Thoughts on Kailh's box clickbar switches

[Kevadu]

So I've finally had a chance to try out all four varieties of Kailh's box switches that use a click.  While I'm sure you all have heard of them already, just in case here's a quick summary:

• Box white - light spring, thin click bar
• Box pale blue - heavy spring, thin click bar
• Box jade - light spring, thick click bar
• Box navy - heavy spring, thick click bar

That said 3 of the above I only tried at a meetup so my experience is limited.  I just recently but the pale blues in my K-Type and I'm still a bit on the fence about them (more on that later).  I am, however, intrigued by the clickbar design which is why I wanted to try all of these switches.

So in brief here are my thoughts:

• White - Definitely a light switch, but the tactility is sharp, clean, and hard to miss.  Quite pleasant to type on in fact.  The sound is very high pitched but again it's a very clean sound.
• Pale blue - Obviously I've spent the most time with these and the experience is exactly what you might expect: like the whites but with a heavier spring.  Most of what I wrote about whites applies here too.  Though honestly I think it might be too heavy...
• Jade - On paper I actually thought this might be my favorite switch type, as I welcome the stronger tactility from the thicker click bar.  In practice, however, it was probably my least favorite of the bunch.  That's because the light spring seems to struggle a bit to overcome the thick click bar on the return, adding a subtle but perceptible lag to the switch's movement.  This made the keys feel almost like they were slightly sticky.  To be clear they never actually stuck and the keyboard seemed to work fine, it just felt that way.  Some people might not be bothered by it at all but personally it drove me crazy, and was enough to make me dislike the whole switch.
• Navy - Great sound and amazing tactility.  Because it has a stronger spring I didn't feel any of that stickiness I felt with the jades either.  I wanted to love this switch, but make no mistake: it's a very heavy switch.  I think it would be rather fatiguing to use for a long period.

You may have already guessed this from my descriptions about but I think my favorite of the bunch was actually the whites.  This surprised me because it is unquestionably a very light switch, and lighter than I normally go for.  That's why I initially got the pale blues for my personal board in the first place.  Yet somehow the lightness just works for me better on the whites than most switches that I've tried.  Maybe it's because the tactility is so sharp and clean there is little chance of accidental actuation.  Maybe it's just that the spring in the pale blues (and navies) is just overkill and something more middle ground would be nice.  But anyway, it takes a bit of a lighter touch to type on the whites but it feels really good.  And because it's so light it's not going to be fatiguing at all even when typing for a long period.

Incidentally I have heard claims that the whites actuate before the click but at least on my pale blues (which I'm pretty sure don't really differ besides the spring...) I have been unable to do that even intentionally  I have tried pressing a switch as slowly and carefully as I could to try and hit that actuation point before the click and I literally can't do it.  The actuation and click seem perfectly coincident.  So I don't know what that's all about...

Anyway I was curious what others thought about these switches.

[Tom_Kazansky]

I initially have a... weird prejudice about the click-bar of the box white switches, I don't know how to explain that.

finally I decided to overcome that and try them.
I bought some switches for testing purpose and, as you said, their tactility and sound are surprisingly clean.

I have ordered more and plan to put them on a board.
but my current (clicky) board have 65g Korean springs on it so I guess the actuation force is about 60g? therefore, the box white is a bit lighter than what I want. I plan to sell the box white to buy the box pale blue. The box pale blue should be close to what I want.


after reading your review, maybe I should keep the box white 

Incidentally I have heard claims that the whites actuate before the click but at least on my pale blues (which I'm pretty sure don't really differ besides the spring...) I have been unable to do that even intentionally

well, even the claims are true, there is no actual problems at all.
People are worrying too much, not that they can stop their fingers at the time of actuation and before the click. Not ever at high speed typing 

[Techno Trousers]

I've been curious about these for a while, so I appreciate your thoughts. I think the jade sounds best for me on paper as well (ergo clear is my favorite Cherry MX variety), but the lag you describe does sound frustrating.

Do these switches use a standard Cherry sized spring? I wonder if something like 67g Korean springs in the jades would help to overcome that issue?

[rich1051414]

I have jades preordered and I will report back if they feel sticky on the new batches. Honestly I think navy's are too heavy given the specs, I hope the next batch of jades have corrected the issues.

[kmba]

I have tried all the box click bar switches, and my favorite by far is the pale blue.  It's the only clicky MX compatible switch I want to use and the only current mx switch period in my rotation (I like it a lot).  Dare I say, I think I like it better than most blue alps switches due to consistency.  Now, really clean, unworn, and non crunchy blue alps are still better, but finding or prepping switches like that is difficult. 

Anyway, I like pale blues because they are incredibly smooth, they have nice crisp tactility, and the spring weight is just right -- almost cushy.  I imagine this is what a clicky topre switch would feel like if they decided to make one.

Box whites are too light for me and they don't have that same cushy feeling after the click.

Navy and Jade are incredibly tactile.  The only more tactile switch is a pandastotle.. but those are shrill sounding and ratty.  One downside to these thick click switches though is that due to the high force needed to overcome the click bar, you inevitably bottom out harder than the regular click bars, which I don't like.  A second downside--and it's subtle--is I find they feel inconsistent depending on where you press the keycap.  Pressing on different edges and causing the stem to slide down at slightly different angles leads to a different feel.  Sometimes it feels like they're about to catch on the click bar, while other times they feel less tactile.  Not good.     

[pixelpusher]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the speed bronze.  It was the first click bar switch they made and it's my favorite.   

[Puddsy]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the speed bronze.  It was the first click bar switch they made and it's my favorite.   

yeah, i love the bronzes

[carmenohio]

I recently put in Box Pale Blues in my daily driver.  Initially I thought they were too heavy too, but I am getting used to them and they are very pleasant to type on.  I prefer them over Box whites now, but initially didn't like the weight of the Box Pale Blues either.  The switches feel very smooth, and the clickbar click is more refined and sharper for sure than MX Blues.  The Box Pale Blues are currently my favorite clicky switch.

In Chyrosan's video review of the Box Whites, he mentioned that the Box clickbar switches activate before the click.  However, I think he is wrong and it seems the general opinion I've been hearing on the boards is that they activate AFTER the click as well.  I've tried pressing my Pale Blues ever so slowly, and it seems like the activation is always at the click, or I get the click and activation shortly after.

I haven't tried the Box Navy switches or Box Jades yet, but I have an order on the way for the Box Navy switches.  I don't think I will even try the Box Jades, after hearing so many people complain about the slow return issue due to the weak spring.

