Gateron Tactile Clears

[mattss5o]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could direct me to where i could buy Gateron Tactile clears? Or if anyone would be interested in doing a group buy. If people are interested in a group buy, then maybe the inclusion of more switch types would be considered.

Please, before commenting about Zealios switches and that Gaterons are available at Massdrop. I am well aware of both sites, and have even contacted ZealPC himself. This sis nothing against them and i do not wish o undermine their business. they have great promotions and GB's  as well as Zeal having gold plated springs, and different weights for his switches. But, those options are still relatively expensive, i live in Canada, not the US and seeing how our dollar is still significantly below par, every keyswitch is that much more expensive and when ordering roughly a hundred or more for a standard 104 keyboard it's even more. Mot to mention the shipping and import costs in US dollars

Alright, rant over. Basically i'm looking to get switches for cheap, how it used to be a few years ago, something like 0.15 to 0.35 cents per switch. Or something close at least.

I'm just trying to find out if there are more people interested and it is not just me.

Thanks,

Matt

[clee290]

Gateron doesn't have tactile clears. Did they used to? I know right now, their clear switches are light linears (lighter than reds). Your best option might be to get some Gateron brown switches then do a spring swap if you want them heavier.

I recently purchased 68 (though I technically got 69) switches from KBDfans for USD$15 ($10+$5 shipping to Canada). Looks like they increased the price of that pack to $13 now.

[mattss5o]

thanks for the input, massdrop is having a 3X120 pack spring right now for 23USD so if i plan to mod i think that would be a little more affordable, they are stainless steel not gold plated though.

as for the clears yes they made some they were just like cherry clears and both of which as well as zealios, seem to have a more pronounced tactile bump than the mx browns. also the gaterons/zeals are supposed to be buttery smooth.

if you search gateron tactile clears, you will find that winkeyless used to sell them and at there are a few posts about them on geekhack and reddit.

would you be interested in trying some of clear tactiles.

[nmur]

afaik, gat tactile clears just aren't made anymore

like you said, the zealios would be the closest feeling switch (having the same manufacturer), but a cheaper alternative might be cherry clears. cherry clears aren't as smooth as gateron clears, but they can be lubed to a point where they are just as smooth if not more, and (arguably) have less wobble.

[clee290]

I do have a switch tester with a Cherry MX clear switch, but I would like to try a board with clears one day. Right now, I have some jailhouse Gateron greens sitting in a bag, which I'm planning to use in a future build.

You can check out the springs on SwitchSource.ca:
http://www.switchsource.ca/product/key-switch-springs-10-pack

They have gold-plated springs for USD$1 (for 10 springs). Not sure how they compare to the switches on Massdrop though.

[klennkellon]

Gateron stopped making them a long time ago. Zealios are basically the same thing.

[_haru]

(Take the following at face value, this was from a friend, Chinese Whispers may have taken place )

What actually happened was that Winkeyless told Gateron (they accept requests to make switches as long as you have the money) to make tactile clear switches, similar to Zealios. Zeal intervened, Gateron stopped making them and now you can't buy them new anymore. They've been nicknamed 'Stealios' among certain parts of the community since WK stole the design from Zeal.

Perhaps it would be best to get Zeal himself to respond to this query.

[Petch]

(Take the following at face value, this was from a friend, Chinese Whispers may have taken place )

What actually happened was that Winkeyless told Gateron (they accept requests to make switches as long as you have the money) to make tactile clear switches, similar to Zealios. Zeal intervened, Gateron stopped making them and now you can't buy them new anymore. They've been nicknamed 'Stealios' among certain parts of the community since WK stole the design from Zeal.

Perhaps it would be best to get Zeal himself to respond to this query.

To be fair, Zeal's are 'stealios' anyway since they're just MX clears. Now we have to pay 3x the price for the same thing 

[_haru]

Maybe... But you do get that nice Gateron smoothness, though

[romevi]

I thought the tactile clear ones were based of the Zealios, and they were sold without Zeal's knowledge and permission.

Also, ZealPC is located in Canada, so wouldn't shipping be cheaper?

[_haru]

I thought the tactile clear ones were based of the Zealios, and they were sold without Zeal's knowledge and permission.

Also, ZealPC is located in Canada, so wouldn't shipping be cheaper?

That is exactly what happened.

[davkol]

Didn't Zeal invest in the molds or something like that?

[romevi]

Didn't Zeal invest in the molds or something like that?

I think so. That's why Gateron shouldn't have produced the clear stems without his consent.

[mattss5o]

Cool, alot of great info that i did not know about the history. and those springs for 1 USD for a 10 pack are alot cheaper than many other sites. As for the Zeal being in canada, the prices are still expensive on a per switch basis.

anyone interested in doping a GB at some point for Gat switches, since they are smoother than cherry's and a fraction of the cost.

[davkol]

Gat switches, since they are smoother than cherry's

(a) not anymore
(b) OG MX are much more consistent/reliable

[_haru]

Small necro: Winkeyless isn't going to stock Gateron switches anymore. I presume this is because of a strained business relationship due to the Stealios incident.

Also, this is what Zeal himself had to say about the issue a year ago:

I was already aware of these switches a week ago. Thanks everyone for PM'ing/messaging me last week.

Winkeyless does not have many of these "67g Clear" switches in stock (very, very small quantities). He wasn't supposed to get a hold of these switches in the first place. Once he's out, he'll no longer have such switches back in stock again.

I won't be stopping people from ordering the switches from winkeyless (the faster they sell out, the less of an issue it is), but do know that the original "Zealio" mould was fronted by Zeal PC, in search of a better and smoother "ergo-clear" for the enthusiast community. It's up to the buyers on who they want to support for further community designed products.

