Normally I see a video with the "quietest keyboard" title and I instantly scoff and chalk it up to be clickbait. This one? Not clickbait. What a fantastic breakdown of everything and then topped off with a board that is actually virtually silent. chefs kiss* great job!!!
Same, first video I've seen to be true to its title for once lol. Although this isn't necessarily budget friendly, at least for me rn unfortunately... I've always liked Logitech's slim linear switch keyboards for quietness / fast typing.
You wouldn't believe the amount of times I have seen mechanical keyboard enthusiasts talk about "quiet" keyboards yet they are still crazy loud to anyone using a laptop-like keyboard. Thank you for actually delivering on the promise. This is what might actually convert me.
Well, I've been using stock GK64 stock Kailh Silent pink and it's a bit quieter than my laptop keyboard. Probably my laptop is on the extreme budget side, therefore it's not as silent as those premium laptop on the market.
What's really interesting is that the Apple Magic keyboard is very frequently used by competitive speed typers for the short travel distance and quick return time. It's a very good keyboard for quick typing if you can touch type, so his boss actually was correct more than he realized LOL
This video surpasses being a gimmick and is actually really educational, I think there are certain kinds of people that would really prefer operating a silent keyboard that still has proper keys.
I appreciate your more scientific and technical approach for building keyboards and explaining your thought process. I never liked the idea of "option A is better than B because I, the reviewer, says so" without any definitive reason why being added.
you should do a series on this! subjects like the most clacky, thocky, loudest, or pingy keyboard. objectively explaining each component (case, switches, plate, mods, everything)
I've been hyper aware of this back in office, our stock keyboards in office are really crappy but most people don't type fast enough to make harsh noise. I've been loving the Boba silent tactiles but I'm working on a frankenswitch build right now with the Gazzew silver stems and an FR4 plate.
@@Keybored I mean, I would absolutely hate to work next to the dragons all day. But I also work in an office that care about employee comfort I'll just wear headphones... Normally in an office there will be other noises as well that can be loud or distracting.
I never realized mechanical keyboard enthusiasts at the workplace were basically cell phone dj's that listen to music without earbuds 😂. I (and especially my wife) have been enjoying my Corsair MX Slient board for years and really like the concept of this board as my first potential custom. Thanks!
Wow, I knew that the silent switches made a difference, but that just blew my mind. WOW! What I've heard from my groups is that the best stock silent switches are the Silent Alpaca, Durock Shrimp, and Boba U4S, do you know how these would compare? Also, a big silent switch comparison video would be very interesting, as there's not a lot of them but they're all very different. Excellent video as always, can't wait for the next!
There are so many out there, but it's so hard to tell what is good at what haha. I haven't used too many silents because I'm a ruckus loving barbarian. However, building this one board made me more interested in them for sure now!
JWK silents are really quiet. I found silent tactiles (except maybe Boba U4s) aren't very quiet, they almost sound wet (lol). Silent black inks and Zeal silent switches aren't as quiet either. Can't go wrong with the Durock Shrimps and Silent Alpacas that you already mentioned since they are JWK.
I'm a tactile fan and was unable to type anything while on video calls. Wound up going with Boba U4 switches which legitimately feel like the U4t (strong tactile bump), just... sooo quiet. Love the tactility, just sad I can't also have the thock.
listen to the sound test from oliur ultralinx on his mode65. the u4s sound super good. But harujime (I think that's his name - he uses a white mode 80) has tested quite a range of silent switches and said that silent durock/alpaca switches were the quietest. (the durocks are essentially the same and also cheaper than the alpacas). I'm not sure if he tried zilents. Also, if you're looking to lube the silent switches, I heard that kailh box silent pinks feel the most "solid" (like not squishy), compared to other silents. It would be the kailh silent pinks, silent alpacas, zilents, then bobagums/boba u4s for a spectrum of bottom out softness.
@@happylittletrees8130 just wanted to note one thing about that list which is that the Boba U4 is a tactile switch while the rest (including the Bobagum) are all linear switches.
That's realy clever way of showing on video how mutch or how little noise somethig produces. A LOT of youtubers seems to not understand what video does to sounds of different loudnes. Result is absolutely unbelievable!
Fun fact: The reason why the pcb looks like that is because it was made with "black core fr4" with either clear or no solder mask, making every trace the exposed copper color. Its a bit more expensive than normal fr4 but it does look cool.
that is a seriously impressive amount of noise dampening, honestly so cool to see the difference between the two from the numpad and the regular, i had to max my video volume frmo about 32% normally to really even hear what the keyboard sounded like, crazy cool
Thanks so much for sharing! I have noise sensitivity issues (probably related to ASD and ADHD) and the clacky keyboards that are popular these days make it almost impossible for me to think and process information, even *with* noise cancelling headphones. Having this kind of info out there is so important for accessibility for people like me, and makes me almost want to look into keyboards and stuff for myself. They look really cool!
Same here I absolutely hate loud "thocky" keyboards its terrible. Especially if you're in a call with someone who doesnt have a very good mic you hear their keyboard more than you hear them
same here my friend has to use is laptop with like builders headphones and someone brang a dang clicky/thocky/clacky keyboard and he had to skip class, poor him, i might give him a KB like this
If the sound of people typing is that distracting, consider the possibility that you are in the wrong line of work and should find a job where typing isn't a necessary part of the job.
Of all the keyboards I've used over the last 40 yrs, I think the Maxi-Switch rubber membrane keyboards are the quietest I've used. It's not popular now because it has a "mushy" feel. FYI, Maxi-Switch was the maker of Gateway keyboards in the 90's. One downside to quiet keyboards is that they give your coworkers the impression you are slacking off. Some keyboard noise is good for the sake of appearance.
