Hey everyone!

I’ve been looking to downsize my keyboard from the Huntsman Elite to a Huntsman Mini. I used prefer the clicky optical (purple) switches, but I am in love with my friend’s optical analog switches on his huntsman and I am ready to make the change! I noticed the Huntsman V3 Pro Mini comes standard with the Gen-2 switches and original Huntsman Mini has an “analog version” with the Gen-1 switches. Currently, the V3 Pro Mini is listed for $179.99 and the original Mini Analog is listed for $79.99 (on discount from $149.99).

My major questions before purchasing are…

1. What are the differences between the Optical Analog Gen-1 Switches and the Optical Analog Gen-2 Switches?

2. Is the difference large enough to justify the current $100 difference between the Huntsman V3 Pro Mini and the Huntsman Mini Analog?

3. Are there any other notable differences between the two keyboards beyond the Gen-1 to Gen-2 switch upgrade?

I’ve looked around the internet and couldn’t find much help on this topic. Thank you for reading and replying! Have a good day :)

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.

I've heard optical and Hall Effect linear switches are extremely smooth due to their contactless designs. Unfortunately, I haven't tried either.

How do opticals compare to Hall Effects? Thoughts?