Switch: Gateron Ink Silent Black

Did we just not do the Gateron Ink Black switches? I swear I did not plan this, but the coincidence is funny regardless. There is a second Gateron Ink Black switch, more specifically the Gateron Ink Silent Black. Externally, it looks identical to the Gateron Ink Black on four of six sides. It is only from the other two sides that you get a sneak peek at the internal difference, which further disassembly will shed more light on.


The top, spring and housing are the same as on the Gateron Ink Black. It is the actual stem where the Silent Black makes its presence felt. Notice the white plastic dampers inset in the stems that extend past the sides on both ends. This is a softer plastic than on the stem and helps absorb the impact from bottoming out, as well as the end of the upstroke when the stem returns to the top. The white plastic is effectively a slider too, quite similar to what Cherry did with the MX Silent Red and of course the closer MX Silent Black we saw on the Cherry MX Board Silent. The stem for the Ink Black is seen alongside on the left of the stem of the Ink Silent Black above, which illustrates the difference further. A close look at the actuation mechanism also confirms that the dampers will influence the travel characteristics of the switch.


Installation and removal of the Gateron Ink Silent Black mechanical switch follows the same steps as before and looks identical to the Ink Blacks based on this front-on view. As for keycaps, I went back to the base keycap kit for all but the vanity Esc keycap using the Akko logo.

The Ink Silent Black is not even listed on the Gateron website, whether on the English or Chinese version. Vendors listing it classify its rated specifications as identical to the Ink Black, but that is not the case in practice. The Ink Black actuated closer to 2.0 mm, and the Ink Silent Black ends up actuating slightly earlier at ~1.9 mm, with peak travel also slightly lower, from 4.0 mm to ~3.7–3.8 mm. I do not have a surface analyzer to accurately confirm this, but it is certainly in line with the equivalent Cherry MX Silent Black. Actuation force is about the same at ~60 +/-10 gf, but bottoming-out force ends up at around 67 gf on average based on my quick testing with a tension gauge. As such, the Gateron Ink Silent Black has an even smaller increase in resistance once past actuation, so you will likely bottom out. The dampers themselves do not change the typing feel too much during travel, but are of course softer on the fingers when bottoming out. For what it's worth, I did think these were smoother/more broken in out of the box, with no real improvements or changes over time.


Here is what this specific combination sounds like, and as expected, I did end up bottoming out even when I tried not to. These are certainly quieter across the board, and the dampers result in a thockier, deeper sound too. If I had to pick one so far, I would say I definitely like the Ink Silent Black switches the most in terms of typing feel and sound as they come stock. It is satisfying to listen to, and the minimized reverberations and metallic pings add positively to the sound profile too. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches.