Discord:https://discord.gg/xprJb8Ta26
For a very long time, I haven't tried a switch that I would call innovative and original. The Duhuk Matcha V4 was a big surprise to me for sure. The new stem material and what it does is going to be something that no keeb enthusiasts had ever seen before. Please allow me to get into the details just so you know what I mean by this.
Disclaimer: Although these switches are great overall, they are not perfect for everyone. Please see the details and watch sound tests for more reference.
Price
Price: 0.37 USD per switch
Switch Specifications
Switch type: Linear
Designer: Duhuk
Manufacturer: Duhuk (Not Grain Gold like many people guessed)
Stem material: Dupont TC308
Top Housings: LY
Bottom Housing: LY
Operating Force: 45±5g /50±5g
Bottom-out Force: 55±5g/63.5±5g
Pre-travel: 2.0mm
Total Travel: 3.5±0.1mm
Spring: 22mm extended single-stage spring
HAND LUBED: Yes! Duhuk DU-01 on spring, stem feet, and stem sliders
Duhuk Matcha V4 Linear Switch
The Duhuk Matcha V4 switches are probably the smoothest stock switches I have ever used. In its stock form, it is smoother than 90% of factory-lubed switches. All thanks to the TC308 stem.
Materials:
The biggest mystery about the Matcha V4 switches is probably the TC308 material. What is it? I honestly don't know. Duhuk only told me that it is a plastic from Dupont which has a serial number of TC308. Duhuk tried over 50 materials including regular materials such as POM, PC, and all PA variants, but they were not satisfied. Only when they got the TC308 from Dupont, they immediately decided to go with it. Why? The answer is that they are extremely smooth. TC308 is most likely the smoothest material with the lowest surface friction that has been used for switch manufacturing.
LY has been an old friend since the beginning of the year 2023. They are basically modified POM for better smoothness while still maintaining most of the sound signature and hardness. With a TC308 stem and the full LY housing, I can subjectively say that these are the smoothest switches I have ever used, and they were in their stock form.
One thing to note about the TC308 stem and LY housing combo; The TC308 material leans toward the softer side. You won't be able to dent them with your nails or easily break them with force, but its hardness decides that these switches have a softer bottom-out feel. They also sound very deep and thocky given the nature of the materials. Unlike switches that have a Nylon+fiberglass bottom housing which gives you a stiff and clean bottom-out feel and clacky sound, the Matcha V4 switches are very subtle in every aspect. This is why I said that they are not perfect for everyone out there. If you are a huge fan of clacky and loud switches, you might need some time to get used to them.
Design and Production: One thing about the Matcha V4 switches that people are eager to know is if they are manufactured by Grain Gold. The answer to that question is No. Duhuk ordered customized molds from Grain Gold, but Duhuk owns the production line and injection machines themselves. The whole production process was carried out in Duhuk's factory.
The mold set that Duhuk used for production is an 8-point injection mold. They chose them for precision, and they were able to limit the travel tolerance to ±0.1mm. Also, the housing tolerance of the Matcha V4 is pretty good. The stem is not as stable as an HMX stem, but both the vertical and horizontal stem wobble are minimal.
Hand Lube
Yes, these switches are going to be hand-lubed out of the factory. As the choice of lube, Duhuk picked DU-01 which is highly adhesive and does not have layering issues. It means that they will stay where they are and won't move around or get into the polehole.
Spring
The springs are PVD coated, and they did this not only for aesthetics. PVD-coated springs have a longer life span and produce a more consistent force graph.
Form of Sales
Time of Sales
Feb. 5th, 2024
