Switch: Gazzew Boba U4 RGB

While the Gazzew Boba U4T no doubt gets to shine, I was personally more excited about the Boba U4. It is based on the U4T, but does not have the longer stem pole, which results in a longer travel distance for that incorrigible tactile bump to be felt over. Further distinguishing the two is that Gazzew chose to include the RGB version of the Boba U4, which comes with a white stem and clear top to go with the same white base as before. There is no through-hole LED support either, so you best have SMD LEDs underneath to make the most of these RGB switches. It is otherwise externally identical to the U4T, including a 5-pin design on the bottom and Outemu-sourced components.


As expected, disassembly reveals many commonalities with the Boba U4T; in fact, most differences have already been mentioned above. The clear top makes it easier to spot the guiding rails for the stem, which has a shorter pole that is much easier to distinguish when moving back and forth between these images and those on the previous page. This effectively means the stem travels down further before bottoming out, and the Boba U4 RGB also comes in different spring options that affects how much force is needed to bottom out. I have the same 62 g springs here, and the lubing on the bottom is even more obvious on this particular sample. Keep in mind that these samples were all hand-assembled by Gazzew himself, and, again, if lubing these yourself, it would best be done on the rails rather than the stem. There is a subtle difference that is better felt in use: the dampers installed on the sides of the stems make the Boba U4 RGB quieter, too. The actuation mechanism is the same as before.


Installation of the Gazzew Boba U4 RGB switches follows the same steps as before, and these look the least distinctive of the lot owing to the predominantly white color scheme. In fact, if it is not for the Gazzew branding on the stem top, it would be quite hard to identify the switches by looking at the images above. Oh wait, this just happens to be the switch of the four that has Outemu instead of Gazzew on the switch top!


This time, I replaced Pause with the Home button, which made more sense to me for that right-most column. In addition, the Esc key got a novelty keycap design, because why not? The U4 RGB switches might be more of a gateway entry to Gazzew's world of tactile switches since it is less extreme a tactile feedback option than the U4T owing to the longer travel distance closer to 3.5 mm. This smaller extension makes a bigger difference than you would think, as the post-bump travel is actually felt rather than it all being a huge D-shaped tactile bump as before. The dampers on the stems also affect the feedback mechanism in that it's softer on the downstroke and upstroke alike, although the bigger impact is on the sound signature. Pre-travel is the same as before, and the tactile bump occurs almost immediately as you press down. I have here the switches that bottom out at 62 gf, but you can get the Boba U4 RGB with 68g springs as well if you prefer heavier switches.


Here is what this specific combination sounds like, and as expected, the Boba U4 RGB switches make for a much quieter typing experience. Another reason why I personally prefer these over the U4T, their quiet nature is in fact why some vendors refer to these as the Boba U4 Silent (RGB or otherwise). You still get a pronounced tactile bump with minimal pre-travel, if that's your jam, but without the typical sound signature associated with such switches. Indeed, these would be great in an office, as you can appreciate the switches without making the rest of the office appreciate each down and upstroke as well. The stabilizers of the keyboard kit are again found wanting, but the rest of the tray-mount design works well in conjunction with the Boba U4 RGB switches. As before, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with tactile and/or silent switches.