[Techno Trousers]

Okay, I need to admit some ignorance now. When you were saying light and heavy I was thinking in terms of Cherry MX (55g/80g). Now that I look it up I see that light means 50g activation, and heavy is 60g. I personally like capacitive buckling spring the best, which clocks in around 65g by my measurements. So my revised "paper" preference are the pale blue for high tactility and medium weight.

Now, the only missing piece for me is; do these switches get really heavy near the bottom, or is the spring itself mostly linear in feel? Thanks again!

[Kevadu]

I'm not sure I believe the official force curves.  Historically my most heavily used keyboard by far is a Model M which peaks at around 70g of force (before the buckle).  According to their official force curves the pale blues are also supposed to peak at around 70g of force.  Yet they feel significantly heavier to me.  Even in this exact same board I used to have Halo Trues in there which have a pre-actuation peak of only around 60g but of course their post-actuation force goes much higher.  And they feel dramatically lighter than the pale blues.  Of course they should be a bit lighter (if you're not bottoming out), but this is like night and day.

[rich1051414]

I have a set of pale blues, but I find the tactility nearly non-existent. The sound is excellent, and the weighting feels good(for someone who can enjoy stock clear switches), but the tactility feels less than even stock cherry blues. I am an alps fan, and I personally would not recommend pale blues if you like alps tactility. I am waiting for jades to restock, and I will report back then.

For a heavy switch, pale blues feel 'delicate', that is the best way to put it, and I think cherry switches are already 'delicate', but these go even further with the dainty feeling tactility but a very crisp and consistent click. They feel very refined, but I personally don't like the lack of tactility. It may be because the click is the tactility, and it is applied off axis on a switch that has remarkable stable stem wobble, but I simply can hardly feel it at all if wearing headphones. They almost feel like a linear switch. If deafened by closed headphones, even browns have more apparent tactility than pale blues, to put this into perspective, however, the tactility on browns is MUCH less consistent.

Pale blues definitely deserve the attention they are getting, they are great switches, but I don't think they will be for everyone. I am hoping the thick click bar version will inject some much needed tactility into them. I went with jades because pale blues are borderline too heavy, although it does actually feels pretty nice with light tactility, they feel very cushiony and not harsh at all. I could totally understand someone digging it. However, I actually usually like lighter switches, but 'light' is subjective. I find 60-65gf to be ideal, and jades land right in the middle, if the spec sheet is to be believed.

I hope the next batch doesn't have this 'stickiness' feeling I have heard about them. If that is the case, a spring swap isn't a huge issue. I also assume that a lighter spring will feel more tactile, as you will notice more when you leave the click spring. On pale blues, the spring is so heavy that by the time you leave the click spring, the spring is already compressed enough that you can't even notice a weighting change, hence the linear feeling to them.

I tried white switches on a friends keyboard, but I found the sound to be very high pitched with the clicking. Pale blues have a better sound, I assume because the heavier spring causes the plastic to ting at a lower pitch. Personally, I think pale blues rank as the best sounding cherry mx based switch, but still lower than alps switches. Alps sound is just so iconic, it's not even a fair fight. 

[mike-y]

I'm not sure I believe the official force curves.  Historically my most heavily used keyboard by far is a Model M which peaks at around 70g of force (before the buckle).  According to their official force curves the pale blues are also supposed to peak at around 70g of force.  Yet they feel significantly heavier to me.

Keep in mind that some switches are rated at actuation force, and others rate the spring at the bottom out force.  Cherry switches typically rate the force at the actuation point, while most other switches that use the common 62g/65g/67g springs are rated at the bottom out force. 

According to my tests using US nickels (5g each), a spring that bottoms out at 62g will actuate somewhere around 50g using a linear switch.  The type of switch affects the actuation force.  Also, clicky switches and the more tactile switches will also add a little bit of force to the keypress compared to using the same spring in a linear switch.

[Kevadu]

I'm not sure I believe the official force curves.  Historically my most heavily used keyboard by far is a Model M which peaks at around 70g of force (before the buckle).  According to their official force curves the pale blues are also supposed to peak at around 70g of force.  Yet they feel significantly heavier to me.

Keep in mind that some switches are rated at actuation force, and others rate the spring at the bottom out force.  Cherry switches typically rate the force at the actuation point, while most other switches that use the common 62g/65g/67g springs are rated at the bottom out force. 

According to my tests using US nickels (5g each), a spring that bottoms out at 62g will actuate somewhere around 50g using a linear switch.  The type of switch affects the actuation force.  Also, clicky switches and the more tactile switches will also add a little bit of force to the keypress compared to using the same spring in a linear switch.

Uh, I'm talking about the actual force curves I've found, not their 'ratings'.  I haven't even seen ratings for these switches.

[brainT]

Luckily Haata did force curves for them as well so we don't need to rely on Kailh's ones:

https://plot.ly/~haata/408

[rich1051414]

Luckily Haata did force curves for them as well so we don't need to rely on Kailh's ones:

https://plot.ly/~haata/408

https://plot.ly/~haata/417/novelkeys-box-jade/
Theres the 'sticky' feeling explained. The force curve drops to 0g on release, then increases again before dropping back to 0g.

[Techno Trousers]

It literally stops on the upstroke?! How was this not discovered in preproduction testing?

[Kevadu]

It doesn't stop, no.  I suspect it's zero force because whatever tool is being used to measure the force is being retracted faster than the key is moving.  Therefore no force is applied.  The curve would probably change slightly if you moved the probe slower.

It is still a rather unusual feature though and this confirms my feeling about the switch.

[Puddsy]

It literally stops on the upstroke?! How was this not discovered in preproduction testing?

it was, but people wanted them so much that they made them anyway

[brainT]

I've been typing on jades for 2 weeks now without a single with sticking and haven't been able to get one to stick when I've tried to.  They really are quite nice to type on.

[Techno Trousers]

I've been typing on jades for 2 weeks now without a single with sticking and haven't been able to get one to stick when I've tried to.  They really are quite nice to type on.

What is your typing speed? Any chance you could make a video of typing on it?

[brainT]

I've been typing on jades for 2 weeks now without a single with sticking and haven't been able to get one to stick when I've tried to.  They really are quite nice to type on.

What is your typing speed? Any chance you could make a video of typing on it?

I don't really track my typing speed at all so I don't have any comparison points and no good solution for video but I did find these on youtube:

[Techno Trousers]

I don't really track my typing speed at all so I don't have any comparison points

How about try typing these words a few times as fast as you can, and let us know how it goes:

balloon
bookkeeper

I'm not trying to mess with you, it's just that you're the first person I've heard say that you have no trouble with the Jades, and I want to explore that.

