Disclaimer: Thic Thock reached out to us to ask if we wanted to check out their new switch they will be releasing soon. Of course, I can never say “no” to a new switch, so I didn’t. Unfortunately, they only had 2 complete switches to spare, so this very brief review will be based on those two switches, NOT A full board typing experience. Though, I will update this when I get my hands on enough to build a board with. We were not paid for this review. This is my unbiased thoughts, as always.

>Along with the switches, which are thankfully PCB-mount, I was sent a handwritten note pointing out some of the “issues” found in these prototypes. I add quotations to that word because they’re not really issues. The first issue is what we in the community refer to as ‘wobble’. This is the (often unwanted) amount of movement the stem has within a switch on the X and Y axis. It’s actually interesting to me that they called this an issue, as this switch is just as stable as a lot of other popular switches on the market today. It’s safe to say that the majority of people want the switch to be as stable as possible, with the least amount of wobble. Let me clarify right now that, the MX switch design that this and most switches are based off of are several decades old and are inherently going to be wobbly. That is due to the design of the switch itself. It’s just not possible to have a switch of this design with no wobble.

With that said, this switch is already fairly stable, all things considered. In my supremely unscientific wobble testing against other popular switches, the Marshmallow switch ranks stronger than most Cherry MX and Gateron switches, but falls just a bit short compared to Zeal’s Tealios or Gateron Ink switches. To me, this is respectable enough, however since they’ve established it as a potential issue, I wouldn’t be mad if they were able to tighten up the tolerances even more while maintaining smoothness, which is going to be our next topic!

This switch is smooth. VERY smooth. We’ve reached a point in the community in the last couple of years where we have a myriad of switches on the market that are surprisingly smooth, but not like this. Tealios and Inks are generally touted as the smoothest linear switches on the MX-style market right now, and I’d tend to agree. The Marshmallow is absolutely in the same class of smoothness as these two switches, perhaps even smoother. Factory lube was another issue they have pointed out in their letter. Like a lot of switches on the market, these have a small amount of lube on the legs of the stem where it contacts with the metal leaf for actuation. In my two switches, the factory lube feels adequate, though I would choose to fully lube my switches, for that extra mile. This is an impressive starting point, to say the least.

The final “issue” was the spring selection. Currently, this switch is planned to feature Thic Thock’s 68g MP series spring. MP stands for “Magically Progressive”. The idea behind progressive springs is that the spring starts out very light at the top of the press and by the time the switch is fully pressed, you’re at a significantly heavier force. This is supposed to give the switch a very “bouncy” feel, that pushes back against you once you reach the bottom. While I would say these could be more noticeably progressive, I think it starts to accomplish that goal, while feeling smooth and consistent throughout the press, with no spring crunch.

Along with the switches, I was sent two additional springs to try out in the switch: Their 67.5g DL series, which stands for “Deliciously Linear”. The idea here is quite opposite from the MP series. This spring is meant to feel practically the same throughout the entire press. Instead of starting much lighter than the full compression force, the DL series starts off with practically the full “weight” of the spring, and it’s very apparent during use. If you’re a fan of the Gateron Yellow switch because of the spring, you’ll like the DL series springs. It’s quite unique. I respect and understand both, but personally I prefer the 68g progressive style a bit more.

The price is something I’m pretty happy with, as well. Most custom (can I use the term “small batch”?) switches in this market retail for between $0.55 - $1 USD per switch, but these come in at $0.48 each, making it quite the value, in my opinion. As many of you may know, value is where my heart truly lies. I know a lot of people are going to ask me about the sound of the switch, as the acoustics of a keyboard have increasingly become something the community holds in very serious regard. I do not feel comfortable discussing the sound signature of these switches without having a full board of these switches to test with, sadly, so I’ll save that for an update.

Overall, these prototypes are VERY good and I’m quite impressed. The fact that Thic Thock is driven to improve them even further really speaks volumes about their attention to detail, which I appreciate. I have no doubt in my mind that if these switches were to release right now, they would be popular and well-received. The idea that they are trying to improve them even more is fantastic. This has the potential to be my favorite switch, and I’m really looking forward to the launch.

There is currently an interest check up right now with some more details about the switch itself. Stay tuned for an update when I get more of these switches in!