For years, Gateron Ink Black has gained a reputation in the keyboard community for its incredibly quiet and seamless switching. If you’re in the market for a mechanical keyboard switch, Gateron Ink Black switches are worth checking out. They have a professional tone that makes them perfect for use in business settings, and they provide a smooth, responsive typing experience.
Thanks to their low actuation force, Gateron Ink Black switches are also ideal for people who type quickly. So if you’re looking for an upgrade, be sure to consider Gateron Ink Black switches. In this article, we give a comprehensive review of the Gateron Ink Black switch.
Gateron Ink Black Switch Details
Type: Linear, no touch when typing. The whole thing is smooth
Operating force: 60g, which resistance is higher, heavier linear switch has! More resistance than a yellow or red switch
Travel distance: 4mm total travel
Price: Not quite on budget. Each switch costs between $0.60 and $0.80, depending on where you buy it
Installation style: Gateron Ink Black is a 5 pin switch (PCB mount). If your PCB only accepts 3 pins, you’ll need 2 plastic pins clipped to each switch
Voice: Soft, soft, deep, smooth
How it feels: Thick, heavy, smooth, but with a small amount of wiggle
Material: Spring coating. This is very rare and is said to help with spring ping
While the Gateron Ink Black switch is a bit expensive compared to regular switches, it performs very well. They are very smooth and produce a nice bass sound when they hit. The switches felt a little itchy before lube and switch film was applied to the batch of ink, and I was a little disappointed with how much they seemed to wobble.
After lubing and coating, I began to really realize why the switch was so popular in the community, as the out-of-the-box problems began to disappear. If you are looking for a premium switch that will give you a smooth and creamy experience, the Gateron Ink Black switch is certainly worth a look.
Appearance
As a special switch under the Gateron brand, the Gateron Ink Black switch has a truly unique look. The color of the case is a black smoky hue like ink spilled inside a transparent case switch. The stem has a spray black tinge and looks quite attractive. The black stem and smoked shell look very modern and unique. Also, a bit of purple from the Duroc stabilizer makes your keyboard look really nice from the inside out.
However, in terms of aesthetics, some people don’t think that ink black will look much better than ink red, ink blue, or ink yellow designs. With this in mind, we will review other Gateron ink switches in other posts to help you make comparisons. After all, the Gateron Ink Black switch still satisfies many people who like the virtual black smoke it brings.
These switches are made of excellent housing materials that improve their construction quality and sturdiness. Due to their construction and performance, Gateron Ink Black switches are considered very premium switches, which is why their price is slightly higher.
The top and bottom of the housing are black and smoky, and it appears to be ink-splitting from the inside. This smoking shell is the reason for the name “ink switch”. The stems are made of a spray black color, giving them a stylish and unique finish.
With this different housing and stem, the inky black switch from Gaterons stands out from other regular switches and also makes your mechanical keyboard special, elegant and unique. In addition to the Ink Black switch, you can also check out the Gateron Ink Red and Yellow switches, which are gorgeous and a good alternative to Ink Black with the light driving force.
Operating Force
As you can observe, linear switches mostly have a light driving force for fast input and response time. But in the Gateron ink black switch, the operating force works on the slightly higher side and is measured at 60cN. This 60cN drive makes these switches heavier and gives them the feel of a blue switch, except for the clicking sound.
In order to record a keystroke, you have to apply a relatively large amount of pressure to the key. You can also place your fingers on the keyboard, as keys will not be accidentally registered due to the power of their large drives.
This spring force and linear switch profile can provide a different experience, but it is also true that this type of switch is not suitable for everyone, as some users may face difficulties with initial use. If you don’t like linear switches because of their light driving force, you can choose the Gateron ink black switch for your mechanical keyboard.
Sound Test
The sound produced by the Gateron Ink Black switch is one of the most important aspects a user is likely to notice when pressing a key. These Gateron Ink Blacks have a very low and quiet tone profile and a bit of a harsh sound when typing. This is evidenced by its technical specifications for a powerful 60g driving force.
Thanks to their main feature, some bass clicks when typing, these switches really stand out from the traditional and non-ink Gateron switches. However, if you first hear or feel any itching and want to get rid of it, lubrication is a good way to do it.
With little post-scratch lubrication, the ink sounds amazing. At the bottom, there is a nice bass click noise, separated from the high-pitched noise on the non-ink Gateron switch. The bounce is equally satisfying to the bottom and produces a very similar sound. The KBD75 all-aluminum frame with foam inside is the perfect sound field for these switches, not to mention the switch membrane that prevents the dithering of cloudy sounds.
The sound quality is excellent, especially the price. In addition, the sound produced by the bounce is very similar to the sound of the bottom coming out, which is equally pleasant. Overall, Gartron Ink Black produces a very amazing sound that will satisfy your ears, especially after lubrication.
