Keygeek x Sharkeys Pomkin: Review by Vere
Joonhyun Choe
Opening Words:
Hello everyone, here is a different full POM review before we go into the HMX Lunar Stone later on. Today's review will go over Keygeek's full POM linear: the Pomkins designed by Sharkeys. I felt that it was important to go over the various full POM linears so that people can get a better idea of what full POM actually entails.
This review and the next reviews will go over a few different things about POM that I don't want to unload in a single review.
Switch Introduction:
The Keygeek Pomkin is a long-linear with a full POM housing and a modified POM stem.
They come with a 18mm single-stage KOS spring wire with an operating force of 58g and bottoming out at 63.5g. There is a variance of 5g among them.
They have a travel distance of 3.6mm.
They come factory lubed.
These switches are designed by Sharkeys.
(If not for the witty name, these could have been citrus-themed like one of the popular old releases.)
Short Summary
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Volume |
Moderate volume for a long pole due to the spherical tip and heavy spring weight. One of Keygeek's slightly quieter releases. |
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Pitch |
Technically Medium-high pitch, but the spherical tip causes the switch to sound more "thud-like" and artificially makes the switch sound deeper, plus the heavier spring weight also makes it harder to have a fierce bottom-out unless you use an unnatural amount of force. I will say it ends up around the Medium-Low pitch in the stock form. |
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Sound Profile |
The sound profile is fairly ordinary with a poppy bottom-out due to the POM on POM action, but the spherical tips dulls the sound a bit so it doesn't sound quite as bright as you would expect. Keygeek's molds also tend to lean towards the balanced side of sound. There is very minor audible scratch but it's hard to hear during typing. The top-out is barely audible which ironically means this switch sounds pretty clean. |
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Stock |
The stock smoothness is phenomenal, better than some other Keygeek releases and very consistent with the new modified top housing. There is some occasional ticking from the springs it seems but its basically in line with most of Keygeek's other releases. The housings are very tight and there is very little stem wobble. These switches do not require films. |
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Design |
Personally, I think that the spherical tip for the full POM switch is a choice that sort of clashes with the natural effect of the composition, but these switches aren't bad at all, spherical tips might not be for me but these switches still succeed in their goal. |
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Other |
Keygeek's first full POM linear. |
Stock Experience:
The Keygeek Pomkins are coated with an oil-like lubricant on the stem rails and bottom-housing railings with a thick coating of a grease over the stem legs and leaf. The springs also seem to be coated on the ends with the same grease.
(Thicker grease on the legs)
(Oil lubricant on the sides, but not very inert as it often leaves the switch itself)
(Thick coating on the leaf)
I believe that they probably wanted to use the oil only on the sides to preserve any scratch, but even after drying these switches a bit, there isn't much scratch to begin with.
Unfortunately, these switches suffer from the same issue that some of Keygeek's other releases have with their oil-like lubricant, it often leaks outside of the switch and starts coating the outside. This isn't a major issue but is more of an inconvenience because it makes a mess.
The stock springs are shorter than the common meta of 20mm+ but it causes the springs to have less of a snappy return and have a quieter top-out sound. The springs themselves actually feel quite good for their weight, but it's still heavier than my preference.
(Thick coating on one end)
Would I modify them?
Perhaps I would just only swap the springs for something lighter, but otherwise these switches are amazing out of the box. There's basically no reason to add more lubricant unless you wanted to deepen the sound further, maybe you could add more lubricant onto the springs to remove any ticking.
POM in switches vs POM plates:
I am not the most certified person to explain how this works, but based on my experience from using various full POM switches and also just my general understanding of switch materials, I can give an explanation that will help understand the differences.
First off, let's talk about POM itself, it is a thermoplastic also known as Delrin, and is commonly used as a replacement for various metal equipment. You can see POM used often in gears, motorized components, pumpa and valves, appliance parts, furniture hardware, insulators, etc. The list goes on, but just based on this description you can see that it is a very robust plastic in terms of strength and stability.
The structure of POM as a plastic is crystalline in nature, and the polymers are densely packed together to create a very tough material.
Nylon for example, also has some parts that are crystalline, but also some that are amorphous, which means it can be more flexible or less stiff.
Then shouldn't POM plates sound very bright and high-pitched? No, plates are used to hold switches in place, and do not get struck directly by the switch. The reverberations from the bottom-out of the switch are directly transmitted into the PCB and also expand into the plate which holds them. Due to POM's strength and structural integrity, you can definitely obtain a louder sound than something like polycarbonate, but the density of POM as well as the structure of it's internals allow it to absorb more sound frequencies. A direct comparison would be Aluminum plates versus Brass and Copper plates. Brass and Copper might be more stiff and stronger than Aluminum, but since Aluminum is less dense, you will be able to hear more high-pitched frequencies compared to the others.
