New Choc Switches Have Arrived!

I have been really enjoying the Choc Red switches that shipped with my ZSA Voyager keyboard . I was however curious how a lighter-weight switch might feel. I was considering ordering some Pro Red 35g linear switches, but then I heard about the Kailh Ambients line of silent linear switches and decided to give the Twilight 35g switches a try. On ordering them from a local vendor, they arrived a few days later, and on my Voyager keyboard I swapped out the Choc Reds for the Ambients Twilights.

They do have a lovely feel with the soft cushioning/damping at the end of the switch’s travel, although when typing with them I felt my error rate creeping up. I found that with the soft feel of the switches, I was pressing them a bit more slowly and hesitantly, which was causing false activations on my layer-tap and mod-tap keys. So, I need to be a bit more diligent about “tapping” rather than “pressing” the keys. I also have not had a lot of time for focused typing practice lately due to a slightly hectic schedule at work this time of year, and I’ve seen my typing speed drop off a bit. I’m sure it won’t take long to get back to my previous speed.

I decided to populate my Corne 6×3 keyboard with the Choc Reds I removed from my Voyager. I removed the Choc Browns, inserted the Choc Reds and replaced the keycaps.

In the Corne the Choc Reds don’t feel quite as nice as when they were in the Voyager — I put this down to the more solid construction of the Voyager. However, the Choc Reds in the Corne feel much better than the Choc Browns they replaced, with less effort required (50g vs 60g, and no scratchy “tactile bump” such as it is in the low profile Choc switches).

In my Corne 5×3 keyboard, I still have the Choc Brown switches that the keyboard shipped with.

I think I’ll eventually swap them out for some spare Choc Red switches that I ordered, but for now I’ll leave the Choc Browns in place so I have a baseline point of comparison.