Quality heavy tactile switches

[phinix]

Guys, I've tried first Zealios before, didn't like them.

Tried now Glorious Holy Pandas and love them. However, they have some disadvantages - have that freakin leaf noise and are a bit inconsistent.
But I love them, especially having bump right at the top - i don't like Zealios little travel before bump.

What are other good quality heavy tactile switches options out there?
Can be even heavier than Holy Pandas.
Maybe EVERGLIDE DARK JADE BLACK?

[Krunchy]

For heavy tactiles, the heaviest I've found are still Alps blacks.  They take a good amount of force to actuate and the bump is borderline clicky.  Not so good if you're trying to build an MX mount board, though.

C3 kiwis and cannonkeys lilac tactiles feel similar to the Holy Pandas with the rounded bump at the top and I've had my eye on those Gateron kangaroo inks too, which seem to have a sharper bump, also at the top.

I've only recently started going in hard on tactiles and I like a nice pronounced bump and heavier feel.  With that in mind, the three I mentioned are three I liked using a switch sampler, but hopefully someone who has used them in a full board can chime in too.

[Leopard223]

I have just received a sample of Boba U4T (the non silent version of the U4), these are amazing. 

Zero leaf / spring noise, I’m pretty sure the spring is lubed, but the switch itself is bone dry, yet still smooth with no binding.
Very minimal wobble, very close to my BOX pinks, and the housing is very tight, no play.
The tactility itself is very snappy, it’s a P profile, but a rounder and longer than the T1 for example..

I’m not a tactile person so I’ve only got a T1 sample (and MX brown) to compare.
The U4T is a fantastic switch, putting aside the tactility, it feels very high quality, honestly puts the T1 to shame, with its high leaf/spring noise and loose clicking housing.

Only downside (to my taste) is the sound, the U4T tries to mimic the Holy Panda thock(?) with a long stem, I prefer the sound of the T1 but I’d still get the U4T, not sure how it’s not popular with its (relatively) affordable price.

Ended up a bit long like a review, hope it helps you.

[phinix]

For heavy tactiles, the heaviest I've found are still Alps blacks.  They take a good amount of force to actuate and the bump is borderline clicky.  Not so good if you're trying to build an MX mount board, though.

C3 kiwis and cannonkeys lilac tactiles feel similar to the Holy Pandas with the rounded bump at the top and I've had my eye on those Gateron kangaroo inks too, which seem to have a sharper bump, also at the top.

I've only recently started going in hard on tactiles and I like a nice pronounced bump and heavier feel.  With that in mind, the three I mentioned are three I liked using a switch sampler, but hopefully someone who has used them in a full board can chime in too.

I always wanted to try Alps. I guess I need to find some cheaper board and buy it.

I have just received a sample of Boba U4T (the non silent version of the U4), these are amazing. 

Zero leaf / spring noise, I’m pretty sure the spring is lubed, but the switch itself is bone dry, yet still smooth with no binding.
Very minimal wobble, very close to my BOX pinks, and the housing is very tight, no play.
The tactility itself is very snappy, it’s a P profile, but a rounder and longer than the T1 for example..

I’m not a tactile person so I’ve only got a T1 sample (and MX brown) to compare.
The U4T is a fantastic switch, putting aside the tactility, it feels very high quality, honestly puts the T1 to shame, with its high leaf/spring noise and loose clicking housing.

Only downside (to my taste) is the sound, the U4T tries to mimic the Holy Panda thock(?) with a long stem, I prefer the sound of the T1 but I’d still get the U4T, not sure how it’s not popular with its (relatively) affordable price.

Ended up a bit long like a review, hope it helps you.

Interesting. Never heard of it. Unavailable now, will need to keep an eye on it.

[Willtato]

I can recommend box switches but I always tend to steer away from box tactiles e.g royals, browns etc, for the sole reason that they like to click when they're not supposed to (even my box silent browns do and it drives me crazy).

A few people have said that the u4ts are a no brainer in terms of value, and also produce a lower frequency, but I haven't tried yet as I'm in the UK and it's currently hard to get them at a good price .

If you had the money, you could also try making Zykos etc...

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[phinix]

I have just received a sample of Boba U4T (the non silent version of the U4), these are amazing. 

Zero leaf / spring noise, I’m pretty sure the spring is lubed, but the switch itself is bone dry, yet still smooth with no binding.
Very minimal wobble, very close to my BOX pinks, and the housing is very tight, no play.
The tactility itself is very snappy, it’s a P profile, but a rounder and longer than the T1 for example..

I’m not a tactile person so I’ve only got a T1 sample (and MX brown) to compare.
The U4T is a fantastic switch, putting aside the tactility, it feels very high quality, honestly puts the T1 to shame, with its high leaf/spring noise and loose clicking housing.