Then what about POM in switches? There's a reason why almost all switches rely on using POM for the stem or at least something that utilizes POM. Not only is it a very smooth material with a low coefficient of friction, but it also has arguably the best structural integrity of the commonly used switch plastics. The crystalline surface of POM combined with the reliability of its strength allow for consistent use as the main source of bottom-outs in a switch.
Then think about this, what would happen when the "arguably strongest" switch plastic makes direct contact with itself? You could probably expect a firmer or more solid bottom-out to occur.
Let's go way back to the Kailh Creams, a switch that utilized all POM and was laudably noted as a very "clacky" switch. Not only was it a 4.0mm long-pole switch, but the POM composition allowed it to sound very full but not extremely high pitched.
(An OG)
Another full POM release would be the KNC Clackbits manufactured by Tecsee, another bright release that, as the name entails, "clacked" hard. They were slightly watered down by having heavy double-stage springs, but they were still higher pitched.
(One of the decent Tecsee releases)
Recently, I've also tested the HMX Lunar Stone as well as the Kailh Extreme POMs (the spiritual successor of the Creams) and the end result is that both switches leaned toward the higher pitch with a hint of sharpness.
(Lunar Stone, Extreme POM, and Sea Salt Smoothie)
The only full POM switch that I've tried that sounds relatively deeper is the Gateron Smoothie, but even those switches have a poppy nature to them that sounds slightly glassy. This is likely the result of Gateron's molds themselves rather than the material.
So far, the common denominator is that full POM causes switches to lean towards the medium-high pitch, whilst having a slightly sharper impact on the bottom-out. The good thing is that most of time these switches will sound quite full in terms of depth and won't be thin.
As a plate material, you can likely expect POM to be one of the louder and deeper sounding plastics. Not as flexible as the rest, but not being as muted, since there are many variables regarding plates, please keep this as a relative guideline and not as an absolute.
Overall Design:
Now let's get into why I think that the spherical tip was chosen here and my personal feelings on it.
If you read my Ted Talk above about POM, you'll realize that these switches could have been much brighter and clackier if a standard stem tip was used. This isn't a bad thing as it ultimately comes down to the decision of the designer, and there are those out there who prefer the sound and feel of spherical tip switches.
For me, I like my switches to sound deeper in a natural way rather than an artificial way. Example switches would be stuff from BSUN, Gateron, or even Aflion, utilizing their molds and creating deeper switches with standard nylon compositions.
After trying the various spherical tips from HMX and Keygeek, I find that it just clashes directly with the natural sound of the switch. HMX especially has switches that are still thinner and higher-pitched, but the sphere tip causes the switch to sound very "thuddy" and it simply sounds awful when combined together.
Some switches are successful however, such as the Keygeek Y3 having a nylon composition that leans towards the midrange, but deepens thanks to the shape of the slightly round stem. We can even go back a while to the Vertex V1, having a full nylon housing with their rounded tip which made those switches sound exceedingly deep.
I find that spherical tips can be successful if used correctly, but it doesn't automatically make the switch sound deep, you have to keep in mind what the switch originally would sound like by default, and then plan accordingly with the stem. The taper of the tip and the shape of the tip itself play a large part and you can get a lot of different sounds when you compare manufacturers and the way they design their stems.
I can see where Sharkeys was going with this switch, wanting to create a more solid sounding but also deeper release. Technically, if we go by what a "thocky" switch is supposed to be in today's switch space, I can consider the Pomkin to be a success.
Smoothness and typing experience:
These switches are extremely smooth, probably one of the more smooth Keygeek releases that doesn't use UPE. The updated top-housing improves the smoothness without having the overly tight feeling of older Keygeek releases. There is also very little wobble.
The typing experience is slightly altered thanks to the existence of the spherical tip, it adds a slightly different effect to your bottom-out which may or may not be enticing to some. The spring weight is slightly heavy compared to most releases these days but the shorter spring length allows for a more relaxed and slow paced feel.
It is still acceptable for me, but if you're only used to light switches then maybe these will not be the ones for you.
Sound Profile:
The Keygeek Pomkins have a relatively clean sound profile. Having a solid pop on the bottom-out with very little top-out sound and almost no scratch, these switches are very balanced overall. That being said, due to the nature of full POM, you can kind of hear a bit of sharpness in the bottom-out that I referred to, but since the sound is dampened by the heavier weight and spherical tip, its hard to hear it fully. When I tested this switch with another non-spherical tip POM stem and borrowed the springs from the Lunar Stone, it was a lot sharper and brighter.
I am slightly disappointed by the fact that the audible scratch is basically non-existent during typing, but that is to be expected since full POM switches don't actually generate much scratch on their own.
