Best linear switches - for me now that's Gateron Oil Kings

[phinix]

I have purchased a banch of Gateron Oil Kings lately and have to say these are amazing - this is a kind of switch I was looking for - that it doesn't need any modding to be used stock - no lubing needed, seriously.
So for me it is best linear.

There is a tiiiiiiiny little thing I may mention - with SA kecyaps, they feel a bit too light for me:) Maaaaybe a spring swap is in place in near future, but dont know.
I was hoping for them to be as heavy as mx blacks, or Gateron Black Inks. For some reason they feel like are a bit lighter - is that possible?

[zlobin356]

Yep, springs in Oil Kings have ±55g actuation point, but in MX Blacks and Inks there an 60g actuation

[Rhienfo]

I have heard about them, I remember hearing that they were really smooth when lubed, but didn't hear much about them stock. I have used gateron switches and while gateron springs are the best stock springs I've used so far (I doubt the springs from the gat yellows I used would be too much different from the oil kings, but I believe they are different weightings so there will be a difference), they still don't compare to the aftermarket springs I've used (tx 62g medium springs as an example) so I feel If I use them I would have to at least spring swap them with some tx springs and maybe lube them with an oil to remove pinging. I'm going to a meetup in Melbourne soon, and I'll probably try some there as they seem to be a semi popular switch at least and I'll see if I like them (If I do find them, they probably won't be stock so I can try them out that way)

Yep, springs in Oil Kings have ±55g actuation point, but in MX Blacks and Inks there an 60g actuation

To add to this, not only is the actuation of the oil kings lighter, but the bottom out force is much lighter, the bottom out force of oil kings is about 65g bottom out, compared to mx blacks at 85g and ink blacks at 70g. So that could be a factor as well when it comes to the switch feeling lighter than your used to, if you bottom out a lot, but the actuation force is probably the more likely the reason why they feel a bit lighter.

[phinix]

Cool, so sounds like I should spring swap them.
Which exactly TX springs should I use?
I want to be at least as heavy as MX blacks, including bottom out force.
I have 105g0 oil, will bag lube them.
Swapping springs shouldn't affect smoothness of the stem and housings, right?

Medium, 15mm long and 67g? Or heavier? I think heavier, cause when I had Tealios 67g, they were tooooo light.
If these are bottom out force, then I would go for 80g at least.
https://keebcats.co.uk/products/tx-springs-medium-15mm?variant=39466137485473

EDIT:
I found this about Oil Kings:
Specification
Switch Type: Linear Switch
Stem Material: POM
Top Housing: Nylon PA66
Bottom Housing: Ink Housing material
Actuation Force: 55g
Bottom Out Force: 80g
Spring: 20mm Black Spring

If they bottom out at 80g, then I need a 100g...
20mm springs?! So max TX I can get is 18mm, found here.

[Rhienfo]

Cool, so sounds like I should spring swap them.
Which exactly TX springs should I use?
I want to be at least as heavy as MX blacks, including bottom out force.
I have 105g0 oil, will bag lube them.
Swapping springs shouldn't affect smoothness of the stem and housings, right?

Medium, 15mm long and 67g? Or heavier? I think heavier, cause when I had Tealios 67g, they were tooooo light.
If these are bottom out force, then I would go for 80g at least.
https://keebcats.co.uk/products/tx-springs-medium-15mm?variant=39466137485473

EDIT:
I found this about Oil Kings:
Specification
Switch Type: Linear Switch
Stem Material: POM
Top Housing: Nylon PA66
Bottom Housing: Ink Housing material
Actuation Force: 55g
Bottom Out Force: 80g
Spring: 20mm Black Spring

If they bottom out at 80g, then I need a 100g...
20mm springs?! So max TX I can get is 18mm, found here.

Oil kings should be 65g bottom out, I looked into it and saw that force curves show around 65g, apparently it was just a typo which was weird.

"Gateron has released updated spring force measurements. Bottom out was originally listed as 80g, it is now corrected to 65g." I heard this quote but don't know where it's from.

Mx blacks are 85g bottom out so If you want that feeling you could go 85g, I would personally go a bit lower 75-80g because cherry springs are very inconsistent when it comes to their springs (Cherry says it's 20±CN on it's tolerances which makes the springs inconsistent, however I'm not sure if this affects bottom out as I believe this refers to actuation force) so you may feel that 85g is a bit too heavy, the thing about aftermarket springs is that they are cheap so you can experiment without it costing too much.

