MX Clears seem to have gotten worse (edit: accidentally swapped a lower housing)

[HungerMechanic]

Thanks, Pylon.

If anyone notices any reviews of this (Penguin) switch available, please post them in the thread.

Also, if there's a way to get a small sample quantity, somehow.

[Pylon]

So I received the Penguin switches and they're a bit less tactile stock with a more rounded tactile bump, compared to ergo clears with the 63.5g Penguin spring. At 89g with MX Clear springs, the Penguins are quite noticeably less tactile and rounder than stock MX Clears. Overall I wouldn't say they're an exact replacement for MX Clears if you're looking for the exact MX Clear bump profile, but if rounder and less tactile is what you want, then maybe it's for you. I also compared to an MX Brown with the 63.5g Penguin spring, and it's definitely much closer to Clear tactility wise.

You can see that the corner on the stem responsible for the tactile bump is more rounded on the Penguin (left) compared to the MX Clear stem (right)


It definitely has a sharper bump than T1/Koalas though (here's a Koala stem for comparison)


The leaf is noticeably less tactile than the T1/Koala JWK leaf. Swapping a Koala stem into the Penguin bottom housing significantly reduced tactility, and swapping a Penguin top and stem into a Koala bottom housing significantly upped the tactility. Swapping an MX Clear stem into a Penguin housing made the tactile event a bit more tactile and noticeably sharper.

 

[Sifo]

99% sure this is a RARA or a RARAv2 of some sort.

I don't have mine on hand yet (probably some time next week as I'm having it proxied) but a friend has taken pics of stems and says they're closest to a RARA.

I also asked the vendor and they confirmed that these were pre-existing moulds from JWK and nothing custom ordered (other than color/material and spring used).




courtesy FinalEleven (go check out GMK Devoted)

Penguin at the top
T1, Cherry Clear, RARA


mildly disappointed but we'll see when I get them.

PainPeko




On another note i've been using a batch of mx clears i bought new from someone on MM like a year or two ago, they got it from novelkeys. Kinda meh compared to the ones I got from mechanicalkeyboards.com. A little scratchier than I'd like.

[lakeboredom]

Have they fixed the pins being too small to stay in a pcb?

[HungerMechanic]

I actually ordered some Penguin switches because I couldn't resist. So I'll let you know if they're any good.

If they're RARA V2, then I suppose they'll be pretty similar to the actual RARA V2 63.5 G switches I'm supposed to receive.

Guess one will be redundant, and I'll have to sell them.

Less tactility than Clear and more than Brown adequately describes RARA V1 as seen allegedly in Everglide Jade switches, for example. I like the rounded feel, so honestly the description of Penguin tactility sounds not bad at all.

I also have a box of 110 MX Clears from MechanicalKeyboards.com that I haven't opened yet, because I was worried that they might be worse than my Novelkeys. My Novelkeys actually turned into decent 68P Ergo Clears once modded. But maybe I should open that box of MK.com MX Clears and test a few instead of straight out selling it.

[HungerMechanic]

I hear that Penguin switches are the same as the Dragonfruit from TKC. Coming on the 11th.

Anyone know if this is true?

Penguin come unlubed, but Dragonfruit will come with a very thin layer of something resembling 204. A proprietary lube.

People say that the feel of Dragonfruit is like a sharper bump MX Clear, higher bump. Takes well to lube.

Information:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/866553414

[powwu]

I hear that Penguin switches are the same as the Dragonfruit from TKC. Coming on the 11th.

Anyone know if this is true?

Penguin come unlubed, but Dragonfruit will come with a very thin layer of something resembling 204. A proprietary lube.

People say that the feel of Dragonfruit is like a sharper bump MX Clear, higher bump. Takes well to lube.

Information:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/866553414

I've heard the same thing about penguins from some insiders, so I think it's possible. They're definitely not T1s though.

[Sifo]

penguin first impression

stock, I hate it, the tactility profile is not my thing at all. will elaborate later but basically it feels mushy and too rounded. switch itself is fine, spring needs oil, switch is pretty smooth without lube.

