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Ball Bearing Blue Switch Review

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ThereminGoat:
Hey all,

For the third consecutive full length switch review in a row, I'm excited to bring you new and unique designs within the traditional MX-style switch footprint. Unlike the Tecsee Honey Peaches and Gateron Melodics before this one, though, the Ball Bearing Blue switches are an incredibly interesting design that you absolutely won't want to miss the deep dive on...

Website: https://www.theremingoat.com/
Article: https://www.theremingoat.com/blog/ball-bearing-blue-switch-review
Scorecard Repository: https://github.com/ThereminGoat/switch-scores
Force Curve Repository: https://github.com/ThereminGoat/force-curves
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theremingoat

As always, thank you all for the continued love, support, and patience in getting these full length reviews out. It's crazy to think that we've had three switches in the last two months that are so different in their execution that they absolutely had to be covered in a full length review as such to be truly appreciated. It makes me really wonder what's in store for us for the rest of 2024...

Cheers,
Goat

blondie:
.

annyeed:

--- Quote from: ThereminGoat on Sun, 24 March 2024, 10:05:24 ---Hey all,

For the third consecutive full length switch review in a row, I'm excited to bring you new and unique designs within the traditional MX-style switch footprint. Unlike the Tecsee Honey Peaches and Gateron Melodics before this one, though, the Ball Bearing Blue switches are an incredibly interesting design that you absolutely won't want to miss the deep dive on...

Website: https://www.theremingoat.com/
Article: https://www.theremingoat.com/blog/ball-bearing-blue-switch-review
Scorecard Repository: https://github.com/ThereminGoat/switch-scores
Force Curve Repository: https://github.com/ThereminGoat/force-curves
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theremingoat

As always, thank you all for the continued love, support, and patience in getting these full length reviews out. It's crazy to think that we've had three switches in the last two months that are so different in their execution that they absolutely had to be covered in a full length review as such to be truly appreciated. It makes me really wonder what's in store for us for the rest of 2024...

Cheers,
Goat

--- End quote ---

links are not opening.

Leslieann:
Links worked for me.
Kind of an interesting idea, you should conduct one more test, try it without the balls and see if anything feels different.

The problem I have is that there's one ball per side, that's not really enough to guide it and for it to do much it would actually decrease the point of contact. While this can reduce friction it can also increase long term wear, especially when there's a decent chance it's not actually rolling but simply gliding up the shaft, dissimilar materials against each other slide better that similar materials. This is why some companies use different plastics on housing vs sliders, it's not all just for sound.

I'm not saying it doesn't work, it certainly can make it more smooth, the question is how, how much and how it will work long term. I do appreciate them trying something new, I just wish they'd put more than one per side, one just seems meh. I'd argue a self lubricating/oil impregnated bronze bushing lined shaft or stem would make it far better (though far more expensive to design and manufacture). Mostly though is any of it really necessary if lube is doing all the work anyhow (if done properly)?

Anyhow, thanks for the review, they're interesting and I probably never would have known about them otherwise.

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