Is bottoming-out a bit too harsh, but silent switches a little too mushy for you? If so, these might be worth a look.

*There are a handful of linear UHMWPE stems available at this point - take your pick. Of the few I have, I prefer the ones from 415keys. They have a bit of wobble, but are more smooth in this housing compared with Gateron Hippo stems, which traded the smoothness for more stability.

When I say "soft and bouncy" describing this switch, I'm talking about the properties of the spring, and of the silicone dampening plug in the bottom housing - though, mostly the spring. The Halo True spring starts off moderately light, but quickly gets heavy. This gives a sort of bouncy, cushioned feel to the travel - there's more rebound pushing up on your fingers the farther down you go, and the rate at which it climbs is more noticable than usual - "bouncy."

Isn't it just adorable?

If you do bottom-out, the silicone plug in the bottom housing will take the edge off. The plug itself is fairly firm, but quite a bit less so than any housing plastic - this means that while the bottom-out is dampened, it isn't mushy. In the case of this switch, "soft" is trying to communicate the gentle slowing that comes from the spring, and the lack of clacking or sharp sensation at the bottom - not so much the kind of "soft" you'd get from something like a Bobagum.

Now - while this does have a dampening mechanism in it, and while this is a bit more quiet than your typical linear, this is not a silent switch. It makes a light but crisp tick on the top-out. While I think the sound is inoffensive enough without tuning, a little oil at the points of contact on the top housing will blunt this very small but sharp aspect.

The housing color is a little easier to see looking at the bottom. Also a good time to point out that these are three-pin, meaning they'll play nice with that old CTRL or Lam-Ang Pro in your closet.

With the 415keys stem and remnants of factory lube in the housing, I think this is plenty smooth without lube - do what works for you. Stems with larger tolerances like the Hippo would most likely benefit from some directed lubing.

These feel a bit more like I expected Marshmallows to feel than they do. Soft and chewy with juuust a touch of al-dente.

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