Gateron Switches Don't Work Well With Cherry Keycaps? (Solution Found)

[HPE1000]

I have tried to search and I find a few people with this problem but I am not seeing any fixes or much discussion at all about this. I had put gateron switches in both my kmac pad and my poker and it seems that they just don't work with cherry profile keycaps. They rub and get stuck when in use. They might be super smooth when pressing down perfectly center but when pressed in a certain direction they just stop going down or skip a bit which completely ruins them for me. It seems this problem doesn't occur with OEM keycaps. I can only assume the stems in cherry keycaps are thicker?

Here was a video someone posted about it and they touched on a fix, but is there a tutorial out there that I can follow?

Really annoying to have to desolder all of these switches and leds over this. I destroyed the paint on my pokers plate messing with these stupid switches ;_;



NOTE: Zeal has said that the recent revisions of gaterons have fixed this issue. Just make sure you are buying newer gaterons to avoid this problem.

[shinigamiyuk]

Which switch from Gateron are you using out of curiosity?

[HPE1000]

Which switch are you using out of curiosity?

Gateron clears (linear)

They are the fully frosted ones right here:

[shinigamiyuk]

Stock right, you didn't change the spring?

[HPE1000]

Stock right, you didn't change the spring?

I put 67g springs in them.

[shinigamiyuk]

Well, I will have to do some testing when I get home. I don't have any helpful information at this time but I have experienced this issue using my tester with stock Gat clears.

[Zeal]

There was a revision for Gateron switch tops shortly after the RGB tops came out that fixed this issue. Unfortunately it sounds like you've got one of the older versions.

[meow a cat]

This issue kind of ruined them for me, I got rid of the switches I had, and I'm going to take them out of my JD40 as well. I don't know if I'll buy any more, I'm still a little salty.

They also catch with DSA caps.

There is a fix, but it's a *****. You need to file the inside of the tops with a tiny file.. it takes forever. I did it for the switches on my JD40 and it took a couple hours; however, they still feel grindy when you push them off center, no matter how much filing I did. They don't catch anymore, but they feel like they're full of coarse salt. The quickest fix would be to just swap the tops for stock Cherry switch tops, but then they feel inbetween regular Cherry switches and Gaterons in terms of smoothness.

[HPE1000]

Oh well....

Maybe I can take the springs out and put back the original springs and sell them for like 25 dollars or something as I have no use for them at all. I don't use OEM keycaps.

[Jokrik]

I've been having the same problem, exactly as you described
especially on non-centered press

I've asked around and apparently it's the glitch they have
what surprises me is that it's also happening with dsa??

I thought low profile keycaps would make it better, and high profile one would just wobble the stem and create the problem

[HPE1000]

I've been having the same problem, exactly as you described
especially on non-centered press

I've asked around and apparently it's the glitch they have
what surprises me is that it's also happening with dsa??

I thought low profile keycaps would make it better, and high profile one would just wobble the stem and create the problem

Yeah it's pretty disappointing. The only real draw is how smooth gaterons are but if this is the case that doesn't really matter. Besides I got this poker 3 and the black switches are surprisingly smooth. So much more smooth than my poker 2 was which had so much use over the course of 2 years of daily use and gaming. Wonder if I just got a really good batch or if cherry linears are getting smoother. These switches are honestly almost as smooth as vintage blacks o.O (the new cherry blacks I got, but gaterons are as well for the most part)

[Jokrik]

I've been having the same problem, exactly as you described
especially on non-centered press

I've asked around and apparently it's the glitch they have
what surprises me is that it's also happening with dsa??

I thought low profile keycaps would make it better, and high profile one would just wobble the stem and create the problem

Yeah it's pretty disappointing. The only real draw is how smooth gaterons are but if this is the case that doesn't really matter. Besides I got this poker 3 and the black switches are surprisingly smooth. So much more smooth than my poker 2 was which had so much use over the course of 2 years of daily use and gaming. Wonder if I just got a really good batch or if cherry linears are getting smoother. These switches are honestly almost as smooth as vintage blacks o.O (the new cherry blacks I got, but gaterons are as well for the most part)

To be honest this is why I'll never use anything other than cherry switch from now on
My gateron blues is so clicky, even more satisfying than my favorite 62g cherry blues

oh since you were away, I developed a love affair with vintage blacks

I'll be doing a lubed vintage blacks with gateron clear housing

[BaconEggandCheeseBagel]

