[Instock] MZ Y1 Linear Switch/MZ Studio out-did themselves

[DashanYYY]

Discord:https://discord.gg/xprJb8Ta26

Happy new year everyone! New year, new switch! Let's start 2024 with the MZ Y1 linear switch! I know some of you might be disappointed when you realize this is not for a new HMX switch, but don't close the page just yet since I honestly believe the Y1 switch deserves some respect and attention. Let's get into the details.

Price

Price: 0.27 USD per switch

Switch Specifications

Switch type: Linear
Designer: MZ Studio (Designer of the MZ Z1 switch)
Manufacturer: Can't disclose. Please take a wild guess.
Stem material: Y1 (A secret material imported from South Korea)
Top Housings: PA66 with no fiberglass
Bottom Housing: PBT
Operating Force: 49±5gf
Bottom-out Force:  77±5gf
Pre-travel: 2.0mm
Total Travel: 3.8±0.3mm
Spring: 20mm KOS single-stage extended spring
Factory Lubed: Yes! on spring, stem feet, and stem sliders

MZ Y1 Linear Switch

This is the first time in my switch posting history that I cannot reveal the switch manufacturer. The reason is that Y1 is a special project in collaboration between MZ Studio and the manufacturer, and they were only able to bring the price down this much because the MOQ was super high. To my knowledge, MZ placed an order for more than 300K for the first batch. Usually, this manu's switch would not be sold at this price point, and this is an exception.

Why did MZ do this though? In most cases, a switch manufacturer's lowest MOQ would only be around 40-50K. What was the reason that MZ decided to make six times that number for the first batch? The most important reason was MZ wanted to create a switch that is under 0.3 USD each but is still good enough to challenge any switch that has a price between 0.4-0.6 USD each. A good manufacturer is not difficult to find, but In order to bring the cost down, almost the only thing he could do was to raise the order quantity BY A LOT. From his actions, I can see how confident MZ is about the switch. He is not afraid that they won't sell Maybe Y1 switch will justify his confidence. We will see.


Materials:

The biggest mystery here is what the heck is the Y1 material used for the stem. To be honest, I don't know. Based on MZ's comments, Y1 is a material imported from South Korea. Secondly, Y1 is a very smooth material and highly suitable for making switches. During the early stages of sampling, MZ was going to choose UPE as the stem material, but they later realized that UPE was too soft, and it came with plenty of stem wobble. No matter how they adjusted the stem and top housing molds, the stem would still feel very loose, and neither the bottom-out feel nor sound was great. That was why they tried a variety of materials from different brands and decided to go with the so-called "Y1" which is solid and firm.

Regards the bottom housing material, MZ went with PBT. PBT bottom housing is not uncommon as a housing material. When paired with the Y1 stem, it creates a firm but not harsh bottom-out sound and feel. This manu was not known for their great sounding switches, but they can expect Y1s to perform a lot better than average.

The reason for choosing PA66 as the top housing material is: 1. PA66 is a commonly used and technically mature top housing material. 2. They have very decent smoothness. 3. They make a great top-out sound if the molding is right.

Design:

Y1 switches were made using the 8-point injection technique for better precision.

One thing that needs to be mentioned regarding the switch's design is the modifications done to the top housing molds. The Y1 switch was scheduled for release before Jan. 2024, but quite a few switch reviewers in China noticed that it had a wobbly stem and a noisy top-out sound. After this discovery, MZ decided to trash all the top housings that were made and worked with the manu to make modifications to the top housing mold. All current top housings are newly produced, and the issue was solved. The switch now has a more subtle and concentrated top-out sound.

Conclusion

I totally agree with MZ when he said Y1 switch is a challenger in the switch market. Thanks to the well-controlled production cost, we would easily enjoy the Y1 switches at almost half of the price. With the new stem material and refined top housing, they will bring you a new experience. Of course, these switches are not perfect. For example, they won't sound as clacky and concentrated as HMX switches, but they are definitely a top performer if you want a switch that feels great and sounds decent at the same time.

Form of Sales

Instock at Unikeys: https://unikeyboards.com/products/mz-y1-linear-switch-factory-lubed-edition-10pcs/

Time of Sales

March 6th, 2024

Vendor List

Global: Unikeys https://unikeyboards.com/



Reviews and Videos

Coming soon...

[DirtyGingy]

A mystery manufacturer is one thing, we can likely figure that out from mold markings and known features in a product line. That really doesn't matter much if the product is good. My big concern is this unknown material. Can we get some sort of spec on Y1 so we know what we're buying? It doesn't have to be exact.

Is Y1 harder or softer than POM? Or similar to a different material? LY, P3, Nylon, PC, etc

Does Y1 have a coefficient of friction greater or less than POM? Or is it similar to another material?

I ask because I want to know how smooth this switch will be and what sort of sound it will have.

[DashanYYY]

A mystery manufacturer is one thing, we can likely figure that out from mold markings and known features in a product line. That really doesn't matter much if the product is good. My big concern is this unknown material. Can we get some sort of spec on Y1 so we know what we're buying? It doesn't have to be exact.

Is Y1 harder or softer than POM? Or similar to a different material? LY, P3, Nylon, PC, etc

Does Y1 have a coefficient of friction greater or less than POM? Or is it similar to another material?

I ask because I want to know how smooth this switch will be and what sort of sound it will have.

That is a great question. From my own experience with the samples, they feel smoother than POM and are closer to HMX and JWK's LY stem. With its top housing being a regular PA66, it is easier for me to compare with other switches with a PA66 top and LY/POM stem. I don't know about the composition of the material and its coefficient of friction tho, but I will try and see if I can squeeze some more out of MZ

[DirtyGingy]

A mystery manufacturer is one thing, we can likely figure that out from mold markings and known features in a product line. That really doesn't matter much if the product is good. My big concern is this unknown material. Can we get some sort of spec on Y1 so we know what we're buying? It doesn't have to be exact.

Is Y1 harder or softer than POM? Or similar to a different material? LY, P3, Nylon, PC, etc

Does Y1 have a coefficient of friction greater or less than POM? Or is it similar to another material?

I ask because I want to know how smooth this switch will be and what sort of sound it will have.

That is a great question. From my own experience with the samples, they feel smoother than POM and are closer to HMX and JWK's LY stem. With its top housing being a regular PA66, it is easier for me to compare with other switches with a PA66 top and LY/POM stem. I don't know about the composition of the material and its coefficient of friction tho, but I will try and see if I can squeeze some more out of MZ

Typically an LY stem means a more muted switch. But the Z1 sort of completely broke that trend somehow. I could have sworn that was a POM stem.

That's the magic of molds I suppose

[DashanYYY]

Y1 switches are instock now!