[brainT]

Gave it a go on the jades as well as a MX blue and clear boards and the jades don't feel as though they are having any problems returning.  They even feel as though they're coming back up more crisply than the blue's do.

I also touch type and don't rely on the switches to push my fingers back up.

I will say that if/when Mike finds a spring supplier for box switches and has ones that are at least 2 grams but no more than 5 heavier than the stock Jade ones I would switch them in without hesitation.  Just a touch heavier and I think they'd be perfect but they're pretty damn good as they are.

[pixelpusher]

I knew the navy box issue b/c i got an early sample but I thought I was just crazy and I didn't want the GB to fall apart.  I should have probably spoken up

Srry

[tanvir175]

I'm pretty hard on my keys when typing so I prefer heavier switches. Currently using Box Pale Blues in an MF68 and at first I thought they were a little too heavy but it was actually just because I was pressing keys off-center after having used a JJ40 for a little over a month. Readjusted in about an hour and these feel excellent to type on but I unfortunately am almost always bottoming out still.

I have Box Navy's waiting for an S65-X build (although now I'm not sure if I want to save these for the CA66 instead). The Navy's are soooo much nicer (using as loose switches). The tactility is much higher and the sound is LOUD but is amazing and crisp.

[Zobeid Zuma]

I haven't tried the Jades, but I have built boards now with the White, Pale Blue and Navy switches.  I liked them all, but the White switches were just a bit too light for me.  It was the first board I built, and it was good, but every once in a while I'd catch myself thinking, "Man, if only these switches were a little heavier…"

The Pale Blue switches were love at first tap.  They're close to perfect for me.  (Yes, I'm a sort of heavy-handed typer.)

The Navy switches I'm still getting a feel for.  They're very stiff, very loud, very tactile, but the impression they make is sort of "clunky" to me.  It's just too much.  I think Pale Blue is the sweet spot for me.  (Also worth mentioning, a few of the Navy switches were extra-stiff at first, but they quickly limbered up.)

Incidentally, months ago I got one sample of the BOX Burnt Orange heavy tactile switch, and I liked it a lot too.  I definitely want to build a board around those, but I've just been waiting and waiting for Kaihua to get their problems sorted out and get them back into production.  (OK, really I'm also waiting on the Banana Split 60 kits that I pre-ordered.  It would be nice if Burnt Orange returns by the time I get those.)

[rich1051414]

Navys and Jades are back in stock.

[killyou]

Ahh this thread confuses me even more. As a Cherry MX Clear user soon to be converted to slightly lighter Zealio 78g which one would be best for me? White/Jade or Pale Blue/Navy? I like the idea of thicker click bar better but based on the posts I don't know what I want anymore, and until I read the thread it was Navy.

[Techno Trousers]

Navys and Jades are back in stock.

Back in stock where?

[llisandro]

Navys and Jades are back in stock.

Back in stock where?

Novelkeys sent a restock notification yesterday, but their website was slammed, i couldn't even get anything into my cart, and now they're back out of stock.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[ander]

[I've moved my question to the Alps Appreciation Thread—it seemed too off-topic here, in retrospect]

[Kavik]

I just got my order of Box Navies. I've only tested them individually and in a 3x3 switch tester, but I like them quite a bit so far. Great tactility and LOUD. The weight may be just a tad too heavy (I can't believe I'm saying that), but maybe they'll break in a bit. They also have a snappy return, which I like.

They seem to reduce SA keycap wobble to a noticeable degree. It's still there, but it's not as bad, especially at the bottom of the keystroke. I will definitely be using these in my Moon build instead of the Gateron Greens I've had waiting for months and which just sound and feel anemic compared to these now.

[rich1051414]

The weight may be just a tad too heavy (I can't believe I'm saying that)

I assumed this would be the case for me as well, so I got jades, they should be arriving today... or monday.

[Sissy]

I've ordered some navies, going in with a total neutral mindset.

[Puddsy]

Navys and Jades are back in stock.

Back in stock where?

kbdfans might have them

[rich1051414]

They sold out like a few hours after they came in stock. Sorry if I got your hopes up.

[_haru]

I recently got to try some individual Box Pale Blues and a board with Box Navies at the 2nd Perth meetup. To be completely honest I was extremely underwhelmed by both of them. The pale blue has the tactility in the wrong place and is far too high pitched. The box navy is sticky and similar to the pale blue, has a huge amount of tactility in the wrong place. At least for me, the claims of ALPS being made useless due to Box Navies are completely false.

For reference, my daily driver board has 45g retooled MX Whites, and I love them.

[Techno Trousers]

The pale blue has the tactility in the wrong place and is far too high pitched. The box navy is sticky and similar to the pale blue, has a huge amount of tactility in the wrong place.

Well, that's interesting. I like Alps switches, with tactility at the very start, and ergo clears, with tactility in the middle, and probably love capacitive buckling spring the best, with tactility waaay down low. If only China Post would hurry up with my box heavy pale blues so I can try them out.

[Sissy]

Navys and Jades are back in stock.

Back in stock where?

kbdfans might have them

yep, Low on navy but good amount of Jade
https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/products/novelkeys-x-kailh-box-thick-clicks-navy-jade?variant=2840537726989

NovelKeys only have Jades
https://www.novelkeys.xyz/product/novelkeys-x-kailh-box-thick-clicks/

[floristfran]

I have some speed pinks that I use for my modifiers and numbers and I love them, idk if I'd want a full board of them though.... maybe the box navys

[rich1051414]

My jades got in today. I am in love.
If you made a list of everything I hate about cherry, and then made a switch that was absolutely the opposite of what I wrote, the switch would be thick click box kailhs.

I wasn't very thrilled with pale blues because I felt the switch was too linear with a very minor tactility overlaid. I don't like that, it's boring. These jades are very much not that. Nearly all of the tactility and weight is in the click, then the bottom falls out. The only switch remotely similar are alps switches, and even those aren't quite this tactile centric. Alps, however, do not feel nearly as nice, dare I say... The Jades have a non-wobbly yet non-bindy feel, and alps suffers from the bindy feeling, which feels clunky in comparison to the clean and crisp feeling of jades. I am sad even saying this, but I feel like alps is now less relevant.

As far as the keys feeling like they are slow to return, I am not feeling that on my switches. In fact, my white alps feel slower to return than these... Maybe that will change in time, but I will see.


The keyboard I tested them in are a garbage keyboard the I picked up for $20 that had hotswappable switches, but I have swapped so many switches, half of the keys don't work now.

