Bestseller
Tactile
- force
- 45 gf
- travel
- 4.0 mm
- sound
- Poppy
POM stem · 67 gf bump
from$6
In stock · ships in 1–2 business days
switch lab
keyboard switches(18)
The switch is the part of a keyboard you actually touch. Choose the feel — linear, tactile, clicky, silent or magnetic — the weight and the sound, then buy exactly as many as your board needs: packs of 10 to 110, from $5.
- Switches
- 1613 MX · 3 magnetic
- Pack prices
- $5–$55by quantity
- Pack sizes
- 10–110switches a pack
- Per switch
- $0.35from, in full packs
Ember Linear · 45 gf · pulled apart
- top housing
- PC, clear
- stem
- POM
- spring
- 22 mm single-stage
- bottom housing
- nylon · 5-pin
0-01catalogue
Every switch we make(18)
Filter by feel, fit, force and sound. Priced by the pack: larger packs bring the price per switch down to as little as $0.35.
3 of 18 products
sort
- $0.41/switch in 110s
Tactile- force
- 45 gf
- travel
- 4.0 mm
- sound
- Thocky
POM stem · 55 gf bump
$0.35/switch in 110sfrom$5In stock · ships in 1–2 business days
Tactile- force
- 60 gf
- travel
- 3.8 mm
- sound
- Thocky
POM stem · 78 gf bump
$0.50/switch in 110sfrom$7In stock · ships in 1–2 business days
0-02types
Linear, tactile or clicky?(6)
What each kind of switch feels and sounds like, who it suits, and the force curve of one of ours: force over travel, the ring where the key registers.
0-01Linear
6 switches0 mmtravel4.0 mmEmber Linear: registers at 2.0 mm with 45 gf. Linear
Straight down and back up with no bump — the smoothest, most consistent stroke.
- Feel
- The spring’s force rises evenly from the first millimetre to the bottom. Nothing interrupts the stroke, so every press feels the same.
- Sound
- Set almost entirely by the plastics: nylon reads deep, polycarbonate bright and poppy, full POM soft and creamy.
- Inside
- The stem’s legs are straight, so the metal contact leaf slides along them without resistance: the spring is the only thing you feel.
- Good for
- Fast games and repeated taps
- Smooth typing if you bottom out anyway
- Your first custom build
- Heavy hands, with a heavier spring
- Think twice if
- You want to feel the moment a key registers — a linear gives no signal until it bottoms out.
0-02Tactile
3 switches0 mmtravel4.0 mmCrest Tactile: 67 gf bump at 0.4 mm, registers at 2.0 mm with 45 gf. Tactile
A bump partway down tells your finger the key is about to register.
- Feel
- Resistance climbs to a peak at the bump, then drops away, and your finger’s momentum carries the press through actuation. A tall bump near the top feels sharp; a lower, rounded one feels smooth.
- Sound
- No click — the bump is felt, not heard. The housing plastics set the tone, as on a linear.
- Inside
- A bump shaped into the stem’s legs has to push past the metal contact leaf. Its height sets how strong the bump feels, its position how early.
- Good for
- Long typing sessions
- Light typists who stop before bottoming out
- Mixed typing and gaming
- Anyone who wants each press confirmed
- Think twice if
- You mostly play games built on rapid repeated taps — the bump adds effort to every press.
0-03Clicky
2 switches0 mmtravel4.0 mmSpark Clicky: 60 gf click at 1.6 mm, registers at 2.0 mm with 50 gf. Clicky
A bump plus an audible click right before the key registers.
- Feel
- A snappy, well-defined bump. The click lands at the same point on every press, so you hear each keystroke go through.
- Sound
- Loud and high-pitched — satisfying on your own, obvious to everyone else in the room and on an open microphone.
- Inside
- Our clicky switches use a click bar: a thin steel bar in the housing that the stem snaps past. It is crisper and more consistent than the plastic click jacket of a classic blue switch.
- Good for
- Typists who love feedback
- A board used on its own
- Learning a lighter touch: the click tells you when you can stop
- Think twice if
- You share a room, stream or take calls with an open mic, or type at night.
0-04Silent linear
1 switch0 mmtravel3.7 mmHush Silent Linear: registers at 1.9 mm with 45 gf. Silent linear
A linear with dampeners at both ends of the stroke — soft and near-silent.
- Feel
- Smooth like a linear, with a cushioned bottom-out and a soft return. The dampeners take a few tenths of a millimetre off the travel.
- Sound
- A muted thud — no clack at the bottom, no tick on the way back up.
- Inside
- Soft dampeners on the stem cushion the two loudest moments of a press: hitting the bottom and springing back to the top.
- Good for
- Offices and shared spaces
- Late-night gaming
- Calls, streams and recording
- Think twice if
- You want a crisp, hard bottom-out — dampeners trade some sharpness for quiet.
0-05Silent tactile
1 switch0 mmtravel3.6 mmMute Silent Tactile: 62 gf bump at 0.8 mm, registers at 1.9 mm with 50 gf. Silent tactile
The bump of a tactile with the quiet of a silent switch.
