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Reddit
reddit.com › r/keyboards › finally diving into good keyboards, he vs magnetic vs optical?
r/keyboards on Reddit: Finally diving into good keyboards, HE VS Magnetic VS Optical?
September 23, 2024 -

After going fairly deep down the rabbit hole, I’ve decided I definitely want the ability to adjust actuation points and use null binds or snappy tappy. I grew up on gaming laptops and have always used membrane keyboards out of familiarity. I gamed on my brothers mechanical keyboard and loved it, now I need my own.

From my research, it looks like magnetic and Hall effect is the same thing? Is this correct?

Are there any advantages or disadvantages for optical vs HE? Latency, battery life, polling frequency?

And last but not least, any recommendations on a Hall effect or optical keyboard outside of the usual huntsmans and wootings? If I can save money compared to these options that would be great, but I’m also willing to spend the money if it’s worth not going for a budget option.

Thanks in advance! I’m a noob looking to possibly go enthusiast in the future, I love hobbies that are intricate and this certainly seems like a hobby with a nice deep rabbit hole to go down especially once you get into group buy exclusive territory. For now I just want to get a good optical/HE keyboard, hot swappability would be great for future use but not necessary at the moment. Thank you!

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/keyboards › magnetic vs. optical keyboards
Magnetic vs. Optical Keyboards : r/keyboards
June 27, 2025 - Optical tech is a dead end, get magnetic. Keep in mind that the switches are not interchangeable with other magnetic boards, every manfufacturer more or less has their own standard, like low profile switches.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/mechanicalkeyboards › crazy idea for an opposing magnet optical switch
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: Crazy idea for an opposing magnet optical switch
January 22, 2019 -

So I've been really interested in how the newer optical keyboard switches work, especially the ones made by Gateron. The simplicity is honestly pretty impressive, just a piece of plastic that gets shoved in front of a laser. In the case of a linear optical switch, the only moving parts are the stem itself and the spring which makes it much easier to reduce noise and any kind of friction. But what if that could be reduced even farther?

There is a long history of magnets being used to both push and pull the levers of different kinds of industrial switches. It's simple, reliable and mechanical in all the best ways. With all of this in mind, I wonder how feasible it would be to replace the spring in an optical switch with two small opposing magnets. In my mind you would only need one at the base of the switch and another at the top of the stem near the post for the keycap. It would clearly make zero spring noise and would also be predictable in how progressive the weight of the keypress is. You could in theory make a switch that is ridiculously smooth while also being as easy or difficult to bottom out as you would like.

I would love to find out that this has already been done but I couldn't find anything. Thoughts? Does this sound feasible or am I missing something? I think it could be a fun project for someone with a decent 3D printer

Edit: I should have specified that it would eliminate spring noise, not all noise

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/mousereview › optical switches are useless imo
Optical switches are useless IMO : r/MouseReview
February 11, 2023 - The good thing is optical are hotswappable but they’re saying that there’s not many optical switch options so you’re kind of stuck at the moment. ... Right now you have LK opticals, like the ones used in bloody and cooler master mice. You have razer v1, V2, and V2. However I've only really seen V2 for sale on their own. Razer and above can be swapped out by hand no problem. Then you have the proprietary ones, like steelseries with the magnetic optical on the prime, and roccat with their Titan optical like in the kone pro air.
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XDA Developers
xda-developers.com › home › keyboards & mice › mechanical, magnetic, or optical: which keyboard switch should you choose?
Mechanical vs magnetic vs optical switches
December 17, 2024 - Let's start by breaking down the physical differences between mechanical, magnetic, and optical switches. As the name suggests, a mechanical switch relies on physical contact between its internal components to register a keypress.
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Quora
quora.com › Which-keyboard-switches-are-best-mechanical-like-Cherry-MX-optical-like-Light-Strike-or-magnetic-like-OmniPoint
Which keyboard switches are best, mechanical (like Cherry MX), optical (like Light Strike), or magnetic (like OmniPoint)? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): Define “best”. For most people, that means the one they’re used to. Personally I think they’re all about the same. When I got my first computer the key switches were about 2 inches long and contained a reed switch and a magnet. Now they’re less than a sixteenth thick and consist ...
Find elsewhere
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ATTACK SHARK
attackshark.com › home › blogs › blogs
Hall Effect vs. Optical Switches: Which is the Future of Gaming?
September 17, 2025 - Optical switches use light, but a Hall Effect switches gaming keyboard uses magnets. This idea has been around for a while, but using it in keyboards for everyone to buy is new and exciting.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/keyboards › what magnetic switches should i get
r/keyboards on Reddit: What magnetic switches should I get
May 27, 2025 -

