Novelkeys Cream switches review (MonkeyKing iGK61)

[Chyros]

Today we look at the recent Cream switches by Novelkeys, a switch made completely with POM! Hope you enjoy the video .

[ZedTheMan]

Damn you for making me want these!

[Sangdrax]

Making the cases from POM seems like a trendsetting thing. I hope more people sit up and take notice.

[TuxKey]

Damn you for making me want these!

i was thinking the exact same thing.. and i'm a tactile kind of guy.. just ordered 80 T1 switches from KBD..
could have added 80 of these.. but i guess my two batches of Kailh pro purple semi tactile switches will have to be my Linear backup switches. ahahaha.. perhaps i need to lube them to make them smooth enough to be even worth mentioning here..
who knows..

ps how would these compare to the Fei switches designed by Chouy (found on mykeyboards.eu) (green ones) .. material almost looks the same.. but these seem to be even lighter at 62 bottom out vs 70g bottom out.. don't know the actuation force of the green ones.. the cream switch states 55g on the kbd fans.. need to re-watch the review hahaha..

[E3E]

Just one bit of the video I wanted to mention. At one point, you say that Alps SKCM/SKCL housings are made from ABS, but that is certainly not the case as I've tested a housing with an acetone swab as well as (after watching the video, to be sure) soaking a housing in acetone for an entire day.

Both tests resulted in no damage at all. No melted plastic or dye on the swab, and no puddle of plastic goop from soaking. I would guess they're nylon, but whatever they may be, they're certainly not ABS.

[Chyros]

Just one bit of the video I wanted to mention. At one point, you say that Alps SKCM/SKCL housings are made from ABS, but that is certainly not the case as I've tested a housing with an acetone swab as well as (after watching the video, to be sure) soaking a housing in acetone for an entire day.

Both tests resulted in no damage at all. No melted plastic or dye on the swab, and no puddle of plastic goop from soaking. I would guess they're nylon, but whatever they may be, they're certainly not ABS.

Interesting, are these the black housings or the dark blue ones?

[E3E]

Interesting, are these the black housings or the dark blue ones?

I've tested on both and end up with the same results without any reaction. Where did you you get your data regarding their construction being of ABS?

This reminds me of the confusion of Topre sliders being ABS in the past. They aren't ABS either, but Topre housings are ABS.

[Chyros]

Interesting, are these the black housings or the dark blue ones?

I've tested on both and end up with the same results without any reaction. Where did you you get your data regarding their construction being of ABS?

This reminds me of the confusion of Topre sliders being ABS in the past. They aren't ABS either, but Topre housings are ABS.

Both Alan (a former Alps employee who assembled AKCL/SKCM boards) and Steve (vice president of Matias) said they were. I'm also sure I had the discussion a long time ago with someone who mentioned that their housings melted in acetone (at the time I DIDN'T think they were ABS). Pretty sure I tested it myself at that point too. I'll have a look myself at a later point.

[E3E]

Both Alan (a former Alps employee who assembled AKCL/SKCM boards) and Steve (vice president of Matias) said they were. I'm also sure I had the discussion a long time ago with someone who mentioned that their housings melted in acetone (at the time I DIDN'T think they were ABS). Pretty sure I tested it myself at that point too. I'll have a look myself at a later point.

I can take a video for you if you don't find my word credible, haha. I can assure you, neither of the housings melted. Top or bottom.

I do recall you saying that they weren't ABS at one point, which is why I was a bit surprised when that changed. IIRC, you said they were nylon in the past.

[Chyros]

Both Alan (a former Alps employee who assembled AKCL/SKCM boards) and Steve (vice president of Matias) said they were. I'm also sure I had the discussion a long time ago with someone who mentioned that their housings melted in acetone (at the time I DIDN'T think they were ABS). Pretty sure I tested it myself at that point too. I'll have a look myself at a later point.

I can take a video for you if you don't find my word credible, haha. I can assure you, neither of the housings melted. Top or bottom.

I do recall you saying that they weren't ABS at one point, which is why I was a bit surprised when that changed. IIRC, you said they were nylon in the past.

Oh I absolutely believe you, and yeah, I DID think they were nylon in the past, until, as I mentioned, several people corrected me. But now that seems to be dubious xD .