If you work in an environment where keyboard clicks make you seem working instead of actual work and people judge you by it... I would rather be a hobo.
There still are some snappy rubber domes out there. I used a BTC dome with slider keyboard and except for the space-bar it was definitely silent enough for an open office environment.
I'm not into custom mechanical keyboards and whatnot but got this recommended on my home page- Just wanted to commend your presentation. Great visuals, clean audio, and fantastic explanations of the various concepts at play. Keep it up!
@@TexanFoxx It is really hard to put a price on things i this hobby. Most parts are on groupbuy and you you missed it you would have to get the parts aftermarket which would be wayy more expensive
That sound level is phenomenal! For tactile gang and lower budget I'd like to share my build. It's nowhere near as silent as this vid, but low enough sound level compared to the membrane boards in the office. I've built my keyboard silent from the start, because of office and sleeping family members. I got the gk96xs, added Boba U4 62g, foam under pcb and in spacebar, and gateron plate mount stabs because the originals were just horrible. Lubed everything with 205g0. Stabs were a hassle, but holee mod finally did the trick. For tactile I feel even with silent switches, a lot can be gained from having a desk pad to reduce the shock between case and desk (desk can produce a lot of sound of you bottom out. My pcb is mounted directly to the case with screws, the foam under it didn't do much).
Having worked in an office that sounded like a ww2 typewriter signals room I am on the side of quiet. It feels like people get the loudest possible keyboard "because they like the sound" and then put on noise canceling headphones. It was so bad that people on headset calls can hear the room. Fine for home not for the office.
Thumbs way up. Would love to see more silent (or quiet builds) as I am looking to upgrade the office keyboard. That Wind board is lovely, but more than I want to spend
It's a very nice board for sure! There are some good options out there that is definitely more attainably priced as well. And I wasn't much into silents before, but after this build, I am intrigued!
This was a great and insightful video. Work use is rarely discussed. As much as I love the hobby and audible switches, a good portion of my day is spent working and I’m on calls when I’m remote or I’m around others when I’m in the office. Which is why, in most of my builds, I use silent switches. I’d rather use my boards as much as I can as opposed to limiting them to non-work use only. I wonder if there is a happy medium, that is a market of switches that are audible but are comparable in loudness to a Thinkpad keyboard or an Apple Magic keyboard. Right now, to me, some silent switches feel mushy like Alpaca linears and some others feel great like Silent Inks or U4s. Silent switches are a largely untapped market that I think vendors will tap into now that more people are returning to the office. I’m open to suggestions that I wouldn’t have to Frankenstein. Love your videos!
I disregarded the silent switches largely until I needed them as well. Then I realized that they do serve a hood purpose and I hope the manufacturers can make great feeling silent switches that make no noise!
I fully understand your point. When I got into the hobby, I built my first cheap entry custom board with a Keychron K2 and used it delightful in my home office. When going back to work I didn’t want to type on the crappy membrane keyboard anymore and brought my K2 with me. Colleagues didn’t really complain but noticed the louder typing sound and I explained them why I brought my own board. One even bought one for his home office as well, because he really liked the sound and the typing experience. To not distract my colleagues to much, I bought Gazzew U4Tx switches. They are tactile and offer a very nice sound on the downstroke, but have no upstroke noise. This makes them already 50% less noisy without feeling mushy when typing. They aren’t silent all the way, but it's a good compromise I’d say.
hoping so cuz i’m back to the office now and i’m disgusted by the idea of sharing a keyboard as a mini-germaphobe. but my only keyboards are quite loud in such a quiet space.
My jaw actually dropped when I heard you typing on it. It was magically quiet. This may be my next Keeb Project. That definitely earned my sub to you, even if the skit and you comparing the loudness between the azure gaterons was enough. This was lovely thank you!
Scott i highly recommend you try out TTC Silent switches. they have a unique way of dampening that are firm on bottom out and don't feel soft while being very quiet. hope this reaches you and good luck! keep the quality content rolling in :D
@John Pang wdym? Watermelon milkshakes and ttc browns are good. Bluish whites are amazing as well. They're bottom out dampened but top out is quite clacky, but the sound is quite unique and i personally love em.
I hear TTC Silent Bluish White is good, and has a relatively firm feel on bottom-out. I have the non-silent version, which is basically the same but lacks the upstroke dampener, and it's pretty good. But I personally like a soft bottom, so I'm going with Boba U4 on my next board... it's more tactile, quieter, softer, and I hear it's also smoother.
then look at those kailh midnight pro switches they do dampen the sound at the housing, but instead of mounting the dampener on the stem and a dampener on the bottom housing like the ttc they mount the dampeners on the top and bottom housing.
Love these technical breakdowns! I'm also building a silent keyboard for the office. I'm using bobagum silent linears spring swapped with 80g TX long springs. I found with heavier weights, the bottom out becomes less harsh and more dampened, so there's slightly less noise. As for the stabs, I used TX stabilizers and used fiberglass tape to thockpop mod them. Even with SA keycaps, the board is whisper quiet!
@@Keybored Gazzew switches are amazing silents. I use Boba U4's in my board at work and it's honestly quieter than my coworker's membrane boards without being super mushy. Funny how now I'm the one telling them they type too loud!
I love silent builds. Especially when they make a membrane sound loud by contrast. I have some durock silents in my daily driver and they're whisper quiet.
This is actually incredible, I am 100% doing this for my next keyboard, I love mechanical but hate how loud they are, I currently use gateron browns which are relatively quiet but this is next level
Immediately checked my own keyboard to see if it could take the type of switches you were using, it can, then went to your Amazon link and put the YMDK silent switches into my cart, I'll look into the other parts to get your combination. Might be one of the most useful videos I've seen on UA-cam, great job.
