Preamble
We all have our preferences for what feels like the best keyboard typing experience we have ever had. You may just have that keyboard right infront of you as you read this or you are on a journey to discover that keyboard. I recently set on such a journey and wanted to share my experience.
The Keyboard
I bought the Keychron Q1 Mechanical Keyboard with the Gateron Phantom Blue's about a year ago. I always considered changing out the loud but great feeling switches but trying to wrap my head around the process put me off that journey. Until recently.
Are you a Tactile or a Linear?
I started off with the Gateron Pro 2.0 Yellow's without comprehending linear vs. tactile at all. To simplify it, if you appreciate a bump under your fingers on key press then you are a tactile. And if you are one of those rare enthusiasts who prefer no bump on their key presses and would rather just press the key with no feedback then you are a linear. I have always been a tactile. I am so tactile that I have haptic feedback turned on for my iPhone 13 mini.
Lastly, I did want to mention clicky switches. The Gateron Phantom Blue's are clicky switches. And if speed typing with some feedback and clicky sounds don't bother you, then I can't recommend the Gateron Phantom Blue's enough. They are great for speed typing, and have been my favorite for the past year, minus the loud clicky sounds.
My Tactile Journey
After realizing I am a tactile I started searching for the most hyped about tactile switches which lead me to the Glorious Panda's. Please understand that at this point I didn't have the inclination or the patience to understand which Panda came first. I just understood these were the switches you wanted if you were a tactile. The Panda's left me wanting. The bump was there, but the key presses felt to me a little resistant and a bit of a hollow sound feedback. They just weren't right.
Another search later and this time not going for price equals quality I narrowed the search down to the Akko Lavender Purple's. My first few minutes with the Akko's I couldn't understand the hype around the Glorious Panda's. The Akko's felt just about the same if not just a bit better on the bump. They were super smooth, the resistance was gone, and the bump was there. I quickly started settling in my mind that these are the ones. That I have found my switches. A couple of days with the Akko's and the sense that the bump isn't pronounced enough. The sense that I am telling myself lies and settling for something instead of truly feeling I have found my favorite switches.
Reluctantly I continued the search. Read through various Reddit posts, watched a whole bunch of YouTube videos, read a few review articles which brought my search to the Gazzew Boba U4T's. The originals have been sold out everywhere, on all their USA authorized vendors except Kirball's Keys had the black bottom Gazzew Boba U4T's. I ordered the 62g switches.
I am here to tell you folks, the bump on the Boba's are the most deep fulfilling key press bumps I have felt. I quickly replaced all my switches and started judiciously using my favorite mechanical keyboard with the perfect switches until they weren't.
You see a couple of days in, the gratifying bump was still as gratifying, but there was this resistance. I felt I had to work a bit to push the keys in. They weren't smooth on the presses. I felt my speed typing days were behind me as I enjoy the bump but face resistance on the key presses. So I started the search again.
This was an easier search. I knew I loved the Gazzew Boba U4T's. I just needed to figure out how to make them smoother and easier on the press. That brought me to the hand lubed Black Bottom - Nixdork Top - U4T Stem - 55g Gazzew Springs (Multi-stage spring).
These switches, gosh what can I say? Well not much. I just placed the order and I guess we will just have to wait and see. I will update this post with my review.
I wish you a successful switch journey on your own searches.
In the meantime here is a video for your keyboard switches hearing pleasure.
Update: January 26, 2023
The hand lubed Black Bottom - Nixdork Top - U4T Stem - 55g Gazzew Springs (Multi-stage spring) are here.
Plugged them in last night and I have this strong sense the journey has come to an end. These switches are the culmination of speed, bump, sound, and smoothness. The switches allow me to speed type like on the blue switches, the satisfying bump encourages me to keep typing more, and the sound is a satisfying melody.
The lights shine through much much better compared to the black tops. So if RGB lights are a significant factor for you I would recommend the Nixdork Top.
Sound test video for your listening pleasure below.