Keygeek x Unikeys Uni: Review by Vere
Joonhyun Choe
Opening Words:
Hi there, slowly making my way through the backlog of switches to review and today we've got another Unikeys exclusive release in the Keygeek Uni. Another switch named after one of Dashan's pet dogs, we've got a long-pole linear that has a soft composition but a bright sound.
This switch is relatively ordinary but has some interesting points.
Switch Introduction:
The Keygeek Uni is a long-pole linear with a full PA12 housing and a proprietary stem called U4 which is mostly UPE based.
They come with a 21mm single-stage Japanese wire spring with an operating force of 45g and bottoming out at 52g. There is a variance of 5g among them.
They have a travel distance of 3.7mm which is quite average as Keygeek has a few releases at 3.6mm or 3.8mm.
They come factory lubed.
These switches were designed in-house by Uni, one of Dashan's pet dogs.
Short Summary
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Volume |
Decently loud for a long-pole linear, is on par with most Keygeek switches but not as loud as the Purple Dawn. |
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Pitch |
Medium-High pitch, brighter than a few lower pitched releases from Keygeek, and definitely falls under "clacky". The pitch is mostly due to the U4 stem but isn't particularly sharp or thin. |
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Sound Profile |
These switches have a very clean sound as the PA12 housing does a good job of locking in the sound and preventing this switch from being particularly noisy. The U4 stem combined with the PA12 housing leads towards a mostly "solid" sound profile but has some muted tones because of the slightly soft materials. If I describe it vaguely, its basically at 90% brightness rather than 100% because of the composition. |
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Stock |
These switches have zero problems with stock smoothness but some of them definitely have some noticeable spring noise. I think they would benefit from some touch-ups because it interferes with the clean sound profile. There is an extremely minor vertical wobble. These do not require films. |
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Design |
Overall very simple composition, but the resulting sound is opposite of what you'd expect. |
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Other |
Another Unikeys exclusive, named after Uni who is the namesake of the store. |
Stock Experience:
The Keygeek Uni is essentially the same as the rest of the Keygeek linears when it comes to pre-lube, utilizing a very minor amount on the stem and mostly on the bottom-housing, leaf, and spring.
They use a thicker coating of lubricant on the stem legs which also coats the leaf, with a thinner oil-like lubricant on the bottom-housing sliders.
The springs don't look like they are coated with the thicker lubricant like the older releases, but there is visible lubricant at the bottom of the housing where the spring resides.
The housing tolerances are very tight and do not require films.
Would I modify them?
Personally yes, I've noticed that a few of them do have some form of transient noise from the spring and it could benefit from the touch-ups. I believe it to be the spring as a few other Keygeek releases occasionally have spring noise more often than leaf noise.
U4 Material when paired with PA12:
Going over what I mentioned in the summary, the U4 stem generates a brighter and almost crisp sound profile when combined with PA12 nylon.
The U4 stem is presumably a composition that stiffens the normally softer UPE, this actually gives us a less muted sound profile. When I compare to the other UPE based releases in general, the U4 material is a bit brighter than stuff like LY and Y3.
Other examples would be the Keygeek Mirror Lakes sounding very sharp and thin when paired with PBT Fiberglass, or the Keygeek Lilas sounding bright and crisp when paired with the PA66 Fiberglass. (Both use the U4 stem)
When combined with the normally softer PA12, we result in a sound profile that's almost as clacky as the ones above. PA12 often times leads towards a more muted or dampened sound because it has less stiffness than the other forms of nylon. That doesn't mean it will always sound quiet though, we can see that here with the Keygeek Uni as the sound itself is still as lively as most of Keygeek's releases, but just a minor tier below in terms of pitch and tone.
Overall, I think it's a good pairing when you're looking for something on the medium-high pitch end that doesn't get too intense in terms of clack.
Overall Design:
These switches may not achieve their original goal of being loud and deep switches but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.
The U4 stem definitely sounds higher pitched than most UPE competitors, being more lively than LY and not sounding like other alternative UPE blends. I think that PA12 was chosen in order to reach those lower notes in the pitch, but I think that it was still solid enough to generate a slightly brighter sound profile.
I am very interested in seeing how this may have sounded if they utilized POM housings instead as that was popular combination to work with UPE stems.
As a Keygeek switch, it is around the same tier as the releases such as the Oats, Cyans, and other "stronger" sounding linears, but not as intense as any of the fiberglass based releases.
Smoothness and typing experience:
Since we have mostly smooth and soft materials, this switch is pretty comfortable to work with but still has some firmness. I've been using them in plastic plates because I wanted to slightly soften the bottom-out, but they still have a nice pop to them.
Like the other Keygeek releases, there's not much lubricant overall but these switches still perform excellently in terms of low coefficient of friction. There's no scratchy feeling and the keypress is stable since there's not much wobble.
There is an extremely minor amount of vertical wobble, you wouldn't notice it unless you forcefully tried to wobble the stem and it's not an issue during real typing.
The bottom-out is less intense than the fiberglass Keygeek switches, but it is still as firm as your average long-pole linear.
Sound Profile:
The Keygeek Uni's sound profile is similar to a few other Keygeek releases like the Oat or Cyan, but slightly more subdued. It still retains Keygeek's overall sound profile in that it is full and solid on the bottom out, but not particularly sharp.
