Glorious Panda vs Boba UT4 - Worth the change?

[Praetor]

I entered the customisation world when a couple of months ago I purchased a Keychron Q2. It came with Gateron Browns, but I changed the switches to pre-lubed Glorious Pandas and I 've been running this setup since.

Lately, I came across the Bobas and the thought of them got intrusive. So, I wanted to ask if anyone has any experience of both. Are Bobas that much better than the Glorious Pandas when it comes to tactility and thockiness? Should I get them unlubed or pre-lubed (they will cost me 2x the price, since I am not yet confident enough to do it myself)? Also, should I go with the UT4 or UT4x Bobas (I am concerned though by the fact that the latter come only in 65g weight)?

Mind you I prefer heavier switches (so, I have eyed the 68g Bobas) and I type for a living.

Of course, if you have to suggest some other switch that fits the criteria above (it is heavy or heavier than the Pandas, has a great tactile bump and is ideal for long typing sessions), I would love to hear what you suggest.

P.S.: Extra question. Do you have any advice on modding my Q2 to improve its thock sounds? As I mentioned above, I a total noob, so it should be something fairly simple and the material should be available in EU stores.

[Tribal]

I went from unlubed Glorious Panda to lubed U4 silent (I’ve read that the tactile feel is the same).  The U4 is better, but a straight upgrade from lubed GPs to lubed U4Ts doesn’t seem like it would be worth it. 

[Praetor]

Thank you for your answer.

So, you would recommend the Silent U4T rather than the "normal" ones? Why so?

[mohawk1367]

This thread confused me now cuz i havent been really up to date in the MX switch scene in like a year or so. I remember U4 being silent and U4T being the normal version. what is U4tx?

[Praetor]

U4Tx is the variant that has a silenced bottoming out

[Rhienfo]

You can just get tx springs or something (any consistent spring) and swap them for a heavier typing experience, plus those springs are usually better than whatever stock springs there are.

As someone who has tried both (to be fair my experience with u4ts is very limited) and I much rather preferred the pandas (to be fair I think that might be how the U4ts were lubed)

I guess the U4ts sound deeper, and the tactility is probably better from reviews and such. The thing about glorious pandas is that they have way worse leaf chatter than other mx tactiles (they still have it but it's not as bad as the glorious pandas) which is noticeable and a bit annoying, even if you can tune it out.

I think the difference between the two is just not worth paying the price for a second batch of switches, You're probably better off buying aftermarket spring and putting them in the glorious pandas if you need a switch to be heavier, if you ever get a second board, maybe it's best to get them and see which one you prefer.

[garynguyen]

In my opinion, I prefer the lubed Panda - still using it with my Tofu65 v2. I know it has leaf ping noise but for me it's acceptable for a tactile experience. If you are looking for a cheaper option, I highly recommend Wuque Heavy Tactile or Gateron Tactile Quinn.

About the Keychron Q2 modding for thock sound, i'm using tape mod + PE foam (case) + Gateron Pro Milky Yellow + Keycap PBT Doubleshot. Hope it will help!

[Rhienfo]

Oh yeah forgot about the second question my bad. It depends on what you mean by thock since people have so many different ideas. It could be a certain sound signature, a deep muted or sound or even just the sound of topre (which was the only time I ever heard the term when I first joined the hobby)

If you want a deep sound, foam/tape mod is the way to go, keep in mind it will make the sound less resonant and duller, so consider that.

You should probably just experiment with all combinations of stuff, pe foam, tape mod, polyfill all of the foams and see which one you like.

Here is also a science sheet about the sound it if you want to base of some stuff like keycaps or switches (keep in mind there are so many factors to a keyboards sound that you shouldn't take this as 100% true)

blacksimon.tv/science

[mohawk1367]

U4Tx is the variant that has a silenced bottoming out

oh i thought thats what the U4 was

[Tribal]

Thank you for your answer.

So, you would recommend the Silent U4T rather than the "normal" ones? Why so?

To me, clack/thock gets old really quickly.  I can use quiet/silent switches anywhere, but it’s hard to use louder ones at the office. 

For the price of a set of U4/U4Ts, you’re getting close to lightly-used Topre territory.  You should be able to get a silenced R2 PFU for about $150.

[Praetor]

Thank you all for your advice and the great tips.