For spring length, If you want something more closer to cherry blacks than go with medium springs as both have the same length of 15mm, but if you want something like the oil kings but a bit longer than go for a longer spring. Also there are other spring manus that you can look at, I know geon does a 22mm spring (though they only go up to 70g and I have heard that recent batches aren't with things like chattering, but they are the cheapest springs on the market) and I have heard sprit makes really good springs but they are more expensive and sprit had a history of scamming, which is why I don't buy them personally. Just make sure you find springs with consistency at least ±1g of force at the minimum.

Also It shouldn't really affect the smoothness that much, certainly not the slider and housing. However I have heard from people who have built a lot more boards than me say that smoothness can vary because of the inconsistency that some springs have, though, I'd imagine the springs would make the "smoothness" have the same consistency if you notice it more and it wouldn't be too much of a difference (but then again I don't really notice it from my one board of cherry silvers w/stock springs, but I do notice how much more consistent some like tx springs are when I tried them for the first time)

I know this is really long but hopefully this helps you somewhat. But I'd recommend trying several options just to see what you like. I'll also update this to if I try oil kings at the meetup and see how similar they are to my 62g creams (in terms of weighting at least)

[Vescovo Alessio]

I too was very happy with this switch. I tried many for my project, and selected a few to offer as a choice for clients. It's a matter of taste, also Novelkeys-Kalih cream I found good, but personally among the linear ones Gateron Oil King is my favorite. I mounted it on my first keyboard prototype and did a sound test recorded with a high quality microphone. If you want to listen you can find the video in the GH topic https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=121064.0

[phinix]

Cool, so sounds like I should spring swap them.
Which exactly TX springs should I use?
I want to be at least as heavy as MX blacks, including bottom out force.
I have 105g0 oil, will bag lube them.
Swapping springs shouldn't affect smoothness of the stem and housings, right?

Medium, 15mm long and 67g? Or heavier? I think heavier, cause when I had Tealios 67g, they were tooooo light.
If these are bottom out force, then I would go for 80g at least.
https://keebcats.co.uk/products/tx-springs-medium-15mm?variant=39466137485473

EDIT:
I found this about Oil Kings:
Specification
Switch Type: Linear Switch
Stem Material: POM
Top Housing: Nylon PA66
Bottom Housing: Ink Housing material
Actuation Force: 55g
Bottom Out Force: 80g
Spring: 20mm Black Spring

If they bottom out at 80g, then I need a 100g...
20mm springs?! So max TX I can get is 18mm, found here.

Oil kings should be 65g bottom out, I looked into it and saw that force curves show around 65g, apparently it was just a typo which was weird.

"Gateron has released updated spring force measurements. Bottom out was originally listed as 80g, it is now corrected to 65g." I heard this quote but don't know where it's from.

Mx blacks are 85g bottom out so If you want that feeling you could go 85g, I would personally go a bit lower 75-80g because cherry springs are very inconsistent when it comes to their springs (Cherry says it's 20±CN on it's tolerances which makes the springs inconsistent, however I'm not sure if this affects bottom out as I believe this refers to actuation force) so you may feel that 85g is a bit too heavy, the thing about aftermarket springs is that they are cheap so you can experiment without it costing too much.

For spring length, If you want something more closer to cherry blacks than go with medium springs as both have the same length of 15mm, but if you want something like the oil kings but a bit longer than go for a longer spring. Also there are other spring manus that you can look at, I know geon does a 22mm spring (though they only go up to 70g and I have heard that recent batches aren't with things like chattering, but they are the cheapest springs on the market) and I have heard sprit makes really good springs but they are more expensive and sprit had a history of scamming, which is why I don't buy them personally. Just make sure you find springs with consistency at least ±1g of force at the minimum.

