⚠ WARNING: I’ve gotten mixed reports about compatibility with these parts; proceed with that in mind. I have confirmed with Gazzew personally that no changes have been made to the Boba molds; the possibility exists this is a consistency issue, either with the housings or given stems. Generally, Gazzew does recommend getting some extras if you’re planning on doing frankens with his housings. If you’re having issues with stem clearance and don’t mind using polycarbonate tops, Gazzew sells a slightly relaxed version with Outemu badging that is more reliably compatible with other stems. ⚠

A remarkable switch that manages to be very snappy without the expected harshness in sound or feel.

Did you enjoy Holy Pandas, but find them a bit too harsh - or maybe just a bit too loud? Maybe you enjoyed the strong tactility, but thought you might prefer something more refined? Perhaps none of that matters and what you’re really after is a fresh, hip tactile that isn’t a Panda.

If any of that vaguely sounds like a “yes” to you, then Holy Bobas just might be worth your attention.

These have a bump profile pretty similar to the aforementioned Ailuropoda Sacris, but with more emphasis on the bump’s resistance than the stem’s bottom-out. The bump is firm on the way down as well as on the way up; springs below 55g may not return it as crisply without lube on the tactile legs. I’m currently using the 62g Boba springs in them, and while they feel incredibly satisfying, I find myself looking for just a little bit more pop-up force for my nerve-damaged fingers.

What my fingers do appreciate about these is the soft plastic in the housing - and the effect that has on the feel of the switch. Gone are the harsh feeling and sharp, clacky vibrations of my other favorite be-halo’d switches, Heisenbergs and Holy Pandas - replaced with crisp but comparatively muted alternatives - making for what I consider a much more pleasant sound and feel. I’m currently finding them a fantastic pair to ABS MT3 keycaps.

Designed for and well-suited to silent switches as the Boba housings may be, I’m convinced the path of Holiness is their true calling. They were only tangentially on my radar at first, but have very quickly become one of my very favorite switches overall, both in feeling and sound.

I'm all but certain this switch inspired Gazzew's subsequent switch, the Boba U4T - or "Thock" - because that's exactly what these do, and they do it better than most thanks to the Boba housing.

The first post I’ve found mentioning these is from u/skypm on reddit, and they decided called this combo “Sake”. I think it’s an appropriate name for a switch with this housing, which itself does resemble the look of unfiltered sake - especially with a Halo Clear stem and/or clear top housing.

As a closing note, this applies to pretty much any switch with a total throw less than 4mm: If you’re interested in doing a build with these, I recommend you check out the video below by Walker's Keyboard Science - it will save you some headache when it comes to the stabs. Basically, you'll want a certain size of washer that fits around the cross-mounts and acts as a raised floor to prevent the cap from teeter-tottering one way or another on the stab mounts. This is also helpful for stabs where clipping significantly reduces the normal resting height of the mounts.

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