Great video, I have always avoided mechanical keyboards altogether due to the noise. I even try to type gently on membrane keyboards. The noise has always been the barrier for me to get a mechanical keyboard, and now I have a roadmap to get one that will keep me sane. Thank you!
I appreciated this because I honestly think normal keyboards are annoyingly loud. I have never enjoyed the sound of keyboards when typing and my first time getting a mechanical keyboard (before realizing that the "noise" was a selling point) was almost thinking it was a joke. Felt fine sure, but I couldn't get past/around the noise.
That mouse click is actually a great reference point! Also, creators will either do a comparison in two takes or on two keyboards in totally different places relative to the mic, so as long as this was legit, this was an amazing demonstration! It's the first time I've seen a comparison and simply thought 🤯 Outstanding stuff!
I build a silent keyboard myself. I additionally muted the upstroke of my stabilizers keys by using small foam washers on top of the stabilizer stems. This lowers the stabilizers stems and prevents them from topping out against the stabilizer housing. My stabilizer can stil make a sound if i hit hard enough or let them snapp back up, but that doesnt happen in regular use.
Early on I wanted to do a silent board to go with a matcha theme because I thought the cushiony sound of silents would represent matacha powder or something along those lines. I even frankenswitched Gateron Clear Silent stems into AKKO CS Matcha Green housings with 67g springs to fit the theme. They were intended and are currently in a GK68XS, but I put them into my Tofu65 for a bit, with all the stock foam and a brass plate, and it was quite legitimately dead silent. Other than the ever so slight scratch leftover from the parts moving, the only things that made noise on it were my finger tips and the stabilizers. I've not yet tried to do that with other keyboards as I do prefer non-silents for most cases, but it makes me wonder how much more I could have gotten away with to make it even more quiet, such as with a gasket mount versus a tray mount.
ive watched multiple videos on "quiet" keyboards.. and this by far is the quietest! im gonna attempt to build one with the same internals as yours! thanks for sharing!
Whenever I see one of those keyboard ASMR videos, the boards, while nice, are always a bit too clacky for my liking. Clacky enough that it can be too irritating to fall asleep too for me. _This_ on the other hand is a keyboard I could _actually_ fall asleep too, it sounds so good! Well done!
I think silent alpacas would have been better for a silent keeb, ive tried silent reds, durock dolphin ( silent alpaca re color), silent alpacas and zilents and the silent alpacas + their re colors are just insanely silent. You actually CANNOT hear them, where as these you can hear a bit, but still a very good video, keep it up!
I built a keyboard recently with a GMK67 base and Outemu silent lime switches and man… truly quiet mechanical keyboards really are something special. I came from blue Gateron Switches in my first ever mechanical keyboard. It was super loud and clicky, but now I built my office keyboard with the silent lime ones and thinking about replacing my thocky keyboard at home with another super quiet one. Not only would everyone in the house be happy about it but silent tactile switches really feel great to type on, especially once they are lubed
I’m running some silent switches from Gazzew, Boba Gums if I remember correctly. It’s my first custom keyboard build, so it’s not top tier, but adequate for me. I just prefer a quiet pitter patter vs the bombardment of heavy artillery.
I had some high expectations after glancing through the comments as the video played, but wow! I did *not* expect that quiet of a result just from changing to the silent switches. They're literally almost entirely silent! Great video btw 😀
I've been out of the keyboard world for a while now and, from what I remember, flex wasn't desirable by almost anyone. I personally like a really solid feel, but I haven't tried anything with lots of flex. How does flex impact the sound, feel, and long-term fatigue?
That's right I also remember that flex was something you'd use to gauge how bad a keyboard was since it reminded people of the highly flexible membrane keyboards. Well, flex is just another hype train some people want in their keyboard. Keywords: Gasket mounted design, leaf-spring mount, flex cuts.
It's very most preference and has always been, idk why people wanted their keyboards super stiff earlier. I think most people prefer a very slight flex, if they actually tried the same keyboard with 4-5 different degrees of flex. Sound depends very much on the case, switches, key caps etc. Very hard to say that flexier keyboards create specific sounds. As fair as I know there is no connection between fatique and flex. A high quality keyboard should last many years and flex shouldn't really change anything in that regard, as long as it's not so flexible that you start breaking the PCB or other parts inside the board.
I was looking for literally a year for a good full-size compact board and literally just settled on starting to use 75%... had this video been released like I month ago I definitely would've gone for it damn
The silent build at the end was so much more satisfying to me than the loud switches, but that's just my preference! Are there any keyboards out there that are of a similar level of quietness without having to build one myself?
I second that request for pre-built quiet keyboards. I hate the noise in my office, but not enough that I feel like hand-crafting a dozen keyboards to solve the issue. Thankfully, most of my users (I'm the IT guy) are fine with quiet Logitechs and Lenovos, but I have a few power users that can make quite the racket (including myself, but I'm off in my own little corner of solitude (until I open the server room door, lol)).
I don’t understand why people like loud keyboards, it makes me shiver and cringe. I want only silent keyboards. But apparently that’s the reverse of what people want in the mechanical/custom world. So thanks for showing this. Looks like someday I’ll have to build my own quiet keyboard, cuz it’s hard to find
If they force you back to the office but don't like your keyboard, I think it's totally fair they now have to deal with it. They can let you keep working from home if they hate it so much :D
while most other heyboard sounds to me, are like rain; this is like a calm stream, so serene. i've been getting drawn more and more to silent switches and i might finally make the jump.
@@flytelp why is that? in my country it's always avail. also i think there is no difference (in terms of silince) in spring weight. so upgrade your springs
@@fredflint9153 Everything seems to be out of stock or international order for me. I try to avoid aliexpress but I might have to just wait the month long shipping time.
