Keebscape.co x HMX Snow Crash: Review by Vere

Volume	Quieter than MX Blacks and JWK full travel linears, definitely much quieter than HMX long pole linears. It is closer to something like a Gateron Milky Yellow for volume.
Pitch	Medium-high pitch when dry, Medium when lubed, they exhibit a moderate sound profile that is almost on the deeper end. Their sound can be easily influenced by the board.
Sound Profile	In terms of sound profile, I can describe them as having a poppy, moderately balanced tone which exhibits a minor amount of scratch. As it has the sound profile of a rail bottom-out linear, it is more brisk and airy on the bottom out than a long pole. I feel that it has enough character in the sound profile to warrant choosing over older options, but it will remind you of popular options like MX Blacks or Milky Yellows.
Stock	Unfortunately due to QC issues, there are many cases of over-lubed switches, however my batch had a normal amount of lube which is similar to HMX's other releases. There were less crap sounds than other HMX switches while still retaining the high quality tightness and lack of wobble on the stem. Even after removing some lube, they were still very smooth in the travel.
Design	A very traditional design, with an iconic PA66 housing and POM stem, a common formula for a switch with a deeper and full sound profile.
Other	The first rail bottom-out HMX linear.

 

Stock experience:

Before going any further, I will mention that at the time of this review (July 24th) there were reports of over-lubed batches of the HMX Snow Crash. There was too much lubricant used for the bottom housing railings which caused mushy bottom-outs and made them into silent switches. HMX has already begun working on a new batch that will only have lubed springs, and Dashan is offering refunds for buyers of the Snow Crash who don't want replacements.

Luckily my batch didn't seem to be affected too deeply, so I will try to go over what the intended experience is supposed to be.

(Consistent with other HMX stem coats)

These switches like other HMX products have a mix of Krytox 205g0 and GPL 105 on the stem sliders, legs, as well as the bottom housing railings and leaf. 

Arguably they could reduce the total amount of lubricant on the contact points but they went ahead with the same process they use for every other HMX linear.

(Definitely beneficial when dealing with long poles and overall smoothness)

Something I've discussed in the Unikeys discord is the thought process behind lubing long poles and rail bottom-out linears is somewhat different. After all, even if you lube the bottom housing railings, there's no need to worry about a mushy feeling as long-poles directly contact using the center post instead of the side rails. The side rails need lubricant for smoother travel, but its not something that often directly contacts.

I believe in the batches of over-lubed Snow Crashes, the lube has ended up pooling at the bottom after shifting due to temperature or if the oil has separated, which in turn would cause the railings to directly contact the bottom of the pool and result in a mushy sound or feel.

(If there was just slightly less, these would have been perfect perhaps)

HMX's process definitely produces excellent smoothness without compromising on sound profile, however that is when used for long poles, and these switches are suffering from HMX's success.

Would I clean the lube? No need, since you can receive free replacements without worrying about the cleanup, I wouldn't bother. Plus we plan to keep dry versions in-stock until HMX has a better process for lubing rail bottom-out switches.

 

Pole Bottom-out vs Rail Bottom-out Origins:

There's a lot to go over when discussing long-poles vs full travel in the keyboard hobby, but first we'll need to talk a little bit about the origin of long-poles.

If you read my previous review on the Kailh BCP, then you may have seen the excerpt regarding the origin of the BCP franken-switch, being a popular option with a strong long-pole bottom out. Those were created by combining a stem from a switch that had an extended post AND extended pole. The Kailh Creams and other Kailh switches that had an extended pole also had an extended post to make up for the travel, which ultimately still calculates to 4.0mm as full travel. This means that if you were to use one of those stems in a non-Kailh bottom housing, you would be able to produce a switch with travel that goes far below 4.0mm.

However, even before this, people have experimented using things like ball-bearings and other options to place directly into the center post to manually reduce the travel of their switches. 

The very first long-pole switch was actually the creation of the Holy Panda Tactile which used a Halo stem in the Invyr Panda housing, resulting in a bottom out where the pole hit before the railings. This switch was the impetus which lead to the production of the Kailh Creams, which then lead to the creation of franken-switches with much shorter travel, which then created the current market meta of long-pole travel around 3.5mm (Either shorter or longer).

 

So why are long-poles so popular?

There are a variety of reasons, but I personally believe that it is ultimately due to the fact that long-poles can easily produce sound profiles or typing experiences that are more satisfying for the consumer.

Back then, not every keyboard was as high-performance as the options we have now, they may have been hollow, pingy, plasticky, or just quiet and dull. MX Blacks are a classic option due to their unique sound and scratch, but they were also popular due to the fact that they sounded better than everything else on the market. 

