Author Topic: Glorious Pandas Overhyped  (Read 6580 times)

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Offline geauxflying

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Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« on: Wed, 30 June 2021, 09:29:41 »
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…

Basically I was looking for a very tactile switch that I might like as much as my favorite so far (Kailh Box Pink). I like the Kailh Box Pinks but find it exceedingly annoying that one of the pins is so wide that I can’t get a Mill-Max socket on them. I guess Kailh wants to sell their own sockets but their sockets don’t work on all PCBs.

I got the lubed version of the Glorious Pandas because the various reviews I watched on YouTube indicated that these switches are much better when lubed.

First tactility - this was all over the board. The most tactile switch was indeed very tactile. While the least tactile switch felt like a linear switch by comparison, with hardly any tactility at all. Most of the switches were just “okay.” The tactile bump seems to be right at the top of the keystroke, which I thought made it difficult to notice when typing, and contributed to the switches feeling sort of linear in their typing feel. My guess is that the poor consistency was a function of the factory lube being inconsistently applied.

Sound - this is probably what I liked the most, they sound satisfying, deep snappy sounds.

Typing feel - this pretty much killed it for me. The tactile bump right at the top of the keystroke kind of made the keys feel a bit dead for lack of a better word. Just an uninspiring typing experience. Combine that with very inconsistent feel from one switch to the next and it was thoroughly annoying. Although the travel is supposed to be more than the Kailh Box Pinks at 4mm, it felt like there was less travel, perhaps because the tactile event happens right at the beginning.

If you are looking for a tactile switch to substitute for clickys, I don’t think it’s this. I liked the Gateron Brown switches that came pre-installed in my GMMK better.

-My favorite switches so far - Model F buckling spring
-Favorite MX switches- Kailh Box Pink (but I’m looking for an alternative because Kailh’s fat pins are absurd and I want to use Mill-Max sockets.
-Favorite tactile switches - I haven’t used many but I did find the Gateron brown to be okay, if a bit light for my taste.

If anyone has thoughts about a good substitute for the Box Pink, please do let me know.

I think NK Sherbet is next on my list to try.

Offline Leopard223

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Re: Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« Reply #1 on: Thu, 01 July 2021, 10:59:31 »
Interesting, I personally like the Holy Panda style switches, they feel like a button rather than a linear switch with interruption, haven’t tried the Glorious Panda but the U4T I use are very noticeable when typing.

A more pronounced MX brown will be Ergo Clear, there’s also the Outemu Sky V2 which is a bit more pronounced than Ergo Clear but it’s housing is very loose and the sample I got had some rattling sound that made a click similar to MX Blue. 

I don’t think you’ll find something better than the BOX clickbar switches unless you want to go click jacket, the sherbet switch has some rattle sound, probably due to the MX style leaf, BOX Pink and Jade are significantly better and crisper, btw aren’t the Glorious Panda's travel is around 3.4mm/3.5mm?
« Last Edit: Thu, 01 July 2021, 15:28:20 by Leopard223 »

Offline geauxflying

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Re: Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 01 July 2021, 15:58:16 »
Yeah there's definitely a tactile bump if I sit there a push the switch really slowly between my thumb and forefinger. I don't type that way though. In normal typing it seems like it's just a big bump right at the beginning, with no pre-travel, and once I overcome the bump I immediately bottom out with a thock... kind of like pushing the little "diet" indicators on a fast-food beverage lid. I may just be a heavy typist, but the tactile bump doesn't seem amazing to me in normal typing. The sound is satisfying though. The consistency was really terrible. If I hit every box pink switch on my gmmk I'm hard-pressed to pick out a single switch that feels much different than any other switch.

I'll definitely try the UT4, that's a great recommendation - they are sold out everywhere, so that's a good sign haha!

The cherry ergo clears could be good too... The clear switches seem scratchy compared to other cherry switches, but easy enough to lube I guess if taking them apart anyway. If Cherry retools the clear that could be nice. I'll try ordering some Zealios too.

You might be right about the travel, maybe I'm not losing my mind on that. SwitchDB.net and Theremingoat.com both indicated it was "4.0 mm" but I didn't try to confirm their numbers by measuring, it definitely seemed shorter than I would have expected.
« Last Edit: Thu, 01 July 2021, 16:01:59 by geauxflying »

Offline Rob27shred

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Re: Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 01 July 2021, 16:04:02 »
Buying them factory lubed was your mistake. None of the manus have gotten lubing quite down yet & usually factory lubed switches are all over the place with the amount used per switch. That's why some felt very tactile & others felt barely tactile at all. Not all is lost though, run them through a ultrasonic wash or two with some dishsoap & that'll clean them off. Then you can reapply lube manually. Even if you're terrible at it, they'll still feel better & more consistent than the factory lubed ones TBH.

Offline geauxflying

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Re: Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« Reply #4 on: Thu, 01 July 2021, 16:11:43 »
Buying them factory lubed was your mistake. None of the manus have gotten lubing quite down yet & usually factory lubed switches are all over the place with the amount used per switch. That's why some felt very tactile & others felt barely tactile at all. Not all is lost though, run them through a ultrasonic wash or two with some dishsoap & that'll clean them off. Then you can reapply lube manually. Even if you're terrible at it, they'll still feel better & more consistent than the factory lubed ones TBH.
I appreciate this idea too. I already returned the lubed ones, but might order a box of unlubed just to see what I can do with them. It's a cheap experiment. I'm thinking less is probably more for the lube for me.