I have the loudest blue switch keyboard I could get my fingers on. I was made fun of for looking for the right keyboard and being picky about it. The fact you have taken the time to build one, tells me I'm not the only person that is particular about the interface to my computer.
Scott: *_typing on a thoccy keeb_* Colleague: *_hands him a membrane keyboard_* Scott: *_proceeds to take out the mx cherry blues keeb_* "I choose violence today"
I've heard the new Kailh midnight pro silent switches have been really good, theremingoat gave them great reviews (for silent switches), saying they might be the best silents :0 But i do really appreciate you including the azure dragons in this video. They are so underrated, and the vermillion birds are too!
The azure dragons and this board were meant for each other! Sounded really good together. Too bad I had to rip them out early. But thanks for the info on the kaihl midnight! After this silent build, it really helped to pique my interest in silents!
it feels like the difference between an empty road with just the sound of the air and the birds and some people, against a busy road with tons of rain, car engine and honking. Kinda like that road in amesterdam that they cut off from cars as a test recently
I didn't know a mechanical keyboard can be so silent. This one is more silent that most membrane keyboards I used. You officially convinced me to get a mechanical keyboard if mine kicks the bucket.
i needed something quieter for the office when i had an office job so i went Topre. dont work in the office anymore but i still use it as my main keyboard at home. its fantastic
ive legit been asked by my housemate to gte a new keyboard or quieten my current one. im asking my tech friend to help out because i know nothing. the struggle is real and im thankful that you post these videos
Normally I see a video with the "quietest keyboard" title and I instantly scoff and chalk it up to be clickbait. This one? Not clickbait. What a fantastic breakdown of everything and then topped off with a board that is actually virtually silent. chefs kiss* great job!!!
:) Thank you so much! I tried my best to deliver!
This was quite a surprise how quiet those are.
Same, first video I've seen to be true to its title for once lol. Although this isn't necessarily budget friendly, at least for me rn unfortunately... I've always liked Logitech's slim linear switch keyboards for quietness / fast typing.
Hahaha funny that I actually did a chefs kiss here while watching when he started the quiet typing
this is the most quiet keyboard mate: ua-cam.com/video/ytPUe3NtS38/v-deo.html
Sound test Minute: 22:10
You wouldn't believe the amount of times I have seen mechanical keyboard enthusiasts talk about "quiet" keyboards yet they are still crazy loud to anyone using a laptop-like keyboard.
Thank you for actually delivering on the promise. This is what might actually convert me.
The loud noise is a fair tradeoff for not feeling like absolute garbage to type on.
@@paulallen1370 repeat that?
@@waheeddoesstuff 🗿
@@paulallen1370 🥅🥅
Well, I've been using stock GK64 stock Kailh Silent pink and it's a bit quieter than my laptop keyboard.
Probably my laptop is on the extreme budget side, therefore it's not as silent as those premium laptop on the market.
I'm going to call my boss a creamy thock tomorrow and see how he reacts. Wish me luck.
Hahahaha, let us know!
sad it's not a her
@@Keybored OMG HE REPLIED TO ME
@@Keybored can you pin me
Tried this today, boss called me a sussy baka 😰
What's really interesting is that the Apple Magic keyboard is very frequently used by competitive speed typers for the short travel distance and quick return time. It's a very good keyboard for quick typing if you can touch type, so his boss actually was correct more than he realized LOL
I type faster on my laptop keyboard but i prefer typing on my customs
same. The one problem is that my laptop's keyboard is broken unfortunately. @@hansennoah1
Yeah! But I still don’t like typer there 😅 my fingers needs deep feeling bottoms
This video surpasses being a gimmick and is actually really educational, I think there are certain kinds of people that would really prefer operating a silent keyboard that still has proper keys.
I am one of those certain kinds of people!
I am one of those certain kinds of people!
I have misophonia this video literally save my sanity.
I am one of those certain kinds of people!
I am one of those certain kinds of people!
I appreciate your more scientific and technical approach for building keyboards and explaining your thought process. I never liked the idea of "option A is better than B because I, the reviewer, says so" without any definitive reason why being added.
:) Glad that it's helpful! I'll try my best to make more content like this!
you should do a series on this! subjects like the most clacky, thocky, loudest, or pingy keyboard. objectively explaining each component (case, switches, plate, mods, everything)
:) Thank you for the suggestion!
That would make a great video.
@@Keybored I will literally watch every one of the videos and take inspiration. Please do!
I've been hyper aware of this back in office, our stock keyboards in office are really crappy but most people don't type fast enough to make harsh noise. I've been loving the Boba silent tactiles but I'm working on a frankenswitch build right now with the Gazzew silver stems and an FR4 plate.
I know right... people are sensitive. Even more so these days lol
@@Keybored I mean, I would absolutely hate to work next to the dragons all day. But I also work in an office that care about employee comfort I'll just wear headphones...
Normally in an office there will be other noises as well that can be loud or distracting.
i'm sad
Yall ever heard of.. you know.. any membrane keyboard ever. Literally ever.
@@XREXP0 that is a disgusting suggestion, the membrane feel makes me cringe once u go mechanical u can truly never go back
If you close your eyes while the silent keyboard is being demoed (14:00) it sounds like a soft fireplace crackle. Love it!
It does 😂 relaxing too
sounds like someone is eating
I never realized mechanical keyboard enthusiasts at the workplace were basically cell phone dj's that listen to music without earbuds 😂.
I (and especially my wife) have been enjoying my Corsair MX Slient board for years and really like the concept of this board as my first potential custom. Thanks!
Wow, I knew that the silent switches made a difference, but that just blew my mind. WOW! What I've heard from my groups is that the best stock silent switches are the Silent Alpaca, Durock Shrimp, and Boba U4S, do you know how these would compare? Also, a big silent switch comparison video would be very interesting, as there's not a lot of them but they're all very different. Excellent video as always, can't wait for the next!