My next keyboard was going to be a SMK keyboard(which is also cherry mx compatible), and I may instead use jade switches instead... I guess it depends on how much I like the smk switches, but it isn't looking good for them xD

[Techno Trousers]

I got my jades soldered into a QFR this weekend, and I'm in love as well. I have thick PBT caps on the board (/dev/tty), and there is no issue at all with spring rebound. I did use a box heavy pale blue switch under the space bar just in case, but I'm not sure if I even needed that. They are light, crisp, and exceptionally tactile. For those who like capacitive buckling spring and/or clicky Alps, you owe it to yourself to try the Kailh+Novelkeys box jade switches. In my opinion, these are far superior to any other tactile/clicky Cherry compatible switch available today. They leave my previous favorite 65g ergo clears in the dust.

[Rob27shred]

Glad to hear mostly everyone is really happy with their BOX thick clicks. I just got a batch of 100 navys I'm about 90% sure I will be using for my upcoming ACR60 build. Messing with them loose leads me to believe they will be a very good switch for me. I like the high tactility & it's spot on the key press doesn't bother me, the click itself is just awesome IMO, & the weighting is right around my preferred weight (80g bottom out). In fact I liked them so much I went ahead & ordered a switch test from NovelKeys with all the other BOX switches that interest me.

Not sure what a whole board full of them will feel like to type on, but I highly doubt it would change the experience so much that I do not like it. I'll definitely report back here once I get them in a board & get some time in with them.

[onlyabyte]

Kailh whites definitely sound good and judging from your overview, looks like they're a good clicky switch.

[Zobeid Zuma]

Glad to hear mostly everyone is really happy with their BOX thick clicks.

I've given them a good try-out now, and…  They're not for me.  They're just a bit too much.  I've gone back to BOX Pale Blue.  Also, I just finished building another keyboard with BOX Burnt Orange (tactile) switches, and it's very good too.  Some people like the clickies and some like the tactiles, but I don't know which I am because I like them both.

Oddly enough, I still haven't built one with a conventional click-jacket switch.  I plan to remedy that when I get a bag of Kailh Pro Heavy Sage (70g) switches.  One trait I do think is arguably better about the click-jacket is that it only clicks once per stroke, on the down-stroke but not on the release.

[MGMorden]

I'm currently using a board with Box Jades and I really, really like them.  The only key that I had trouble with sticking was the spacebar.  With the keyset I settled on the spacebar was too heavy for the spring to consistently reset.  A lighter spacebar solved the issue temporarily, and I ended up ordering a few Box Navies and switched to one of those on the spacebar.

Trying both side by side - I will say that IMHO, for most of the keys, Box Navy is just too heavy, and I'm someone who typically like heavier key weights.  Jade is is right at the perfect weight for me and for decking out a whole board I really like them.  If you don't want the thick click bar try the Pale Blues too as their weight is decent as well.

[Techno Trousers]

I'm currently using a board with Box Jades and I really, really like them.  The only key that I had trouble with sticking was the spacebar.

Ah... I'm glad I went with the pale blue under the space bar then. Turns out I still need to take mine back apart, because I managed not to solder the caps lock LED properly.

[llisandro]

Any word about swapping springs on Speed switches (Box and otherwise)? IIRC swapping in MX springs didn't work on my coppers (too long).

[Techno Trousers]

Any word about swapping springs on Speed switches (Box and otherwise)? IIRC swapping in MX springs didn't work on my coppers (too long).

I've read others say it's an issue for the box switches as well. Cherry springs are too long, and Alps are too short.

[rich1051414]

I'm currently using a board with Box Jades and I really, really like them.  The only key that I had trouble with sticking was the spacebar.  With the keyset I settled on the spacebar was too heavy for the spring to consistently reset.  A lighter spacebar solved the issue temporarily, and I ended up ordering a few Box Navies and switched to one of those on the spacebar.

Trying both side by side - I will say that IMHO, for most of the keys, Box Navy is just too heavy, and I'm someone who typically like heavier key weights.  Jade is is right at the perfect weight for me and for decking out a whole board I really like them.  If you don't want the thick click bar try the Pale Blues too as their weight is decent as well.

Yeah, I have no issues with any key sticking except stablized keys. I ended up settling on costar with clipped inserts(similar to alps style), as this basically adds almost no resistance.

If you don't know this, the jade switches are so stable that most of the keys don't NEED stabilization to feel fine. On ansi layouts, the left shift, enter and backspace don't need stabilization. It's the right shift and space bar that need stabilized. I would recommend people use navy switches for stabilized keys to avoid issues.

[Harms]

Glad to hear mostly everyone is really happy with their BOX thick clicks.

I've given them a good try-out now, and…  They're not for me.  They're just a bit too much.  I've gone back to BOX Pale Blue.  Also, I just finished building another keyboard with BOX Burnt Orange (tactile) switches, and it's very good too.  Some people like the clickies and some like the tactiles, but I don't know which I am because I like them both.

Oddly enough, I still haven't built one with a conventional click-jacket switch.  I plan to remedy that when I get a bag of Kailh Pro Heavy Sage (70g) switches.  One trait I do think is arguably better about the click-jacket is that it only clicks once per stroke, on the down-stroke but not on the release.

Any stem twist on the burnt oranges?

Thinking about taking the plunge and trying my luck lol.

[rich1051414]

.

[Zobeid Zuma]

Any stem twist on the burnt oranges?

Thinking about taking the plunge and trying my luck lol.

I needed 65 keys for my build.  I bought 80 switches and sorted them carefully, snapping them into a plate and putting keycaps on them to see if I could spot any twist.  I culled out about 4 or 5 that appeared to be slightly askew, then I built my keyboard, and it came out great.

[Harms]

Any stem twist on the burnt oranges?

Thinking about taking the plunge and trying my luck lol.

I needed 65 keys for my build.  I bought 80 switches and sorted them carefully, snapping them into a plate and putting keycaps on them to see if I could spot any twist.  I culled out about 4 or 5 that appeared to be slightly askew, then I built my keyboard, and it came out great.

Wow thanks for the idea. I shall try the same

[Peter Fitzinwell]

New guy here,

It seems that the BOX switches use slightly thinner springs, making them incompatible with most other springs. This sucks since I wanted to try out the jades with the 200 or so slightly heavier springs I had lying around, but now I'll have to buy 200 or so black BOX switches instead because it has just the right spring weighting. The combination of the two is IMHO an amazing middle ground between jades and navies, as the black BOX switch is between the red BOX and yellow BOX switches in terms of weighting, which share the springs of the jades and navies respectively.

