Thoughts on Switches – NovelKeys Blueberry switches

NovelKeys Blueberry switches are an extremely tactile switch that was released in the first half of 2020. They’re also related to the Cream series, featuring an all-POM housing and stem like those switches. They were the first in NovelKeys line of tactile switches, and one of their further forays into switch design experimentation. During that time there was an increased interest in highly tactile switches, such as the Holy Panda type switches, Hako Royal switches, and even more traditional tactile options that are lighter like Cherry Clear switches. Though, ultimately, the popularity of such highly tactile switches has waned there will always be a loyal and enthusiastic audience for tactile switches.

In that regard, Blueberry switches are a uniquely heavy tactile switch with a heavily and long tactile event. While most switches feature a switch actuation somewhere between 1.0-2.0mm, Blueberry switches feature a much deeper actuation at 3.0mm. That actuation point follows a long, and smooth tactile event that features a drop-off in force at 3mm. The tactility begins with switch activation and builds to a peak at just under 2mm with a peak force of roughly 70g. That tapers off to the 3mm point where the force needed drops down to 55g. After that point the switch returns to an even steeper curve to bottom out at 4mm with a roughly 80g bottom out force. That makes these switches extremely tactile, and quite heavy compared to most other switches. Typing on them maintains a deep tactility and depending on your tastes I would call them fatiguing to use because of how heavy these switches are.

If you are used to lighter switches of any type, but especially in reference to lighter linear switches, these will require a deep readjustment to your typing. It’s especially perceptible if you’re used to higher actuation points in the sub-2mm range, such as many of the more recent linear switch options that have come out since these switches were first introduced. For instance, most recently I’ve been back to using my Leobog Graywood V3 switches that actuate at 1.5mm and bottom out at 3.6mm. Using these Blueberry switches feels much deeper because now to simply activate them requires me to press nearly as far down as those Graywood switches use to bottom out. Using these again I am encountering more typos because I’m not pressing deeply enough to actuate the switches. Again, it will just take time to retune my muscle memory to pressing more deeply again.

Having said that, because of the unusual stem shape and force curve, they do have an interesting quirk to them. When they are in that point around actuation, that is where the switch is lightest to hold, making them easier to hold in a semi-actuated point than it is to be gently holding the switch partially depressed like with a more traditional switch where the force curve is more of a smooth, ascending slope. When typing that’s not necessarily advantageous, unless you want to repeat a single character over and over. But, when doing something else, such as gaming, being able to repeatedly ever so slightly jiggle the switch up and down to repeatedly actuate it is a bit of a fun experience with these switches. I don’t think it is necessarily helpful even in most game genres, but if you are playing games where that kind of rapid, single-key pressing is what you are doing I could see it being a fun switch to use to exploit that. However, due to the heavy weighting of the switch, even with that being the lightest part of using the switch, it’s still heavier than most other switches you’re probably familiar with using.

And that is a large part of what make these switches such a strange beast to use. They’re heavy, long, and almost exhausting to use for long-term. I’ve heard them described as feeling closer to how some much older mechanical switch designs but still distinct from them. I’m not sure how to even classify them with regards to similar switches simply because there aren’t really any other switches that I’ve ever used that are anywhere close to feeling how these do. Sure, Hako Royal Clear and TKC Kiwi switches are also heavily tactile switches, but they don’t feature the same super long actuation travel and even as heavy as they are, they are still lighter than Blueberry switches. That’s not to say they’re unclassifiable, they simply exist at the most extreme end of heavily tactile switches. Thankfully, for my fingers at least, they are a gentler tactile experience. The curve long and drawn out, not sharp at all. Had these switches had the same force numbers but sharper, steeper tactility they would be painful to use. That’s an issue that I have with the heavier click-bar type clicky switches, like Kailh Box Navy. The sharp snap of the tactile event is deeply fatiguing and almost painful during longer typing sessions and, for me, deeply unpleasant. Blueberries still feel fatiguing but not quite as harsh as Box Navy.