The Keygeek Pomkins are full but slightly subdued long-pole linears that take advantage of the strength of POM, but use alternative methods to keep it in check and this results in a very balanced switch. These are great if you like Keygeek's overall sound profile and if you like your switches to not be in your face in terms of sound. They are pleasant to type on, clean, and still have a little bit of kick to them.
Full refers to a sound profile that doesn't sound shallow to our ears, or isn't dull and empty. (To be more specific, it has all kinds of frequencies in the sound, lows, mids, and highs.)
Clean refers to a sound profile that is mostly one-note or consolidated, lacking excess noise from factors like scratch, or having a top-out that is much quieter than the bottom-out.
Subdued refers to having a sound that is not muted or dull, but is more controlled, perhaps through artificial means.
Comparative Notes:
I will break down the comparative strength of this switch when compared to other manufacturers and their average switch releases. Keep in mind that this is not a guaranteed guide, this serves to assist those who don't have a general idea of what to expect from this switch or other manufacturers.
Compared to Gateron switches on average:
1. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be slightly subdued compared to some Gateron.
2. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be similar in pitch to most Gateron. (Artificial)
3. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be of similar volume to most Gateron.
4. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be of similar weight or heavier to most Gateron.
5. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to have a better stock experience.
6. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be of similar smoothness or less smooth.
Compared to BSUN switches on average:
1. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be subdued compared to some BSUN.
2. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be similar or lower pitched to most BSUN. (Artificial)
3. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be quieter than most BSUN.
4. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be heavier than most BSUN.
5. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to have a better stock experience.
6. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be very slightly smoother.
Compared to Keygeek switches on average:
1. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be one of the more subdued releases from Keygeek.
2. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be similarly pitched, but is not the deepest Keygeek.
3. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be on the quieter side for Keygeek.
4. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be one of the heavier options for Keygeek.
5. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to have a good stock experience for Keygeek.
6. The Keygeek Pomkin is likely to be one of the smoother options for Keygeek.
Flaws and things I didn't like:
There aren't any fundamental flaws, but the only things I didn't like would be the usage of the spherical tip instead of the standard tips that Keygeek uses.
I think that this could have become a very solid option from Keygeek that would generate a full and bright sound profile that isn't one of their UPE or PBT based switches as those generally sound similar to one another.
Just food for thought, perhaps we can see another full POM release in the future.
PERSONAL BUILD RECOMMENDATIONS: (PREFERENCE/OPINION BASED)
With their balanced sound profile, I think that they can fit onto almost any plate build.
As mentioned above, they are artificially deep, but have a solid and poppy sound profile by default, using them on an aluminum plate can generate a relatively clacky sound but you can deepen it further with plastic plates instead.
If you wanted to double down on the "thocky" sound profile of this switch, being solid but also slightly deep, then obviously you can pair these well with foam. I would probably just stick to a single piece of foam rather than all foam though.
I personally tested them on Polypropylene with O-Ring mount and found decent results.
Closing Summary:
Keygeek and Sharkeys bring us a full POM release in the switch space with this one being slightly different than the rest.
With a spherical tip instead of the standard, we get a more subdued and balanced POM switch as opposed to the normal brighter and clackier options. Even if it's all POM, the smoothness is excellent and the stock form is strong.
Don't think for a moment that that this switch is weak in sound as the main strength of POM lies in the fullness of its sound profile. By mixing this together with the spherical tip and heavier spring weight, we get an artificially deeper sound profile which becomes more versatile in usage. It might not be as powerful as some other Keygeek switches, but it can get the job done.
If you're in the market for a long-pole linear that can be used in a variety of builds, the Keygeek Pomkins should be an excellent choice. Whether you use them foamless for their solidity, or with a bit of foam to double down on their mid-heavy sound profile, these will be a useful switch to have available.
FINAL SCORING: 8.4/10 [Artificially Deep]
Design: 7/10
[A full POM switch that attempts to become as "thocky" as possible by utilizing a spherical tip to alter the sound profile. Though the material choice is a bit regretful, I do think that the spherical tip is the way to go for that specific sound profile.]
Sound Profile: 8/10
[An extremely balanced sound profile resulting from strong materials but being tempered by the sphere tip. Though it sounds clean and consistent, technically there isn't anything that sets this switch apart in sound besides the nature of the spherical tip. It is deeper thanks to this and achieves a block-like or perhaps "thocky" sound signature on its own.]
Stock Experience: 10/10
[Very good stock experience for Keygeek, very little ticking and no housing issues. The smoothness is very good with POM for all materials. There is no binding feeling or scratchiness when typing. The wobble is minimal and the typing is very comfortable. These do not require any films.]
Uniqueness: 7/10
[Technically there aren't that many full POM housing switches out there, though there are slowly more and more appearing these days, these are the first full POM switch that uses a spherical tip and the first one from Keygeek.]
Flaws: 0/10
[No realistic flaws.]