Update I
Published on: 08/01/2021
Kicking off the ‘Scorecard Update Project’, a total of 15 scorecards were updated both in wording as well as with the newer scorecard chart featuring the switch type and manufacturer name. Of the 15 that were updated, 8 included score changes in addition to the text based changes whereas 7 only had text based changes. At the time of updating, these were among the very first scorecards ever made and were between 11 and 12 months old. Below is a list of changes made as well as a rationale for each.
#1. Everglide Amber Orange V2 Pro!
Sound
At the time this was first published, the broader switch market hadn’t started its exploration of secret material blends, polycarbonate-nylon mixes, nor UHMWPE housings, making the range of comparison for sound of these switches quite narrow. As more variety has been released over the past year, though, the relatively thin, plasticky, and hollow sounding topping out of the Everglide Amber Orange V2 Pro! switches has only aged like fine milk.
Other
A large motivating factor for the initial scoring of this section hinged around the interesting gimmick of “hand lubed” switches from the factory as well as the relatively niche spring weight of these at 58g. of bottoming out force. In time, though, not only did these gimmicks die out very quickly, but also the general community’s memory and enjoyment of these switches.
Everglide Amber Orange V2 Pro! Scorecard V2
Everglide Amber Orange V2 Pro! Scorecard V1
#2. Everglide Coral Red V2 Pro!
Push Feel
At the time I created this scorecard, differences in push feel as a function of activation speeds was simply not something that I had considered exploring. Given that we do all in fact type at different speeds, I’ve come to realize the importance of this metric and upon re-testing this switch I’ve come to the conclusion that higher activation speeds causes a thin, prickly feeling topping out to creep in that simply isn’t at prominent at lower typing speeds.
Everglide Coral Red V2 Pro! Scorecard V2
Everglide Coral Red V2 Pro! Scorecard V1
#3. Everglide Jade Green V2
Sound
Again, leaning on gained experience as more and more switch releases explore exotic material combinations in switch housings, the initial sound scoring for the Everglide Jade Green V2s simply doesn’t hold up over time. These are ultimately more thin, harsh, and plasticky sounding at both housing collisions then I originally had considered.
Everglide Jade Green V2 Scorecard V2
Everglide Jade Green V2 Scorecard V1
#4. Kiwi
Wobble
While my perspective on the wobble of the singular C3 Kiwi switch has not changed over time, my change has been made as I’ve been fortunate enough to get to try more of them out. One thing that I’ve noticed over time that I didn’t in their initial scorecard is that there is some slight inconsistency to wobble across switches in a batch, with some having perceptibly greater wobble in both N/S and E/W directions.
Kiwi Scorecard V2
Kiwi Scorecard V1
#5. Star Grey
Wobble
While at first glance this may seem like an incredibly drastic change to a score, I assure you that this change (as well as the one for the Star Purple) were not done lightly. While all of these were “among the first scorecards made”, the Star switches were truly within the first five and the lack of perspective really led me to overestimate how strong their wobble was relative to what was possible. Very recent explorations of switches, such as in the SP Star Magic Girl Switch Review, have really led me to think long and hard about this change in particular.
Star Grey Scorecard V2
Star Grey Scorecard V1
#6. Star Purple
Wobble
The comments for this change here have already been effectively stated above in the previous entry for the Star Grey switches. Simply put, I completely overestimated the bounds of what was possible with respect to wobble at the time of publishing and gained experience has led me to strongly reconsider my initial scoring of these switches, and especially so with respect to more recent SP Star switch releases.
Star Purple Scorecard V2
Star Purple Scorecard V1
#7. Hexin Bamboo Green (60g)
Push Feel
At time time these were first introduced, they were a relatively unique offering both with respect to their medium-strong tactile bump as well as the long stem pole bottoming out. While I initially thought that this was an odd design choice that simply would die out after this and it’s sibling in Moyu Blacks, a growing acceptance of this in the hobby has turned me more in favor of these characteristics than I had initially given credit for.
Wobble
Much like with the Everglide switches described above, I had a perspective about the wobble of these switches that simply was overly harsh for the time. While I thought these were among the less favorable wobbles one could get from a similarly weighted tactile, time has shown me that there is actually worse out there. There are still some inconsistencies between switches here that hold them back from the improvement seen below in Moyu Blacks.
Hexin Bamboo Green (60g) Scorecard V2
Hexin Bamboo Green (60g) Scorecard V1
#8. Moyu Black
Push Feel
Again, echoing the sentiments above in the Hexin Bamboo Green switch which was released alongside the Moyu Blacks in the East, these simply seemed like a one-off oddity that I was not thinking would be something people would come to appreciate. Further acceptance of this feature and other shitty attempts at it have improved my opinion of the push feel of these switches in time.
Wobble
See the above mentioned comments in the Hexin Bamboo Green switches. That being said, though, these do have a slightly higher score improvement as in my experience they tend to be more consistent between switches in a batch with respect to stem wobble.