Honestly speaking, it is much easier to cover up a keyboard's weaknesses by using a long-pole switch that can mask the issues it may have. For example, if a keyboard has a weak or dull sound, a strong long-pole can generate a brighter sound. If a keyboard sounds metallic or hollow, a strong long-pole can hide some of the resonant noise. Especially around the period when flex-cuts were popular, a lot of keyboards sounded airy and empty, this prompted a meta of foamed up builds using long-poles to create a marble-y and monotonous sound profile.

Regarding type-feel, when using a keyboard in a common scenario, it would be in the office or when gaming, these situations could benefit from either adding more interesting sensations in a boring environment, or providing feedback in response to gameplay.

 

What's the charm of a rail bottom-out?

There's honestly a variety of reasons on this side as well, but for starters we can say that it has the potential to bring out more of your keyboard's innate character rather than relying on the switch itself. This can be either in sound profile or typing feel, especially since long-poles usually dominate those two senses when you put them into a build.

When it comes to full-travel switches, the internals and design of your keyboard dictate most of the sound that will be generated in most cases if you do not use modifiers like foam or silicone. If you think about it, when everyone uses MX Blacks for sound tests, wouldn't it be easier to tell the difference between keyboards in terms of sound performance?

When it comes to typing feel, you won't feel the harsh feedback of a long-pole, what you do end up feeling is more of the type-feel of the keyboard itself, whether it is firm, soft, or balanced. If you use a BCP on a softer board, you can still feel a sharp bottom-out regardless of the plate and internals.

Lastly, sometimes people just want their keyboards to be quieter, maybe for the office or at home with family, it might not be great to have a keyboard that sounds like someone is hitting a glass table.

Does that mean one is better than the other? Not really, they both have their own benefits, and are simply two sides of the same coin. What it comes down to is purpose: what exactly are you looking to do with your build. For me, I would like to use both long-poles and rail bottom-out switches because my enjoyment in the hobby comes from experiencing the variety in different sounds and typing experiences from the many switches and keyboards out there.

 

Cherry-like aspects:

After trying them out, they do have a few similarities to the Cherry MX Black, in terms of composition they are closer in material to MX Black, and they even have some minor scratch.

I took a closer look at the stem and noticed that the stem pole is also thickened and similar to the MX Black stem. I don't know how much of an effect this has on the sound, but with the increased thickness and overall mass, it may help in producing a stronger sound despite being rail bottom-out.

(Snow Crash Stem vs Meteor v3 & MX Black)

It would be hard to say they didn't take inspiration from the Cherry King, but inspiration can lead to innovation.

 

Overall Design:

While it isn't exactly a game-changing design, HMX did a great job at producing a high quality full travel switch.

By using a standard composition of PA66 housing and POM stem, it creates a classic sound profile that switches of the past often generated. POM stems were extremely popular due being very smooth and also having great stiffness which helped produce full sound profiles.

PA66 itself is on the slightly stiffer side among the nylons, but also has the potential to produce a deeper sound depending on the thickness and density of the material. HMX has been experimenting recently on more deeper sounds and I think they have hit the sweet spot. I think that they tried to replicate the deeper and fuller sound that Cherry nylon is capable of producing, and resulted in a switch that is slightly lower in pitch.

With no wobble, a balanced spring weight with a snappy feel, a full sound profile(among rail bottom-out), as well as being affordably cheap with HMX, these switches are probably one of the best contenders as a strong rail bottom-out option when many manufacturers haven't produced one in several years.

Typing on them simply feels soothing when you're used to long-poles these days. It would be perfect for a gentler board or a situation where you want to type quietly without disturbing others.

When you compare to the multitude of mediocre switches that were produced in an attempt to dethrone Cherry as the top manufacturer, this switch covers everything on the checklist.

Strong sound and super smooth feel.

No spring ping or leaf tick.

No wobble. (Stem wobble back then was horrendous)

No need for films.

Cheaper. (Not as cheap as Milky Yellows though)

Of course, there are the problems with over-lubing, but it is an undeniable fact that these switches were made with precision and high quality. If you enjoy full travel and rail bottom-out switches, I think that these switches are absolutely worth trying.

 

Smoothness: Phenomenal

Even after wiping the lube off of a few switches, they were still excellent in terms of smoothness, as smooth as can be when you do include lubricant.

It is in line with other HMX products but not as smooth as the options that use materials such as LY or PTFE (P3, P4)

I think that if smoothness isn't a priority for you, then just stick to the dry switches.

 

Sound Profile:

This is where it gets complicated to describe, as rail bottom-out switches are inherently different from most long-poles.

Due to the impact of the rail bottom-out being less strong, it is a fact that it is harder to pick up on the minor details of the sound profile when compared to long-poles. This is why I opted to compare to pre-existing options such as the MX Black or Gateron Milky Yellow.