I’m thinking about buying the Akko mod007 year of the dragon and I can only get them with the Astro link magnetic switches. The keyboard is only hotswappable with other magnetic switches and I really don’t know much about them so I was wondering what switches I should get if I should even swap them, or get the keyboard at all. (My previous board had black ink v2s so Im looking for a switch with a similar sound profile if at all possible)

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PC Gamer
pcgamer.com › hardware › gaming keyboards
Razer claims optical gaming keyboards are more precise than Hall effect ones because magnets are 'hard to control' | PC Gamer
August 14, 2025 - Tan explains: "Magnets are a little ... switches. Optical switches, on the other hand, are apparently easier to keep consistent because you can precisely control the amount of light that goes through each switch....
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/keyboards › what do you prefer magnetic or mechanical keyboards? for small busines
r/keyboards on Reddit: What do you prefer magnetic or mechanical keyboards? for small busines
October 27, 2025 -

Hey everyone! I’m planning to start selling keyboards soon and I’m trying to figure out what people actually prefer magnetic or mechanical keyboards

For those of you who use keyboards daily (whether for gaming, work, or general use): • Which type do you like more and why? • Would you be willing to pay extra for magnetic switches, or do you prefer the classic mechanical feel? • Any specific brands or features you always look for (like RGB, hot-swap, wireless, etc.)?

I’d really appreciate your input it’ll help me stock products that match what people actually want. Thanks! 🙏

Top answer
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Magnetic. There's no real downsides to magnetic keyboards aside from having little to no clicky options.
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Mechanical have been around a long time (long enough for Cherry's patents to expire). Various other styles of switch have come and gone. Optical offered low latency, the same as magnetic, but it has largely fallen by the wayside. Later developments of optical use wedge shapes to block more or less of the beam, offering the same 'analogue' adjustment as magnetic, yet only Razer really make them now. Magnetic is the new hotness at the moment, but it's hard to foresee if it'll last. Hall Effect magnetics are starting to see rivalry from TMR magnetic switches, because HE uses a lot of power, making it more difficult to fit them to wireless keyboards. A lot of people don't realise that Hall Effect keyboards are on their second time around (being originally used in 1970s keyboards). The big downside to magnetic switches is the lack of standardisation. They use a Cherry MX stem, so they're compatible with most keycaps, but the base mounting is different and different brands are largely non-interchangeable. If you get an HE board, you can't swap for TMR switches. And if it has Gateron HE switches, you probably can't swap them for Kailh HE switches. It was the same with optical too - if you bought a Keychron optical, you couldn't swap the switches for anything other than Keychron opticals. This is an especial problem with Razer as you can't buy Razer optical switches separately, so if a switch fails, you're screwed. Hotswap is a feature that is here to stay though. Although some enthusiasts prefer to solder their switches, they're a small minority. For most users, being able to change out switches is a very handy feature, whether they realise it at the time of purchase or not. Technically, magnetic and optical switches are hotswap (because there's nothing to solder), but that lack of interchangeability means they're not really. It's probably worth selling magnetic keyboards because so many people seem convinced that a magnetic keyboard with 8,000Hz polling will make them better at games (it won't). You just need to see the amount of posts on here every day looking for a new keyboard to see how prevalent the magnetic ideation is in the minds of even casual users. For a long time, if you wanted a good keyboard, you were reduced to brands like Filco, Ducky and Leopold. They all make good keyboards, but they're a little behind on features like hotswap and they cost quite a lot. And then came the cheap Chinese sellers, who offered a ton of features for very little money. Whereas before you needed to spend $150-$200 to get a good keyboard, now you can realistically pay $30-$50 for the same level of board. Where there's a definite selling niche is in being able to identify (and stock) which of the Chinese brands are genuinely good. Attack Shark, for instance, made a name for themselves by being one of the first to offer cheap magnetic keyboards. People were buying them before they realised they weren't terribly good. Magnetic (and optical) keyboards are reliant on software to be able to function. Many of the cheap sellers stick together minimally-viable software and never update it. That's why there's some sense in buying big brand keyboards, which are otherwise over-priced. If you can be selling locally-shipped (ie no tariffs) Chinese keyboards, there's a definite niche there. RGB and wireless are more of a personal choice. There's no harm in selling RGB when it can be turned off. You need to watch out for fake-RGB though - keyboards that have 'rainbow' LED lighting, but you can't actually change the colours (that tends to be a cheap board thing). Keychron have done very well by offering versions of every keyboard with every feature - and local shipping, with local websites. If you're planning on selling 'mail order', that's fine. If you actually plan on having a physical storefront, that is something that people are often keen on, because they don't really know what they want and would like to try keyboards before buying.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/ergomechkeyboards › alternative switch technologies? optical, hall effect, induction, tmr
r/ErgoMechKeyboards on Reddit: Alternative Switch Technologies? Optical, Hall Effect, Induction, TMR
October 20, 2024 -