There are so many out there, but it's so hard to tell what is good at what haha. I haven't used too many silents because I'm a ruckus loving barbarian. However, building this one board made me more interested in them for sure now!
JWK silents are really quiet. I found silent tactiles (except maybe Boba U4s) aren't very quiet, they almost sound wet (lol). Silent black inks and Zeal silent switches aren't as quiet either. Can't go wrong with the Durock Shrimps and Silent Alpacas that you already mentioned since they are JWK.
I'm a tactile fan and was unable to type anything while on video calls. Wound up going with Boba U4 switches which legitimately feel like the U4t (strong tactile bump), just... sooo quiet. Love the tactility, just sad I can't also have the thock.
listen to the sound test from oliur ultralinx on his mode65. the u4s sound super good. But harujime (I think that's his name - he uses a white mode 80) has tested quite a range of silent switches and said that silent durock/alpaca switches were the quietest. (the durocks are essentially the same and also cheaper than the alpacas). I'm not sure if he tried zilents. Also, if you're looking to lube the silent switches, I heard that kailh box silent pinks feel the most "solid" (like not squishy), compared to other silents. It would be the kailh silent pinks, silent alpacas, zilents, then bobagums/boba u4s for a spectrum of bottom out softness.
@@happylittletrees8130 just wanted to note one thing about that list which is that the Boba U4 is a tactile switch while the rest (including the Bobagum) are all linear switches.
That's realy clever way of showing on video how mutch or how little noise somethig produces. A LOT of youtubers seems to not understand what video does to sounds of different loudnes. Result is absolutely unbelievable!
Fun fact: The reason why the pcb looks like that is because it was made with "black core fr4" with either clear or no solder mask, making every trace the exposed copper color. Its a bit more expensive than normal fr4 but it does look cool.
that is a seriously impressive amount of noise dampening, honestly so cool to see the difference between the two from the numpad and the regular, i had to max my video volume frmo about 32% normally to really even hear what the keyboard sounded like, crazy cool
Thanks so much for sharing! I have noise sensitivity issues (probably related to ASD and ADHD) and the clacky keyboards that are popular these days make it almost impossible for me to think and process information, even *with* noise cancelling headphones. Having this kind of info out there is so important for accessibility for people like me, and makes me almost want to look into keyboards and stuff for myself. They look really cool!
Same here I absolutely hate loud "thocky" keyboards its terrible. Especially if you're in a call with someone who doesnt have a very good mic you hear their keyboard more than you hear them
same here my friend has to use is laptop with like builders headphones and someone brang a dang clicky/thocky/clacky keyboard and he had to skip class, poor him, i might give him a KB like this
If the sound of people typing is that distracting, consider the possibility that you are in the wrong line of work and should find a job where typing isn't a necessary part of the job.
@@jeremiahmiller6431 Or just dont use obnoxiously loud keyboards for no reason.
@@jeremiahmiller6431comments like this is why there is no sympathy for thockers
Of all the keyboards I've used over the last 40 yrs, I think the Maxi-Switch rubber membrane keyboards are the quietest I've used. It's not popular now because it has a "mushy" feel. FYI, Maxi-Switch was the maker of Gateway keyboards in the 90's. One downside to quiet keyboards is that they give your coworkers the impression you are slacking off. Some keyboard noise is good for the sake of appearance.
If you work in an environment where keyboard clicks make you seem working instead of actual work and people judge you by it...
I would rather be a hobo.
There still are some snappy rubber domes out there. I used a BTC dome with slider keyboard and except for the space-bar it was definitely silent enough for an open office environment.
I'm not into custom mechanical keyboards and whatnot but got this recommended on my home page- Just wanted to commend your presentation. Great visuals, clean audio, and fantastic explanations of the various concepts at play. Keep it up!
Same, I just wish there was a total cost for the build.
@@TexanFoxx It is really hard to put a price on things i this hobby. Most parts are on groupbuy and you you missed it you would have to get the parts aftermarket which would be wayy more expensive
I'm always blown away by the production value of all these keyboard channels. It's insane.
That sound level is phenomenal!
For tactile gang and lower budget I'd like to share my build. It's nowhere near as silent as this vid, but low enough sound level compared to the membrane boards in the office.
I've built my keyboard silent from the start, because of office and sleeping family members. I got the gk96xs, added Boba U4 62g, foam under pcb and in spacebar, and gateron plate mount stabs because the originals were just horrible. Lubed everything with 205g0. Stabs were a hassle, but holee mod finally did the trick. For tactile I feel even with silent switches, a lot can be gained from having a desk pad to reduce the shock between case and desk (desk can produce a lot of sound of you bottom out. My pcb is mounted directly to the case with screws, the foam under it didn't do much).
13:51 and my JAW DROPPED!!!!! I was expecting a quiet keyboard, not a SLIENT ONE!!! I've never heard anything like this and it amazes me so much
Having worked in an office that sounded like a ww2 typewriter signals room I am on the side of quiet. It feels like people get the loudest possible keyboard "because they like the sound" and then put on noise canceling headphones. It was so bad that people on headset calls can hear the room. Fine for home not for the office.
Scott is the Bill Nye of Keyboards that we never knew we needed.
:) I love Bill Nye! Thank you for the comparison!
FACTSZZZZZ, the amount of form he was using to quicet down the keyboard CLACK!
Thumbs way up. Would love to see more silent (or quiet builds) as I am looking to upgrade the office keyboard. That Wind board is lovely, but more than I want to spend
It's a very nice board for sure! There are some good options out there that is definitely more attainably priced as well. And I wasn't much into silents before, but after this build, I am intrigued!
