There’s a good reason why Gateron Yellows are always called the best budget switches. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another as smooth and poppy at this price range.
Frequently Asked Questions
Materials:
- Top Housing: PC / Nylon Mix
- Bottom Housing: Nylon
- Stem: POM
Spring:
- Length: 15mm (Slightly longer than the average 14mm)
- Actuation: ~50g
- Bottom-out: ~60g
Misc:
- Manufacturer: Gateron
- Factory Lube: None
- Pins: 5
- Pre-travel: 2mm
- Total travel: 4mm
We tested a number of lubed and filmed Gateron Yellow switches and ranked them according to our preferences:
-
KS-3X47 (Milky Top, Black Bottom) - Thockiest
-
KS-3 (Black Top, Black Bottom) - Smoothest
-
KS-3X1 (Milky Top, Milky Bottom) - Scratchiest
-
KS-8 (Clear Top, Black Bottom) - Meh-est
KS-9 (Clear Top, White Bottom) was not tested.
Yes, we highly recommend lubing these switches to remove their stock scratchiness. We found using Krytox 205g0, or a lube of similar viscosity, to provide the best feel and sound.