testing several silent and quiet switches!
Been in this hobby for almost a decade, but just discovered this sub :)
I have been testing some silent/quiet switches for work in a shared small office. Decided the best way to compare was to slap them all on my board at once.
If anyone wants comparisons or reviews on the switches, let me know!! I have purchased a few more than these, but these are the ones I am most likely to use.
I have tried the Outemu Honey Peach/Lemon Limes and really did not like them. Just cheap feeling and not satisfying. I tried Jerrzi Honey Beans with silicone dampeners, not amazing but had absolutely 0 noise. I do have some TTC Frozen V2s in a box somewhere, but iirc they are very light and felt like the Epomaker Sea Salt silents, so it's maybe more for gamers.
For reference, I wanted to replace the stock Epomaker Sea Salt Silents in this board. At home I have a board with Keygeek Neo Ryes, but my previous board had Gateron Optical Yellows.
List of switches:
- Stock switches on this board are Epomaker Sea Salt Silents (45gf silent linear) however I replaced my numpad with Kailh Deep Sea Whales (45gf silent tactile)
- blue housing/white stem: Lichicx Yogurt Silent (45gf silent linear)
- clear aqua housing/stem: Kailh Box Prestige (42gf silent linear)
- white housing/blue stem: KTT Phantom (43gf silent linear)
- grey: Gateron Zero Degree (45gf quiet linear)
- clear blue housing/clear stem: Kailh Deep Sea Islet (45gf silent linear)
- beige housing/purple stem: HMX Taro Silent (45gf
silentlinear) - beige housing/butter stem: HMX Butter Silent (37gf
silenttactile)
Brief reviews:
Epomaker Sea Salt Silents: extremely muted, but slightly bouncy and mushy-sounding, and I want something with the feel of a linear even if I have to compromise on the noise a bit. I believe these are manufactured by Outemu, but don't quote me
Kailh Deep Sea Whales: 45gf on a tactile is too heavy for me, even tho it's my sweet spot for linears. Kind of a crunchy but quiet sound. Typing on it feels like sneaking on gravel
Lichicx Yogurt Silent: totally silent and muted. Weirdly bouncy and heavy feeling although it's 45gf? It might be due to longer pre-travel. I think my fingers could get fatigued typing on this, but it really is silent and very smooth. I am used to linears under 40gf, so what is fatiguing for me may not be for you.
Kailh Box Prestige and Kailh Deep Sea Islet: extremely similar. They feel great. Box Prestige is slightly lighter (42 vs 45gf) and a smidge quieter. They are both very stable and nice to type on! But because they are so similar, it is a bit hard to choose between them. All other specs seem the same aside from actuation. They're both not totally dampened, but they are very close to silent while feeling like a regular linear. I do think both are a bit scratchy sounding so I will be purchasing a Kailh-style switch opener
KTT Phantom: incredibly similar to the Kailh switches but ever so slightly quieter. Longer total travel makes them feel bouncy and springy to type on with a bit of resistance. Possibly fatiguing for me, but they are fantastic silent switches; they're smooth and stable.
Gateron Zero Degree: sometimes I need to trust my gut over rando internet reviews, and this is evidence of that. Not silent - very crisp high-pitched sound, stem wobble. When I gently rest my fingertips on all the keys, only the Zero Degrees slightly depress, so I wonder if the listed 45gf actuation is accurate. Probably good for gamers.
HMX Taro Silent: it's definitely not silent, though it is quiet. but man this switch is fantastic.... sounds sooo good, creamy, while being much quieter than a regular linear. I do wonder if this could bother my coworkers though. If it does, I'm still gonna buy these for my kb at home. extremely smooth and stable, it both sounds creamy and feels creamy
HMX Butter Silent: this is the loudest of all these switches because of a high-pitched tactile 'pop' when u actuate the switch. It's higher-pitched than the Taros but less than the Zero Degrees. I enjoy typing on this; it's the nicest tactile I've personally tried, but I'm not sure I'd want to put these on my entire keyboard.
Ranked for how much I want to use them in the office is probably:
- Kailh Islet or Box Prestige
- KTT Phantom or Lichicx Yogurt Silent
- Epomaker Sea Salt Silents (bog standard)
- HMX taro silent (a smidge loud)
- Gateron zero degree (loud and just not that good)
- HMX butter silent (too loud)
- Kailh deep sea whales (too heavy)
Let me know if you want comparisons or more detail on any switch!