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How about another top-tier budget switch that is not MZ Z1 nor KTT Kang White? I am very happy to see that more switch designers are attempting to make high-quality switches that are affordable. Thanks to Grain Gold and Zuoce Studio, we got a chance to look at the bubble gum switches today. Unlike some budget switches we have been seeing in the market, the bubble gum switches were made with high-precision molding and innovative blend materials. Let's look into the details.
Price
Price: 0.15 USD per switch
Switch Specifications
Strawberry and Mint only look different in color. The other specs are the same
Switch type: Linear
Designer: Zuoce Studio
Manufacturer: Grain Gold
Stem material: POM + SL (Silicone)
Top Housings: POM + PTFE
Bottom Housing: PA66 (Original PA66)
Operating Force: 37±5g
Bottom-out Force: 45±5g
Pre-travel: 1.8mm
Total Travel: 3.5±0.3mm
Spring: 22mm double-stage KOS 304 extended spring
Factory Lubed: Solvay Fomblin M60 PFPE on stems, bottom housing rails, and leaf springs.
Bubble Gum Strawberry/Mint Switches
The year 2023 has proved to us that good switches do not need to be expensive. With great and fair-priced options such as BSUN and HMX switches coming out, the pricing of new switches kept dropping. At first, it was the MZ Z1 switches that changed the definition of budget switches; Being cheap does not mean that the switch is going to be worse. Yes, it is not perfect either, but it still brings you a steady stem, a decent factory lube job, and a smooth keystroke. After that, more and more switch designers shifted their focus to budget switches like the Z1s. The bubble gum switch is another attempt at supplying great switches that come with value.
Materials:
Grain Gold is very good at making innovative moves to create blend materials for switch manufacturing.
POM+SL Stem: Grain Gold has its own POM + Silicone blend formula. The reason to add SL to POM is to increase the smoothness and dampen the sound of the POM stem.
POM+PTFE: The main purpose of adding PTFE to POM is also to increase its smoothness.
As you can see, the top housing and the stem of the bubble gum switches are both made of POM blends. Why not just use the original POM material directly? If you have used the NK Cream switches, you would notice that the POM housing and POM stem create a lot of friction. Unless you are trying to create a switch that has a signature scratchiness, it is best to avoid using full POM. By the way, the friction between the same material is always going to be higher than between two different materials. In this case, Zuoce was trying to create a switch that sounds deep, thocky, and smooth still, and that is why he chose to use POM blends to keep the thocky sound while getting improvements to make the switch smoother.
The PA66 bottom housing, on the other hand, was also chosen for its deeper sound signature. Some of us may take PA66 as a material that makes switches sound clacky, but original PA66 actually makes switches sound deep and thocky. Don't let the nylon+fiberglass blend materials mislead you.
Design: There is nothing much special about the design of the bubble gum switches. One thing to note though is that the top, stem, and bottom housing of the switch were all made using the 8-point injection molding technique. 8-point injection molding allows for better precision as one set of mold only produces 8 components. it is much easier to control the injection with such a technique. However, it comes with a much higher cost since each set of production comes with fewer components. It is very rare to see such a technique being used on a budget switch.
Form of Sales
Time of Sales
Jan 18th, 2024
