Glorious Panda Switches

Given the emphasis on the case/kit this time, the switches took somewhat of a backseat in that we only go through a single switch to build the keyboard. With everything first-party so far, the switches had to continue the trend. I was also quite curious about these, with the Glorious Panda mechanical switch being one of the major steps taken by the company to cater to the enthusiast community. Available in packs of 36 and also unlubed or lubed out of the box, I was sent three packs for the GMMK PRO. The choice of 36 is a touch strange until you consider that two will suffice for the popular 60/65% form factors and three will meet the needs of even a full-size 108-key unit. Packaging is in line with the rest of the products, with a much smaller box because of the nature of the beast inside. There is a plastic zip-lock bag inside each, which unfurls and opens up to reveal the 36 switches inside.


The "Glorious" in the name makes sense, but what about "Panda"? After all, I see an orange stem/slider, as expected with the company's love for the color, but not a black and white combination. Some context is needed perhaps, and it comes in the form of the Invyr Panda/Holy, Panda/Invyr Holy, Panda/Drop, Holy Panda/whatever-else-it's-called-lately switch. You see, the Invyr Panda switch was one of the OG custom switches from a couple of years ago, built on a new mold and carefully chosen materials to appeal to DIY keyboard enthusiasts. One thing led to another and soon there were ownership.. arguments.. over who owns what in the manufacturing and design of the switch. The Glorious Panda uses the original mold for the Invyr Panda switches and claims to have improved further on the internals and materials used. This is a 3-pin plate-mount mechanical switch we need to disassemble to learn more about.


Disassemble we shall, too! Anyone who has seen me take apart a typical mechanical switch will recognize that not much is different with the working mechanism. So let's go through each part in more detail courtesy the product page. The top is made from the original Invyr Panda mold, but with the Glorious brand name on it facing the right way for north-facing LED PCBs, which hilariously the GMMK PRO is not. It is made out of polycarbonate in white, and the color contrasts well with the orange cross-point stem made of Japanese POM and molded with an earlier, more defined, tactile bump in mind. The springs are sourced from Korea and made out of nickel-plated stainless steel to provide a peak force of 67 gf. The bottom housing is actually a different shade of white from the top and uses Nylon PA66 in the original mold again. It hosts the copper leaf used for actuation, which the company says is sourced from Japan. The opaque housing and top also mean that RGB lighting from the cutout for SMD LEDs underneath will be less bright compared to the usual transparent top RGB switches.

Assembly

Using the Glorious Panda switches with the GMMK PRO is quite simple, especially considering the socket is compatible with 5-pin switches out of the box, and the switches are 3-pin plate-mounted to make it simpler. You just have to ensure the metal pins are straight, orient the pins based on the openings in the switch socket, and press down vertically until you hit a solid wall of resistance where the switch clips on the side go past the plate and stick in place. If you press down at an angle or the pins were slightly off-centered/angled, you might encounter resistance sooner or even hear the scrunching of the pins being bent or crumpled further. I will mention that it required more force to get these in compared to the other hot-swappable keyboards to date, partly because the gaskets produce some give but also since tolerance is way tighter everywhere. Once done, the orange-and-white switches look quite nice on the black plate and keyboard case.


Here is the keyboard assembled with the GBPT Ocean keycaps installed. Knowing that the R. Shift is shorter, as are R. Alt, R. Ctrl, and Fn, you may want to identify the respectively shorter keycaps and install them first. The rest is a piece of cake, and the set looks fantastic in person. I will mention that the longer keycaps that do not have stabilizers may wobble if pressed on the sides, which is not a deal breaker at all, but something to note. A look at the side confirms the Cherry keycap profile, with the six rows contoured less aggressively than the OEM profile and lower in height, which is not an issue whatsoever on the GMMK PRO with its south-facing LEDs. It does mean the branding on the switches is upside down, but I am sure you will learn to live through that horror! It is ironic then that the Glorious Panda housing is such that there is no interference with thick Cherry-profile PBT keycaps in the north-facing position anyway.


The final step involves locating the USB Type-C port on the keyboard, which is on the side facing away from the user, inside a large recess cut into the middle of the aluminium case. The recess is large enough to fit aftermarket cables, such as this coiled Glorious cable detailed on the first page. Given the white GMMK PRO has more of a silver finish, it may not match the white cables and keycap sets as much. The black GMMK PRO is a much safer bet if you are one to find faults with color coordination, or the lack thereof.

How does this combination feel to type on? Pretty good, if I may say so myself. I really like a good tactile switch, which nothing else can beat in my preference of feedback mechanisms. The Glorious Panda switches here are unlubed, but I would also prefer lubing them myself. There is still some resistance at the tactile bump, which is large enough to be felt clearly. Pre-travel is also shorter than usual, and available specifications for the force-travel of the switch aren't what I would consider complete. That said, the spring provides a peak bottoming-out force of 67 gf, which happens at 4.0 mm with actuation at 2.0 mm. If you buy these switches unlubed, try them out as is, but I suspect these will fare much better lubed.


Here is what this specific combination sounds like, and keep in mind that the sound profile is heavily influenced by everything. Even the aluminium case matters greatly, with the gasket mounts and foam inside changing things drastically as well. I really like how the GMMK PRO + Glorious Pandas and GBPT Ocean keycaps combination sounds. There is a much bassier response and no reverb anywhere. Even the stabilizers sound way better than pretty much everything else I have tested so far. I know there have been complaints from some media and the customers who arguably have used better stabilizers and lube, but coming from the context of mostly pre-built keyboards as well as the few kits tested to date, there is a lot to like here. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with tactile switches.