I ordered several boxes of lubed Glorious Pandas from PC Gaming Race. I wanted to share my thoughts. I’m kind of new to keyboard enthusiasm, so this isn’t intended to be a pro-level “review” but if it helps someone, here it is…
Yeah, the Pandas are kind of 'binary' in their tactility, as you noted. Resistance at the top that you smash through, and then it's linear to the bottom. It's been a popular style in MX tactiles since 2018 or so.
The other main style is Cherry, which is linear-bump-linear. The Browns have a tiny bump, but as others pointed out, the Clears have a larger bump.
Ergo Clears are fine, but they are chalky / scratchy and somewhat harsh-feeling compared to some more recent switches. A retool by Cherry could be nice, or much worse, we don't really know. Although retooled Browns are more popular than pre-tooled, some believe that the new Browns lack character.
To get something like Browns but with a bit more zing, you could lube some Everglide Jade Greens with 3204 and maybe put in a 60-62 G spring. Gotta lube around that leaf to reduce the ping. There's also the new Durock Light Tactile, which has a stem perhaps a little more tactile than MX Brown. You can go up to Medium Tactile [Penguin, Taro Ball, RARA], but you might find it resembling a Holy Panda / T1 too much.
I remember there was an Ergo Clear reimagining near the beginning of the year, forget what they were called but they came out at the same time as Penguins.
The U4T is a great stem, but it is somewhat like Holy Panda. It has a high tactility up top, then sort of collapses. But it seems like a more refined switch than Holy Panda. The operation is smoother, and it probably has a little post-travel thanks to its rounded profile. The sound is excellent, and Boba in general is a next-generation no-hassle switch.
I just wish they could make a light tactile Boba that doesn't rely on long-stem for sound. You can put MX or Gateron Brown stems in the Boba housing and they are about twice as tactile as before. If OP wants a more interesting Brown, put MX Brown stems in YOK Panda housing using 60 G spring, or Brown / Gateron Orange stems in a T1 housing at 60 Long, Aliaz also really pops in the T1 housing.