The top-out and bottom-out are clean and concise due to the PA12 housing, the U4 stem adds some brightness to the tone but doesn't make it especially high pitched. The best way I can put it is that the Uni is at 90% effectiveness in terms of pitch, with the missing 10% causing the switch to sound ever so slightly deeper/duller than something like the Keygeek Cyan.
The Keygeek Uni is a relatively standard long-pole linear that has some minor differences from most of Keygeek's repertoire. With a clean and crisp sound profile that leans towards the medium-high pitch, you can expect a lively switch that can help brighten your board but not send it overboard. If you enjoy the subdued tone that can come from UPE based materials, then this switch may be the one for you.
Crisp refers to having a solid bottom-out that is clear and is easy to hear, doesn't necessarily mean loud and bright.
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 is the word I prefer to use when a muted material (UPE, LY) still sounds lively or bright instead of sounding dull or quiet.
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 HMX switches on average:
1. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be slightly fuller in sound than most HMX.
2. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be slightly lower pitched than most HMX.
3. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be louder or similar volume to most HMX.
4. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be slightly heavier or similar in weight to most HMX.
5. The Keygeek Uni is likely to have a slightly worse stock experience than most HMX.
6. The Keygeek Uni is likely to have similar smoothness to most HMX.
Compared to BSUN switches on average:
1. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be of similar fullness.
2. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be slightly higher pitch or similarly pitched to most BSUN.
3. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be slightly louder than most BSUN.
4. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be of similar weight to most BSUN.
5. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be of similar stock experience or worse than most BSUN.
6. The Keygeek Uni is similar in smoothness to most BSUN.
Compared to Keygeek switches on average:
1. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be slightly less full or of similar fullness to most Keygeek.
2. The Keygeek Uni is slightly higher pitched or similar to most Keygeek.
3. The Keygeek Uni is louder than most of the quieter Keygeek releases.
4. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be of similar weight to most Keygeek.
5. The Keygeek Uni is slightly worse in terms of average Keygeek stock experience.
6. The Keygeek Uni is likely to be similar in smoothness or smoother than a few Keygeek.
Flaws and things I didn't like:
The main notable flaw would be the spring noise that is audible during typing. Unfortunately these switches do not have the strength of sound to cover up the transient noise so it is still noticeable.
I do like switches that are like the Keygeek Uni on average, for example many BSUN releases share the same subdued clacky sound profile which is appreciated when you don't want to daily drive switches that alert the entire building.
I wouldn't change anything else about the switch.
PERSONAL BUILD RECOMMENDATIONS: (PREFERENCE/OPINION BASED)
I've only ever tested these on plastic plates which help accentuate their main strength: Bright, but not overly so.
I used Polycarbonate at the beginning with them but later swapped to POM and PP because I didn't want them to sound too thin.
I'm certain that Aluminum plates would also sound great, but if you don't like stiffer experiences then I would steer clear of it since these switches aren't perfectly soft on the bottom-out.
Foam is acceptable with these switches if you wanted to deep the sound slightly more.
Closing Summary:
The Keygeek Uni is a fairly normal switch when compared to the rest of Keygeek, but it shouldn't slip under the radar if you're interested in different kinds of Keygeek releases.
The main thing to note is the fact that it is still a lively switch in terms of volume and pitch, I may have described it to be slightly subdued but that is when compared to other Keygeek releases. It will still be more full than your average HMX for example and much louder than your average RBO switch. It is clean and crisp, and incredibly smooth to boot.
The stock experience slightly falters when it comes to the springs, but that isn't a deal-breaker. If your batch has some noisy ones then I do recommend the extra touch of effort to refine these switches.
If you're in the market for a strong long-pole that isn't too harsh on the ears, then look no further than the Keygeek Uni, the materials might seem like it's going to sound deep but don't be fooled, it's peppy and lively enough to boost any build.
FINAL SCORING: 8.4/10 [Standard, but good]
Design: 7/10
[So far we haven't had a full PA12 housing switch from Keygeek yet, and the result is interesting to be sure. I think it's nice that they tried to go for a deep but loud switch by utilizing a softer nylon with their firmer UPE blend. Nothing particularly special though.]
Sound Profile: 10/10
[Clean, crisp, and subdued, however still packs a decent punch as a long-pole switch when looking at the big picture. The type of sound profile I'm biased towards these days, I like my switches to have some volume, but I'm not trying to make it irritatingly loud. A great option for those who like medium to medium-high pitch switches. ]
Stock Experience: 9/10
[As expected, the U4 stem and PA12 housing results in a great smoothness level. The unfortunate part is the minor spring noise which isn't fully covered up by the switch's regular volume. Tolerances are great, no films required here. There is almost no wobble.]
Uniqueness: 7/10
[Like mentioned above, this is the only Keygeek release that utilizes a full PA12 housing, but the U4 stem and other UPE stems have been appearing quite frequently in Keygeek's releases. This switch isn't extremely different in sound either, just slightly more tame.]
Flaws: 1/10
[No real flaw besides the transient noise in the stock form, otherwise there's nothing to complain about.]