- Feel
- A rounded bump, a cushioned bottom-out and a soft return.
- Sound
- Very quiet — a soft tap at most.
- Inside
- The dampeners of a silent linear on a stem with tactile legs.
- Good for
- Typing in shared spaces
- Feedback without noise
- Open-plan offices and late nights
- Think twice if
- You want the sharpest possible bump — the dampening rounds it off slightly.
0-06Magnetic (HE)
3 switches0 mmtravel4.0 mmMagnet HE Linear: registers at 2.0 mm with 45 gf (adjustable 0.1–4 mm). Magnetic (HE)
A magnet and a sensor instead of metal contacts — the actuation point is yours to set.
- Feel
- Linear, with an actuation point you set from 0.1 mm to 4.0 mm and Rapid Trigger on supported boards.
- Sound
- Like a linear of the same plastics — the sensor itself is silent.
- Inside
- A magnet in the stem moves toward a Hall-effect sensor on the board, which reads the distance continuously. Actuation and reset become settings instead of a fixed metal contact — and with no contacts, there is nothing to wear or bounce.
- Good for
- Competitive shooters
- Counter-strafing with Rapid Trigger
- Players who tune every key
- Think twice if
- Your keyboard is not a Hall-effect board — magnetic switches only work in HE keyboards, and MX switches don’t work in them.
0-03compare
Side by side(16)
Every figure from the spec sheet of each switch. Swipe sideways on a phone — the names stay put.
0-04how many
How many do I need?
One switch per key. Pick your keyboard and a switch; we work out the cheapest packs that cover it.
Your keyboard
Halo 65 HE68 keys · magnetic
Strata 7582 keys · MX
Flux TKL87 keys · MXAnother keyboard, by layout
60%6165%6875%84TKL87Full-size104
How many switches
one per keyevery key of Strata 75
The switch
13 fit mx-style hot-swap sockets/ Linear
Ember LinearOnyx LinearGhost LinearPearl LinearSilk SpeedInk Heavy Linear
/ Tactile
Crest TactileRidge TactileSummit Tactile
/ Clicky
Spark ClickyFlint Clicky
/ Silent linear
Hush Silent Linear
/ Silent tactile
Mute Silent Tactile
Ember Linear1×90 · 90 switches
$38
- 1 × pack of 90$38
- Switches
- 90 · 8 spare
- Per switch
- $0.42
Total$38
- Fits Strata 75 — 3- and 5-pin MX-style sockets.
Not sure yet? MX Switch Tester — all 13 for $9.
0-05testers
Try them first(2)
Real switches, not samples: press them side by side, or put them in your own board, before you fill it.
0-01MX-style tester
MX Switch Tester
Not sure between linear, tactile and clicky — or between light and heavy? The tester has one of each of our 13 MX-style switches, labelled, so you can press them side by side and pick the one to fill your board with.
Inside · 13 switches
- 13-switch testerLoose switches — the base in the photos is not includedDC-SW-MXT-LOOSE$9
- Tester + acrylic baseSwitches on the acrylic base, as in the photosDC-SW-MXT-BASE$16
0-02Magnetic HE tester
HE Switch Tester
Two of each of our 3 magnetic switches — enough to put each one on A and D, the keys you counter-strafe with, and feel the difference with Rapid Trigger on.
Inside · 3 switches × 2
- 6-switch HE testerDC-SW-HET-KIT$10
0-06what fits
Will it fit my keyboard?
Two families of switch, two kinds of socket. Every switch page says which one it is.
MX-style sockets
MX-style hot-swap
Sockets that let you pull and insert switches without soldering. Strata 75 and Flux TKL have MX-style hot-swap sockets; Halo 65 HE has magnetic (HE) hot-swap sockets — each takes only its own kind of switch.
- Strata 7582 switches3- and 5-pin MX-style socketsfull setfrom $32
- Flux TKL87 switches3- and 5-pin MX-style socketsfull setfrom $32
- Any other keyboard with MX-style hot-swap sockets takes them too.
Fits · 13 switches + tester
5-pin switches have two extra thin plastic legs that steady them in boards without a plate. Hot-swap boards with 5-pin holes take both kinds; for a 3-pin-only board, clip the two plastic legs off with flush cutters — never the metal pins.
show mx-style switchesMagnetic HE sockets
Magnetic Hall-effect
Magnetic switches read by a sensor. The board sees the key position continuously, which enables adjustable actuation and Rapid Trigger.
Fits · 3 switches + tester
We design and test them for Halo 65 HE. Magnetic switches aren’t standardised the way MX switches are: magnet strength, polarity and stem height differ between brands, and a board calibrated for one switch can misread another’s travel even when it fits the socket. Before fitting ours to another brand’s HE keyboard, check that board’s list of supported switches.
show magnetic he switches0-07questions
Before you buy(12)
Fit, pins, packs, returns and sound — the questions people ask us most.
