BBN Tactile

 

 

Background:

There’s not much background about these switches. In collaboration with Tecsee, they’re the tactile counterpart to BBN linears. It took BBN a while to release these due to making adjustments to make the perfect tactile that matches his preferences.

On March 23, 2022, an interest check for BBN tactiles went live on geekhack.

 

Packaging:

I ordered the switches some time after Zion Studios had them in-stock. They came in the vendor’s standard packaging.

I did read however that if you ordered from BBN himself, the first few batches included a mascot sticker of it.

 

Pricing & Availability:

In Q3 of 2022, production wrapped up and ready to ship out to vendors. Around October they were already available from vendors around the world.

At the time of re-writing, these switches are no longer in-stock and are mostly found in the aftermarket now. There’s still a few vendors who still have a few stocks ready to ship out though. Check with your respective vendor if they still carry these switches.

For 10 pieces, they cost $6.30 (₱350) or $35 (₱35) per piece

 

Appearance & Materials:

 

Tactility & Performance:

Tactility is pretty strong. It’s paired with a rounded P-shaped bump, and a two-stage spring that has a spring that bottoms out at 63g. There’s barely and pre-travel, and the reset is quick and snappy.

Tolerance is pretty good. Little to no housing wobble, but there’s some on the stem. It’s barely noticeable though. One of the downsides at stock is that they’re a bit scratchy.

I can’t properly provide information on travel distance though. There’s no mention of it anywhere. Just know that it’s a short travel distance due to being a long pole switch.

 

Sound:

[Unsupported block type: bookmark]

They’re loud and clacky. The bottom out is what helps the switch with the clacky but harsh sound. The return or the reset also makes a loud snapping sound. Despite being a long pole, compared to other clacky switches like the Azure Dragons, they’re not as loud in comparison.

The switch at stock has some scratchy noise to it, and the leaf ticking is a bit annoying. It can sometimes be drowned out by the harsh bottom out sound, as far as I remember.

 

Modification & Frankens:

Lubing - it’s noticeably smoother and less scratchy. It also mitigates the spring ping, and dampens the harsh bottom out sound. For me, I prefer the majority of the switch lubed, but I don’t mind the dry version if it too. But I’d definitely lube the spring, and maybe the bottom housing if the sound is too harsh.

Adding films - The switch doesn’t need it. The tolerance and wobble are really stable as is already. If anything, using films may or may not change the sound slightly.

Leaf Shroud - As the switch has some issues with spring pinging, adding this mod helps silence the ticking and it becomes really inconsistent - barely audible.

 

 

Durability & Quirks:

Other than the copper legs on these switches aging. They’ve held up for a long time as of rewriting in May 2024. None of the seventy switches have had any issues like chattering, leaf ticking, or breaking off of pieces. They’ve held up well over the years.

One notable aspect of these switches when I first wrote the review are the latches that attach to the plate of the board. They’re very strong and until now, these switches are still hard to pull out.

 

My Thoughts:

 

Quick Comparisons:

Because this is a re-review of an old switch, I thought I’d compare it to older / newer switches that were / are considered to have or had a strong tactile bump.

Comparisons aren’t in-depth and are just quick observations.

  • White Jade
    • Stronger tactility overall
    • Longer travel distance
    • Less stem wobble
    • Higher pitched

     

  • Dark Jade
    • Tighter sounding
    • Sharper bump
    • Louder clack

     

  • Glorious Panda
    • Scratchier and more ticking
    • Housing wobbles more
    • Tactility is much weaker

     

  • NK Blueberry
    • Tactility is much larger
    • More stem wobble
    • Much scratchier

     

  • Badseed Tactile
    • Lighter spring
    • Less wobble overall
    • Tactile bump feel is instant
    • Tactility is bigger and sharper
    • Tighter & louder sounding clack

     

  • Betty
    • Louder
    • Tactile bump is instant
    • Little to no pre-travel and post-travel
    • You can feel the pole hitting the bottom housing

 

More Information:

[Unsupported block type: bookmark]

[Unsupported block type: bookmark]

[Unsupported block type: bookmark]

[Unsupported block type: bookmark]

 

Sound Tests:

[Unsupported block type: bookmark]

[Unsupported block type: bookmark]

[Unsupported block type: bookmark]

[Unsupported block type: bookmark]