Okomochi & Pinoko Switch Review
Note
At the original point in writing this document, it was stated that the Okomochi and Pinoko switches were going to be a “one and done” run, rather than a stocked item. As of the time of updating this document, 8/10/2020, Okomochis and Pinokos have been run again with differences in their design. This document is thus a review of Okomochi V1s and Pinoko V1s.
Switch Backgrounds
Riding the relatively new wave of Durock’s fame at the time of sale, Okomochi and Pinoko switches were the second Durock recolor after Koalas to successfully make it to groubuy in late August to early September 2019. The sale, which was run by Okonomiyaki(#2832) and (u/)F2P_Corn, featured a pair of Durock switches each with an MOQ of 250 at $0.65 per piece. Earlier on in the groupbuy phase, this MOQ was 300 pieces per order but was dropped, ever so slightly, due to popular demand. Switches were received by the general public in mid to late December 2019, which was within the estimated 12-week delivery timeframe.
Okomochi Switch Performance
The Okomochi switches are the tactile T1 clone of the pair of switches and boasts a bright, translucent pink house with a clear stem. Much like the other Durock clones released since the initial ordering of these switches, such as Alpacas and FFF switches, these feature a Nylon housing as well as a POM stem that boasts “no wobble.” Additionally, rather than stock Durock springs, these switches came preloaded with 67.5g Punchy springs.
Figure 1: Okomochi Switches fresh out of the bag.
Appearance:
The pink color of the outside housing is identical to the samples pictured in the original groupbuy form, and in person they are quite a bright shade of pink. I could easily see these going well, in a color scheme build, with something like GMK Peach Blossom, which goes on sale here in a couple weeks on January 2nd , 2020 or DSA Hana. While there are several other pink colored switches already out there, I would say that the pink color of the housing is extremely close to that of Punchy Pink switches.
Figure 2: Comparison of commercially available pink switches. (Left to Right: Okomochi, Gateron Punchy Pink, Sakurio, Rosélio, Novelia, and Aliaz 100g.)
Push Feel:
The actual feel of this switch is certainly what makes it stand out from the other Durock switches released thus far along, and that is almost certainly due to the Punchy spring being used. With no pretravel whatsoever, the full 67.5g force is felt evenly throughout the entirety of the stroke, and the initial stroke as well as spring back is, for lack of better phrasing, “punchy”. Compared with that of other tactile switches, and especially other Durock clones, these are extremely firm and snappy in overall feel.
Sound:
The sound of these switches is not one of the better aspects, though it could likely be improved with a thin lubricant prior to use. At relatively slow speeds, there is a slight bit of scratch as well as spring ping that can be heard from the Okomochi, though as speed increases, these sounds become much more noticeable and grating. Additionally, the actual snappiness of the spring appears to give the stroke a ‘snapping’ sound, that like the spring pinging, only is exacerbated by speed.
Wobble:
While the initial groupbuy form assured that these stems would not have any wobble, that promise is mildly broken in the final result. Having no E/W wobble whatsoever, the slight N/S wobble is only slightly more noticeable and a letdown given the promise of the wobble-less stems. That being said, though, with keycaps on the wobble is no more noticeable than most other high-end switches that have significant wobble reduction.
Other:
When compared to other tactile switches on the market currently, as well as some of the more popular ones of past, I would say that these are certainly a refreshingly sharp and snappy alternative. That being said, though, if color isn’t of concern, these switches could easily be replicated by placing the same, or similar weight punchy springs into any of the Durock clone family, as the Nylon housing similarities across most of the switches will keep the sounds identical.
Comparison Notes to Other Notable Tactile Switches
Note – These are not aimed at being comprehensive comparisons between all factors of these switches as this would simply be too long for this writeup. These are little notes of interest I generated when comparing these pieces to Okomochis side by side.
Zealio V2 67g.:
- Have a slightly higher sounding pitch to them when compared to Okomochi, which is likely the result of not having the thicker Nylon housing.
- Very similar feel in terms of punch of the overall tactile stroke, though Okomochi definitely has a snappier backstroke to it.