The end result is a switch which in my opinion feels better than either of the two thick bar switches. It sounds a bit louder and deeper and than the navies (which it shouldn't, but it does anyways), while at the same time being just as, if not unnoticeably more, tactile in feel. Obviously the switch is noticeably lighter than the navies, which were for me too heavy to comfortably use for a long time. They feel much faster than jades, considering the jades strange slow return. I'd definitely recommend trying this out, especially considering that I got the feel that many of you found the whites too light, or the pale blues too heavy. This combination fits comfortably in between the two while being more tactile and having a different (probably preferable) sound.

I'm not an expert on the matter, so take what I say with some salt and try it yourselves.

[llisandro]

...The combination of the two is IMHO an amazing middle ground between jades and navies, as the black BOX switch is between the red BOX and yellow BOX switches in terms of weighting, which share the springs of the jades and navies respectively.

The end result is a switch which in my opinion feels better than either of the two thick bar switches. It sounds a bit louder and deeper and than the navies (which it shouldn't, but it does anyways), while at the same time being just as, if not unnoticeably more, tactile in feel. Obviously the switch is noticeably lighter than the navies, which were for me too heavy to comfortably use for a long time. They feel much faster than jades, considering the jades strange slow return. I'd definitely recommend trying this out, especially considering that I got the feel that many of you found the whites too light, or the pale blues too heavy. This combination fits comfortably in between the two while being more tactile and having a different (probably preferable) sound...

I'm curious as to how many Navies you tried out, as your experience doesn't make sense to me (but I haven't tried either jade or navy). Not trying to call you a liar, I'm interested in something a tad lighter than a navy, and also dismayed at lack of spring options.

Navy bottoms out at ~65g, and box black at ~68g, box dark yellows are ~82g.

Chyrosran says Jade has a box white spring, and Jade bottoms out at 47, white at 50, so that checks out. 

On paper a Jade with a Black spring should be a shade heavier than a Navy based on the Black force curve. I believe it's actually the same spring in pale blue, black and navy, given that pale blue (thin clickbar) and jade (thick click version) bottom out exactly the same, and white--> jade drops 3g, and black--> Navy also drops 3g when you move to the thicker clickbar.

thoughts? Can you try with nickels on your navies and black-jades? I'd love to see some reproducibility before I copy you.  cheers

[Photoelectric]

I really like clicky BOX switches and would love to use them on a board, but they are so loud.  That said I've only used them unsoldered, and I wonder if--once fully soldered and with a heavy case + plate--the click noise would be attenuated enough to be tolerable. I'm in general positively impressed with Kailh BOX switches.  Regular stem Speed switches were a disappointment compared to what I imagined them to be (especially Speed Copper, which I hoped would be a good labor-free alternative to my Jailhouse Blues). 

It was interesting to read about the "sticky" Jade switch.  I can see how if you mash the switch very quickly (such as in a game), it might be difficult to have consistent consecutive actuations.  Though if you actually press directly top-down on the switch, you CAN get it to click and rebound consistently, even if mashing the switch quickly.  But doing this at some angle with normal curved fingers while typing might be difficult for many repeated actuation in a row.  Otherwise for regular typing, something around 100wpm +/-, it should not be a problem to use BOX Jade.   Disclaimer: I'm just extrapolating from the one unsoldered BOX Jade switch I have in front of me.

[rich1051414]

I really like clicky BOX switches and would love to use them on a board, but they are so loud.  That said I've only used them unsoldered, and I wonder if--once fully soldered and with a heavy case + plate--the click noise would be attenuated enough to be tolerable. I'm in general positively impressed with Kailh BOX switches.  Regular stem Speed switches were a disappointment compared to what I imagined them to be (especially Speed Copper, which I hoped would be a good labor-free alternative to my Jailhouse Blues). 

It was interesting to read about the "sticky" Jade switch.  I can see how if you mash the switch very quickly (such as in a game), it might be difficult to have consistent consecutive actuations.  Though if you actually press directly top-down on the switch, you CAN get it to click and rebound consistently, even if mashing the switch quickly.  But doing this at some angle with normal curved fingers while typing might be difficult for many repeated actuation in a row.  Otherwise for regular typing, something around 100wpm +/-, it should not be a problem to use BOX Jade.   Disclaimer: I'm just extrapolating from the one unsoldered BOX Jade switch I have in front of me.

I think the switches from the latest batch fixed the 'sticky' issue, and it only emerges again on stabilized keys.

[Peter Fitzinwell]

...The combination of the two is IMHO an amazing middle ground between jades and navies, as the black BOX switch is between the red BOX and yellow BOX switches in terms of weighting, which share the springs of the jades and navies respectively.

The end result is a switch which in my opinion feels better than either of the two thick bar switches. It sounds a bit louder and deeper and than the navies (which it shouldn't, but it does anyways), while at the same time being just as, if not unnoticeably more, tactile in feel. Obviously the switch is noticeably lighter than the navies, which were for me too heavy to comfortably use for a long time. They feel much faster than jades, considering the jades strange slow return. I'd definitely recommend trying this out, especially considering that I got the feel that many of you found the whites too light, or the pale blues too heavy. This combination fits comfortably in between the two while being more tactile and having a different (probably preferable) sound...

I'm curious as to how many Navies you tried out, as your experience doesn't make sense to me (but I haven't tried either jade or navy). Not trying to call you a liar, I'm interested in something a tad lighter than a navy, and also dismayed at lack of spring options.

Navy bottoms out at ~65g, and box black at ~68g, box dark yellows are ~82g.

Chyrosran says Jade has a box white spring, and Jade bottoms out at 47, white at 50, so that checks out. 

On paper a Jade with a Black spring should be a shade heavier than a Navy based on the Black force curve. I believe it's actually the same spring in pale blue, black and navy, given that pale blue (thin clickbar) and jade (thick click version) bottom out exactly the same, and white--> jade drops 3g, and black--> Navy also drops 3g when you move to the thicker clickbar.

thoughts? Can you try with nickels on your navies and black-jades? I'd love to see some reproducibility before I copy you.  cheers

I only had a couple of jades and navies sampler pack (The 10 piece packs from KBDFans' Aliexpress., so you're most likely right and its an illusion created by small sample size. BUT, after measuring it veryscientifically^TM it the difference ended up being 4g at least and 9g at most, very small, but enough to change to feel of the switch completely. Then again, the difference between any two switches is easily a couple of grams. I presume I just got world's heaviest pack of Navies, as my dark yellow box is about 2 grams heavier

Still, the tactile bump still feels different, and I can tell if the switch is a navy or a jade from feel alone. Perhaps the color affects the switch through electromagnetic forces created by the government to make us by more keyswitches? :tinfoilhat:

Honestly I'm at my wit's end with these switches...