Only downside (to my taste) is the sound, the U4T tries to mimic the Holy Panda thock(?) with a long stem, I prefer the sound of the T1 but I’d still get the U4T, not sure how it’s not popular with its (relatively) affordable price.

Ended up a bit long like a review, hope it helps you.

For heavy tactiles, the heaviest I've found are still Alps blacks.  They take a good amount of force to actuate and the bump is borderline clicky.  Not so good if you're trying to build an MX mount board, though.

C3 kiwis and cannonkeys lilac tactiles feel similar to the Holy Pandas with the rounded bump at the top and I've had my eye on those Gateron kangaroo inks too, which seem to have a sharper bump, also at the top.

I've only recently started going in hard on tactiles and I like a nice pronounced bump and heavier feel.  With that in mind, the three I mentioned are three I liked using a switch sampler, but hopefully someone who has used them in a full board can chime in too.

I can recommend box switches but I always tend to steer away from box tactiles e.g royals, browns etc, for the sole reason that they like to click when they're not supposed to (even my box silent browns do and it drives me crazy).

A few people have said that the u4ts are a no brainer in terms of value, and also produce a lower frequency, but I haven't tried yet as I'm in the UK and it's currently hard to get them at a good price .

If you had the money, you could also try making Zykos etc...

Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

Oooooh, Zykos. Nice. Thanks! 

I think this is what I'm going to try next: Drop Pandas top and stem, Zealios v2 78g buttom and spring.

[ddrfraser1]

Give blueberries from Novel keys a try. They're a little bit more tactile than zealios. They're fun to type on. No complaints. If you really want something intense, get yourself some box royals. They're too much for me but I know lots of people that like them. They feel a bit like falling off a cliff. Orange alps are a great shout. However, my all time favs are BKE 55g. Tactile perfection.

[phinix]

Give blueberries from Novel keys a try. They're a little bit more tactile than zealios. They're fun to type on. No complaints. If you really want something intense, get yourself some box royals. They're too much for me but I know lots of people that like them. They feel a bit like falling off a cliff. Orange alps are a great shout. However, my all time favs are BKE 55g. Tactile perfection.

"...feel a bit like falling off a cliff"-   

Yeah, I was a topre lover for years, 55g only, but always wanted to try that BKE heavier one to feel a bit more tactile bump. I need to buy R1 and mod it some time.

[Faceman76]

Give blueberries from Novel keys a try. They're a little bit more tactile than zealios. They're fun to type on. No complaints. If you really want something intense, get yourself some box royals. They're too much for me but I know lots of people that like them. They feel a bit like falling off a cliff. Orange alps are a great shout. However, my all time favs are BKE 55g. Tactile perfection.

Crystal Box Royals with springs from either Crystal Box Navies or Sprit Specials 90B both feel great in Royal switches.

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[ddrfraser1]

Give blueberries from Novel keys a try. They're a little bit more tactile than zealios. They're fun to type on. No complaints. If you really want something intense, get yourself some box royals. They're too much for me but I know lots of people that like them. They feel a bit like falling off a cliff. Orange alps are a great shout. However, my all time favs are BKE 55g. Tactile perfection.

Crystal Box Royals with springs from either Crystal Box Navies or Sprit Specials 90B both feel great in Royal switches.

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You maniac

[ThatCometGuy]

i've gotta agree that the Box Royals are really TACTILE, but that's also one common complain I've seen, so... maybe order a small batch to try them out. You can also order some springs to make them heavier.

[louisgarbuor]

I personally love my Hako Trues. I've had them for a few months, and haven't noticed them getting clicky. Weirdly, the ones I bought from Novelkeys are quite different compared to the ones I bought from Kono. The Novelkeys ones have a black bottom housing, the Kono ones white. The main difference though is the feel, the black bottom ones have a very prominent rounded tactile bump, while the white bottoms might actually be less tactile than MX Browns, although that could be due to the rounded tactility of the Hakos making the tactility more hidden.

[phinix]

I really want to do now that combo Drop Pandas top and stem, Zealios v2 78g buttom and spring.

[kajahtaa]

I still use Novelias. Also I love U4T... Love.

[iri]

Brown Alps.

[Scriba]

Copy from another Thread:

Holy Bobas, Boba U4T and Zykos -> sharp and round (u4t) bump, really good sound for tactile, really smooth if legs lubed, low wobble with tight housing (not even films are needed)

[iri]

I am really impressed by how many flavour-of-the-week MX clones are there.

[Inner-Ear]

I was about to start the same thread and saw this. It’s not what I expected though, and I guess that because what is “heavy” is very subjective. For me, the entry point into heavy tactiles is Cherry MX Clears. Halo Royal Clears are not quite heavy and tactile enough, but better.