This was a great and insightful video. Work use is rarely discussed. As much as I love the hobby and audible switches, a good portion of my day is spent working and I’m on calls when I’m remote or I’m around others when I’m in the office. Which is why, in most of my builds, I use silent switches. I’d rather use my boards as much as I can as opposed to limiting them to non-work use only. I wonder if there is a happy medium, that is a market of switches that are audible but are comparable in loudness to a Thinkpad keyboard or an Apple Magic keyboard. Right now, to me, some silent switches feel mushy like Alpaca linears and some others feel great like Silent Inks or U4s. Silent switches are a largely untapped market that I think vendors will tap into now that more people are returning to the office. I’m open to suggestions that I wouldn’t have to Frankenstein. Love your videos!
I disregarded the silent switches largely until I needed them as well. Then I realized that they do serve a hood purpose and I hope the manufacturers can make great feeling silent switches that make no noise!
I fully understand your point. When I got into the hobby, I built my first cheap entry custom board with a Keychron K2 and used it delightful in my home office. When going back to work I didn’t want to type on the crappy membrane keyboard anymore and brought my K2 with me. Colleagues didn’t really complain but noticed the louder typing sound and I explained them why I brought my own board. One even bought one for his home office as well, because he really liked the sound and the typing experience. To not distract my colleagues to much, I bought Gazzew U4Tx switches. They are tactile and offer a very nice sound on the downstroke, but have no upstroke noise. This makes them already 50% less noisy without feeling mushy when typing. They aren’t silent all the way, but it's a good compromise I’d say.
hoping so cuz i’m back to the office now and i’m disgusted by the idea of sharing a keyboard as a mini-germaphobe. but my only keyboards are quite loud in such a quiet space.
My jaw actually dropped when I heard you typing on it. It was magically quiet. This may be my next Keeb Project.
That definitely earned my sub to you, even if the skit and you comparing the loudness between the azure gaterons was enough. This was lovely thank you!
Keyboard ASMR. I fell asleep in bed watching this. And came back to rewatch this.
Scott i highly recommend you try out TTC Silent switches. they have a unique way of dampening that are firm on bottom out and don't feel soft while being very quiet. hope this reaches you and good luck! keep the quality content rolling in :D
Oooh... that would be amazing!
@John Pang wdym?
Watermelon milkshakes and ttc browns are good. Bluish whites are amazing as well. They're bottom out dampened but top out is quite clacky, but the sound is quite unique and i personally love em.
I hear TTC Silent Bluish White is good, and has a relatively firm feel on bottom-out. I have the non-silent version, which is basically the same but lacks the upstroke dampener, and it's pretty good. But I personally like a soft bottom, so I'm going with Boba U4 on my next board... it's more tactile, quieter, softer, and I hear it's also smoother.
then look at those kailh midnight pro switches they do dampen the sound at the housing, but instead of mounting the dampener on the stem and a dampener on the bottom housing like the ttc they mount the dampeners on the top and bottom housing.
Have the ttc frozen, can confirm its the least mushy compared to other silent switches.
Love these technical breakdowns!
I'm also building a silent keyboard for the office. I'm using bobagum silent linears spring swapped with 80g TX long springs. I found with heavier weights, the bottom out becomes less harsh and more dampened, so there's slightly less noise. As for the stabs, I used TX stabilizers and used fiberglass tape to thockpop mod them. Even with SA keycaps, the board is whisper quiet!
Ooh, I should still try giving the bobagums a try! It almost made it into the final build, but got passed up, but I am curious
@@Keybored Gazzew switches are amazing silents. I use Boba U4's in my board at work and it's honestly quieter than my coworker's membrane boards without being super mushy. Funny how now I'm the one telling them they type too loud!
I love silent builds. Especially when they make a membrane sound loud by contrast. I have some durock silents in my daily driver and they're whisper quiet.
:) I totally get what you're saying... I tried a membrane just this past week, and realized that they're not that quiet at all!
@Aaron Morrow 100g spring swap FTW
The noise has always been what has kept me away from mechanical keyboards, and this was mighty quiet! Thanks for sharing!
This is actually incredible, I am 100% doing this for my next keyboard, I love mechanical but hate how loud they are, I currently use gateron browns which are relatively quiet but this is next level
Immediately checked my own keyboard to see if it could take the type of switches you were using, it can, then went to your Amazon link and put the YMDK silent switches into my cart, I'll look into the other parts to get your combination. Might be one of the most useful videos I've seen on UA-cam, great job.
Great video, I have always avoided mechanical keyboards altogether due to the noise. I even try to type gently on membrane keyboards. The noise has always been the barrier for me to get a mechanical keyboard, and now I have a roadmap to get one that will keep me sane. Thank you!
This makes me want a super quiet keyboard. It looks both nice to type on and nice on the ears.
I appreciated this because I honestly think normal keyboards are annoyingly loud. I have never enjoyed the sound of keyboards when typing and my first time getting a mechanical keyboard (before realizing that the "noise" was a selling point) was almost thinking it was a joke. Felt fine sure, but I couldn't get past/around the noise.
That mouse click is actually a great reference point! Also, creators will either do a comparison in two takes or on two keyboards in totally different places relative to the mic, so as long as this was legit, this was an amazing demonstration! It's the first time I've seen a comparison and simply thought 🤯 Outstanding stuff!
I build a silent keyboard myself. I additionally muted the upstroke of my stabilizers keys by using small foam washers on top of the stabilizer stems. This lowers the stabilizers stems and prevents them from topping out against the stabilizer housing. My stabilizer can stil make a sound if i hit hard enough or let them snapp back up, but that doesnt happen in regular use.
I was thinking of filling mine with butyl to silence them a bit! Will check out the foam washers!