(Also screw the geekhack captchas, I failed them at least 5 times in 2 posts. Mods plz)

[Techno Trousers]

I don't think it's possible to truly judge a switch until you have a board fully populated with them and use it for a while.

The captcha should go away for you soon. I think it's either based on post count or longevity of account or both.

[rich1051414]

...The combination of the two is IMHO an amazing middle ground between jades and navies, as the black BOX switch is between the red BOX and yellow BOX switches in terms of weighting, which share the springs of the jades and navies respectively.

The end result is a switch which in my opinion feels better than either of the two thick bar switches. It sounds a bit louder and deeper and than the navies (which it shouldn't, but it does anyways), while at the same time being just as, if not unnoticeably more, tactile in feel. Obviously the switch is noticeably lighter than the navies, which were for me too heavy to comfortably use for a long time. They feel much faster than jades, considering the jades strange slow return. I'd definitely recommend trying this out, especially considering that I got the feel that many of you found the whites too light, or the pale blues too heavy. This combination fits comfortably in between the two while being more tactile and having a different (probably preferable) sound...

I'm curious as to how many Navies you tried out, as your experience doesn't make sense to me (but I haven't tried either jade or navy). Not trying to call you a liar, I'm interested in something a tad lighter than a navy, and also dismayed at lack of spring options.

Navy bottoms out at ~65g, and box black at ~68g, box dark yellows are ~82g.

Chyrosran says Jade has a box white spring, and Jade bottoms out at 47, white at 50, so that checks out. 

On paper a Jade with a Black spring should be a shade heavier than a Navy based on the Black force curve. I believe it's actually the same spring in pale blue, black and navy, given that pale blue (thin clickbar) and jade (thick click version) bottom out exactly the same, and white--> jade drops 3g, and black--> Navy also drops 3g when you move to the thicker clickbar.

thoughts? Can you try with nickels on your navies and black-jades? I'd love to see some reproducibility before I copy you.  cheers

I only had a couple of jades and navies sampler pack (The 10 piece packs from KBDFans' Aliexpress., so you're most likely right and its an illusion created by small sample size. BUT, after measuring it veryscientifically^TM it the difference ended up being 4g at least and 9g at most, very small, but enough to change to feel of the switch completely. Then again, the difference between any two switches is easily a couple of grams. I presume I just got world's heaviest pack of Navies, as my dark yellow box is about 2 grams heavier

Still, the tactile bump still feels different, and I can tell if the switch is a navy or a jade from feel alone. Perhaps the color affects the switch through electromagnetic forces created by the government to make us by more keyswitches? :tinfoilhat:

Honestly I'm at my wit's end with these switches...

(Also screw the geekhack captchas, I failed them at least 5 times in 2 posts. Mods plz)

I don't have any of these issues with my switches bought from novelkeys. Are you sure you are buying from an official distributor of the switches? A sample pack from a random person selling them on ali-express seems quite suspicious to me, and your description of your switches are very different from mine.

[Kavik]

I just finished building my Moon keyboard with Box Navies topped with SA keycaps, and, holy mother of god, they are fantastic. I was pretty sure I would like them just from handling loose switches, but, when mounted in a keyboard, the click is not so obnoxiously loud. The click is subdued and the feel is very positive and not scratchy at all. I thought they might be a little too heavy, but, now that I am typing on them, I am on the fence about that. I think they could stand to lose maybe 5g of their weight, but I do really like them as-is. I'd prefer to keep them heavy than to risk making them too light.

These are my favorite MX style switch so far.

[onslash]

im new to the forum, anyways I tried navy, white, pale blue , jades. navy is the most satisfying to press but i can see how this will be fatiguing for gaming. it doesnt feel that heavy for typing but the clickbar can be a bit weird  for gaming.  jade's slow return i think is not that much of a problem, i felt cherry mx blues have similar return time.  My upcoming board is a kbd75 and i think im going to use pale blues for alphas + numbers , box whites for left ctrl left tab and left shift , navies for everything else. one thing i notice is that pale blues don't feel as heavy as it is because i bottom out less compared to like jades , mx blues , gateron blues , etc.   Boxed switches in general is amazing tho, so tactile , smooth, nice sound , and better stability.

[rich1051414]

im new to the forum, anyways I tried navy, white, pale blue , jades. navy is the most satisfying to press but i can see how this will be fatiguing for gaming. it doesnt feel that heavy for typing but the clickbar can be a bit weird  for gaming.  jade's slow return i think is not that much of a problem, i felt cherry mx blues have similar return time.  My upcoming board is a kbd75 and i think im going to use pale blues for alphas + numbers , box whites for left ctrl left tab and left shift , navies for everything else. one thing i notice is that pale blues don't feel as heavy as it is because i bottom out less compared to like jades , mx blues , gateron blues , etc.   Boxed switches in general is amazing tho, so tactile , smooth, nice sound , and better stability.

I think pale blues have less tactility than cherry blue or green, which lends itself to bottoming out more when not thinking about it.
I think there should be a mid-point between the two click bar types, as I think it would be a favorite for a large section of the market. Personally, I like the extreme tactility of the thick bars, but not everyone does.

[onslash]

im new to the forum, anyways I tried navy, white, pale blue , jades. navy is the most satisfying to press but i can see how this will be fatiguing for gaming. it doesnt feel that heavy for typing but the clickbar can be a bit weird  for gaming.  jade's slow return i think is not that much of a problem, i felt cherry mx blues have similar return time.  My upcoming board is a kbd75 and i think im going to use pale blues for alphas + numbers , box whites for left ctrl left tab and left shift , navies for everything else. one thing i notice is that pale blues don't feel as heavy as it is because i bottom out less compared to like jades , mx blues , gateron blues , etc.   Boxed switches in general is amazing tho, so tactile , smooth, nice sound , and better stability.

I think pale blues have less tactility than cherry blue or green, which lends itself to bottoming out more when not thinking about it.
I think there should be a mid-point between the two click bar types, as I think it would be a favorite for a large section of the market. Personally, I like the extreme tactility of the thick bars, but not everyone does.

true i guess i should take back my word about tactility but i guess the sharp click is what is giving me that tactility like satisfaction. compared them again last night. im with you on the clickbar, something in between will be good , as for spring i think between white and pale blue is ideal. Imo the thicker the clickbar the spring should weight should increase too. increasing the spring weight more than the increase in clickbar is fine but not vice versa. that said , jade should have 3-5 more g spring weight in order to feel right and responsive like the whites at least

[rich1051414]

If the spring weight was much heavier it would detract from the feeling of the switches bottom falling out from under it after the click, which is the main reason I like it. I agree with you in most cases, for stabilized keys, the spring in jades is far too borderline.
On the keyboard I am typing this on, the only key that I stabilized was the spacebar, and I can't even tell, thanks to box kailh's being such a stable switch with very little wobble.