Not sure if all ABS compositions are sensitive to acetone, but tbh I think they should be. Regardless, I'll try.

P.S. when you say "acetone", do you mean actual acetone (tech, PA, chrom etc.), or nail polish remover or some other formulation?

EDIT: it seems it was Andrewjoy that reported his housings melted in acetone, so I'm definitely not imagining things xD . That's good - I already feel close to the brink of insanity as it is xD . I'll have a look myself when I have a second .

[E3E]

Oh no, like hardware store acetone, not nail polish remover.

Yeah, it seems like a good idea to have multiple people testing this. I mean, I've had some melt from heat - from a heat gun.

Maybe some clones or perhaps forward electronics produced housings or something? It would be interesting to get to the bottom of this. Reminds me of how some Model Ms have ABS space bars and even ABS cases on rare occasions. I think the ABS space bars were more common from the Irish plant iirc.

[Menuhin]

For a split second I really wanted to order some of these to try out, but then I realize they're Kailh switches and then I did not continue the idea - which I should.
Kailh switches have not yet won a place as reliable as Gateron as a Cherry clone - I do have some Kailh switches: I almost ordered their speed switches but ended up ordering Cherry silver, and I have their first patches of problematic box switches before they fix their keycap-cracking-stem problem.

Waiting for a whole build with these cream switches for a review and hoping more manufacturers will try out the POM housing idea.

I wonder why HHKB slider housing is not made of POM though - why not?

[Chyros]

Well, it would appear both statements are true xD . Complicated Alps don't dissolve, simplified do xD . Only the top housings, though. Tested on; SKBM white, SKCL Yellow pine

[ZedTheMan]

Well, it would appear both statements are true xD . Complicated Alps don't dissolve, simplified do xD . Only the top housings, though. Tested on; SKBM white, SKCL Yellow pine

Now we need to try pine vs bamboo.

Maybe they changed materials when removing the slits?

[Lbibass]

Well, it would appear both statements are true xD . Complicated Alps don't dissolve, simplified do xD . Only the top housings, though. Tested on; SKBM white, SKCL Yellow pine

Now we need to try pine vs bamboo.

Maybe they changed materials when removing the slits?

https://www.keebtalk.com/t/us-ca-h-sgi- ... 95035/3255

Well, I got this board for the cost of shipping, with the keycaps too. I can assure you, the housings are absolutely unusable. Definitely made out of ABS, at least for dampened white switches. So it seems that the top housings for bamboo switches are made out of ABS.

[ZedTheMan]

Well, it would appear both statements are true xD . Complicated Alps don't dissolve, simplified do xD . Only the top housings, though. Tested on; SKBM white, SKCL Yellow pine

Huh. Maybe the material difference could be a part of the difference in feeling between bamboo and pine beyond the slits.
Now we need to try pine vs bamboo.

Maybe they changed materials when removing the slits?

https://www.keebtalk.com/t/us-ca-h-sgi- ... 95035/3255

Well, I got this board for the cost of shipping, with the keycaps too. I can assure you, the housings are absolutely unusable. Definitely made out of ABS, at least for dampened white switches. So it seems that the top housings for bamboo switches are made out of ABS.

[yaun]

There seems to be quite a rant all over the web about Creams being very scratchy. How comes? Has the design changed or something?

[Chyros]

There seems to be quite a rant all over the web about Creams being very scratchy. How comes? Has the design changed or something?

I seem to have gotten a different batch from most people. As I recall it was a very early batch of second-gen switches. Most people's accounts seem to be very different from mine.

[yaun]

I just bought twelve of them, to compare them to Box Reds. I wanted to compare them to a third type and was going for Gateron Yellows, as they seem to be a common recommendation, but they were out of stock. So I got Gateron Yellow Inks instead, just out of curiosity.

The Creams I got do make that sound that half of Youtube is »showing« by putting a mic virtually inside a switch, but the Box Reds and the Yellow Inks have that, too. I can’t say that the Creams feel particularly scratchy. At worst they may feel a tiny little bit more scratchy than the Reds or Inks.

But they ping quite a lot, and sound somewhat nasal. The Reds sound better, and the Inks even more so. Compared to the Inks, even the Reds have a nasal or hollow sound. The Inks have the deepest and the least hollow sound.