The Ultimate Guide to Choosing HMX Switches
DashanYuan
Preface
Hi guys, this is Dashan from Unikeys. I have wanted to start a blog section like this for a while — something that gives direct, usable guidance to people stuck choosing from the ocean of switches out there.
As more manufacturers, materials, recolours and marketing gimmicks pile up, the decision only gets harder. Under WeeKeebpedia I will try to break down the "secrets" of each switch manufacturer: their molding changes, their improvements, and how to decrypt the strange names of switch materials. The goal is that you understand what a spec sheet actually means and what to expect once you hit the purchase button.
I will leave out the deep chemistry and materials science and stick to plain language. If you want the properly technical content, stay tuned to Vere's switch reviews — he is the expert.
How to Choose an HMX Switch
Let's cut to the chase. Choosing between HMX switches comes down to picking the sound and typing feel you want. So let's start with sound.
If you are brand new to all this, our guide to keyboard switches covers the fundamentals first — come back here once you know whether you want linear or tactile.
Pitch and Volume
Fullness
These two graphs are based on my personal experience, referencing Mr. Keeb Taro's HMX sound chart. If you want to actually hear these switches and build a mental comparison, his sound tests are worth watching: KeebTaro on YouTube.
Predicting Sound Before You Hear It
Sound tests and comparison charts have referencing value, but every switch sounds different to every person, and nothing fully substitutes for having them in hand.
There is, however, a method that will let you imagine how a switch will sound to you with reasonable accuracy: read the housing and stem materials.
HMX's material ladder, softest to hardest:
- Housing: PA66, PA12, P4, PC, P3, PA3.0, PA2.0, P2
- Stem: T5, T4, UPE, T3, T2, HPE, POK, Nylon, LY, POM
The formula for clacky
Hard stem + hard housing = loud and clacky. HMX Cheese, Cloud, Xinhai, Sunset Gleam and Emo all land here. They pair a POM or LY stem with a P2 or PA2.0 bottom housing to produce that signature HMX bottom-out.
The formula for poppy
Soften one side of the equation. Jammy has a hard POM stem but a softer P4 bottom housing, which rounds the bottom-out off. FJ400 and Purple Dawn take the opposite route — softer stem, harder bottom housing — and arrive at the same poppy signature from the other direction.
The formula for thocky (deep, but not dead)
A T-series stem paired with a PA66 or PA12 bottom housing. T5, T4 and UPE stems on a relatively soft bottom housing produce the deepest switches HMX makes. If deep is what you want, our deep-sounding switches collection is filtered for exactly this.
Do not ignore the top housing
Most designs use a top housing that is similar to or softer than the bottom housing, so the switch does not sound strange. When the top housing is harder than the bottom, the switch gets louder and shriller on the up-stroke — which is deeply counterintuitive, because almost everyone expects the bottom-out to be the loud part.
What the Molds Do
Materials are half the story. The other half is the mold.
HMX currently runs two active mold sets. The short version:
- OG 2.0 mold — tighter stem, louder and clackier, can read thin with the wrong material. Xinhai, Cloud, Cheese, Sunset Gleam, Purple Dawn, Canglan V2.
- New mold — marginally more stem wobble in exchange for smoothness, and a noticeably fuller sound. KD200, FJ400, Game 1989, Guava, Mist, Monochrome.
The cleanest proof that the mold matters: KD200 and Cheese use the same materials and a similar travel distance, and KD200 still sounds dramatically fuller. That is entirely the mold.
Neither mold is better. If you want the classic clacky HMX sound, buy OG 2.0 plus hard plastics. If you want fullness, buy the new mold. For the complete history, the identification guide, and the visual tells, see Breaking Down HMX's Mold Improvements.
HMX has also overhauled their factory lubrication process for 2026 and is moving to dual-material housings — covered in their 2026 R&D update.
The Leaf Ticking Issue (Resolved)
Some HMX switches manufactured between May and July 2024 shipped with leaf ticking. The cause was a change of leaf supplier. HMX identified it, reverted to the previous supplier, and the issue was resolved. Anything produced after July 2024 is unaffected — this is not something you need to worry about buying today.
Putting It Together
HMX sound and feel are genuinely easy to predict once you know the method. My recommended order of operations when deciding on a switch:
- Check the sound profile chart above to find the general region you want
- Read the specs — stem material, housing material, mold — and apply the formulas
- Watch a sound test if one exists, to sanity-check your prediction
After those three steps you should have a solid idea of what a switch will be like. It helps enormously if you already own a few HMX switches to anchor against.
And if you are still stuck, ask in the Unikeys Discord — we will happily talk it through with you. Otherwise, browse HMX switches or the wider keyboard switches range and go from there.