I'm down a bit of a rabbit hole on alternative switch technologies. Mostly out of curiosity, but I'd entertain a build with them if not excessively complicated. It seems like none of the alternatives are really used in the enthusiast "build it yourself" space as it looks like all of them require significant PCB/software design integration.

Optical, Razer seems like the most prominent example. Do you know of any DIY examples?

Hall effect seem to be growing in popularity, and there may be a few semi-DIY examples from Wooting, Keychron, etc. Again, are there any true build it yourself kits?

What about induction? I saw the Cherry MX multipoint series use this tech, and some news about a Ducky One X keyboard using it that I can't actually seem to find any further real info on. Looks like it requires significant PCB design integration though for induction coils under the switches.

Finally Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR). I've seen some news about this technology in game console controllers as an alternative to hall effect, mainly to combat stick drift, but couldn't find anything from a quick search as far as key switches go.

Thanks for entertaining my trip down this rabbit hole.

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/mousereview › questions about optical magnetic switches
r/MouseReview on Reddit: Questions About Optical Magnetic Switches
November 18, 2020 -

I've been getting tired of mice that develop double-click issues, and most of the mice that have optical switches are razer, which I do not want to buy.

I heard some talk about optical magnetic switches.

Are there any downsides to these?

Are there any wireless mice that have these switches that are worth buying?

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MakeUseOf
makeuseof.com › home › technology explained › hall effect vs. optical: what mechanical keyboard switches should you choose?
Hall Effect vs. Optical: What Mechanical Keyboard Switches Should You Choose?
May 12, 2023 - While we've already compared optical and mechanical switches, hall effect switches are completely different. Both switches feature a contactless design and share many advantages and disadvantages. That said, they're completely different under the hood. Much like Hall effect joysticks used in controllers, these switches use magnets at the bottom of the switch stem, which triggers the Hall effect sensor on the PCB to activate the switch.
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MelGeek
melgeek.com › blogs › melgeek-lab › are-magnetic-switches-keyboards-worth-buying
Are Magnetic Switches Keyboards Worth Buying? – MelGeek
October 19, 2025 - Unlike traditional mechanical switches that rely on physical contact or optical switches that use a beam of light, magnetic switches use a magnet inside the key stem and a Hall sensor on the PCB.
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GravaStar
gravastar.com › home › learn › learn
Magnetic vs Mechanical Keyboard I Switch Keyboards Compared
April 20, 2025 - Optical switches use infrared light to detect input, which makes them fast and contactless. They respond quicker than mechanical switches but lack the depth control of magnetic ones and offer limited tactile variety or customization.
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H|ard|Forum
hardforum.com › [h]ard|ware › mice and keyboards
Mechanical keyboards are dead? Magnetic keyboards? | [H]ard|Forum
November 18, 2024 - <sarcasm intended> ... I did the research now. They're the same in that they don't have any physical metal touching and wearing down. But Hall Effect (aka magnetic) can tell how far the key is pressed which means each key is esssentially analog and gives a 0-100% percent of how far it is being ...