price to me. Otherwise, there are smaller sets around as well.

I’ll never understand this switch testers, what’s the need to people to feel 10 variations of the same switch?
Couple of different weights and smoothness, some clickers and the rest should be variations of tactiles.

[Maledicted]

I’ll never understand this switch testers, what’s the need to people to feel 10 variations of the same switch?
Couple of different weights and smoothness, some clickers and the rest should be variations of tactiles.

Tactiles and linears are what feel the most alike when compared, although spring weighting will still change how the tactile event is perceived even with exactly the same slider design, before factory lubrication and the materials involved come into play. The box clicky switches alone have 3 different thicknesses of click bar if I remember right, and a change in spring weighting will change how each of those click bars feel and sound. If all you've ever felt are MX clones, your statement makes more sense. MX clickies feel like MX clickies. The only major variance is how much or little they rattle, and consistency.

Additionally, it seems like at least some people very much like very heavy linears, or tactiles, but may find very heavy clickies too tiring. I find the opposite to be the case. I'm using box navies right now and can use them all day without issue. MX black, on the other hand, seems very tiring to me within minutes. People often buy entire boards, or a board's worth of switches, only to find that in spite of all of their research, they're not the switch for them. I have that KPRepublic tester and I still wish it had some of the more boutique linear or tactile switches, just to say I have tried them. And it doesn't have any Matias switches at all, all of which feel different than anything MX-compatble (even the silent "linears")

[Leopard223]

I’ll never understand this switch testers, what’s the need to people to feel 10 variations of the same switch?
Couple of different weights and smoothness, some clickers and the rest should be variations of tactiles.

Edit: Accidental comment.

[Darthbaggins]

7 pin blues are from much older boards - the extra pins were for a resistor that would be housed in the switch (pretty cool shtuff really).  really it all comes down to the feel you enjoy and makes you happy to type on - I love my linears at home and my Tactiles and clickies for my setup at work. 

[Maledicted]

I’ll never understand this switch testers, what’s the need to people to feel 10 variations of the same switch?
Couple of different weights and smoothness, some clickers and the rest should be variations of tactiles.

Tactiles and linears are what feel the most alike when compared, although spring weighting will still change how the tactile event is perceived even with exactly the same slider design, before factory lubrication and the materials involved come into play. The box clicky switches alone have 3 different thicknesses of click bar if I remember right, and a change in spring weighting will change how each of those click bars feel and sound. If all you've ever felt are MX clones, your statement makes more sense. MX clickies feel like MX clickies. The only major variance is how much or little they rattle, and consistency.

Additionally, it seems like at least some people very much like very heavy linears, or tactiles, but may find very heavy clickies too tiring. I find the opposite to be the case. I'm using box navies right now and can use them all day without issue. MX black, on the other hand, seems very tiring to me within minutes. People often buy entire boards, or a board's worth of switches, only to find that in spite of all of their research, they're not the switch for them. I have that KPRepublic tester and I still wish it had some of the more boutique linear or tactile switches, just to say I have tried them. And it doesn't have any Matias switches at all, all of which feel different than anything MX-compatble (even the silent "linears")

I still think it’s a waste of money. 
They add different variations of the same switch.
You have the classic set of Cherry switches and then the same set just 5 pin (and 7pin blue? What is that?). Black bottom Gats and RGB gats, a

Sure, there are some (mostly) redundant variants of the same switch, but that set has a lot of entirely separate variants to play with as well, and even some switches that aren't MX-compatible. The point of a tester is to help narrow down your tastes, and (if possible) identify a switch you really like. in the box clicky family, if all I ever tried was box whites, I might abandon all MX-compatibles entirely and stick with only my 1980s keyboards.

The box-only tester on Amazon is a lot less bang for your buck, than the KPRepublic one, but if someone knows they want to get into box clickies, that's a great start. What's worse? Spending a chunk of change on one relatively-comprehensive tester, or buying 2-3+ sets of switches (and possibly even soldering them all to boards) before finding exactly what you're looking for? You save money in the long run.

[Darthbaggins]

Also if it's a waste of money, why are you in this hobby?

[Leopard223]

Sure, there are some (mostly) redundant variants of the same switch, but that set has a lot of entirely separate variants to play with as well, and even some switches that aren't MX-compatible. The point of a tester is to help narrow down your tastes, and (if possible) identify a switch you really like. in the box clicky family, if all I ever tried was box whites, I might abandon all MX-compatibles entirely and stick with only my 1980s keyboards.