Also It shouldn't really affect the smoothness that much, certainly not the slider and housing. However I have heard from people who have built a lot more boards than me say that smoothness can vary because of the inconsistency that some springs have, though, I'd imagine the springs would make the "smoothness" have the same consistency if you notice it more and it wouldn't be too much of a difference (but then again I don't really notice it from my one board of cherry silvers w/stock springs, but I do notice how much more consistent some like tx springs are when I tried them for the first time)

I know this is really long but hopefully this helps you somewhat. But I'd recommend trying several options just to see what you like. I'll also update this to if I try oil kings at the meetup and see how similar they are to my 62g creams (in terms of weighting at least)

THanks. I'm going for 85g 18mm TX springs - ordered, should be here by weekend, will bag lube them and see how they feel.

Yeah, those Oil Kings are no way 80g bottom out, like you said, 65g max. Very light. So spring swap is a must

[Sup]

Idk oil king seems a bit to expensive when gat pro 3 is as smooth

[Rhienfo]

Idk oil king seems a bit to expensive when gat pro 3 is as smooth

I mean they pre lubed, I'd imagine they would be better than stock oil kings. I'd also think gat x would be better as well. Need to try the oil kings obviously but I'd imagine the gat x would be smoother with that mirror polish.

[Sup]

Idk oil king seems a bit to expensive when gat pro 3 is as smooth

I mean they pre lubed, I'd imagine they would be better than stock oil kings. I'd also think gat x would be better as well. Need to try the oil kings obviously but I'd imagine the gat x would be smoother with that mirror polish.

Honestly there is not much to improve on linear switches. I pitched Gateron X and also got a 110 sample batch as reward for kick starting the project. Its a good switch for modding since it isn't prelubed.  I lubed mine with 3204 and spring swapped to 58.5g. They are good switch for that or even using the bottom to franker switch.

The new linears are also super smooth to the point the difference between the two is minimal or even unnoticeable. Don't forget that switches smoothen out with use over time so it is really worth spending more for 2-3% more smoothness at the start? As someone who joined in 2016 there is no need to spend more money on Linears with switches being super smooth out of the box these days.

Just speaking the truth you don't need to spend heaps to get good Linears

[Rhienfo]

Idk oil king seems a bit to expensive when gat pro 3 is as smooth

I mean they pre lubed, I'd imagine they would be better than stock oil kings. I'd also think gat x would be better as well. Need to try the oil kings obviously but I'd imagine the gat x would be smoother with that mirror polish.

Honestly there is not much to improve on linear switches. I pitched Gateron X and also got a 110 sample batch as reward for kick starting the project. Its a good switch for modding since it isn't prelubed.  I lubed mine with 3204 and spring swapped to 58.5g. They are good switch for that or even using the bottom to franker switch.

The new linears are also super smooth to the point the difference between the two is minimal or even unnoticeable. Don't forget that switches smoothen out with use over time so it is really worth spending more for 2-3% more smoothness at the start? As someone who joined in 2016 there is no need to spend more money on Linears with switches being super smooth out of the box these days.

Just speaking the truth you don't need to spend heaps to get good Linears

Yeah you are right there, I probably gonna stick with cherry and the cheaper gaterons because of the price. I do think there is some merit to gat x's though, as the mirror polishing on the gat x is effective at making them quite a bit smoother, but yeah the differences between smoothness is far more minor and probably isn't worth the price increase, since you can get something like a gateron yellow which is really cheap to about 90% of a gat x in terms of smoothness for a fraction of a price.

[Prince Valiant]

The new linears are also super smooth to the point the difference between the two is minimal or even unnoticeable. Don't forget that switches smoothen out with use over time so it is really worth spending more for 2-3% more smoothness at the start? As someone who joined in 2016 there is no need to spend more money on Linears with switches being super smooth out of the box these days.

Just speaking the truth you don't need to spend heaps to get good Linears

I wonder if the Gateron red optical switches in one of my keypads is from a rough batch. They can be a little squeaky with off center presses.

[Sup]

The new linears are also super smooth to the point the difference between the two is minimal or even unnoticeable. Don't forget that switches smoothen out with use over time so it is really worth spending more for 2-3% more smoothness at the start? As someone who joined in 2016 there is no need to spend more money on Linears with switches being super smooth out of the box these days.

Just speaking the truth you don't need to spend heaps to get good Linears

I wonder if the Gateron red optical switches in one of my keypads is from a rough batch. They can be a little squeaky with off center presses.

I have no experience with optical switches. I just know that their 15-30 Cents standard linear mechanical switches are good as other mechanical expensive linears.