I put a cherry clear stem in it instead and it went from 6/10 to 9/10. this might become my go to combo if i can confirm it actuates without problems. I'm sure there's better modern day bottom housings to mix with cherry clear stems but it comes with the right spring, and I like the colorway so...

[HungerMechanic]

Thanks for the report. My Penguins will probably be here soon, and I have some MX Clears to play with.

I enjoy mixing Clears with certain components. Clears are a good housing for OUTEMU Sky and especially Silent Sky, at around the weight of the Penguins.

You'll have Penguin stems left over. Maybe they'll go well in a Clear housing, or Boba or something.

[Sifo]

Thanks for the report. My Penguins will probably be here soon, and I have some MX Clears to play with.

I enjoy mixing Clears with certain components. Clears are a good housing for OUTEMU Sky and especially Silent Sky, at around the weight of the Penguins.

You'll have Penguin stems left over. Maybe they'll go well in a Clear housing, or Boba or something.

yeah gonna play around with it more but right now I really like clear in penguin housing. I can't say definitively if I would recommend it until I put it on a keyboard but I'm gonna be doing that soon!

I'll write a more fleshed out review after spending some more time.

[HungerMechanic]

I am very excited about this.

I have more than 100 MX Clears from MechanicalKeyboards.com [which are now supposedly the best kind], and I can use the housings afterwards for Sky Clears [Silent Sky stems in MX Clear housings - works well with 60-63.5 G springs IMHO].

[Sifo]

speaking of 63.5g, I can't say for sure until I try penguins lubed but I don't think this weight works. Might need 65g+ for this stem, it just feels really sluggish/slow to me and also very inconsistent, I have a few switches where the upstroke is 100% sticking.

63.5g was specifically created for cherry clear which is why I shill it so much. It works nicely with the clear stem in penguin housing and looks just as good. 

[HungerMechanic]

The website selling  Penguins flat out stated  that 63.5 G was a borderline weight for the stem. They supplied 78 G springs for the stabilized keys.

There are Penguins [or maybe Starfruit] available in 67 G, so that is probably the 'real' weight for the Penguin stem.

63.5 G Clears are pretty nice, but I find that I prefer 65 G TX. Maybe that's a better spring for the Penguins, too.

[Sifo]

new discovery, i'm not sure why the vendor tells us to not film it. After opening up a JWK switch a few times the top housing gets loose anyway.

I tried stock stem using v1 tx film and it actually feels like a clear now, the tactility profile completely changes. Doesn't feel mushy anymore, nice sharp bump, feels very similar to having stem swapped with a clear stem. need more extensive testing and eventually to be built in a board.

[HungerMechanic]

The other reports I have read indicate that the switch doesn't wobble very much, so people aren't filming them.

But it's interesting that you suggest filming them may improve the tactility of the default stem.

I know there are people curious about what you are saying, I guess we'll hear more over the coming days.

BTW Anyone know how Penguin compares to RARA V2? Are they using the same stem/material/housing style?

[HungerMechanic]

I had some Penguins [110] and tested 12 of them for a few days.




My stock impressions are the same as Sifo. The stock Penguins have a less-defined tactile profile than MX Clears. They are smooth but absolutely need lube.

Once lubed, the stock Penguins still have a nebulous tactile profile, but they operate fine. The sound is very good, Penguin housings produce deeper sounds with all stems I tested.

The trick is to replace the stock stem with MX Clear. Then, it becomes a true Ergo Clear. You only need to lube the legs (!). Don't lube other parts of the Clear stem, just the tactile legs. Then it operates fine at 63.5, and is tactile.

I tested the Penguins with other stems. MX Brown with 60 G TX produced a smooth, deeper-sounding switch, but it was a bit hollow and clunky sounding as well. Pro Purples work in the housing, but are nothing special as far as I can detect.

The whole experiment with Ergo Clears and Penguins taught me that I don't really want 63.5 G Ergo Clears of any type. I don't like the weight, as it just feels like a heavier MX Brown to me. I prefer to go with 60 or 65 for tactiles. I still enjoy 63.5 for linears like Alpacas/Silent Alpacas.

Penguins should be fine for anyone looking for an alternate housing for Clear stems. I don't think there's a tactility problem with these, just don't go under 63.5.