The box-only tester on Amazon is a lot less bang for your buck, than the KPRepublic one, but if someone knows they want to get into box clickies, that's a great start. What's worse? Spending a chunk of change on one relatively-comprehensive tester, or buying 2-3+ sets of switches (and possibly even soldering them all to boards) before finding exactly what you're looking for? You save money in the long run.

I previously accidentally commented, I’ll explain further, I generally agree with you. 
And I’ll be honest and say that I haven’t used Cherry MX switches in a board, I do own the basic switch tester (red,brown,blue,black) and actually find the switches to be nice.

I just think some switches give the point across and instead of another almost same set of it, you could have a boutique switches instead.

I think vendors could put a little more thought into those switch testers.   
Smoothness can be described/tested/compared, sound can be recorded (to a certain degree), but some switches can only be understood when using, which are mostly tactiles.
Which also happens to be the one you would have to either get a whole pack (HP), half a pack (GP) or get them individually for $5 for 1 switch or minimum 10 pack..

Btw BOX clickbars are godsend to us, dirt cheap and phenomenal, and even if you can’t get your hands on a tester it’s much easier to choose from based on reviews/tests. 
But tactiles? besides the fact that people tend to only praise and barely describe, tactile feeling can’t really be describe.
I personally would have dropped some repeats, keep 1 sample of each set,  and get couple more boutique switches instead. 

In the end I’m not trying to **** on this, just think vendors could offer a lot more variety with their testers for entuathists and beginners alike, unless it’s also a collection thing, which makes it completely different. 
This is just my opinion, if it’s someones thing by all means s/he should go for it, it’s a very cool thing to own and mess around with.

Also if it's a waste of money, why are you in this hobby?

That is definitely not what I’ve meant. 

[Maledicted]

Sure, there are some (mostly) redundant variants of the same switch, but that set has a lot of entirely separate variants to play with as well, and even some switches that aren't MX-compatible. The point of a tester is to help narrow down your tastes, and (if possible) identify a switch you really like. in the box clicky family, if all I ever tried was box whites, I might abandon all MX-compatibles entirely and stick with only my 1980s keyboards.

The box-only tester on Amazon is a lot less bang for your buck, than the KPRepublic one, but if someone knows they want to get into box clickies, that's a great start. What's worse? Spending a chunk of change on one relatively-comprehensive tester, or buying 2-3+ sets of switches (and possibly even soldering them all to boards) before finding exactly what you're looking for? You save money in the long run.

I previously accidentally commented, I’ll explain further, I generally agree with you. 
And I’ll be honest and say that I haven’t used Cherry MX switches in a board, I do own the basic switch tester (red,brown,blue,black) and actually find the switches to be nice.

I just think some switches give the point across and instead of another almost same set of it, you could have a boutique switches instead.

I think vendors could put a little more thought into those switch testers.   
Smoothness can be described/tested/compared, sound can be recorded (to a certain degree), but some switches can only be understood when using, which are mostly tactiles.
Which also happens to be the one you would have to either get a whole pack (HP), half a pack (GP) or get them individually for $5 for 1 switch or minimum 10 pack..

Btw BOX clickbars are godsend to us, dirt cheap and phenomenal, and even if you can’t get your hands on a tester it’s much easier to choose from based on reviews/tests. 
But tactiles? besides the fact that people tend to only praise and barely describe, tactile feeling can’t really be describe.
I personally would have dropped some repeats, keep 1 sample of each set,  and get couple more boutique switches instead. 

In the end I’m not trying to **** on this, just think vendors could offer a lot more variety with their testers for entuathists and beginners alike, unless it’s also a collection thing, which makes it completely different. 
This is just my opinion, if it’s someones thing by all means s/he should go for it, it’s a very cool thing to own and mess around with.

You haven't used any Cherry MX switches in a board? By Cherry MX do you just mean Cherry-branded switches, or no clones either? I don't find anything MX to be all that nice myself. Some aren't terrible though either. I say it too often, but I think they're the Honda Civic of switches. They don't sound the best, they don't feel the best, but they get you from A to B every time.

Sure, the RGB variants, etc, could be dropped from that set and replaced with boutique switches. That was actually something I planned to do eventually with mine. I'm not a huge fan of linear or tactile switches though, so I haven't had much motivation to do so. It blows my mind that something more comprehensive hasn't been put together and mass marketed, but that set is reasonably-priced and is still expansive in spite of its shortcomings.

