Filming Gateron Box Switches

[Olumin]

Ive bought some Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 switches to replace the White v3 switches for my modifier keys & space bar of my Vortex M0110. The whites are a tad too light & have a bit too much wobble for my taste.

Now, I've never lubed or filmed any switch, as the only board I've been using for years now was a HHKB. So I'm very new to MX style switches.

Lubing is simple enough, but I've read several times that either Box style switches cannot be filmed altogether, or that it doesn't make any sense to film them. 


The films I'm using are standard TX switch films, 0.150 mm. They seem to fit the Box pinks just fine & the key feel doesn't seem negatively impacted.

My question is: should I use films on my Box pinks or not? Are there any disadvantages to filming Gateron box ink switches? Thanks.

[Olumin]

Here I found a video of someone lubing Gateron Box blacks and using TX films. I assume its alright then?

Another thing Ive noticed is how he doesn't lubricate the top of the slider (the part that sticks outside the switch housing).

This makes sense for regular MX switches, but with the design of these box switches, I would assume that the top part of the slider also contacts the switch housing, and therefore benefits from lubrication. Is this incorrect?

[Rhienfo]

The box switches they are most likely referring to are kalih boxes as I believe they have different structures, the inks seem very similar mechanically to regular mx switches, it;s just the stem that is different.

I don't think gaterons (like the box blacks) need to be filmed since the top and bottom housings are already pretty tight, however batch variance may make the tolerances worse (especially since the V2 retooling has been out for a while), so I think you should go switch by switch and see if they need film. Unless it's a really bad batch in which case might as well film them all regardless.

[Olumin]

Thanks. I already lubed & filmed all the box pinks the day I opened this thread. While I cant tell much of a different in feel, the films improve the sound.

I ended up switching the space bar, left shirt & enter back to the white v3 as the pinks were a little to stiff. I ordered the TX films originally for the white switches, and they certainly make a lot more of a difference on those.