The Feel
Gateron ink black feel is pretty good, and it’s everything you want in a linear switch. The only downside is the slight stem swing that most Gateron switches have due to slightly imprecise tolerances and smaller stem sizes.
The smaller size of the keyboard stick does make keystrokes smoother, so there’s definitely a trade-off between smoothness and jitter. To limit the wobble, it was found that installing the switch film did improve the stability of the switch when mounted to the plate, but did not help the stem much.
Typing Experience
The typing experience is probably the first thing that comes to mind when buying a keyboard switch. Gateron Ink Black provides an extremely smooth and tactile feel. This is what you’d expect from a linear switch-fast response time and excellent smoothness.
While the Gateron Ink Black switch provides such a smooth typing experience, some users may feel the scratch first due to the swing of the switch rod. This is the only drawback of most Gateron switches. They have a slight stem swing due to inaccurate tolerances and reduced stem size. The typing experience won’t be much affected, though.
If you want smoother and better typing sound, you can lubricate these switches to reduce jitter. Overall, the Gateron Ink Black switch does not disappoint. These switches will provide you with an incredibly smooth typing experience.
Gateron Ink Black Pros and Cons
Pros
Really one of the smoothest linear switches ever made
Softer sound, softer and quieter, which is the linear switch most people prefer
The smoky houses look wonderful
Cons
More expensive than most switches
It’s hard to find these days
If you have a 3-pin PCB, the 5-pin switch needs to be cropped
Although they are not lubricated, you may want to lubricate them.
To really shine, you need to change the film
They really have one of the smoothest sounds and feels from any linear switch. Inky black is near perfect if you take the time to lubricate and film them. They’re a keyboard lover’s favorite for a reason.
Other Gateron Switch Recommendations: Ink Red/Yellow
You may find that the weight of the Gateron Ink Black spring is too heavy and causes finger fatigue. So if you’re looking for a smoother, bass linear switch feel, Gateron Ink Yellow and red switches would be the two best choices for their black counterparts.
Gateron Ink Red and Yellow switches are identical in shape and sound, but they are lighter, allowing for better handling of lighter keystrokes. These switches have a very different aesthetic, and instead of black smokey colors, they have chosen yellow and red aesthetics. This looks a little better and allows you to match your build colors in a really cool way.
FAQs
1. Are Gateron Ink Black switches good?
It all depends on what you’re looking for, but overall, the Gateron Ink Black switch is a superb premium linear switch that is heavy, smooth, and silent. They feel smooth even without lubrication, although there is a small amount of switch wobble, which can cause a harsh sound. If you can tap the switch, the shake goes away. Overall, Ink Back is one of the more popular Gateron linear switches for good reason! They sound and feel great!
2. Are Gateron Ink Blacks noisy?
Compared to most other keyboard switches, the Gateron Ink Black is not noisy. They have a softer, heavier, and smoother sound than other linear switches, with no tactile sensation such as a tactile switch or click mechanism such as a click switch. Their sound is often described as “rich,” “rich,” and “buttery.”
3. Is Gateron a good brand?
Of all the cheap mechanical keyboard manufacturers, Gateron is definitely one of the best. Their switches may be slightly cheaper than the Cherry MX, but the Gateron switches still sound and feel fantastic, and are often well-made and of superior quality. In particular, their linear switches (black, ink black, etc.) are considered the best budget linear switches.
4. Should you grease Gateron Ink Black?
You should. Gateron ink black is quite rough and noisy right if you use them on the box without lubrication. So lubricate them for a smoother typing experience.
5. Which Gateron switch is the best?
While it really depends on your preference, we recommend the Gateron Milky Yellow switch or the Gateron Ink Black switch (if you prefer a linear switch), or the Gateron Brown Pro switch if you prefer a tactile switch. Gateron green is generally preferred over Gateron blue if you like to click on the switch (this is mostly a community preference, as the green switch is a bit heavy and sounds thicker).
6. Does the Gateron Ink Black switch need a switch film?
Yes. These switches have a little wobble. This means I mount the switch onto the board or PCB, get some tweezers, and wiggle the switch from side to side. There is a fair amount of wobble, which can lead to a harsher sound and feel.
Conclusion
All in all, the Gateron Ink Black is an excellent switch. Due to their unique look, good sound, and feel, most keyboard enthusiasts consider them the next switch. The main features that make them stand out are their heavier drive and lower pitch. The Gateron Ink Black switch is a great choice for those looking for an alternative to the Cherry MX Blue switch.
It has tactile and audible feedback that makes it perfect for typists who are looking for a more pronounced response. The switch also has a low actuation force, making it easy to press down. If you’re looking for a new gaming keyboard or want to try out something different from Cherry MX Blues, the Gateron Ink Black switch is definitely worth considering. In this article, we have made a detailed review of the Gateron Ink Black switch, I hope this article would be helpful to you.
