Mechanical Keyboards @lemmy.ml plotting_homelab @lemmy.world 1y ago

dust proof/waterproof switches vs not specified?

so i bought my first case+pcb+keycaps only needing some nice switches i have a switch tester and decided i want to go with some nice red/linear switches. As i am on a budget i am looking at some kailh and gateron and OUTEMU switches.

I noticed that kailh has box switches that they claim are dust proof/resistant and OUTEMU has water/dustproof ip56 switches. I cant find gaterons dust/water resistant switches. Now my question is: does this matter? like are normal switches likely to fail due to dust and is going with water proof switches going to mean i can spill my drinks on my keyboard? If not is there some gasket or so that does make this last thing possible?

Thanks for making this clear to me.

2 comments

I don't think those characterstics are really worth considering when buying switches. For one, you're going to miss out on a ton of options if you restrict yourself to only switches that advertise those features. More importantly, with how mechanical keyboards are constructed, it's highly unlikely the board itself is waterproof. So, what good are waterproof switches when the board itself will fry when you spill your soda on it. I also think dust protection is another thing that isn't going to give any tangible benefit unless maybe you're typing in the open desert or something.
My first keyboard with standard Cherry MX browns last me a decade despite living with a hairy cat. Whenever I removed the caps, there was quite a bit of dust and hair, but it never got bad enough to affect performance and I cleaned it like once every 2 years? In the end, the reason I swapped it out was because the springs were worn out, not dust. Don't know about water though.