Gaterons

hwood34 · 16 Jan 2015, 05:10

So I want to try Gateron switches, I've heard good things about the smoothness, but I can't find much information on them so far, or where to find all the colors. So far I know that:
gateron red=slightly lighter reds
gateron blue=slightly heavier blues
gateron yellow=pretty much super blacks

I'm not sure about Gateron blacks or clears though. Thoughts on these or any general points on the switches?

scottc · 16 Jan 2015, 08:55

I'd be interested in having a small GB to test the switches. The only info I've seen is one reddit "wiki" article.

ramnes · 16 Jan 2015, 10:40

I would be interested in some too. I remember on Reddit a seller (was it EliteKeyboards?) saying they had a contact at Gateron and could maybe run a group buy.

Otherwise, it's on Taobao : http://s.taobao.com/search?q=gateron&co ... 1.d4908513
Cart100 : http://www.cart100.com/Search?SearchTex ... =0&catId=0

hwood34 · 16 Jan 2015, 19:47

It'll be a small sample size, but I just ordered 15 blues, 10 blacks, and 10 yellows.

davkol · 17 Jan 2015, 20:04

Wasn't the Varmillo tester on Massdrop available with gaterons? IIRC it had something like ergo clears as well.

egdsir · 26 Jan 2015, 04:26

gateron switch is made in China and maybe ii can contact the seller in China if u want a group buy

ccc24 · 31 Jan 2015, 23:41

Hey I saw your interest check at GH and didn't see you had any for yellow. Would you be able to get yellows if you had enough interest?

cookie · 11 Feb 2015, 11:13

I'd also be interested in trying them, they seem very promissing from what the folks over at geekhack say.
A smoother, ligther red switch is pretty much what I am looking for!

Ascaii · 28 Feb 2015, 17:44

Currently, there is a massdrop GB going for these switches. 35$ plus shipping for 120 switches.

Firebolt1914 · 28 Feb 2015, 19:52

There's also a geekhack group buy going for these switches. $0.16 per switch.

ideus · 28 Feb 2015, 23:44

And you can buy the quantity that you need only, in tents. Blacks and clears are already at sixteen cents each.

Spikebolt · 03 Mar 2015, 09:32

Firebolt1914 wrote: ↑There's also a geekhack group buy going for these switches. $0.16 per switch.

Organized by the OP, by the way

7bit · 03 Mar 2015, 11:36

Quality has it's price!

Don't be lame!

Buy the real thing here!

Spikebolt · 04 Mar 2015, 11:02

7 bit is shameless

andrewjoy · 04 Mar 2015, 11:54

He has a point, although the new switches may be smooth its unproven how long they will last or stay smooth.

Only time will tell i guess , but cherry should up there game imo and try to get the quality of vintage switches back.

Spikebolt · 04 Mar 2015, 14:12

Only time will tell, I'm in the GB because I want to try some smooth blacks. Even if they don't last as long it's okay, it only costs me 12.6 euros, not that much of a loss. It's a lot nicer than 60€, that's for sure

Findecanor · 04 Mar 2015, 14:31

I'm in the group buy mostly because of the housings anyway, because the parts are supposedly interchangeable with MX. I will replace with real MX Clear stems, springs and if it is not too difficult: the leaf springs.

Firebolt1914 · 04 Mar 2015, 15:13

Aren't the pins of Gateron switches made from copper? Wouldn't that eventually lead to corrosion?

Findecanor · 04 Mar 2015, 15:39

You mean the contact surfaces? Hmm.. Hard to see with the naked eye. Someone should test that on Gateron parts with some corrosive fluid.
Cherry MX has parts where only the contact prisms are gold (the "gold cross point"). I think the base metal is copper, but I am not sure.

Gateron themselves claim 50M key presses, such as Cherry does for MX.

Edit: Yes, the cross-point is gold-plated. You can see it here if you look closely.

SL89 · 04 Mar 2015, 15:42

Besides Gaterons, the other clones are what? Kailh, Greetech, and I feel like there is at least a few more.

Edit: clones not cloves

davkol · 04 Mar 2015, 16:00

Currently, there's Kailh, Gaote, Greetech and Gateron.

SL89 · 04 Mar 2015, 16:07

Gaote was the one i forgot.

These are just the ones that are 'inspired' by cherry, i wasn't even counting the true ripoffs that appear to be 'real.'

Thanks davkol.

Muirium · 04 Mar 2015, 16:10

B…b…but RRRRRAAAAAAZZZZZZEEEEERRRRR WAS FRIST!

Who's making all the caps for these MX-clone boards, by the way? I'd like a sense of what's the main attraction towards these switches for keyboard manufacturers: is it MX cap compatibility or is it the MX brand*?

Because there's better switches to clone out there, like Matias did, and Noppoo of course.

*The weird thing about that "brand" is it's neither Cherry nor MX. It's the concept of mechanical keyswitches themselves. To many eyes — including the kind of chumps who "review" keyboards at so many tech sites — all switches look like MX. So your clones better too.

andrewjoy · 04 Mar 2015, 17:13

I think its similar to the massive amount of alps clones / compatibles back in the day . Its whats popular and available so everyone is doing it.

I can see it now deskthroity, 2040 everyone wondering what the hell is going on with MX and MX will be the rabbit hole not ALPS .

SL89 · 04 Mar 2015, 17:14

Indeed it's almost as if Cherry MX are going the way of Kleenex or xerox, etc

andrewjoy · 04 Mar 2015, 17:15

To be fair the way they have been acting the past few years they only have themselves to blame .

SL89 · 04 Mar 2015, 17:19

I didn't mean they weren't doing anything, I mean they are being emulated and becoming generic.

andrewjoy · 04 Mar 2015, 18:05

Ahh.

I still think they need to work on there switches, keep the same mount but get working on something new. Matias have then licked on pure feel and how smooth the switch it, even the clones are smoother ( or so i am told). They need to get there finger out and use there experience to blow away all this clone rubbish.

sshisui · 04 Aug 2016, 19:54

hey, is there someone who tested the Gateron switches for a long time ?
i'd like to buy a blue switches keyboard and i'm waiting for a Qisan to be available online. I'm not sure what is better: the Cherry MX green model or Gateron Blue ? Unfortunately it seems there won't be a version with the Cherry blue.
Are the Gateron reliable? Have you had problems with them of any kind ?

Wodan · 04 Aug 2016, 20:08

I have a board with gateron blues and they have a very unique feel to them. Clicky MX clones differ in character much more than clones of linear or tactile switches is my impression. While the Cherry blues feel like pronounced, light tactile switches with a click, the Gateron blues feel much more like breaking something when it clicks. That can be very satisfying!

MX greens are a different game since they are much stiffer. More like model M keyboards. I don't like such heavy springs and was happy I never got an MX green board when I thought they were kewl.