Author Topic: Which mechanical keyboard (not Topre) has the best stabilizers out of the box?  (Read 6326 times)

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Offline bruinfanfare

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I'm looking at mech KBs with Brown switches and I'm finding a lot of boards have rattling stabilizers where the space bar or the shift keys sound cheap (I'm looking at you Anne Pro!). I know there are ways to make this better with lube or modifying the stabs, but are there any keyboards that come right out of the box with good stabilizers that don't rattle and have a nice deep "thock" when you hit the larger keys? I did a few YouTube searches and it seems the KUL ES 87 is pretty decent? Thoughts?

Offline HotRoderX

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Honest opinion pre built most likely from mech market or a meetup locally. I say this because manufactures cut corners where ever they can. I am sure stabs are one of those area's that are easy to cut corners on... K-Type is a great example of this.

Most the time when you buy something built by someone in the community your most likely getting the best of the best. I personally built my first board with Zeal stabilizers.. They where EXPENSIVE. I want to say I paid 35 bucks for a set for a 75% build. They where worth every dime zero rattle smooth as silk.

Something else to keep in mind unlike switches which are manufactured by a handful of companies and are a named item. Stabilizers are just mass produced and un named with very few exceptions. What I am getting at with this is manufactured board from lets say Ducky.. might have genuine cherry stabs in it for one batch.. really good Chinese knock off's from another.. then really poor stabs in the next.. because there most likely just buying from the cheapest vendor they can fine to minimize cost and increase profits.

Offline tp4tissue

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Costar..  BEST stabilizer..   a dab of Honda silicone and you're g2g4lyfe

Offline xondat

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Costars are better stock and much easier to lube so anything with those.

Offline merlin64

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If you go ortholilnear, and have keys only as large as 1u, you'll never need a stabilizer!

Offline dante

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If you go ortholilnear, and have keys only as large as 1u, you'll never need a stabilizer!

^^^

Offline mike-y

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  • Location: California, USA
My Varmilo came with costar stabilizers which sound fantastic, and don't rattle at all.

every other keyboard I have has cherry stabs, and some sound better than others.  In all of those boards, I still did slight modifications to the stabs to keep them from rattling. 

So look for a board with Costars.

Fast forward to 1:25

« Last Edit: Mon, 20 November 2017, 11:27:53 by mike-y »

Offline Findecanor

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I like the way Alps stabilisers are done. The clips fill holes in the plate thus not opening up any holes where liquids or dust can enter the innards of the keyboard. The inserts are open on one side so that you can remove or replace a stabilised key without having to fiddle with a screwdriver.

Offline klennkellon

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best stabs I ever tried were on my Packard Bell with SKCL Brown. The stabs didn't rattle at all and were smooth. It basically felt just like pressing any other single unit key.

Spacebar was a tiny bit rattly if you hit it hard but I can forgive it cause it was a gynormo spacebar.

Offline Puddsy

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KUL ES-87

throwback to when i owned 3
QFR | MJ2 TKL | "Bulgogiboard" (Keycon 104) | ctrl.alt x GON 60% | TGR Alice | Mira SE #29 | Mira SE #34 | Revo One | z | Keycult No. 1 | AIS65 | First CW87 prototype | Mech27v1 | Camp C225 | Duck Orion V1 | LZ CLS sxh | Geon Frog TKL | Hiney TKL One | Geon Glare TKL



"Everything is worse, but in a barely perceptible and indefinable way" -dollartacos, after I came back from a break | "Is Linkshine our Nixon?" -NAV | "Puddsy is the Puddsy of keebs" -ns90

Offline Doofy

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Some may disagree but I recently bought a Magicforce 68 with Gateron Brown switches and I have to say, I had worse rattling on a K70 in Maplin, if budget is tight, you can't go wrong with a chinese board! This information is entirely anecdotal so take it with a pinch of salt but just my 2 cents