Yeah experienced this for the first time the other week after completing my B.face with gateron ergo reds + gmk caps. Much to my dismay, I did decide the only solution was to go ahead and just bite the bullet and either swap the tops with cherry tops to maintain the gat smoothness (which I think is more dependent on the bottom casing + stem) or replace them with modded MX blacks, which is what I decided on doing (55g Cherry MX Blacks pulled from an old g80-1900)

[HPE1000]

I've been having the same problem, exactly as you described
especially on non-centered press

I've asked around and apparently it's the glitch they have
what surprises me is that it's also happening with dsa??

I thought low profile keycaps would make it better, and high profile one would just wobble the stem and create the problem

Yeah it's pretty disappointing. The only real draw is how smooth gaterons are but if this is the case that doesn't really matter. Besides I got this poker 3 and the black switches are surprisingly smooth. So much more smooth than my poker 2 was which had so much use over the course of 2 years of daily use and gaming. Wonder if I just got a really good batch or if cherry linears are getting smoother. These switches are honestly almost as smooth as vintage blacks o.O (the new cherry blacks I got, but gaterons are as well for the most part)

To be honest this is why I'll never use anything other than cherry switch from now on
My gateron blues is so clicky, even more satisfying than my favorite 62g cherry blues

oh since you were away, I developed a love affair with vintage blacks

I'll be doing a lubed vintage blacks with gateron clear housing

I told you they are nice. They might not be as exciting as cherry mx blues or clears but a smooth linear switch is hands down the most satisfying switch to type on for me. I think 67-68g vintage blacks are probably the nicest weight. Add some cherry pbt or doubleshot keycaps and it is perfect 

Be sure to get gateron housings that don't stick though haha

Yeah experienced this for the first time the other week after completing my B.face with gateron ergo reds + gmk caps. Much to my dismay, I did decide the only solution was to go ahead and just bite the bullet and either swap the tops with cherry tops to maintain the gat smoothness (which I think is more dependent on the bottom casing + stem) or replace them with modded MX blacks, which is what I decided on doing (55g Cherry MX Blacks pulled from an old g80-1900)

Yeah I think that is what I might do. I am going to experiment but I don't think the top housing has much impact on the smoothness of the switch. I'm sure it has some impact, but the stem is the most important, followed by the bottom half.

[HPE1000]

sry for doublepost dont ban me bro

[Jokrik]

sry for doublepost dont ban me bro

What? They sticks?
I'll be using gap film in between though, but this is the first time I hear housing sticks

[HPE1000]

sry for doublepost dont ban me bro

What? They sticks?
I'll be using gap film in between though, but this is the first time I hear housing sticks

Yeah it is the housing that sticks. It is the top piece of the gateron switch that is the problem. Zeal said the newer gateron switches are fixed though, but it seems I got an old batch of them. :/

[BaconEggandCheeseBagel]

Yeah I think you should swap the tops and tell me what your experience is. I think the smoothness would remain unaffected to be perfectly honest. If you think about it a stem doesn't really touch the edges of the top housing - or at least it shouldnt...

[jcoffin1981]

I am not entirely sure what you are referring to by the "housing."  Maybe the top half of the Gateron switch.  That shouldn't be a factor.  Perhaps it is the quality of the replacement keycaps you are using.  I've only replaced them once so I am far from an expert.  I used Leopold PBT key caps and with a moderate amount of pressure they pressed right on to the switch without any issue whatsoever. 

[HPE1000]

I am not entirely sure what you are referring to by the "housing."  Maybe the top half of the Gateron switch.  That shouldn't be a factor.  Perhaps it is the quality of the replacement keycaps you are using.  I've only replaced them once so I am far from an expert.  I used Leopold PBT key caps and with a moderate amount of pressure they pressed right on to the switch without any issue whatsoever.

It isnt the caps I am using lol (well it is, but it has nothing to do with their quality)

GMK dolch dont work, ivans round 3 pbt dont work. Royal kludge doubleshots dont work either. I could try more but they just dont work. Throw some WASD oem cheapo thin abs keycaps and all is good, same goes for cherry profile keycaps from PMK it seems.

