THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CHOOSING KEYGEEK SWITCHES

Keygeek Switch Choosing Guide

Compared to choosing among the enourmous HMX switch collection, choosing the right Keygeek switch is much easier. Keygeek offers a wide variety of switch options; No matter you are looking for a deep and thocky keyboard switch or a loud and clacky keyboard switch, we have it ready for you. There are two reasons that choosing a Keygeek switch is easy; The first reason is there is a sufficient options of Keygeek keyboard switches in the market but not too many; The second reason is that Keygeek offers a narrower range of switch materials hence there are less material specs to worry about. 

Just like choosing switches from any manufacturer, the first step of choosing the right Keygeek switch is to learn what each material represents in regards to sound and feel, and the second step is to have a general knowledge of the characteristics of the molds Keygeek uses. Let's start with the materials.

Keygeek's material options

Top Housing: POK, PA12, PA66, PA66 with Fiberglass, PC

Stem: POM, UPE, POK, Strengthened UPE

Bottom Housing: PBT, PBT+fiberglass, PA66, PA66 + Fiberglass, PC, PA12

Keygeek's list of materials is a bit different from other manufacturers. With another manufacturer such as BSUN or HMX, LY is very common among their products, but Keygeek doesn't seem to have it. However, since most so called "LY" materials are actually POM or UPE blends, we can take Keygeek's strenthened UPE (U4) to be their LY in this case. Another difference is that Keygeek has PBT and PBT + fiberglass bottom housings. This is not frequently seen with many other switch manufacturers except for Grain Gold or Weikuo. Other materials in the list are pretty standard.

In the HMX switch choosing guide article, we talked about how to anticipate switch sound based on a switch's materials and spec. The same method can be applied to Keygeek switches as well. The general rule of thumb is still the same, softer materials will make a switch sound thockier and deeper, and firm materials will make a switch sound louder and clackier:

Keygeek Stem Materials ranking from soft to hard: POK-UPE-POM-Strengthened UPE

Keygeek Housing Materials ranking from soft to hard:POK-PA66-PA12-PC-PA66 with fiberglass-PBT-PBT with fiberglass

Overall, if you want a loud and clacky Keygeek switch, make sure that the bottom housing is PBT, PBT with fiberglass, or PA66 with fiberglass and the stem is made of strengthened UPE or POM. A few signature examples would be Y1X, Mirror lake, and purple dawn switches. If you are looking for a Keygeek switch that's on the deeper and thockier side, look for PA66 bottom housing or PA66 bottom housing with a small amount of fiberglass added and a UPE or POM stem. Great examples are Y3 and Keylin switches.

Keygeek Switch Sound Graph:

Please note that these two graphs are made based on my personal experience with a reference to Mr. Keeb Taro's Keygeek Sound Chart. If you would like to take a listen to how these switches sound and draw up an imaginary comparison in your head, feel free to watch Keebtaro's sound tests here: https://www.youtube.com/@KeebTaro

Keygeek's UPE and strengthened UPE

UPE is a relatively soft material, but the strengthened UPE is not. It is a little bit counterintuitive, but Keygeek's strengthened UPE stem actually makes the bottom out sound clackier and louder than POM or any other materials. When you see a Keygeek switch comes with strengthened UPE stem and a PBT/PA66 with fiberglass bottom housing, it is destined to be loud and clacky.

Keygeek's molds and their features

One unique feature of Keygeek's mold is that they have stems that either come with a flat pole tip or a rounded pole tip.

Flat pole tip:

Rounded pole tip:

The different size of the contact area contributes to the contrast in switch sound and typing feel; Switches with the flat pole tip stem tends to sound louder and clackier, overall more pronounced. Such stem pole also leads to a firmer keystroke, and the bottom out feedback will be strong and clean. This is the reason why switches such as Y1X and purple dawn chose to go with stem with a flat tip as the goal was to make them sound loud and clacky.

The rounded stem pole tip overall makes a switch sound quieter and deeper. If you open any deep and thocky Keygeek switches such as Y3 or Keylin, you will notice that they have stems like this. The rounded pole tip makes the bottom out feels softer and not as prominent. The reason is that the rounded stem pole tip comes with less contact area which makes both sound and feel more concealed.

Keygeek's stem wobble control

Similar to HMX, Keygeek reduces stem wobble by decreasing the gap between the stem and the top housing. Compared to Keygeek's previous molding, the current stem-top housing gap has been narrowed significantly for better wobble control which also makes switches feel very firm and steady. One tiny problem this could cause is that factory lube can get stuck in this tiny gap and lead to a "sticky" keystroke initiation. That is when you start pressing the switch, it might feel a little bit sluggish during the pre-travel.

The great news is that Keygeek made another modification to their top housing and stem mold on September 3rd, 2024. They increased the top housing - stem gap by 0.01mm wider. It might not sound like a lot, but it actually fixes the sluggish feeling by leaving a little bit more room for factory lube and decreasing the friction between the stem and the top housing. 

Conclusion

In summary, choosing the right Keygeek switch is a straightforward process, thanks to a curated selection of materials and a balanced variety of switch types. By understanding the unique properties of each material and mold type, users can fine-tune their choice to achieve the desired typing experience—whether it’s a deep and thocky feel or a loud and clacky sound. Keygeek’s focus on precision in material composition and recent design updates, such as improved wobble control, ensure a consistent, high-quality performance across their switches. For those seeking specific sound profiles, Keygeek offers reliable options that blend sound and feel in satisfying combinations.