Where these become particularly disappointing though is with something that is an unfortunate hallmark of Kailh’s all-POM switches in general: they’re deeply scratchy. However, unlike the linear switches, lubricating the Blueberry switches would inherently dampen their unique feeling of such heavy tactility. So, to retain that tactility they need to be used unlubricated which leaves that heavily scratchy feeling at the forefront whenever you type on them. They don’t sound the scratchiest, thankfully, but it’s still perceptible and will never leave your mind because the feeling is almost punchy into your fingers. It’s by far the greatest weakness of the design and quite the large pitfall for an otherwise deeply fascinating switch. If you are looking for the next, heaviest tactile switch these are an option, albeit one with a tragic Achilles’ Heel.

Beyond that scratchy feeling, they do have similar traits to NovelKeys’ Cream switches. Both feature the same beige POM housings. Blueberries however feature a fun, and vibrant, deep, blue stem that makes them easily discernible even with a simple cursory glance compared to the Cream switches. Likewise, they also feature the same, unfortunate, odour that is common with POM switches. They do, in fact, have a distinctly fishy odour just like my Cream switches. They off gas quickly, but every time I pull them out from storage, I get a lovely whiff of fish that isn’t exactly a pleasant smell.

Continuing with construction, they do have a hollow channel for RGB light pass-through. So, if you enjoy RGB these will play nicely with that for you. They also are your typical 5-pin design, so they have the two plastic housing pins. Because I bought these to use with my first generation Glorious GMMK keyboards I clipped those pins off mine, but they are otherwise left stock. The housing features tight tolerances, with almost no twisting or separation between the top and bottom housing even when I apply force to them. The stem wobble is roughly in line with what I expect from Kailh POM type switches, roughly in the middle of the pack compared to all the switches I’ve used. Movement in both north-south and east-west directions has a similar wobble. Again, they fall in the middle with that. I think they’re average, not terrible, not exceptional, just average.

For sound, they retain much of that Cream type sound. I find they’re on the higher pitched end compared to Cream switches. They have a lighter and brighter sound to them, accentuating the higher frequency sounds. They also, have more ping to them, my guess is that stems from them using a heavier spring that imparts more force. I think it’s also because they do require such a deep actuation making them have a longer return travel that accentuates the return sound. I’d describe them more on the clacky end than the thocky end, if you think of clacky as higher pitched and sharper tones and thocky as lower and deeper sounds. I think they’d become particularly pingy in a metal board with little or no dampening and therefore become more nuanced with either a different case material or with heavier dampening.

As for price, they typically are at the $0.65 per switch price point. That puts them in the same price range as other niche, more premium switches. That said, they’re also a largely unique experience. You’re not likely to find switches with a similar feel of such deep travel for actuation. Nor are you likely to find such a long and smooth tactile curve. For that, I honestly think these are more a novelty to have around than as a serious option to use in a daily driver keyboard. I think that even when it comes to heavily tactile switches that there are others that are more pleasant to use for long term. The switches that keep coming to mind for me are TKC Kiwi switches. While still deeply tactile, they are much smoother because of the factory lubrication as well as utilising UHMWPE versus POM plastic. They have a more pleasant sound to them with greatly reduced ping. And, ultimately, they’re easier to find as well as they have been in stock via TKC’s website for most of the past year now while NovelKeys hasn’t had the Blueberry switches in stock for over a year now. Ultimately, I’m glad I have them. They’re fun to pull out every so often and can be fun to use as a comparison point to other switches. I like having them in my collection as that reference point but also just to have such a strange, and unique switch on hand. And for switch enthusiasts I think these are a fantastic switch to have around, even if only to get other keyboard enthusiasts to ask “Why?” They’re quirky, strange, and can be fun. But if you’re not interested in having switches simply to have them, I think there are other tactile switches that will, ultimately, be safer choices while still letting you experience heavily tactile switches. A short list for me are: TKC Kiwi, TKC Dragonfruit (more mid-tactile but I think that’s also a safer option for most people anyway), Kailh Hako Royal Clear, or any of a number of “Panda” switches.