One per key. A 60% board takes about 61, a 65% about 68, a 75% about 84, a TKL about 87 and a full-size about 104. Our own boards: Halo 65 HE takes 68, Strata 75 takes 82 and Flux TKL takes 87. The 70-switch pack fills a 60% or 65% board, the 90-switch pack a 75% or TKL and the 110-switch pack a full-size, with a few left over as spares. The 70-switch magnetic pack covers Halo 65 HE.
0-08glossary
Words worth knowing(28)
The terms on our spec sheets and in switch reviews, in plain words.
- Actuation point
- The depth at which a key registers. Most MX switches actuate about 2 mm down, speed switches sooner; on magnetic switches you set it yourself.
- Actuation force
- How hard you press before the key registers, in gram-force (gf). Around 35–45 gf is light, 50–55 gf medium, 60 gf and up heavy.
- Pre-travel
- How far the key moves before it registers. Shorter pre-travel means faster input — and a key that is easier to press by accident.
- Total travel
- How far the key moves until it bottoms out. 4 mm is standard; long poles, dampeners and speed stems shorten it.
- Bottom-out force
- The force at the very end of the stroke. The gap between actuation and bottom-out force tells you how much the spring firms up under a heavy press.
- Tactile peak
- The top of the bump on a tactile or clicky switch: the force it takes to get past it, and how far down it sits. A peak near the top feels sharp; one further down feels rounded.
- Spring weight
- The number a spring is sold by, such as a “62 g spring”. Makers use it for the bottom-out force or, less often, the actuation force, so two springs sold as 62 g can feel different. Our spec tables give both measured forces instead.
- Long spring
- A spring longer than the classic 15 mm or so, usually 20–22 mm. It sits more compressed at rest, so the press starts firmer and the force climbs more gently: a more even stroke for the same bottom-out weight.
- Two-stage spring
- A spring wound with two different coil spacings. The softer section compresses first and keeps the press light; near the bottom the firmer section takes over, catching heavy presses and pushing the key back up faster.
- Spring ping
- A metallic ring from the spring after a press, loudest on unlubed switches. A thin coat of lube on the spring removes it.
- Factory lubed
- Lubricated at the factory with a thin, even coat for a smoother stroke and no spring ping — nothing to do before you install the switches. Clicky switches are left dry so the click stays sharp.
- Stem
- The moving part with the cross on top that your keycap sits on. Its legs, pole and material decide much of how a switch feels.
- Stem wobble
- Side-to-side play of the stem in the top housing. Every MX switch has a little; tight tolerances keep it low. You notice it most as a rattle on tall keycaps.
- Long pole
- A stem with a longer centre pole that hits the bottom housing early: a shorter stroke and a sharper, louder, clackier bottom-out.
- Dampeners
- Soft pads on the stem that cushion the bottom-out, the return, or both. They make a switch near-silent and shorten its travel by a few tenths of a millimetre.
- Click bar vs click jacket
- Two ways to make a click. A click jacket is a plastic sleeve around the stem that snaps down partway through the press — the classic blue switch. A click bar is a thin steel bar in the housing that the stem snaps past: crisper, louder and more consistent. Our clicky switches use click bars.
- Polycarbonate (PC)
- A hard, rigid housing plastic, usually clear. Sounds bright and higher-pitched, and lets RGB light up the whole switch.
- Nylon
- A softer housing plastic than PC, usually opaque. It absorbs high frequencies, so switches with nylon housings sound deeper and fuller — the classic “thock”.
- POM
- Polyoxymethylene, a naturally slippery plastic. The usual material for smooth stems; as a housing it gives a soft, creamy sound. Full-POM switches get a little smoother still over the first weeks of use.
- UHMWPE
- Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, slipperier than POM. Used for stems where the lowest friction matters; it sounds slightly muted.
- PA12
- Polyamide 12, a nylon that absorbs less moisture than standard nylon, so parts keep their exact size in humid rooms. Sounds deep, like nylon.
- Thocky, clacky, poppy, creamy
- How switch sound is described. Thocky: deep and rounded. Clacky: bright and sharp. Poppy: a crisp, higher pop at the top and bottom of the press. Creamy: soft, smooth and muted.
- Chatter
- A faulty switch registering one press as two, or registering on its own. It is a manufacturing defect, not wear, and we replace switches that do it.
- 3-pin vs 5-pin
- 5-pin switches have two extra thin plastic legs that steady them in boards without a plate. Hot-swap boards with 5-pin holes take both kinds; for a 3-pin-only board, clip the two plastic legs off with flush cutters — never the metal pins.
- Hot-swap
- Sockets that let you pull and insert switches without soldering. Strata 75 and Flux TKL have MX-style hot-swap sockets; Halo 65 HE has magnetic (HE) hot-swap sockets — each takes only its own kind of switch.
- Switch puller
- A small wire tool that squeezes the two clips of a switch through the plate so it comes straight out. Our keyboards and larger switch packs include one.
- Hall-effect (HE)
- Magnetic switches read by a sensor. The board sees the key position continuously, which enables adjustable actuation and Rapid Trigger.
- Rapid Trigger
- An HE-board feature: a key resets the moment it starts rising and actuates again the moment it goes back down, instead of at fixed points. Faster repeated taps and counter-strafes.