Sound in a tester is almost moot. It sounds nothing like how the switch will sound in any real keyboard, and they could sound surprisingly different even from board to board based on things like thickness of the case and plate, materials used, internal volume of the case, etc. It does give you a rough idea of characteristics specific to the switch though, especially in comparison to other switches in the tester.

Feel will be the same in a tester as in a board, besides bottoming out and returning to rest (which would be more-so characteristics of the board and caps than the switches anyway). The problem is people don't always think to use a tester at the same angle as they would normally actually type at. A tester and a hotswap board is a good combination because you can pop any switches you initially like into the board for a more conclusive test in real-world conditions.

I don't think that anyone would disagree that there need to be more exhaustive switch tester sets. I think most people see their value in narrowing down interests, and even comparing various switches to each other on the fly though. Having an interest in dead switch types with 0 MX compatibility means I have stacks of old boards in varying states of decay, sometimes just because of what switch is inside of them. I sometimes end up liking them, and sometimes wonder why I bought them. There's no easy/cheap way around that for a lot of vintage switches, but a tester is a no-brainer for modern switches in mass production at this time.

[atomizeme]

Ended up ordering the Kailh box pinks. They look quite close to the noble yellows but might not bottom out as hard due to the slightly heavier spring(?). Either way, the difference looks minimal and the pinks were in stock. Still going to take > 1 month to arrive.

[Maledicted]

Ended up ordering the Kailh box pinks. They look quite close to the noble yellows but might not bottom out as hard due to the slightly heavier spring(?). Either way, the difference looks minimal and the pinks were in stock. Still going to take > 1 month to arrive.

I can't speak from experience, but I think you'll enjoy those. Jades and pinks are the lowest-pitched of the family (not being very high pitched is basically entirely alien in modern clickies outside of these two). And they have the midsized click bar, so there should be at least enough tactility to be pretty pleasant to type with. Let us know your impressions when you've got them installed.

I need to get some myself to try.

[atomizeme]

Ended up ordering the Kailh box pinks. They look quite close to the noble yellows but might not bottom out as hard due to the slightly heavier spring(?). Either way, the difference looks minimal and the pinks were in stock. Still going to take > 1 month to arrive.

I can't speak from experience, but I think you'll enjoy those. Jades and pinks are the lowest-pitched of the family (not being very high pitched is basically entirely alien in modern clickies outside of these two). And they have the midsized click bar, so there should be at least enough tactility to be pretty pleasant to type with. Let us know your impressions when you've got them installed.

I need to get some myself to try.

For sure. It'll only take probably half a year for the base keyboard to arrive . In the meantime, I'll be hunting down a budget keycap set. Probably something from G-MKY or tai-hao. Trying to get a decent PBT set under $50 - $60.

[HungerMechanic]

Trying to get a decent PBT set under $50 - $60.

Maybe try something from Artifact Bloom, like "Futures" or "Vintage."

https://drop.com/buy/artifact-bloom-series-keycap-set-vintage

[funkmon]

Ended up ordering the Kailh box pinks. They look quite close to the noble yellows but might not bottom out as hard due to the slightly heavier spring(?). Either way, the difference looks minimal and the pinks were in stock. Still going to take > 1 month to arrive.

I can't speak from experience, but I think you'll enjoy those. Jades and pinks are the lowest-pitched of the family (not being very high pitched is basically entirely alien in modern clickies outside of these two). And they have the midsized click bar, so there should be at least enough tactility to be pretty pleasant to type with. Let us know your impressions when you've got them installed.

I need to get some myself to try.

For sure. It'll only take probably half a year for the base keyboard to arrive . In the meantime, I'll be hunting down a budget keycap set. Probably something from G-MKY or tai-hao. Trying to get a decent PBT set under $50 - $60.

Hey, if you're already buying some Tai-Hao stuff, pick up some Matias switches, the best of the modern switches. :3.

But hey I have box pinks and they're quite good. They feel like blues but slightly sharper tactility.

[tp4tissue]

only interested in Bourgeois Grey or Peasant Maroon.

[Maledicted]

Hey, if you're already buying some Tai-Hao stuff, pick up some Matias switches, the best of the modern switches. :3.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

[atomizeme]

Trying to get a decent PBT set under $50 - $60.

