BLACK INK SWITCHES FULL
BLACK INK SWITCHES PC

Upon applying lube and film, I began to realize exactly why this switch is such a favorite in the community as the out-of-the-box issues started to melt away. They are extremely smooth and produce a nice bassy sound on impact.īefore applying lube and switch film to the batch of Inks, the switches felt a bit scratchy and I was a little disappointed by how much they seemed to wobble. While being a bit on the pricier side compared to their normal switches, the Gateron Ink Black switches perform very well.

BLACK INK SWITCHES FULL

With a full aluminum keyboard and all of the switch mods, lets see just how well these Gateron Ink switches perform. I ended up lubing, filming, and installing them into the KBD75 custom build. Once lubed and filmed, there aren’t many linears that can match the smoothness and soft feel.Gateron Ink Black switches have been a favorite in the community for quite a while now, so I decided to test the switches out. So to summarise, the Black Inks offer a premium experience and I think they’re well worth the price tag. To me the Black Inks have a lower pitched sound, but you have to listen very attentively to hear the difference. However once these switches are lubed the difference is much less pronounced, and the sound is also very similar. The Black Inks are superior in terms of smoothness and sound, which is to be expected considering the price. If you’re wondering how these shape up against the more budget-friendly Gateron Yellows, there is definitely a perceptible difference when we look at the stock performance.

BLACK INK SWITCHES PC

Black Inks feel equally good on metal and polycarbonate plates, while I feel that NK Creams are more suitable on PC as it softens the bottom out. I also enjoyed the softer bottom out feel in comparison to something like NK Creams. No linear switch I’ve tried to date matches the smoothness! The smoky housing offers a satisfyingly bassy and thocky sound. I was absolutely blown away by the Black Inks after the mod, and they felt incredibly smooth. On a side note, these Durock springs were quite pingy, so I just lubed the tips of the springs on both ends. Finally I did a spring swap with the Durock 63.5g gold plated springs, and the only reason for this was to make the switches lighter, as the 70g stock springs are too heavy for me. There is a fair bit of stem wobble on the East-West line, but it didn’t have a noticeable impact on the overall experience. Luckily I still had some of my 0.15mm PC films from a previous mod, so I just used those. The housing on the Black Ink is pretty tight, but nonetheless I feel that it’s worthwhile throwing some films on here. As always, be careful of overlubing with the thicker Grade 2. I only had Grade 2 on hand, but I’ve always been satisfied with the results so I don’t see it as a compromise at all. I’d recommend using Krytox Grade 0 or TriboSys 3204. Modding the switchesĪlthough the stock performance is reasonable, Gateron Black Inks really start to shine once modded. The ping noise can easily be eliminated with lube.

I didn’t pick up any spring crunch, but there is some marginal metal ping which isn’t uncommon for a Gateron switch.

This should improve once the switches are broken in. There is some minor scratchiness and I felt a small scrape at the bottom of the press. The stock performance was pretty good, especially in comparison to the Creams I reviewed recently. You can get these switches for $52.50 per 70-pack on NovelKeys, which amounts to 75 cents per switch. We have a bottom out of 70g with a total travel of 4mm. The Black Ink v2 features a custom housing material, and I couldn’t find much information other than it being a new type of plastic. These really are fantastic looking switches, and although it isn’t the most important feature, a good-looking switch enhances the overall experience. The Black Ink has that characteristic translucent smoky housing and the spring is coated black to match the housing aesthetic and reduce metal ping. This was an issue that plagued the original version, and in extreme cases they would actually fall out of the switch. The v2 version features a new housing that helps to keep the contact leaves secure. ran a group buy on these a while ago which I missed, but luckily they had some extra stock.

This is a highly regarded linear switch due to its smoothness and thocky sound. Today we’re looking at the Gateron Black Ink v2. The Black Inks offer a premium experience and I think they’re well worth the price tag

Black ink switches