P.S. I have 2 more new products I plan on releasing Q3/Q4 of 2016. Stay tuned. Thanks for all my supporters that purchased the original Zealio switches.

[redbanshee]

Typing on Gateron Tactile Clears right now, they are nice! 

[Findecanor]

BTW. There are also Outemy Purple 62g that are at least superficially quite similar to the Zealios.
I got a sample pack from Mehkee but they don't have them in stock right now.

I have not tried them out in a real keyboard yet so I can't give a review, sorry.

Edit: BTW, other interesting switches could be:
* Greetech Brown, which is similar to a more tactile Cherry MX Brown but with lower tactile point.
* Kailh Pro Purple which has a force curve that looks like a purple Zealio's but with shorter key travel and flatter linear component.

[rich1051414]

You have two options, either jailhouse some greens, or gut them and stick cherry clear stabs in them
Jailhouse greens actually feel amazing, and was the reason I original bought 100 of them for a build, but I quickly realized I was far too lazy after I finished lubing them, and did not jail them.

PS: Outemu purples are not nearly as good as zealios, but mostly because they lack factory lube. If you want improved zeals with even more tactility, so they are closer to vintage alps switches, then stick a zeal switch in a panda body. Oh, and then cry about the damage to your wallet.

[ygor]

Typing on 58g Cherry clears rn, re-housed 'n lubed. Dunno of a better MX switch.

[_haru]

You have two options, either jailhouse some greens, or gut them and stick cherry clear stabs in them
Jailhouse greens actually feel amazing, and was the reason I original bought 100 of them for a build, but I quickly realized I was far too lazy after I finished lubing them, and did not jail them.

PS: Outemu purples are not nearly as good as zealios, but mostly because they lack factory lube. If you want improved zeals with even more tactility, so they are closer to vintage alps switches, then stick a zeal switch in a panda body. Oh, and then cry about the damage to your wallet.

Even as a hardcore Outemu ICE fan, I have to agree. Though, ICE purples have a more sharp and noticeable bump, compared to Zealios.

And yeah, 'Zanda' switches are gaining in popularity. They also have the medical advantage of helping your back and hips, by getting rid of the excess weight in your wallet.

[phoible]

I just built up a keyboard with Outemu Purple 62g switches, and I'm pretty happy with them so far. More tactile than browns, but still pretty light. Haven't compared them head-on with Gateron tactile clears (I built up a Whitefox with those), but heads up they feel fairly close to an ergo clear that I have in a switch tester (not lubed).

It's entirely possible that Zealios are a tiny bit better, and they had better be for 3x the price, but even the clones are pretty good these days.

A few years ago the only options were Cherry MX in four different types. Now there are a plethora of options from numerous different manufacturers.

[_haru]

So, here's a TL;DR about Gateron Tactile Clears. All info is from my friends, this and various other threads about the subject, and Zeal himself.

• Only a relatively small batch of switches, commissioned by Winkeyless.
• Stem mold is identical to the R2 Zealio mold, but with clear plastic.
• The bottom housing is different from the regular housing, the leaves are actually prototypes of the versions included in R2 Zealios. Whether these are reproductions or leftover stock is yet to be seen, but considering how limited the batch size was, I am leaning towards the leftover theory.
• No longer made by Gateron, potentially after an intervention by Zeal.
• The slang name for Tactile Clears on certain parts of the internet is 'Stealios', since WK 'stole' the Zealio design from Zeal.

If anyone has anything else to add, please reply and I'll edit this post.

[phoible]

Found a Gateron tactile clear (left over from my Whitefox build) and compared it to the Outemu purple and Cherry ergo clear.

The Outemu purple does have a slightly larger tactile bump than the Gateron tactile clear. It may also be a tiny bit grittier, but the difference is fairly small.

The Gateron tactile clear is pretty similar to the Cherry ergo clear in terms of tactility. I guess it's a moot point because there is no longer any supply of Gateron tactile clears, and I only have about 20 left, so not enough for another keyboard.

Fortunately the Outemu Purples and Kailh Purple Pros are a pretty good alternative.

[TheUltimateWeeb]

You can get gateron clears here Gateron mx switch 3 pin adn 5 pin transparent case mx green brown blue switches for mechanical keyboard cherry mx compatible
 http://s.aliexpress.com/yUfuq2Mn?fromSns=Copy to clipboard

[killyou]

I don't get the whole expensive Zealio thing. People are spending way more finding something like Zealio but not Zealio and cheaper while they loose lots of time doing that and the result is just not that good. You can buy them from China from kbdfans with free shipping or buy used from mechmarket and it's not gonna cost you a fortune. I have 2nd set of Zealios in my Pok3r and they came at no cost at all as I sold the MX Clears that were in that keyboard originally for the same price I got a set of Zealios. Save yourself tons of time, problems and go with the safe and proven option for years which is Zealio.

[t8c]

You can get gateron clears here Gateron mx switch 3 pin adn 5 pin transparent case mx green brown blue switches for mechanical keyboard cherry mx compatible
 http://s.aliexpress.com/yUfuq2Mn?fromSns=Copy to clipboard

Seems to be the linear 35g version. Not the tactile clear ones.

[klennkellon]

You can get gateron clears here Gateron mx switch 3 pin adn 5 pin transparent case mx green brown blue switches for mechanical keyboard cherry mx compatible
 http://s.aliexpress.com/yUfuq2Mn?fromSns=Copy to clipboard

Necro, also these are the linear variant. 35g super light