I got my first Logitech mechanical keyboard a few years ago, cherry mx blue. Baby step, finally got around to modding my own. I’m 30 years deep into a full-size layout and didn’t love my previous ten-keyless.

Browsing microcenter I stumbled upon the gmmk original, came with gateron browns which feel fine. Microcenter also had glorious lynx pre lubed switches. I thought this would be my first dive into customizing my keyboard. I grabbed the lubed switches along with their upgraded gbpt key caps.

Swapped all the keys and switches, things felt smooth and nice. Started using it, did some typing, loaded up a game and played some.

All I can say is boy did I hate it. The keys felt mushy, hollow, no feedback whatsoever, couldn’t even tell you were pressing keys, would accidentally press keys without knowing because it was too soft and mushy. They have 60g springs so I was surprised how mushy they felt. Is it because of the lube, or do all linear switches feel so mushy?

I also really dislike the floating frameless style keyboard, it looks cool but it feels uncomfortable to use.

Needless to say, this has just made me want to mod more. Last night I ordered a keychron q6 qmk. I went with a navy blue fully assembled keyboard with knob. It seemed like a better deal, $20 more then barebones and comes with switches and key caps.

I was thinking about ordering the brass plate and new switches, but I’m trying to figure out what switches. I’ve been reading a lot about the gazzew u4.

Tl,dr, found glorious lynx switches mushy and soulless. Is it because they’re lubed? Or are all linear switches so mushy?

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AkDoxx t1_j6nudkf wrote on January 31, 2023 at 5:31 PM

Could be the lube job. I personally don’t trust prelubed switches. A lighter coat or thinner lube probably would have done the switches some good, although glorious switches aren’t that great to begin with. If you want a heavy tactile switch the Boba U4t’s are great. For linear the Gateron Oil Kings are nice and have a pretty good factory lube job if you don’t want to bother doing it yourself.

gobstopp OP t1_j6ou7iz wrote on January 31, 2023 at 9:11 PM

I was looking for a quiet switch that still had some feedback. The u4t sounds like they make a lot more noise then boba u4. I read the u4 and u4t have the same feel, just the u4’s make less noise.

Is that true?

AkDoxx t1_j6peto3 wrote on January 31, 2023 at 11:23 PM

Ah I see. Yes the U4’s are the silenced version of the U4t’s. There’s also the U4tx which has a silenced topping out sound so you only hear the bottom out.

Sliced_Orange1 t1_j6o2p30 wrote on January 31, 2023 at 6:22 PM

The pre-lubed Lynx switches use G-Lube which is slightly thicker than Krytox 205g0 (the quintessential switch lube) and factory lube jobs usually have some issues or inconsistencies. I personally really enjoy the pre-lubed Lynxes. It could be that you simply prefer tactile switches to get some feedback upon key press.

I suggest trying Boba U4T (strong tactile) or Invokeys Blueberry Chiffon (gentle tactile), or if you want to try another linear check out the Gateron Milky Yellow Pro.

GideonD t1_j6ow1uc wrote on January 31, 2023 at 9:23 PM

I just rebuilt an old Tecware Phantom with Akko Lavenders and they are amazing for the price. I also have a second Phantom rebuilt with Akko Yellow Creams and they sound phenomenal. However, I hate the typing experience on them. They feel fine, but my accuracy is terrible on linear switches. The Lavenders are a lot more clack than thock, but I am much more accurate on them.

On a side note, take that old Logitech with the Cherry Blues and do a quick mod on it. I have an old Cooler Master with MX Blues. I syringe lubed the switches with Superlube, tape moded the back of the board, lubed the stabilizers, and popped some thicker PBT caps on it. The change is massive. It sounds and feels better than a similar board I have with MX brown switches in it. I intend to do the same mods to that board and see what I end up with.

I also intend to try on the Gazzew switches at some point. I think I'll prefer the U4T though as the U4s are silent, and lack any real thock, which is something I prefer. Finding them in stock is always the problem.