[onslash]

If the spring weight was much heavier it would detract from the feeling of the switches bottom falling out from under it after the click, which is the main reason I like it. I agree with you in most cases, for stabilized keys, the spring in jades is far too borderline.
On the keyboard I am typing this on, the only key that I stabilized was the spacebar, and I can't even tell, thanks to box kailh's being such a stable switch with very little wobble.

ikr , coming from regular mx stems , box don't even need stabilizer on shift keys. Jade with like extra 5 gram spring would be ideal. I tried to mod some jade/navy by wedging the spring with something thin , basically the plastic part catches the clickbar less . Feels quite unique too , something like a semi clicky tactile.

[Techno Trousers]

I'm hoping that Novelkeys can stock a medium spring between the low and high weight spring. I love the jades, but I'd be interested in trying a medium weight too.

[TheInverseKey]

I'm hoping that Novelkeys can stock a medium spring between the low and high weight spring. I love the jades, but I'd be interested in trying a medium weight too.

I was wondering this as well maybe a better option would be a 0.28 click bar and a medium spring. This way the tactility of the click bar matches the force of the spring and you really don't get the Jade spring problem. 

[onslash]

I'm hoping that Novelkeys can stock a medium spring between the low and high weight spring. I love the jades, but I'd be interested in trying a medium weight too.

I was wondering this as well maybe a better option would be a 0.28 click bar and a medium spring. This way the tactility of the click bar matches the force of the spring and you really don't get the Jade spring problem.

if find on like alphas the jade/navy clickbar is a bit too overwhelming, hence is why i like pale blues. So for me a jade with a clickbar between normal and thickclicks with a medium spring would be even better (something like 5g more heavy  than the current jade/box white spring

[Techno Trousers]

Hey, everyone. I thought I'd throw this in here, since it concerns medium weight springs that I think a lot of us would like to try in our box switches (regular or thick click). Mike from NovelKeys chimed in on an IC and said he's working with a spring manufacturer to hopefully come up with a medium weight spring. Exact quote:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=94654.msg2577720#msg2577720

Just as a heads up, Kailh will not sell just the springs. I have been working with them for the past 6 months or so trying to get them to sell me BOX springs and they wont budge on that.

I am working with a spring manufacturer right now, and just trying to get the details ironed out, but there is no ETA or more info on that at all and I am not trying to hijack your thread.

[Zobeid Zuma]

if find on like alphas the jade/navy clickbar is a bit too overwhelming, hence is why i like pale blues. So for me a jade with a clickbar between normal and thickclicks with a medium spring would be even better (something like 5g more heavy  than the current jade/box white spring

I agree with your reasoning.  However…  (and I know this thread has "clickbar switches" in the title, but this needs to be said…)  As much as I like the Pale Blues, I've really fallen in love with the Burnt Orange tactile switches.  I thought I was a devoted clicker, but I guess that's over now.

[Findecanor]

This is a weird question but...  Would it be possible to mod a click-bar switch to get more key travel?

I want a clicker for a non-keyboard related project and it would be nice if it was a switch as well.

[onslash]

if find on like alphas the jade/navy clickbar is a bit too overwhelming, hence is why i like pale blues. So for me a jade with a clickbar between normal and thickclicks with a medium spring would be even better (something like 5g more heavy  than the current jade/box white spring

I agree with your reasoning.  However…  (and I know this thread has "clickbar switches" in the title, but this needs to be said…)  As much as I like the Pale Blues, I've really fallen in love with the Burnt Orange tactile switches.  I thought I was a devoted clicker, but I guess that's over now.

i modded by navies, it feels like between pale blues and navies . and the unique thing about this modded switch is , when u spam the switch, it will sort of be abit less clicky than when you press once and repress. what i did was basically sand down the plastic part that catches on the clickbar, thus it barely catches the click bar, this will cause the clickbar to be released a bit prematurely , thus making the click less extreme but still more felt than pale blue.   

[Entropia]

What brands sell keyboards with these switches? Or the only chance is to get or build a custom board?

[onslash]

you could build custom, or get something like a gk64 which supports hotswap or if you want to be cheap gmmk is decent

[onslash]

This is a weird question but...  Would it be possible to mod a click-bar switch to get more key travel?

I want a clicker for a non-keyboard related project and it would be nice if it was a switch as well.

i dont think so , but u can mod it for less keytravel

[Zobeid Zuma]

i modded by navies, it feels like between pale blues and navies . and the unique thing about this modded switch is , when u spam the switch, it will sort of be abit less clicky than when you press once and repress. what i did was basically sand down the plastic part that catches on the clickbar, thus it barely catches the click bar, this will cause the clickbar to be released a bit prematurely , thus making the click less extreme but still more felt than pale blue.

That sounds okay, except…  I can see it being hard to do that really consistently on every switch.

[onslash]

i modded by navies, it feels like between pale blues and navies . and the unique thing about this modded switch is , when u spam the switch, it will sort of be abit less clicky than when you press once and repress. what i did was basically sand down the plastic part that catches on the clickbar, thus it barely catches the click bar, this will cause the clickbar to be released a bit prematurely , thus making the click less extreme but still more felt than pale blue.

That sounds okay, except…  I can see it being hard to do that really consistently on every switch.

originally the purpose was to make the ideal spacebar switch, i dont like how the navies tactility feels so huge for gaming, meanwhile pale blues feel so smooth but yet still clicky and has the weight ideal for a spacebar. with this mod the navies are smoother, but i dont really know which one i'll end up using for spacebar modded navy or pale blues. the modded jade also improved the upstroke speed a bit , however it still feels slow on big keys

[Rob27shred]

Finally got my ACR60 build with BOX navys all finished up & got to try navy thick clicks in a full board. Pretty satisfying on the first impression, the click is quite loud but the feel is impeccable. Smooth, stable, & tactile as all hell! The weighting is very nice IMO, but YMMV there as I prefer switches on the heavier side. Overall I think this these BOX clickbar switches are a much better design than the usual click jacket. You have the advantages of the BOX stem & a more reliable way to make a consistent click. Personally from here on out these are the only type of MX clicky switches I'm gonna use in my builds TBH. Can't wait to try the BOX Royals which are being teased as having the tactility of navys without the click, although being a tactile switch those are a little off topic.

