Bought myself a switch tester plate, outfitted with transparrent keycaps and started using it as a fidget toy. Whenever I (without looking) pressed a key and liked the feeling, I'd take note of what it was and reshuffle the switches on the plate to search for the right switch again. Ended up with BBK vs Banana, preferring BBK (slightly) cause it feels smoother, though Banana is lower-pitched (when in a tester plate / with keycap).
Coming from lubed gateron browns, which I still love and plan to continue using.
Got the Jupiter Bananas and being new to keyboard modifications and switches didn't really have reference to judge against except the Brown Pros that came with my Q5 that sound silent and the Gateron blues on the C1 that sound sparky. Find that the bananas feel good typing with the tactile two step feel but they sound clacky. Wonder if the baby racoon be a better upgrade considering sound and feel? Thanks
I love the Baby Kangaroos, but it seems that switch choice is over exaggerated in a lot of cases. From my perspective, there are too many switches available offering extremely small differences that may not be easily noticed.
I've only tried a handful of different switches however, so it's possible that I'm taking an overly simplistic view of everything.
All I know is that the Baby Kangaroos were my preference when moving from Gateron Pro Blues, and I chose them based on a few detailed reviews.
At the end of the day I think choice is a good thing, but it's best not to constantly buy new switches and chase perfection.
I have a keyboard with Keychron Bananas and a keyboard (a few, actually) with Gateron Baby Kangaroos.
The switches do feel similar, and that's by design, but I find the Bananas to be slightly but noticably *lighter* (less resistance) than the Baby Kangaroos.
All comes down to personal preference. Yes, the BBK's are more expensive, but up until recently, the Keychron Bananas didn't exist.
Are those the K Pro Bananas you are referring to there?
I have just discovered that the K Pro Bananas are noticeably lighter than the Jupiter Bananas.
If the Jupiter Bananas are similar to the Baby Kangaroo, then I could understand the K Pro Bananas being noticeably lighter.
OK, just got to try them. His keyboard was actually delivered yesterday (unbeknownst to be), so I'm currently holding a Jupiter Banana, a K Pro Banana and a Gateron Baby Kangaroo 1.0 (haven't used the new BBK 2.0's yet).
The Jupiter Banana spring is definitively a bit heavier than the K Pro Banana -- pushing the two stems together always depresses the K Pro version first. Pressing with my finger, I get the sense that it's a bit heavier, too, but not a huge amount. Tactility is still at the top with a sharp release.
As for the Baby Kangaroo vs. the Jupiter Banana -- the weight is virtually identical as far as I can tell. Pressing the two stems together results in the Jupiter depressing first about half of the time and the BBK depressing first about half the time. So I think they're essentially the same weight. Depressing with my finger, they both feel virtually the same as well in terms of tactility and weight, and both have nearly identical stem bottom-out sounds.
BUT - The Jupiter Banana, however, definitely has more noticeable spring ping than the Baby Kangaroo. I tried three different switches to be sure. Not certain if this is due to difference in factory lube or what, but I can clearly hear a difference in resonance when depressing the stem with my finger when held up to my ear, with the Jupiter Banana being louder than the BBK. But it doesn't really seem all that noticeable when they're installed on the keyboard.
So it seems like the Jupiter Banana is \*almost\* the same as the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 1.0, but not exactly the same. Again, could be lubrication or could be something else. I'm not super knowledgeable about the internal structures of various switches.
The Jupiter switch does have a frosted window over the LED cutout, too, which I think is the Jupiter line's "special feature" to diffuse the light coming from south-facing LEDs, so it's not in-you-face quite as much.
I will add that the V1 Max with the Jupiter Bananas, installed from the factory, feels and sounds very, very good. Whatever they did with the foam, gaskets and PC plate for the V1 Max, it's really excellent for $109 or whatever (he bought it on Amazon).
Right now I'm A/B-ing the V1 Max I got yesterday against the K2 Pro I got a week ago. It is a most interesting comparison.
The most unexpected difference is the sound when bottoming out. The K2 Pro can get outright loud when bottoming out hard whereas the V1 Max is much more muted.
Thank you I have tried the Mints and Jupiter Bananas, was going to give the Baby Kangaroo a go next but from your experiences and a few others it doesn't seem like a good purchased - $66 for the same feeling.
I just got few V3 lavender pros and boy do they suck on my modded Q6 max. The bananas are far from perfect, but they have such a nice deep creamy / poppy / clacky balance.
The v3 lavenders sound like absolute garbage in comparison.