Early on I wanted to do a silent board to go with a matcha theme because I thought the cushiony sound of silents would represent matacha powder or something along those lines. I even frankenswitched Gateron Clear Silent stems into AKKO CS Matcha Green housings with 67g springs to fit the theme. They were intended and are currently in a GK68XS, but I put them into my Tofu65 for a bit, with all the stock foam and a brass plate, and it was quite legitimately dead silent. Other than the ever so slight scratch leftover from the parts moving, the only things that made noise on it were my finger tips and the stabilizers. I've not yet tried to do that with other keyboards as I do prefer non-silents for most cases, but it makes me wonder how much more I could have gotten away with to make it even more quiet, such as with a gasket mount versus a tray mount.
Yup! Silent switches with gasket mounted soft keyboard... it's like silent! Especially if you damped the crap out of it
"What the hell did you call me"
💀💀💀💀
I lost it right there, time to call my boss creamy, marbly, thocky, and poppy
Hahaha, I'm not sure how that will go over, but would love to hear the outcome!
in my opinion, Mechanical keyboards are all about their sound when you buy them and use a different one for work
is what i would have said if I was a asshole
omfg this would be the dream keyboard for me ! tho it lacks rgb but the silence is the absolute dream like that !
0:10 it sounds like lego building
I just....wow...I am now an instant fan of those Xylens! Its like the raindrops hitting a puddle in the forest
It was the perfect build for the office!
@@Keybored also to not wake upo the whole home at 4m with ww2 machinegun sounds. no one wants that
"so yeah the sound of your keyboard is in *your hands*"
"anyway you can get this keyboard for the low low price of $300"
13:52 , BEST part on the video OMG the ASMR, makes me wanna fall asleep. I need this keyboard IMMEDIATLY!
ive watched multiple videos on "quiet" keyboards.. and this by far is the quietest! im gonna attempt to build one with the same internals as yours! thanks for sharing!
You MUST get hearted
Whenever I see one of those keyboard ASMR videos, the boards, while nice, are always a bit too clacky for my liking. Clacky enough that it can be too irritating to fall asleep too for me. _This_ on the other hand is a keyboard I could _actually_ fall asleep too, it sounds so good! Well done!
was looking for a comment like this
wow, I really like how quiet that is. even quieter than a membrane keyboard!
Oh for sure! I compared it against a logitech and no contest
@@Keybored Which logitech keyboard did you compare it to?
@@bozoGhost a louder one
@@osrsgold2547 r/technicallythetruth
I think silent alpacas would have been better for a silent keeb, ive tried silent reds, durock dolphin ( silent alpaca re color), silent alpacas and zilents and the silent alpacas + their re colors are just insanely silent. You actually CANNOT hear them, where as these you can hear a bit, but still a very good video, keep it up!
I built a keyboard recently with a GMK67 base and Outemu silent lime switches and man… truly quiet mechanical keyboards really are something special. I came from blue Gateron Switches in my first ever mechanical keyboard. It was super loud and clicky, but now I built my office keyboard with the silent lime ones and thinking about replacing my thocky keyboard at home with another super quiet one. Not only would everyone in the house be happy about it but silent tactile switches really feel great to type on, especially once they are lubed
"rainy day keyboard" is a perfect name for this. it sounds just like a gentle rain!
I’m running some silent switches from Gazzew, Boba Gums if I remember correctly. It’s my first custom keyboard build, so it’s not top tier, but adequate for me. I just prefer a quiet pitter patter vs the bombardment of heavy artillery.
Some of my keyboards sound like a machine gun and I love it, just can't beat the feel of Crystal Jades.
I had some high expectations after glancing through the comments as the video played, but wow! I did *not* expect that quiet of a result just from changing to the silent switches. They're literally almost entirely silent!
Great video btw 😀
Thank you! I think it was a combo of the switches, also the heavily dampened board, the gasket mounting :)
I've been out of the keyboard world for a while now and, from what I remember, flex wasn't desirable by almost anyone. I personally like a really solid feel, but I haven't tried anything with lots of flex. How does flex impact the sound, feel, and long-term fatigue?
That's right I also remember that flex was something you'd use to gauge how bad a keyboard was since it reminded people of the highly flexible membrane keyboards.
Well, flex is just another hype train some people want in their keyboard.
Keywords: Gasket mounted design, leaf-spring mount, flex cuts.
It's very most preference and has always been, idk why people wanted their keyboards super stiff earlier. I think most people prefer a very slight flex, if they actually tried the same keyboard with 4-5 different degrees of flex.
Sound depends very much on the case, switches, key caps etc. Very hard to say that flexier keyboards create specific sounds. As fair as I know there is no connection between fatique and flex. A high quality keyboard should last many years and flex shouldn't really change anything in that regard, as long as it's not so flexible that you start breaking the PCB or other parts inside the board.
This is the first video thats actually lived up to my expectations of a quiet keyboard, amazing...
Wow, that's one amazing quite keyboard!!!
I like both the loud and quiet versions 😫 (some days, [auditory] sensory overload is so bad, even normal speaking voices make me wanna cry)
I was looking for literally a year for a good full-size compact board and literally just settled on starting to use 75%... had this video been released like I month ago I definitely would've gone for it damn
:) That's the keyboard game it seems... always something new coming out!
You and your boss look suspiciously similar.
😂
You could go for a logitech mx keys and find a whole world of silent keys too
i love the sound of the silent version its very calming
The WindX 98 has more foam than a Starbucks Frapp and it probably tastes better too! Love the "office build" Scott!
:) Lots of foam indeed! But surprisingly, this board sounds "right" with it
@@Keybored oh absolutely need the foam in this one or it would not sound right, just an empty shell and no one wants that
The silent build at the end was so much more satisfying to me than the loud switches, but that's just my preference! Are there any keyboards out there that are of a similar level of quietness without having to build one myself?