Offline Surefoot

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Re: Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« Reply #5 on: Thu, 01 July 2021, 16:14:09 »
I don’t think you’ll find something better than the BOX clickbar switches unless you want to go click jacket(...)
Agreed here for MX mount switches, until that click-leaf switch prototype gets actually made (was it NovelKeys ? cant remember). Click leaf might be the only thing able to compete with click bars. Forget other MX switches that rely on friction to create that "bump" it will never be as sharp as click bars / click leaves (or buckling springs, for that matter).

Offline geauxflying

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Re: Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« Reply #6 on: Thu, 01 July 2021, 16:31:09 »
I don’t think you’ll find something better than the BOX clickbar switches unless you want to go click jacket(...)
...until that click-leaf switch prototype gets actually made...
OHH this is interesting, I didn't know anything about this. Just googled... Looks like a Zeal PC thing, the 3-in-1 switch? It looks like they are taking their time getting it to market. Thanks for sharing though, I'll look forward to trying it out.

Offline Leopard223

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Re: Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« Reply #7 on: Thu, 01 July 2021, 17:08:41 »
Yeah there's definitely a tactile bump if I sit there a push the switch really slowly between my thumb and forefinger. I don't type that way though. In normal typing it seems like it's just a big bump right at the beginning, with no pre-travel, and once I overcome the bump I immediately bottom out with a thock... kind of like pushing the little "diet" indicators on a fast-food beverage lid. I may just be a heavy typist, but the tactile bump doesn't seem amazing to me in normal typing. The sound is satisfying though. The consistency was really terrible. If I hit every box pink switch on my gmmk I'm hard-pressed to pick out a single switch that feels much different than any other switch.

I'll definitely try the UT4, that's a great recommendation - they are sold out everywhere, so that's a good sign haha!

The cherry ergo clears could be good too... The clear switches seem scratchy compared to other cherry switches, but easy enough to lube I guess if taking them apart anyway. If Cherry retools the clear that could be nice. I'll try ordering some Zealios too.

You might be right about the travel, maybe I'm not losing my mind on that. SwitchDB.net and Theremingoat.com both indicated it was "4.0 mm" but I didn't try to confirm their numbers by measuring, it definitely seemed shorter than I would have expected.
Have you got the lubed version? consistency might be due to that, funny I also have the BOX Pink switches and while they're fantastic and consistent feeling, they are very inconsistent when it comes to sound (isn't that big of an issue to me tbh).

The U4T are definitly a fantastic choice, honestly it's a phenomenal switch quality, you could use them stock and never worry about lubing or filming, 
Tactile bump is punchy and round, housing is deep and (relatively) softer to bottom out, tolerance is great, low stem wobble and housing is tight even after opening switches multiple times, spring and leaf come factory lubed so you can forget about any spring crunch or leaf ping, and while the stem and rails are not lubed, it feels pretty smooth, this switch is basically plug and play, really puts to shame other brands.
It's available to purchase on AliExpress btw, along with many other chinese manufactured switches you might find out-of-stock on popular vendors. 

Does the stem of the GP stick out of the housing? it's a good sign of the short travel associated with the HP style switches, and honestly I wouldn't trust those gimmick database sites and while he was on point on the U4T and made me get them, I'm having doubts about Theremingoat's reviews lately.

Offline vestun

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Re: Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« Reply #8 on: Fri, 02 July 2021, 23:45:47 »
I personally like the glorious pandas. But to each his own. :thumb:

Offline HungerMechanic

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Re: Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« Reply #9 on: Sun, 04 July 2021, 08:36:32 »
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.

Offline Leopard223

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Re: Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 05 July 2021, 18:48:23 »
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.
I personally find the U4T to be the new standard IMO, if a switch can be that good and cheap then other brands are doing something wrong, the boba switches are phenomenal. 
A popular awful switch is the T1, it's very loved for it's pleasant bump but the rest is not good IMO. loose housing that requires films to not tick especially after opening the switch, spring crunch and a lot of leaf ping even after lubing everything with 3204., housing is also very fragile and can easily deform when removing switches.


I also don't understand why more tactile = expensive?  is it due to the leaf? if a Gat brown is $0.25 then surely a stronger leaf shouldn't double the price. 

Anyway to add to your comment, you are right when you say most of the switches are HP style switches with the bump on top and it just collapses, I personally really like it since it feels like a button rather than disrupted linear switch. 
A plesant pretty light HP switch is the Everglide Crystal Purple, though they can be pretty pricey at $0.67, there's also the Ocean Blue / Lavender by Akko, but I havn't tried those to form an opinion.

Offline HungerMechanic

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Re: Glorious Pandas Overhyped
« Reply #11 on: Tue, 06 July 2021, 08:26:39 »
Yeah, Boba is making the other switches look bad. The only problem is, as I mentioned, the lack of a 'light-tactile' option. Although if you use a Boba linear housing, you may be able to pull it off, and I am experimenting.

I've been messing with T1s too, and yes, they offer great tactility for the price. [They used to be cheaper sometimes, too.] Where I am having fun with them is putting in very non-tactile stems. Gateron Orange, Aliaz, and such turn into Ergo Clears in the T1 housing. But all the flaws you point out are very real.

[Too much work to make a T1 good when Boba is on the market, as you indicate.]

I have tried the AKKO Ocean Blue, and yes indeed it is a lighter HP. I found it just kind of boring, though, so I didn't do anything with it. I have some Crystal Purple samples, but never tried them. I think they are supposed to be like T1, and needing just as much work.

The more tactile = more expensive thing seems to be caused by two factors. 1. the custom hobby people thought "more tactility = more quality," so it was possible to charge more for the "experience." 2. The HP-like switches follow from the height of popularity of HP and Zilents, which were (are) both extremely expensive. So an HP/Zilent-like switch can be sold for more than 'mere' Browns. Browns have production lines long in existence, and are not a product of the 'customizer' hobby.