The Snow Crashes have a moderate tone, especially when lubed, there is a slight crispness which is reminiscent of HMX, but vastly quieter. When dry, there is a hint of scratch that isn't Cherry-level but it exists nonetheless. Overall, as a rail bottom-out, they are definitely pleasant to listen to.

When dry, the sound profile is slightly fuller, crisper, and has more scratch.

When lubed, the sound profile is slightly more rounded, and exhibits less scratch.

I can compare them to be a mix of Milky Yellows and MX Blacks, having a pop akin to those two, being slightly deeper than both.

Scratch refers to the scraping sound that is audible during the switch travel when the stem is moving inside the housing. This sound is somewhat similar to using chalk on a blackboard, or perhaps scraping some paper with your nails.

Crisp refers to having a solid bottom out that is clear and easy to hear, doesn't necessarily mean loud and bright.

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.)

Rounded refers to having a balanced sound profile that isn't too quiet or loud, nor deep or sharp.

Ultimately, this switch is more in line with traditional rail bottom-out switches in terms of sound, but doesn't hit like MX Blacks or some of the brighter JWK switches. This isn't a bad thing since most boards these days can be modified in various ways.

 

 

Direct Comparison to other linears:

SP-Star Meteor V3 (Nylon/Nylon/POM Stem) 4.0mm Travel

• These switches share similar materials and have the same travel.
• The Meteor V3 is louder than the Snow Crash.
• The Snow Crash has a much better stock form. (Less tick and ping)
• The Snow Crash is lower pitched.
• The Meteor V3 has more N/S wobble.
• The Snow Crash is much smoother stock.
• The Snow Crash has slightly more scratch.

Everfree Curry (PC/Nylon/POM Stem) 4.0mm Travel

• These switches share similar materials and have the same travel.
• The Snow Crash is louder than the Curry.
• They have similar stock forms.
• The Snow Crash is slightly higher pitched.
• The Curry has more wobble in all directions.
• They have similar smoothness stock.
• The Snow Crash has slightly more scratch.

Vintage MX Black (Nylon/Nylon/POM Stem) 4.0mm Travel

• These switches share similar materials and have the same travel.
• The Vintage MX Black is slightly louder than the Snow Crash.
• The Snow Crash has a much better stock form.
• The Snow Crash is slightly lower pitched.
• The Vintage MX Black has slightly more wobble in all directions.
• The Snow Crash is much smoother stock.
• The Vintage MX Black is extremely scratchy in comparison.

 

Flaws:

The critical flaw at the moment of this review is the over-lubed issue, but that is already in the process of being taken care of.

Besides that, the other minor nitpick would be that this switch is vastly different from the entirety of HMX's lineup, and this could be a deal breaker for those who came here expecting the usual sound profile that HMX provides.

I personally think that you could advertise this switch as a non-HMX switch and I would have believed it.

If you didn't like full travel in the past, I would simply say not to hold high expectations. They are good, but they don't change the game at all. If you prefer long-poles, then you may not find these worthwhile.

 

PERSONAL BUILD RECOMMENDATIONS: (PREFERENCE/OPINION BASED)

I tested these switches on a quieter board and also on a louder board. They weren't particularly impactful on the quieter board, but I did enjoy them on the louder board.

I think that these switches will definitely appreciate being on a plate with a stronger profile, such as Aluminum, Polypropylene, or Carbon Fiber. 

They have a balanced sound profile so you can alter the pitch by adding some foam or using different plates.

If you want to bring out a more traditional and classic sound profile, Aluminum Top Mount would be the number one go-to. If you want to bring out the deeper end of this switch and take advantage of the quieter nature, then try POM plate on either Top Mount or Gasket Mount. 

Avoid using plate foam as I feel that these switches would sound too muted, I would stick to case foam if applicable.

 

CLOSING SUMMARY:

If we look at the Snow Crashes as an attempt to create a high quality modern rail bottom-out switch, it is a fantastic one at that.

For $0.35 per switch, Keebscape and HMX have produced a traditional-style switch with a classic sound profile that is likely to remind you of older and popular choices.

It has a balanced and solid sound profile that is clean without issues in terms of crap sounds or wobble. The typing feel is pleasantly soft and smooth, a nice escape from the deep ocean of long-pole switches.

I can definitely put this switch as one of my personal favorite HMX products, and also top 3 in the rail bottom-out switch line-up.

If you're in search of new rail bottom-outs, or are a fan of HMX's overall quality and consistency, these Snow Crash switches will definitely not disappoint you. Truthfully, they had a bit of a crash when it comes to QC, but this is a release that will shine later down the line.

 

FINAL SCORING: 7/10 (8.4/10 w/o over-lube)