I second that request for pre-built quiet keyboards. I hate the noise in my office, but not enough that I feel like hand-crafting a dozen keyboards to solve the issue. Thankfully, most of my users (I'm the IT guy) are fine with quiet Logitechs and Lenovos, but I have a few power users that can make quite the racket (including myself, but I'm off in my own little corner of solitude (until I open the server room door, lol)).
I recently bought the Ducky One 3 with MX Red Silents and its great. Not as quiet as the video keyboard but very tolerable.
Another vote for the Ducky keyboard with Cherry MX Silent Red switches. I have been using the One 2 Full Size RGB and it's really nice.
I'm quite happy with my VA88M (silent red), but it isn't perfect.
Love the passion poured into this video! Quiet switches may be good to try out after all and by the way, what mousepad is that? Looks pretty neat
The mousepad is the Zambumon from Novelkeys! Thanks for the support!
oh lawd the num keys got me. I was like "how is this silen.... oh. okay yeah that is very silent indeed." sounds LOVELY.
I don’t understand why people like loud keyboards, it makes me shiver and cringe. I want only silent keyboards. But apparently that’s the reverse of what people want in the mechanical/custom world. So thanks for showing this. Looks like someday I’ll have to build my own quiet keyboard, cuz it’s hard to find
9:36 this is some real nice asmr
Yeah you Right 😂
If they force you back to the office but don't like your keyboard, I think it's totally fair they now have to deal with it. They can let you keep working from home if they hate it so much :D
bruh i thought you said "Windex 98"
while most other heyboard sounds to me, are like rain; this is like a calm stream, so serene. i've been getting drawn more and more to silent switches and i might finally make the jump.
Wow. Calling it a "rainy day" keyboard is even more apt. It felt like I was listening to a light rain on my roof.
So far, the most quiet switches I’ve used were lubed boba gum switches. Give those a try I highly recommend.
:) That was my first choice! Then I was told MX Zilents are quieter, so I went with these. But will check out some more silents
i second this, more quieter and smoother than silent alpacas
Bobagums are so hard to find at the 52g level 😭
@@flytelp why is that? in my country it's always avail. also i think there is no difference (in terms of silince) in spring weight. so upgrade your springs
@@fredflint9153 Everything seems to be out of stock or international order for me. I try to avoid aliexpress but I might have to just wait the month long shipping time.
I have the loudest blue switch keyboard I could get my fingers on. I was made fun of for looking for the right keyboard and being picky about it. The fact you have taken the time to build one, tells me I'm not the only person that is particular about the interface to my computer.
Great upload bro, thanks for your amazing and quality content :D
You're very welcome! And I appreciate the support and view!
that thing kinda sounds like a small stream slowly running over stones - beautiful
Finally a keyboard that doesn't sound like diarrhea.
It would be interesting to see a table or graph of dB levels for a lot more switches while keeping most things constant.
:) One of these days... when I start a website
he's not quiet he's just shy
Scott: *_typing on a thoccy keeb_*
Colleague: *_hands him a membrane keyboard_*
Scott: *_proceeds to take out the mx cherry blues keeb_* "I choose violence today"
Hahaha, I did use Cherry Blues in the office one time... didn't go over well
@@Keybored they probably brought earmuffs the next day lol. Love your vids btw!
I have been working my jobs with a NiZ Plum topre clone silenced keyboard. Never had any complaints and it's very quiet.
That's a wonderful sound. It sounds like water flowing gently, a small brook in the forest.
I've heard the new Kailh midnight pro silent switches have been really good, theremingoat gave them great reviews (for silent switches), saying they might be the best silents :0 But i do really appreciate you including the azure dragons in this video. They are so underrated, and the vermillion birds are too!
The azure dragons and this board were meant for each other! Sounded really good together. Too bad I had to rip them out early. But thanks for the info on the kaihl midnight! After this silent build, it really helped to pique my interest in silents!
1:14 emotional damage
Definitely haha... I love Steven
LOLLLLL
13:30 is where he uses it
Okay.
Rainy day keyboard really does fit, as although it makes very little sound the sound it does make almost sounds like a light drizzle out your window
it feels like the difference between an empty road with just the sound of the air and the birds and some people, against a busy road with tons of rain, car engine and honking.
Kinda like that road in amesterdam that they cut off from cars as a test recently
320$ and u need to assemble it bruh
I was skeptical till the end but having heard that silent transformation I fell in love with it, thank you!
This is a masterpiece, more vids like this and you wont have to worry about working a day job.
This is what I need. The hard part now is to find one with ABNT2 layout. Probably modding a existing one will be easier and cheaper!
The fact that it actually kind of sounds like water hitting the roof or something is amazing. I think you named it perfectly not gonna lie.
oh my gosh the loud keyboard before the foam was so satisfying! it sounded like popping bubble wrap!!
His keyboard was so quiet he got fired for “not working”
I didn't know a mechanical keyboard can be so silent. This one is more silent that most membrane keyboards I used. You officially convinced me to get a mechanical keyboard if mine kicks the bucket.
I'm sold on this dude .... will try it when i change my setup
i needed something quieter for the office when i had an office job so i went Topre. dont work in the office anymore but i still use it as my main keyboard at home. its fantastic
i was not expecting that level of quiet, thats insane
Omg, that Keyboard sounds like a small waterfall, so smooth and quiet!
ive legit been asked by my housemate to gte a new keyboard or quieten my current one. im asking my tech friend to help out because i know nothing. the struggle is real and im thankful that you post these videos
Nice ---> next step is to buy a cart to carry the PC and keyboard to work..._))
Keyboard typing sounds, ahhhh I love them it’s so satisfying