A Detailed Review of the Gateron Smoothie Switch Series.
Gateron Smoothie Switch
Housing: The Gateron Smoothie Switch is constructed from full POM, providing the same high-quality, smooth typing experience as the other switches in the series. The material is both durable and smooth.Stem: The POM stem complements the housing, contributing to a consistent typing feel and longevity.Light Guide Pole: The detachable light guide pole improves the RGB lighting by providing brighter and more even illumination, ensuring the switch's visual appeal is on par with the other models.
Sound:
Balanced: The original Smoothie Switch offers a balanced sound profile. It is quieter than clicky switches but provides a soft, pleasant thock that is not overly pronounced.Smooth and Low-pitched: The sound is smooth and lower in pitch compared to the Silver variant, creating a balanced auditory experience.
Feel:
Smooth and Even: This switch delivers a smooth and even keystroke, thanks to the full POM material. The typing experience is consistently fluid without any friction or roughness.Medium Actuation Force: It provides a middle-ground actuation force, making it versatile for both typing and gaming.
Mounting Experience:
PCB-mount (5-pin): The original Smoothie Switch also uses a 5-pin PCB-mount design, ensuring stability and a secure fit. The extra pins prevent any wobbling or instability.RGB Effectiveness: The detachable light guide pole ensures that the RGB lighting is even and vibrant, contributing to an attractive keyboard setup.
Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie Switch
Housing: The Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie Switch is built with a full POM (polyoxymethylene) housing, known for its high durability and smoothness. This material helps reduce friction, resulting in a consistently smooth typing experience.Stem: The stem is also made from POM, contributing to the overall smooth feel of the switch. POM’s self-lubricating properties minimize scratchiness and wear over time.Light Guide Pole: The detachable light guide pole ensures that RGB lighting is more even and brighter, enhancing the visual appeal of the keyboard. The light diffusion is well-managed, allowing for a vibrant and uniform glow.
Sound:
Quiet: This switch is designed to be very quiet, with minimal sound during typing. The full POM material and the pre-lubed nature contribute to a quiet operation, ideal for those who need a noiseless environment.Muted Thock: It produces a soft, muted thock sound when bottoming out. This subtle acoustic profile is pleasant and unobtrusive.Ultra-smooth: The Sea Salt Smoothie provides an exceptionally smooth typing experience, thanks to the full POM construction. There is no friction or roughness, making each keypress fluid and effortless.Linear Action: It is a linear switch, meaning there is no tactile bump or click, which suits users who prefer a smooth, uninterrupted keystroke.
Mounting Experience:
PCB-mount (5-pin): The Sea Salt Smoothie Switch uses a 5-pin PCB-mount design, ensuring a stable and secure fit in compatible keyboards. The extra pins help prevent wobbling and provide a robust connection.RGB Compatibility: The detachable light guide pole works well with RGB backlighting, making it easy to showcase vibrant and evenly distributed lighting effects.
Gateron Smoothie Silver Switch
Housing: Like its counterparts, the Smoothie Silver Switch is constructed from full POM, which ensures a durable and smooth typing experience. The POM housing is resistant to wear and tear.Stem: The stem is also made from POM, which helps maintain the switch’s smooth feel and longevity.Light Guide Pole: The detachable light guide pole enhances the RGB lighting experience by ensuring a brighter and more even illumination. It’s designed to improve light diffusion, resulting in a more aesthetically pleasing display.Sound:Quiet with a sharper tone: Although it is still relatively quiet, the Smoothie Silver has a slightly sharper sound compared to the Sea Salt variant. This results in a more pronounced but still subtle thock.Minimal Noise: The overall noise level remains low, making it suitable for quiet work environments.Feel:Ultra-light and fast: The Smoothie Silver Switch features a lighter spring, making it more responsive and faster than the Sea Salt variant. It’s ideal for users who value speed and agility in their keypresses.Linear and Smooth: It maintains a linear feel, ensuring that there are no tactile bumps, and the actuation is smooth and fluid.Mounting Experience:PCB-mount (5-pin): This switch also features a 5-pin PCB-mount design, which provides stability and ensures a solid fit in the keyboard.Enhanced RGB Lighting: The detachable light guide pole helps in achieving bright and even lighting, enhancing the overall aesthetic of the keyboard setup.
Overall Impressions:
Material Quality: All three switches in the Gateron Smoothie Series are made from full POM material, ensuring durability and a smooth typing experience. The detachable light guide pole enhances RGB lighting by providing even and bright illumination.
Sound: The Sea Salt Smoothie is the quietest with a muted thock, the Smoothie Silver is slightly louder with a sharper sound, and the original Smoothie strikes a balance between the two.
Feel: Each switch offers a smooth, linear keystroke with minimal friction. The Sea Salt variant is slightly heavier, the Silver is lighter and faster, and the original Smoothie offers a balanced feel.
Mounting: The 5-pin PCB-mount design ensures a secure fit for all three switches, while the detachable light guide pole improves the visual appeal of RGB lighting.
Overall, the Gateron Smoothie Switch Series provides a high-quality linear switch experience, catering to different preferences for sound, feel, and lighting.