I’ve tried Cherry MX Clear (too light, not enough tactility), Hako Royal Clear (much better but a little bit too light, also not very smooth), Hako Royal True (similar weighting but less tactile), Outemu Sky 68g (too light), Alps SKCM Black (too light, not enough tactility), and NK Blueberry (too light, too round).

My latest test is 55g Topre, and woah these things are way too light. I have some BLE heavy domes on the way to see if there is an improvement. I hear they are heavier and snappier but I’m skeptical. Maybe I should have gone with the extremes haha.

What I think would be perfect is BOX navy without the click. I really like the tactility of the BOX navy but do not like clicky switches. Could you even make a frankenswitch out of that? I don’t know, I’ve never torn switches apart before.

[Faceman76]

The green and purple pieces as well as shape of the bump on the stem determine the level of tactile behavior.  The Navy stem in the Royal base is tactile, but not as tactile as the Royal stem in Royal base.  The Royal stem in the Navy base is almost linear. 

Another thing to note is the shape of the bump on the stem.  The bump is slightly longer and has a notch in it(Sorry, was too lazy to break out the SLR and macro lens....).

I don't believe it's possible to make a switch with Navy like tactile behavior without a clickbar as I believe the clickbar is what provides most of the Navy's feedback.

To fine tune the sound and feedback of the Navy, you could try different springs, click bars, etc.  Otherwise, you can always try the Box Royal and settle for something less tactile. 

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[Pylon]

I was about to start the same thread and saw this. It’s not what I expected though, and I guess that because what is “heavy” is very subjective. For me, the entry point into heavy tactiles is Cherry MX Clears. Halo Royal Clears are not quite heavy and tactile enough, but better.

I’ve tried Cherry MX Clear (too light, not enough tactility), Hako Royal Clear (much better but a little bit too light, also not very smooth), Hako Royal True (similar weighting but less tactile), Outemu Sky 68g (too light), Alps SKCM Black (too light, not enough tactility), and NK Blueberry (too light, too round).

My latest test is 55g Topre, and woah these things are way too light. I have some BLE heavy domes on the way to see if there is an improvement. I hear they are heavier and snappier but I’m skeptical. Maybe I should have gone with the extremes haha.

What I think would be perfect is BOX navy without the click. I really like the tactility of the BOX navy but do not like clicky switches. Could you even make a frankenswitch out of that? I don’t know, I’ve never torn switches apart before.

Not a BOX Navy, but try MX Clear stems in a Boba U4 bottom housing / Outemu Clear-Slotted Top Housing, with the spring of your choice. A more angled bottom leaf (e.g. in Boba U4 or T1, or to a lesser extent, MX Blue) really helps make Clears more tactile.

[HungerMechanic]

I have tried a lot of the aforementioned switches, and the truth is, this is a really good time if you like MX heavy tactiles.

The T1s do have the problem with leaf and spring noise. The Kiwis are T1s that may be built to a slightly higher standard. The truth is, people usually build Kiwis as customs, so they are definitely lubed, sometimes filmed, and sometimes springs are replaced. You can definitely build a Kiwi into a nice custom switch.

The T1 has other clones such as the SP Star Purple [which seems very similar, operates nicely with MT3 ABS].

I just received 5 samples of U4T stems. I haven't even mounted them yet, but am testing them in Boba [very stable] and Cherry housings. The Cherry MX Browns don't seem to make a good housing for them, Boba is of course.

You can use higher spring weights with the U4Ts, if that's what you're looking for. It's a smooth stem and versatile. I have seen people using it with 78 G springs.

The Holy Bobas are actually quite fun. I have build samples in a number of different weights. They feel very 'definite' and crisp to me, but with a somewhat rounded feel. They are LOUD, so I don't really use them, but they seem fun. I like them in the light 63.5 and 68 P weights. 68 P is especially awesome as a light Holy Boba. But I guess you would want to run them in higher weights. [Maybe try 78 G progressive? They seem to do okay with Progressive springs.]

I have read reports that the early Boba housings might have given some scratch or leaf noise or something with the Halo stems in the Holy Bobas. I haven't experienced that myself, but it is now recommended that you use whatever the latest Boba housings are if you are building Holy Bobas. [They are definitely worth building and maybe the most fun use of the Boba housing].

I have read that the Blueberries are an interesting switch to type on, although they are very divisive. If you are interested in possible 2-stage or exotic MX tactiles, you might want to look into the 'Kangaroo' switches as well.

Also, you can apparently use a Silent Sky stem in a Boba housing with 68 G + springs, and it will have decent tactility.

With T1s [really you should use Kiwis or SP Star], U4T, and Holy Bobas out there, there is a good deal to pick from, especially if you include the more exotic switches. You can also frankenswitch the T1 housing to create things like Taliaz, which is Aliaz in a T1 housing [which really pops.] MX Brown stems and similar [maybe TTC Gold Brown] become very poppy in YOK Panda housings.