[icyskyz]

I just realized that I have this same problem as everyone has described when I finished assembling my keyboard last night.
I used vintage white stem, Cherry housing and Gateron clear tops with BSP peacock I just got recently. I thought it was my problem since I haven't typed on a clicky keyboard for awhile but then found out that it is so grindy after couple hours of typing.
Then I tried replace couple of my switches with a Cherry top, and it felt so much more smooth. Not sure if it is the BSP or the clear Gateron top causing the issue.

[BaconEggandCheeseBagel]

It's the gateron top - BSP is also known to have this issue given the thickness of the keycap stems.

[shinigamiyuk]

I did some testing with my jtk debut keycaps on my Gat switch sampler and I can only replicate this issue with the stock Gat clear.

[Neo.X]

  , oh my, my white fox will come with Gateron Red, I wonder if it will have the same issue!!  Maybe I should change it to some other switch while I still can.

[HPE1000]

, oh my, my white fox will come with Gateron Red, I wonder if it will have the same issue!!  Maybe I should change it to some other switch while I still can.

Zeal said the newer versions dont have this problem so I wouldn't worry. Just sucks that I got the old revision as I have wasted not only 40 dollars on the switches but also the cost of the solder and the hours I have spent soldering, desoldering and figuring what is wrong with these. Oh well.

I'm about to set up a little test on my switch tester. Will post pictures and results.

[HPE1000]

Okay so forgive the potato video but here is an example.

Keep in mind not EVERY switch is having this problem. For example the 4, 6, 7, 9 and some of the top keys like divide and multiply werent catching. On the switch tester, of the first six switches I put on it only the far right and left were catching on the cherry keycap. ALTHOUGH, when I took those 4 working ones out the next 3 out of 4 right away were failing. I guess this gives a bit of an example of what % of switches this effects. It's around/more than half of them that are messing up. I now have 6 gaterons on this tester that are all catching on the keycap. What I am going to do is put 2 stock ones on the left. In the middle there will be 2 with stock gateron bottoms and stems with cherry tops. And on the far right the 2 switches will be cherry housings, both top and bottom with just a gateron stem. I will test with both stock backlit thin keycaps from off a poker 3 and with the triumph adler gmk keys.


UPDATE:

So just to be perfectly clear. ALL of the switches on this tester were faulty before testing. They all would get stuck when depressed at an angle. One thing I have noticed is that they do NOT get stuck if you press the switch backward as in you are pressing it down while in the direction of the "GATERON" writing on the switch. They ONLY get stuck if you are pressing them towards the LED slot on the switches. Hope that makes sense.

So here is the breakdown:

Left Two Switches= Stock Gateron Linear Clears
Middle Two Switches= Gateron Linear Clears with Cherry Top
Right Two Switches= Gateron Linear Clear Stems in Cherry Top and Bottom Casings

The white and blue keys are GMK triumph adler keys. The black keys are stock poker 3 keycaps which are OEM profile. Of the left two switches only the GMK key get stuck. From there on none of the other switches get stuck. So on these older rev gateron switches they only catch on cherry profile keycaps. The middle two switches are butter smooth even with the cherry tops. The right two switches are scratchy, and if I remember correctly, the switch housings I put them in are from vintage/old black switches.

SO TLDR: If you have old gateron switches that are getting stuck when pressing them down and you are using cherry profile keycaps, that is why. You either need to use OEM profile cheapo keycaps or swap the tops out to cherry tops. Be sure you are buying newer gateron switches to hopefully avoid this. I don't know how to tell the difference between these old ones and newer revisions but hopefully someone else can find out.

[BaconEggandCheeseBagel]

Great videos HPE - systematically assessing this is always welcomed! Any thoughts on changes in the actual switch quality/feel when swapping in the cherry tops?

[HPE1000]

Great videos HPE - systematically assessing this is always welcomed! Any thoughts on changes in the actual switch quality/feel when swapping in the cherry tops?

Thanks

They don't feel scratchy with the cherry tops so that is nice. They do however feel scratchy af with the cherry bottom parts. You can hear it in the 2nd video so the smoothness depends on both the stem and bottom and doesnt seem to be impacted much from the top section of the switch.

I clearly see what the problem is, which is that the stems on the keycaps are too thick and are rubbing/catching on the front part of the housing. OEM caps seem to have thinner stems and as a result dont have any problems with these older revision gateron tops.