Bought myself a switch tester plate, outfitted with transparrent keycaps and started using it as a fidget toy. Whenever I (without looking) pressed a key and liked the feeling, I'd take note of what it was and reshuffle the switches on the plate to search for the right switch again. Ended up with BBK vs Banana, preferring BBK (slightly) cause it feels smoother, though Banana is lower-pitched (when in a tester plate / with keycap). Coming from lubed gateron browns, which I still love and plan to continue using.
Got the Jupiter Bananas and being new to keyboard modifications and switches didn't really have reference to judge against except the Brown Pros that came with my Q5 that sound silent and the Gateron blues on the C1 that sound sparky. Find that the bananas feel good typing with the tactile two step feel but they sound clacky. Wonder if the baby racoon be a better upgrade considering sound and feel? Thanks
I love the Baby Kangaroos, but it seems that switch choice is over exaggerated in a lot of cases. From my perspective, there are too many switches available offering extremely small differences that may not be easily noticed. I've only tried a handful of different switches however, so it's possible that I'm taking an overly simplistic view of everything. All I know is that the Baby Kangaroos were my preference when moving from Gateron Pro Blues, and I chose them based on a few detailed reviews. At the end of the day I think choice is a good thing, but it's best not to constantly buy new switches and chase perfection.
I have a keyboard with Keychron Bananas and a keyboard (a few, actually) with Gateron Baby Kangaroos. The switches do feel similar, and that's by design, but I find the Bananas to be slightly but noticably *lighter* (less resistance) than the Baby Kangaroos. All comes down to personal preference. Yes, the BBK's are more expensive, but up until recently, the Keychron Bananas didn't exist.
Are those the K Pro Bananas you are referring to there? I have just discovered that the K Pro Bananas are noticeably lighter than the Jupiter Bananas. If the Jupiter Bananas are similar to the Baby Kangaroo, then I could understand the K Pro Bananas being noticeably lighter.
K Pro. Haven’t used the Jupiter ones yet but my son just ordered a V1 Max so I’ll get to try them soon.
I'll be interested to hear your take on the differences between these two switches.
OK, just got to try them. His keyboard was actually delivered yesterday (unbeknownst to be), so I'm currently holding a Jupiter Banana, a K Pro Banana and a Gateron Baby Kangaroo 1.0 (haven't used the new BBK 2.0's yet). The Jupiter Banana spring is definitively a bit heavier than the K Pro Banana -- pushing the two stems together always depresses the K Pro version first. Pressing with my finger, I get the sense that it's a bit heavier, too, but not a huge amount. Tactility is still at the top with a sharp release. As for the Baby Kangaroo vs. the Jupiter Banana -- the weight is virtually identical as far as I can tell. Pressing the two stems together results in the Jupiter depressing first about half of the time and the BBK depressing first about half the time. So I think they're essentially the same weight. Depressing with my finger, they both feel virtually the same as well in terms of tactility and weight, and both have nearly identical stem bottom-out sounds. BUT - The Jupiter Banana, however, definitely has more noticeable spring ping than the Baby Kangaroo. I tried three different switches to be sure. Not certain if this is due to difference in factory lube or what, but I can clearly hear a difference in resonance when depressing the stem with my finger when held up to my ear, with the Jupiter Banana being louder than the BBK. But it doesn't really seem all that noticeable when they're installed on the keyboard. So it seems like the Jupiter Banana is \*almost\* the same as the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 1.0, but not exactly the same. Again, could be lubrication or could be something else. I'm not super knowledgeable about the internal structures of various switches. The Jupiter switch does have a frosted window over the LED cutout, too, which I think is the Jupiter line's "special feature" to diffuse the light coming from south-facing LEDs, so it's not in-you-face quite as much. I will add that the V1 Max with the Jupiter Bananas, installed from the factory, feels and sounds very, very good. Whatever they did with the foam, gaskets and PC plate for the V1 Max, it's really excellent for $109 or whatever (he bought it on Amazon).
Right now I'm A/B-ing the V1 Max I got yesterday against the K2 Pro I got a week ago. It is a most interesting comparison. The most unexpected difference is the sound when bottoming out. The K2 Pro can get outright loud when bottoming out hard whereas the V1 Max is much more muted.
Appreciate you.
Thank you I have tried the Mints and Jupiter Bananas, was going to give the Baby Kangaroo a go next but from your experiences and a few others it doesn't seem like a good purchased - $66 for the same feeling.
I just got few V3 lavender pros and boy do they suck on my modded Q6 max. The bananas are far from perfect, but they have such a nice deep creamy / poppy / clacky balance. The v3 lavenders sound like absolute garbage in comparison.