Maybe try something from Artifact Bloom, like "Futures" or "Vintage."

https://drop.com/buy/artifact-bloom-series-keycap-set-vintage

Thanks for the suggestion. The dark dolch theme is quite nice, might get that.
I came across a very nice looking HSA profile white on black retro style set but it's a shame it was a group buy and that it ended late 2019..... which according to the geekhack thread is still in production and hasn't even shipped to this date. Reason why I won't do groupbuys.

[HungerMechanic]

Yeah, it's best for newcomers to steer clear of exotic profiles and switches, for now.

The funny thing about that Dark Dolch set is that I'm sure I received something very similar from AliExpress in 2019 for $34 shipped to my door.

Except the AliExpress version had red enter and escape key. But it was probably only 110-key, whereas Dark Dolch probably has more coverage than that.

A set I just received that is excellent is the "Matcha" PBT set from AliExpress, also available from Amazon [under NPKC or similar]. The dye sub is excellent, crisp and clear. Colours are very precise, and the feel is smooth PBT like ePBT sometimes is. Only $33-35. For like 135 keys. I don't know how these are with clickies, though.

[atomizeme]

Yeah, it's best for newcomers to steer clear of exotic profiles and switches, for now.

The funny thing about that Dark Dolch set is that I'm sure I received something very similar from AliExpress in 2019 for $34 shipped to my door.

Except the AliExpress version had red enter and escape key. But it was probably only 110-key, whereas Dark Dolch probably has more coverage than that.

A set I just received that is excellent is the "Matcha" PBT set from AliExpress, also available from Amazon [under NPKC or similar]. The dye sub is excellent, crisp and clear. Colours are very precise, and the feel is smooth PBT like ePBT sometimes is. Only $33-35. For like 135 keys. I don't know how these are with clickies, though.

It's possible. I couldn't find a dark dolch set like the one on Drop but there's a hami melon and grey combo set on Idobao's aliexpress store that look identical. Aliexpress link here The hami melon ones used to be on Drop and based on the comments, sold for $100! If I wait longer, maybe the dark dolch will show up too lol.

[HungerMechanic]

The Hami Melon thing is irksome. There was a big sale on AliExpress once, and you could get like 145 keys of the Hami Melon set for $35 shipped.

[wolverine92]

I have used Kailh Pale Blues, Navy's, and Jades. The Navies were just too heavy for me. Pale Blues are smooth, but I found myself bottoming out too much. I have been using Jades for a while and really like the feel and the sound. I have some samples of the Pinks and they aren't bad. Really you can't go wrong with Kailh Box. I would recommend getting a switch tester for them. And...build your board to be hot swappable so you can switch out easily.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[Maledicted]

I have used Kailh Pale Blues, Navy's, and Jades. The Navies were just too heavy for me. Pale Blues are smooth, but I found myself bottoming out too much. I have been using Jades for a while and really like the feel and the sound. I have some samples of the Pinks and they aren't bad. Really you can't go wrong with Kailh Box. I would recommend getting a switch tester for them. And...build your board to be hot swappable so you can switch out easily.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

Are you implying that you bottom out less with jades than pale blues? I would find that interesting considering how stiff the clickbar is in relation to the spring weighting in jades. I bottom out with navies, and I'm glad I do. I'm using some right now.

This thread finally pushed me over the edge to order a few hundred box pinks to play with. Should be here today.

[wolverine92]

I have used Kailh Pale Blues, Navy's, and Jades. The Navies were just too heavy for me. Pale Blues are smooth, but I found myself bottoming out too much. I have been using Jades for a while and really like the feel and the sound. I have some samples of the Pinks and they aren't bad. Really you can't go wrong with Kailh Box. I would recommend getting a switch tester for them. And...build your board to be hot swappable so you can switch out easily.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

Are you implying that you bottom out less with jades than pale blues? I would find that interesting considering how stiff the clickbar is in relation to the spring weighting in jades. I bottom out with navies, and I'm glad I do. I'm using some right now.

This thread finally pushed me over the edge to order a few hundred box pinks to play with. Should be here today.

With the Jades, I don't even think about whether I am bottoming out. I may be, but the switch is unique in that it has a click on the press and the release, so that sensation for some reason feels better for me. Pale Blue is a very good switch, and Pink is similar to Pale Blue IMO, so you cannot go wrong with the Pinks. I just preferred the feel of the Jades.