To say that mechanical keyboards have developed a cult following would be an understatement. The fact a multitude of mainstream manufacturers now offer a host of different mechanical keyboards this confirms.
The rise of mechanical keyboards should come as no surprise. The range of switches on offer enables a level of personal customisation not possible with basic rubber dome keyboards. While the majority of fans, and newcomers, will stick with the tried and true Cherry Switches (the familiar Cherry MX Blue, Cherry MX Brown and Cherry MX Red being perennially popular) as the sector has grown in popularity, the more niche products have come to the market.
Enter the Panda
Glorious Panda switches are a great example of product made for dedicated fans. These were inspired by the original Holy Pandas, which were a switch type developed by hard core enthusiasts. Holy Panda switches were handmade through a process of removing tactile stems from Halo Clears and inserting them into housing from INVYR Panda switches. This combination proved greater than the sum of its parts and the so-called ‘Holy Panda’ mechanical switches were born. Holy Pandas went onto developing a cult following – quickly selling out once a new batch became available.
For their Panda switches Glorious have taken original INVYR housing tooling, improved the materials, and also enhanced the stems.
Panda-monium
At this point, readers unfamiliar with Holy Pandas are probably wondering: How do they feel? What do they sound like? Well the actuation point is close to that of a Cherry MX Brown with a bottoming out point lower than standard Halo Clears. Holy Panda switches do make an audible click but it is notably different from a typical keyboard clicking sound: with Holy Panda switches’ click akin to a gentle tap on a ceramic surface.
Naturally Glorious’s Panda switches are compatible with Glorious’s own modular GMMK keyboards, however they can be easily mounted to any keyboard build. Plus the inclusion of standard MX(+) connectors ensure Glorious’s Panda Switches are compatible with almost any keycap.
One important thing to bare in mind is that Glorious’s Panda switches are shipped from the factory without lubricant. This is actually an advantage since many enthusiasts will want to lubricate switches to their own preference. In fact Glorious even make their G-Lube for exactly this purpose.
Once again then Glorious have gone the extra mile and offer users an approachable way to delve deep into a niche area of PC gaming.
Link for more information
- General overview of mechanical keyboards: OcUK’s guide to keyboards
- Keyboard build with Holy Panda switches from scratch: link
- Glorious’s press release on the development of Glorious Panda switches: link
Detailed review and sound test for Glorious Panda switches:
Long form review and keyboard build:
Glorious’s reddit post announcing Glorious Panda Switches:
Introducing the Glorious Holy Panda Switches from r/gloriouspcgamingrace
- 3 min read
Overclockers UK
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OcUK has been the home for PC gaming enthusiasts since 2012. The blog is chock full of hardware news, upcoming games, and handy guides. As such, the Overclockers UK Blog team is dedicated to bringing you top-quality content daily.
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