Low profile key switches have the obvious advantage of being smaller than MX switches…but the problem is that silent options, especially if you’re into tactile switches, are seemingly nonexistent unless I’m missing anything?
AFAIK, you are not missing anything, although there is some work being done by lowprokb.ca (toward a silent linear choc switch, then maybe later a tactile one).
Also there exist (somewhat tedious) mods to make choc switches silent: tape mod and its variant with dental floss.
100% - can confirm very very tedious. I taped, lubed, and removed the stabilizer bar on a set of choc red and blacks - they are much much much quieter and smoother. They still have bottom out noise but may not be possible to totally mitigate without bumpers like in mx silent stems.
A good silent tactile low profile switch is the holy grail for many. Something like a low pro boba u4 would be incredible.
Tape mod plus oring mod can get you close to silent, but the feel isn’t great - too mushy for me. I haven’t tried that with sunsets though, might be better.
Did you try Choc linears? Even though I’d still like to try Sunsets, I think tactility is far less useful for low-profile switches. Click/tactility was originally added to MX switches to make it possible to type without bottoming out. But typical MX switches that actuate at 2mm still have 2mm post-actuation travel.
In real-world measurements, the overall travel of Choc switches is 2.8/2.9mm [1]. A typical Choc switch actuates at 1.5 to 2mm, so there is very little post-actuation travel. So if you add a perceptible tactile bump, it’s unlikely that you can type without bottoming out and the effect might be that you slam harder into bottoming out.
I think with low-profile switches, it’s better to accept that you are probably going to bottom out and get switches with a lower spring weight so that you bottom out with less force. Otherwise you’ll get an Apple Magic Keyboard - the steep tactile bump makes you crash into the wall at high speed.
I’m using the Kailh choc sunsets. They’re not totally silent, but imo they’re not louder than like mx browns. The sunsets are the best I’ve tried so far for quiet tactile lowpro switches.
This. As someone else mentioned, lowprokb.ca is currently working on a silent choc switch (called “ambients”, I think)
Oh sweet! I’ll have to keep an eye out for those.
I have one board with Choc Sunsets (tactiles), one with Choc Pro Reds (35g linears), and one with Choc Purps (25g linear).
Out of the box, the sunsets were way too aggressive for me, but I lubed them with 205 including the tactile bump and that mellowed them out and quieted them down.
The Purps are too light and kinda rattly, didn’t care for them.
The Pro Reds are my favorite. I lubed them with 205 and they feel and sound good.
I also laser cut a small pad from thin silicone that sits between the keycap and the stem, and which cushions and silences the bottom out. On a choc switch the keycap bottoms out against the top housing, rather than the stem hitting the bottom of the housing, so you can put a film or something under the keycap.
With those silicone bumpers and 205 lube the Pro Reds are nearly silent, and the Sunsets are pretty quiet too.
I just ordered some more PCBs, on the next board I may try pro reds on the homerow and purps on the other rows and see how that feels.
I am on choc sunsets and for tacticale are much better than choc browns (too heavy), and silent enough for office use
Haven’t tried linears though ans would bw interesting in hearing opinions, specially on the lifht wnd (20 and 35 grams)