[onslash]

Finally got my ACR60 build with BOX navys all finished up & got to try navy thick clicks in a full board. Pretty satisfying on the first impression, the click is quite loud but the feel is impeccable. Smooth, stable, & tactile as all hell! The weighting is very nice IMO, but YMMV there as I prefer switches on the heavier side. Overall I think this these BOX clickbar switches are a much better design than the usual click jacket. You have the advantages of the BOX stem & a more reliable way to make a consistent click. Personally from here on out these are the only type of MX clicky switches I'm gonna use in my builds TBH. Can't wait to try the BOX Royals which are being teased as having the tactility of navys without the click, although being a tactile switch those are a little off topic.

how do you feel about navies on backspace and spacebar? i find it too tactile , makes it feel weird pressing it repeatedly

[lemur]

Been using a board with 'pale blue' box clickbar switches for the past 3 weeks, and they're really great.

My main keyboard for decades had been a buckling spring, in the past 2 years I've mainly used a keyboard with cherry mx green, and I am now using these pale blue varient box switches and they are by far way more satisfying when compared to the cherry mx green. These new switches are far smoother, and have a much cleaner click than the cherry mx green. The tactility between all three of these variants of a 'clicky' switch I would say is similar-enough to not really say there is a clear winner.

I have some of the 'thick' clickbar variant 'navy' switches on order and am quite interested to see how the pronounced tactility seen in force curves translates into typing feel.

If someone who is used to a heavier keyfeel of a buckling spring that likes the audible feedback of a clicky switch is looking for a modern 'new' switch to go to I would totally say that they'd probably pleased with the 'pale blue' variety of these clickbar switches. They aren't the same thing, of course, but a very pleasing option.

[Rob27shred]

Finally got my ACR60 build with BOX navys all finished up & got to try navy thick clicks in a full board. Pretty satisfying on the first impression, the click is quite loud but the feel is impeccable. Smooth, stable, & tactile as all hell! The weighting is very nice IMO, but YMMV there as I prefer switches on the heavier side. Overall I think this these BOX clickbar switches are a much better design than the usual click jacket. You have the advantages of the BOX stem & a more reliable way to make a consistent click. Personally from here on out these are the only type of MX clicky switches I'm gonna use in my builds TBH. Can't wait to try the BOX Royals which are being teased as having the tactility of navys without the click, although being a tactile switch those are a little off topic.

how do you feel about navies on backspace and spacebar? i find it too tactile , makes it feel weird pressing it repeatedly

TBH it doesn't bother me, but I can see how it could be an issue for some. Maybe get a couple pale blues to put in those spots? It would have the same weighting but should be less tactile thanks to the thin click bars they use.

[onslash]

for now im using pale blues, navies on functions keys and enter. the modified navy feels in between pale blues  in terms of tactility , but u think i still prefer the smoothness of pale blues

[p_blaze]

How do you guys rate the typing feel of the navy thicc clicks to topre? I'm considering a topre build with the upcoming fc660c norb case but the bAss of the thicc clicks is calling me...

[Techno Trousers]

I only have experience with Topre 55g and box jade thick clicks. The weighting is similar, but in my opinion, the Topre feels mushy and imprecise, I suspect because of the drawn out and small tactile bump. The jades feel crisp and sharp, and I much prefer that.

[p_blaze]

I only have experience with Topre 55g and box jade thick clicks. The weighting is similar, but in my opinion, the Topre feels mushy and imprecise, I suspect because of the drawn out and small tactile bump. The jades feel crisp and sharp, and I much prefer that.

Sweet, it looks like I made the right choice getting me some thicc clicks
norb pls make some not topre cases :cry:

[nguyenhimself]

How do you guys rate the typing feel of the navy thicc clicks to topre? I'm considering a topre build with the upcoming fc660c norb case but the bAss of the thicc clicks is calling me...

What are you hoping to get? Box Navy/Jade are essentially more extreme and (arguably) better versions of Cherry MX Blue. Topre is a whole other thing, which no MX or Alps switch has managed to replicate so far.

The tactility is just one small part of why people love Topre. It's the smoothness, the placement of the bump, the sound, the spring feel, etc.

For ex, I love switches with deep sounds, so my favs are Topre, Orange/Salmon Alps, and even Zealio. The sounds of the Box Navy/Jade are seriously high-pitched and grate on my nerves.

Looking forward to that Box Royals though. The NovelKeys did live up to his words with the Box Navy/Jade, so let's see what he can do next.

[rich1051414]

How do you guys rate the typing feel of the navy thicc clicks to topre? I'm considering a topre build with the upcoming fc660c norb case but the bAss of the thicc clicks is calling me...

What are you hoping to get? Box Navy/Jade are essentially more extreme and (arguably) better versions of Cherry MX Blue. Topre is a whole other thing, which no MX or Alps switch has managed to replicate so far.

The tactility is just one small part of why people love Topre. It's the smoothness, the placement of the bump, the sound, the spring feel, etc.

For ex, I love switches with deep sounds, so my favs are Topre, Orange/Salmon Alps, and even Zealio. The sounds of the Box Navy/Jade are seriously high-pitched and grate on my nerves.

Looking forward to that Box Royals though. The NovelKeys did live up to his words with the Box Navy/Jade, so let's see what he can do next.

The box royals are the ones with the exaggerated tactility? Those look interesting. Watch your back, orange alps

[cmadrid]

Are there any keyboards with Box pal blues, or do you need to custom build them?

[onslash]

How do you guys rate the typing feel of the navy thicc clicks to topre? I'm considering a topre build with the upcoming fc660c norb case but the bAss of the thicc clicks is calling me...

i dont think its fair to compate tactile switches with clicky switches. but im a clicky person so i prefer jades then. but imo theres something nice about 55g topre. feels more fined at least to me, jafe slow upstroke is bothering me

[onslash]

Are there any keyboards with Box pal blues, or do you need to custom build them?

your best bet wouldnt probably get a kb with hotswap capabilities like gk64 , or gmmk , or get a barebone massdrop ctrl if ur fine with waiting

[rich1051414]

Are there any keyboards with Box pal blues, or do you need to custom build them?

your best bet wouldnt probably get a kb with hotswap capabilities like gk64 , or gmmk , or get a barebone massdrop ctrl if ur fine with waiting

Outemu hot swap sockets are not compatible with kailh.

I am sure you know this, but I think it is critical to point this out.

Actually, they are destructively compatible. You can swap in kailh switches once, but they wreck the sockets in the process, and will never work right again.