[Leopard223]

I have tried a lot of the aforementioned switches, and the truth is, this is a really good time if you like MX heavy tactiles.

The T1s do have the problem with leaf and spring noise. The Kiwis are T1s that may be built to a slightly higher standard. The truth is, people usually build Kiwis as customs, so they are definitely lubed, sometimes filmed, and sometimes springs are replaced. You can definitely build a Kiwi into a nice custom switch.

The T1 has other clones such as the SP Star Purple [which seems very similar, operates nicely with MT3 ABS].

I just received 5 samples of U4T stems. I haven't even mounted them yet, but am testing them in Boba [very stable] and Cherry housings. The Cherry MX Browns don't seem to make a good housing for them, Boba is of course.

You can use higher spring weights with the U4Ts, if that's what you're looking for. It's a smooth stem and versatile. I have seen people using it with 78 G springs.

The Holy Bobas are actually quite fun. I have build samples in a number of different weights. They feel very 'definite' and crisp to me, but with a somewhat rounded feel. They are LOUD, so I don't really use them, but they seem fun. I like them in the light 63.5 and 68 P weights. 68 P is especially awesome as a light Holy Boba. But I guess you would want to run them in higher weights. [Maybe try 78 G progressive? They seem to do okay with Progressive springs.]

I have read reports that the early Boba housings might have given some scratch or leaf noise or something with the Halo stems in the Holy Bobas. I haven't experienced that myself, but it is now recommended that you use whatever the latest Boba housings are if you are building Holy Bobas. [They are definitely worth building and maybe the most fun use of the Boba housing].

I have read that the Blueberries are an interesting switch to type on, although they are very divisive. If you are interested in possible 2-stage or exotic MX tactiles, you might want to look into the 'Kangaroo' switches as well.

Also, you can apparently use a Silent Sky stem in a Boba housing with 68 G + springs, and it will have decent tactility.

With T1s [really you should use Kiwis or SP Star], U4T, and Holy Bobas out there, there is a good deal to pick from, especially if you include the more exotic switches. You can also frankenswitch the T1 housing to create things like Taliaz, which is Aliaz in a T1 housing [which really pops.] MX Brown stems and similar [maybe TTC Gold Brown] become very poppy in YOK Panda housings.

Maybe it's a JWK thing that the community accepted but I just can't buy the T1 with it's terrible loose housing and leaf noise, really makes it feel super cheap, if my $0.25 Gaterons can have relatively tight housing then surely the JWK could come up with better molds, especially when there's the U4T that are miles better.

Say, aren't the U4T supposed to be the same as the Halo stem in boba housing? do they feel different to you?

[HungerMechanic]

I'll have to do some careful tests to see how U4T compares to Holy Bobas.

Certainly, it does have the long stem pole, which does hit the housing like it's supposed to.

I'll have to do a showdown when the new keyboard arrives.

[lakeboredom]

Zealios take to higher weights very well. I'm sure you meant Zealios V2, make sure to differentiate. Top-bump style tactile switches (which are the only type of tactiles 90% of the community has bothered to try, so take any opinions you get with a grain of salt) really prefer the 60-70g weight range, and I wouldn't really consider that heavy. You ought to try Zealios v1 clones like all the JWK switches marketed as having ergo clear type tactility. Ergo Clears are great too, but if you go over 68g you can't really call them Ergo anymore.

[Inner-Ear]

The green and purple pieces as well as shape of the bump on the stem determine the level of tactile behavior.  The Navy stem in the Royal base is tactile, but not as tactile as the Royal stem in Royal base.  The Royal stem in the Navy base is almost linear. 

Another thing to note is the shape of the bump on the stem.  The bump is slightly longer and has a notch in it(Sorry, was too lazy to break out the SLR and macro lens....).

I don't believe it's possible to make a switch with Navy like tactile behavior without a clickbar as I believe the clickbar is what provides most of the Navy's feedback.

To fine tune the sound and feedback of the Navy, you could try different springs, click bars, etc.  Otherwise, you can always try the Box Royal and settle for something less tactile. 

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As a follow up, I definitely should have gone with the BKE extreme domes. The heavies are still too light, and lighter than Hako Royal Clears but a lot more tactile. I needed to buy a few sample packs to finish my board, so I have a few extreme domes in there. They seem like they would be pretty close to ideal.

On a side note. I definitely need to readjust the domes a few keys. A few non-registered key strokes here and there....

[HungerMechanic]

I require less feedback, myself. I have been intrigued by the BKE Very Light domes, or whatever they are called. I can almost type on linear, and very-light 30-35 G domes sounds interesting to me.