Okay, so I finally got around to comparing these two switches that everyone’s been talking about: Holy Panda and Gateron Speed Silver. I’ve heard so much hype about both, so I figured I’d do a little hands-on experiment myself.
Getting My Hands on Them
First things first, I ordered a batch of each. Finding Holy Pandas was a bit of a pain, you know, gotta hunt around different vendors, check group buys, the usual keyboard enthusiast struggle. The Speed Silvers were much easier to grab, thankfully.
The Initial Feel Test
Once they arrived, I did the most basic thing: I pressed them. Just straight up, no lube, no nothing, just the switches as they came. Here’s what I noticed:
- Holy Panda: Definitely tactile. Like, REALLY tactile. You feel that bump, no doubt about it. It’s kinda heavy, though. Felt like I had to put some real effort into pushing it down.
- Gateron Speed Silver: Super smooth. Like, butter smooth. And so light! Barely any effort to press these down. They’re linear, so no bump at all, just straight down and up.
Lubing It Up
Now, everyone knows you gotta lube your switches, right? It’s like, Keyboard Modding 101. So, I grabbed my trusty Krytox 205g0 and went to work. I spent a good few hours carefully lubing each switch, making sure I didn’t overdo it. It’s tedious, but so worth it.
The Post-Lube Showdown
After lubing, the difference was noticeable.
- Holy Panda: The lube smoothed out the tactility a bit, making it less harsh, but that satisfying bump was still very much there. It felt a little faster, too.
- Gateron Speed Silver: Even smoother, if that’s even possible! They felt almost ridiculously fast. Like, I could practically breathe on them and they’d activate.
Putting Them to the Test: Typing and Gaming
Then came the real test: actually using them. I swapped out the switches on my main keyboard – half with Holy Pandas, half with Speed Silvers – and started typing and gaming.
- Typing: The Holy Pandas were great for typing. That tactile feedback just makes you feel like you’re really typing, you know? But my fingers did get a little tired after a long coding session. The Speed Silvers were… interesting for typing. So fast that I kept making typos! I had to really lighten my touch.
- Gaming: This is where the Speed Silvers shined. Those quick actuations were amazing for fast-paced games. I felt like I had a slight edge. The Holy Pandas were okay for gaming, but that tactile bump sometimes felt like it slowed me down a tiny bit in those split-second moments.
The Final Verdict
So, after all that tinkering, what’s the conclusion? Well, it really depends on what you’re looking for.
- If you love that strong tactile feedback and don’t mind a bit of resistance, the Holy Pandas are awesome, especially for typing.
- If you want pure speed and smoothness, and you have a light touch, the Gateron Speed Silvers are incredible, especially for gaming.
Me? I think I’m going to keep the Speed Silvers on my gaming keyboard and put the Holy Pandas on a separate board I use mostly for writing. Best of both worlds, right?