[Rhienfo]

I wonder if the Gateron red optical switches in one of my keypads is from a rough batch. They can be a little squeaky with off center presses.

It probably is a bad batch, would it be the spring? maybe friction points on the stem/housing are making it squeak but that's probably not it. I have little experience with optical switches so idk. If you can maybe replace/lube the spring which might work. I know lubing the switches might also help with the pinging as well, plus you can make it smoother as well.

[phinix]

Well... guys, you must swap springs for Oil Kings!
What a difference! Amazing feeling now, I with TX 85g 18mm long and these are perfect together.

I have rebuilt my ncr-80, brought back plate and foam, keeping tape mod of course. It still sounds great and those switches are now really something!
Good. I'm happy

[Rhienfo]

Well... guys, you must swap springs for Oil Kings!
What a difference! Amazing feeling now, I with TX 85g 18mm long and these are perfect together.

I have rebuilt my ncr-80, brought back plate and foam, keeping tape mod of course. It still sounds great and those switches are now really something!
Good. I'm happy

That's good to hear, I feel that 85g would be too heavy for me at least with linears. Though to be fair I do type pretty heavy so maybe that could work for me.

[Prince Valiant]

I wonder if the Gateron red optical switches in one of my keypads is from a rough batch. They can be a little squeaky with off center presses.

It probably is a bad batch, would it be the spring? maybe friction points on the stem/housing are making it squeak but that's probably not it. I have little experience with optical switches so idk. If you can maybe replace/lube the spring which might work. I know lubing the switches might also help with the pinging as well, plus you can make it smoother as well.

That would probably help, assuming it wouldn't cause issues with the optics. It's not annoying enough to make me want to remove and mess with the switches though.

[phinix]

After a week of use, I still like them
I bag lubed those springs, but to be honest, when tried them without lubing there was no ping, sounded good.
85g feels perfect for SA keycaps, will have to try with GMK.
I ordered HSA set, hoping to be sweet spot between SA and GMK.

[garynguyen]

I totally agree with you, I also use Oil King with my Enter67. Its sound is the best of Gateron Linear switches in my opinion.

Now I'm trying the SWK Mocha on my M1W. Highly recommend it.

[phinix]

Now I need to find tactiles that do not need lubing...

[HungerMechanic]

Funny you mention that.

The super-cheap Gateron G Pro Brown V3 (that just came out not too long ago) are actually pretty decent. They seem to be benefiting from the smoothness and pre-lubing improvements that Gateron is making recently. I bought mine here:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005877039915.html

They actually went down to $20 CAD for 90 once, I think. But I haven't seen that deal come back. Best I saw was maybe $24 or so.

Sure, they're not perfect and not as good as hand-lubing. But these are the best Gateron Browns I've yet tested.

For tactiles that don't need lubing, you can buy pre-lubed Blueberry Chiffon V2, Cotton Candies, and from certain places there are MX Browns and Clears that are machine-polished and then hand-lubed. These are more expensive, of course.

Interestingly, the new "Molly" switches by JWICK are light/medium tactiles that come pre-lubed. So you don't really have to do anything. And they're cheap. The more budget JWICK T1s themselves don't explicitly need lube. But they aren't lubed like Oil Kings are.

[HungerMechanic]

Also, the AKKO Cream Blue Pro V3 and new Lavender equivalent can get away without being lubed, although they sound better when lubed.

Some people believe that AKKO POM Browns don't need to be lubed, as long as you don't mind their 'brighter,' higher-pitched stock sound. You'd probably need to put them in a good board, though.

Lots of people use U4T and U4Tx in stock form. I find that Boba LT feels almost like a lubed light-tactile, even though it is a linear.

Gateron Baby Kangaroo are fine stock, as long as you don't need a 'lubed' sound. MODE Tomorrow is fairly smooth and mellow in stock form. I couldn't imagine needing to lube it actually, unless you wanted a deeper sound.

[Rhienfo]

Now I need to find tactiles that do not need lubing...

just use alps giggle...

In all seriousness mx tactiles are hard to find pre lubed well because of the legs of the tactile switch and factory lube may make the legs a bit which can create an inconsistent feeling bump. Heard those molly switches are good and ther jwick t1s are basically just durock t1s which are good but when sold under jwk they are way too expensive for what they are, so only buy the jwick ones.