Massdrop Holy Panda:
- Completely different in sound compared to Okomochi; Has a much higher pitched and abrasive sound. - Definitely has a much weaker tactile bump compared to Okomochi.
- Spring ping is much more noticeable in the sound than it is for the Okomochi.
YOK Purple Trash Pandas:
- Other than the snappiness of the Okomochi adding to the sound, as previously mentioned, the Purple Trash Pandas sound extremely similar.
- Slightly lighter tactile bump that feels as if it sits higher than the Okomochi.
- Decently similar wobble in the N/S direction, but a slight bit of E/W wobble.
Pinoko Switch Performance
The Pinoko switches are the linear T1 clone of the pair of switches and has a translucent pink housing with a matching clear colored stem as the Okomochis. Unlike the other switch, though, the translucent pink housing of the Pinoko is made of a polycarbonate material and comes with a 68g. Punchy slow curve spring. (Purely on conjecture, this along with the new Marshmallow switch from ThicThock and JWK leads me to believe that the community will likely be seeing more progressive spring linear pieces in the near future.)
Figure 3: Pinoko switches slightly less fresh out of the bag.
Appearance:
All of the same appearance notes apply the same to the Pinoko switches as for the Okomochi switches, though the translucence of the pink housings only makes the switches that much more attractive in terms of sight. They truly are a pretty piece, and I would not be surprised if many people stem and spring swap these switches in order to keep the beauty of the housings in their builds.
Push Feel:
While a decent linear in its own right, the Pinoko spring definitely does not live up to the same promise as the Okomochi Punchy springs. While the slow curve aspect of the 68g force is present to some extent, the actual increase in force felt is not noticeably different until the very end of the stroke, and at normal usage this almost certainly will blend in with the bottoming out of the switches. As well, while this did not come with factory lubrication intentionally, it does feel as if this switch carries more scratch than other Durock linear switches and is likely a result of the polycarbonate housing.
Sound:
As expected with the slightly greater amount of out of the box scratch, the scratch noise of these switches is significantly more noticeable than preferred in linear switches. However, there is not any noticeable spring ping in these switches, even at a high speed.
Wobble:
The wobble notes for the Pinoko are identical to the ones listed above for the Okomochi – no E/W wobble and a slight N/S wobble that nearly disappears with keycap usage.
Other:
While its not particularly fair to compare linear and tactile switches against each other, being that this switch and the Okomochi came in a pink-colored-pair, this is definitely the losing option out of the two. A decent amount of lubing will need to be done in order to make these more than just an average to slightly above average linear switch.
Comparison Notes to Other Notable Linear Switches
Note – These are not aimed at being comprehensive comparisons between all factors of these switches as this would simply be too long for this writeup. These are little notes of interest I generated when comparing these pieces to Pinokos side by side.
Gateron Inks V1:
- Nearly identical sounding to the Pinoko switches.
- Housing color appears slightly less translucent but very similar in terms of opacity to the pink translucent housings. - Definitely less N/S wobble than the Pinoko switches.
- When testing side by side, the slow curve of the punchy spring becomes more noticeable, but I still don’t think its noticeable enough to make a difference.
C3 Tangerine V1.5s, Black Bottom:
- Noticeably higher out of the box scratch compared to Pinoko switches.
- Has a bit of a higher pitched sound compared to Pinoko switches.
- Has a slightly lighter initial press than the Pinoko switches, even taking into consideration the differences in spring weights.
Tealios V2:
- Definitely smoother than the Pinoko switches out of the box.
- Has much more of a resounding and full bodied bottoming out noise than the Pinoko switches, which has a bit more of a dull and muted bottoming out sound.
- Slightly more wobble than the Pinoko switches in the N/S direction.
Final Opinions
Out of the pair, the Okomochi is a much more interesting option, and almost entirely due to the usage of the punchy springs in it. Other than that, these aren’t exactly striking options in terms of performance, and the only real value that they will likely see on the secondary market is in the color of the housings, as even the interesting note of the Okomochi could be replicated in other Durock clones.
Further Reading
Okomochi/Pinoko Mechmarket GB Post
Okomochi/Pinoko Mechmarket GB Update