I have a k3v2 keyboard, and I lost 4 switches spilling coffee over them.
I tried searching in aliexpress, and didn't find an option to replace those switches.
Can someone help? Thanks!
Update:
seems k3v2 only supports Keychron official switches...
I found to buy it at: https://www.keychron.com/collections/low-profile-switches/products/low-profile-keychron-optical-switch-set-87-pcs?variant=32264204419161
Can you clarify? Like you actually lost the switches or they don't work? If the keys themselves don't register input, replacing the switches wont do anything. All the optical switches do is interrupt/block an IR LED on the PCB from a sensor; there is no electrical component to the actual switch.
Depends on which you got. If you got the optical version, then you need the optical switches, otherwise any mechanic low profile gateron switch should work.
Hi guys! First of all, excuse me if this post is not 100% clear, English is not my main langage but I will do my best.
I am about to buy a Keychrone K3 V2 and I am not sure what switches to buy. I have a few questions to ask you to make sure I make the right choice.
Some people are saying that the brown optical switches are a bit too senssible. Is it stille the case? As it been fixed on the V2? Is it really different with blue and red?
Witch Optical switches are the loudest? Witch optical switches are the quietest?
How does Optical switches noise level compares to the Gateron/Mx switches?
I will mostly use it for typing at work but I will also play some videogames, mostly Starcraft and RTSs
I owned a Cherry Max Blue keyboard witch I loved but now with kids, it is too loud and can't use it. I have a Gateron Brown keyboard right now but I'm not loving it as much as the blue...
So, knowing that, witch switches would you recommand me?
Thanks a lot!
I had my K5 SE with optical banana switches delivered today. I've got an Epomaker SK64 with Gateron Optical browns and also used a cheap brand mechanical with blue switches for around a year.
The optical bananas are far quieter than the Gateron Browns which are again quieter than the blues (which my partner now uses).
I can't comment for sure about the browns being too sensitive but I believe it has been fixed with later revisions. If you like brown/tactile switches though I'd consider the bananas or mints - I'm enjoying the bananas so far.
I would expect reds to be quietest and blue/orange loudest but, like I say, the bananas are quieter than full profile browns switches so I expect they will all be a bit quieter than what you are used to.
There's a couple videos on YouTube with comparisons of the switches - I think one might be with a K7 though.
Hope that somewhat helps!
So far, I have bought their reds, blacks, browns, yellows, and mints. The first two are linear switches, and the rest of the five are tactile.
The linear switches, red, black, (and white), to my fingers feel like typing on thick silicon foam. The springs feel eerily strong and the feedback is really bouncy. Among these three, the black is the heaviest as it requires a lot of force to press and actuate, and the white is the lightest one.
The tactile switches, brown, yellow, and mint, on the other hand, feel less bouncy and less tiring. I can’t speak for the sensitivity issues since I’m not sure if I have experienced the more sensitive ones, but the ones came with my K3V2 and the ones I bought for my K5SE are fine. The brown switches are your normal tactile, a slightly heavier travel before the bump and then straight to the actuation point. The yellow and mint switches have less travel before the bump so it may feel less noticeable to you, and the mint is heavier than the yellow. Even though the brown and the yellow switches have a heavier rated actuation force(57g) than even the blacks(50g), since the force only peaks at the bump they feel less tiring overall.
I didn’t buy any of their clicky switches, blue and orange, since I just don’t prefer any audible clicks. But if you want loud switches these might be what you are looking for.
Though I have to say, if you are used to normal profile switches, you may find yourself bottoming out these low profile switches more often in the first few days. The linear and the tactile switches themselves are not audible, but they do clack when you bottom out and hit the top plate. They may seem louder at first since the Keychron boards have aluminum top plate and are generally stiffer. Once you are more accustomed to the shorter travels on the switches there will be less noise.
Hi! I have a K3v2 with hotswappable optical switches. I was wondering if it was possible to replace them with MECHANICAL switches if I buy them on the Keychron website. Thank you for your help!
I am so confused. I ordered a keychron k3, but when it came in it was a little different than advertised. And for the better. The switches looked a bit different, with an orange base, and the feet were adjustable. The website advertised the weird rubber slide-ins, but I was welcomed with something better. Does anyone know why they don't just advertise this? I think it is only available for browns at the moment, as that was the one I got. (white backlight, optical brown) See picture. Please don't mind my android quality camera.
I think it’s really cool that they started putting adjustable feet on the K3; I saw a new comment on an older YouTube video about how someone got one like yours today, too (unless you’re the same dude?). I just ordered one this evening and hope I got the adjustable feet too (though I ordered one with optical reds and a bag of blue switches just in case).
I got mine a couple of months ago and I got the "old" version (optical black). My guess is that they'll update the pictures one their site once all the stock- and in-production of the old version are sold. Better to advertise old version and send a new-and-improved version, than someone expecting the new version and ending up getting the old one, IMO.
Either way, good on ya for getting the new version!
Hey all - when I was purchasing my keyboard this was the review I wanted and couldn’t find; so I’ve decided I will be the “one” that “me” needed.
I purchased all variations of the Keychron K3 as I wanted a low profile, Bluetooth, mechanical keyboard. Keychron has a stellar reputation for those who want mech keyboards but aren’t just ready to transition down the rabbit hole of custom boards…yet. These switches follow the regular “colors” of switch groups but they’re optical which prove to be quite a difference…
Overall - all of these feel a little…mushy. I don’t know whether that’s due to them being optical, low profile, or both. I’ll add to this review when the next batch of keyboards (the non optical switches) comes in next week. I love the slim profile so if it’s due to them being low profile I may have to give up my hopes of a good wireless low profile mech keyboard and just go back to my custom one.
Sound test - https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/s4rllz/keychron_low_profile_optical_mechanical_switch/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Optical: white, orange, bananas, and mint to come soon
Red - linear - I dislike low profile linear. I ordered this one just to see what it would feel like, and it’s pretty much what I expected. The sound is pretty really nice but the feel is as if you were pressing down on a spring. This is mostly due to it being low profile + linear and not having much travel space. I have durock linears in my custom board; I prefer those over these. I would not trust YouTube videos of sound. They sound vastly different in person than they do recorded.
Blue - clicky - these felt really good. The click is a bit high pitched for me and of the three this is the only one that had a loud pinging sound. I think you could get rid of it with foam or a tape mod but the low profile board could make that quite difficult.
Brown - tactile - these were nice but the tactile bump is barely there. I read some other reviews saying the same thing - but wanted to feel for myself. I usually don’t hate browns that much but these are just a little too mushy for my taste.
Gateron:
Red - didn’t try this one because it wasn’t in stock when I checked. I would imagine it’s better than optical but is still low profile linear nonetheless.
Blue - these are LOUD. They make the optical ones sound quiet af. The feel is good and I could like them - but def not my first choice for work as they’re very loud and deep for blue switches. They’re thocky but also…not? In sound - these sound the most like their non-linear counterparts.
Brown - these are my favorite. I like these more than optical 100% and will be using this one as my main driver. I also noticed these keycaps are different. They’re smoother plastic not so much the soft-touch that the others have - and it seems to hold up against shine better. Not great but better than the other two.
I am pretty new to the mechanical keyboard world and I bought a k3 v2 on Ebay. It was advertised to have gateron browns but came with reds... I bought a set of Gateron Brown Low-Profile switches on Amazon but the don't seem to be compatible... There are 2 pins on the brown switches that the reds do not have. Any advice?