MOMOKA Flamingo Switches

About the same time as I was setting things up with MOMOKA and Epomaker, the former showed off its brand-new switch, the MOMOKA Flamingo. Now, I do not know if the MOMOKA Frog v3 to v4 changes, especially related to the longer spring, is what inspired the newer switch, but the company does mention that the Flamingo is the outcome of improvements made on the Frog switches. These were so new at the time of shipping that a retail SKU was not even ready yet. MOMOKA was kind enough to sent 100 of the new Flamingo switches too, which is why I decided on the 87-key form factor for this build article. The MOMOKA Flamingo switch samples shipped in a plastic zip-lock pouch, and this is typically how spare switches purchased from retailers come. The difference was stark, though—about 20% of the switches had some form of a bent pin, compared to none with the MOMOKA Frog switches that came in the much better packaging.


As with the MOMOKA Frog switch, the MOMOKA Flamingo uses a translucent polycarbonate upper housing sat upon a dark pink, opaque PA66 (polyamide/nylon 66) base housing. The stem/slider should be made out of POM (polyoxymethylene) as well, and is a light pink in color to better match the naming, with different shades of pink. We again have semi-closed columns around the Cherry MX-style stem for added dust and spill resistance in addition to potentially reducing switch wobble. The MOMOKA Flamingo is a 3-pin mechanical switch too, with a central plastic pillar and two metal pin contacts for the actuation mechanism. There is a cutout in the base for light from an SMD RGB LED to pass through, with a diffuser integrated into the top for a more uniform backlighting of the keycap.


Taking apart one of these switches reveals a similar take on the MX stem-style mechanical switch, but look at that ridiculously long spring. It measured in at over 20 mm, so be careful when taking the switches apart since these can literally spring out and about. These so-called dual-rate extended springs make for a more uniform feedback curve, as well as a quicker upstroke. Do note that there isn't much reason to disassemble the switches since MOMOKA is making a big deal about there being three separate lube applications at the factory itself. It certainly feels that way, with the stem/slider being stickier to the touch without it being excessive. A look at the stem confirms the MOMOKA Flamingo is also a linear switch in terms of feedback, so be aware of this lest you prefer tactile or clicky switches. Actuation is no different from other such linear switches, with the bump in the plastic slider pushing the metal contacts together to complete the circuit, which is read by the USB microcontroller on the PCB.


A combination of the excellent pins on the switches, added contact area to hold the switches by the stem, and Kailh hot-swap sockets meant that installing these switches was a piece of cake. This makes how important the packaging is all the more revealing since I spent more time straightening the bent pins out than actually installing them. Once done, they look equally nice in combination with the black, white, and pink color scheme.


The MOMOKA Matsuri keycaps worked better with these Flamingo switches, which is a good thing since the Matsuri set hadn't been used yet. Seen above is the base configuration without any novelty keycaps or off-sized versions given the standard spacing on this TKL kit. The higher profile of the case, even with these standard OEM profile keycaps, means you end up with non-floating keycaps, and the switches themselves are invisible in use. I do like the black base that sets up a clean canvas for the lighter keycaps to be featured on prominently. Note again that the Matsuri keycap set I had received had two down arrow keycaps and no up arrow keycap, hence the weird arrow-key cluster above. I was offered a replacement I did not take MOMOKA up on because I will just be boxing it all up after this is done anyway. In return, I would rather MOMOKA step up QC to ensure that things like this, however rare, never happen to a paying customer.


The MOMOKA Flamingo is far more typical a linear switch, with 1.9 mm actuation travel and 3.9 mm total travel. If anything, I would have said this is fairly close to the Cherry MX Red given the 67 gf peak force and an actuation force closer to 48 gf. The materials are different of course, as is the longer spring which changes the typing experience. The MOMOKA Flamingo feels faster than it is, and the spring also being well-lubed has to do with this. It is smoother than the MOMOKA Frog, albeit not by much, and people will have an easier time moving over to it from more typical linear switches, too.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the Skyloon GK87 kit with the MOMOKA Flamingo switches and the Matsuri PBT keycaps at ~115 WPM. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. See what I mean about these feeling faster? They sound faster too, and are higher-pitched in that regard. The spring bounces back quickly, which results in an appreciable upstroke sound. The space bar is once again different from the rest, but it is far subtler than with the MOMOKA Frog switches. This is a louder build than before, but with a more uniform sound signature. It's also easier to touch-type here owing to the larger gap between actuation and bottoming out, but it is still a light-medium force switch that makes not bottoming out easier said than done.