| Switch Type: | Tactile |
| Mount Type: | Plate Mount |
| Travel Distance: | 2mm Actuation | 4mm Total |
| Price: | $19.99 (36 pieces – Unlubed) $34.99 (36 pieces – Lubed) |
The Glorious Panda is a tactile switch inspired by the original Invyr Holy Panda at a fraction of the cost. The unlubed variant is currently on sale for $19.99 (usually $24.99) on the Glorious website with the lubed variant going for $34.99. They are sold in batches of 36 switches.
In comparison, the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda is currently on sale for $69 (usually $85) for 70 switches.
NOTE: This review will focus on the Unlubed variant. There is also a lubed variant available for sale.
Smoothness: 6/10
On-centre keypresses are very smooth with only mild scratchiness present during very slow keypresses.
Off-centre keypresses are fairly smooth, though all my switches exhibited decent levels of scratchiness during slower keypresses, and some of it can be felt whilst normally typing which was off-putting at times.
Overall, they’re better than average, they’re decent. I’m not overly impressed though. Perhaps, this is the reason as to why the lubed version exist.
Glorious Panda switch disassembled.
Weighting: 7/10
According to switches.mx, these switches have an actuation force of 67g at 2mm and a total travel of 4mm.
With that said, this graph says otherwise, and it more closely represents what I feel. They certainly don’t feel like they actuate at 67g. I’m sure 67g is the bottom-out, not actuation.
Now, in terms of key feel, there is zero pre-travel before the tactile bump which I appreciate and tactile bump itself is adequate – not too light and not too heavy. However, the overall tactility it isn’t as crisp compared to competitors. They feel a little mushy in comparison.
In addition, they’re also quite unique feeling as far as MX style tactile switches go. They’re not as tactile as the Durock T1 and they also aren’t as crisp feeling when compared to the Boba U4T, although they are close. The closest feeling switch to the Pandas is probably the SP-Star Polaris Purple…which I understand not many people have tried out. Though, the Polaris Purple is slightly lighter than the Pandas.
Overall, it’s a solidly weighted switch with a slightly mushier tactility compared to its competitors. Though, I’m not surprised given the price.
Sound: 7/10
They clack hard when bottomed-out! That’s right, no thoccs here! Although, I do have a build which is catered to bring out the clackiness of a switch; that’s an important note.
They do sound pretty good as clacky switches, but they are accompanied with hints of tinniness and spring ping. Again, this is probably why the lubed variant exists.
Overall, I do like them as they are, and some of its issues can be easily resolved with common modifications.
Typing Performance: 5/10
It’s unfortunate that one of its biggest downsides is in the typing department.
Firstly, its tactility is quite mushy. They aren’t rubber dome levels of mush, but they lack the crispness when compared to similarly priced switches such the Durock T1 and the SP-Star Polaris Purple.
Secondly, switches installed in larger keys such as the Right Shift key sometimes return slower especially when pressed off-centre. (And no, it’s not my stabilizers as some have pointed out in the past).
I do like a few things like the zero pre-travel and the consistently predictable scratchiness… now, that may seem odd, but many switches that are somewhat scratchy also tend to also be inconsistent feeling when normally typing (think Gateron Red ). However, these switches for whatever reason have ‘predictable’ scratchiness which make them that much tolerable. Still, it would’ve been nice if it wasn’t there in the first place.
Overall, I find these hard to recommend for typing especially at stock. Then again, the lubed variant does exist. Or if you’d like, you can modify these yourself with whatever lube and films you desire.
Gaming Performance: 6/10
Let me start with the downsides.
I did find them to be a little heavy in some edge case scenarios, but I did eventually get used to them over time. This was rather unusual given these were switches in my weighting range. It could be due to the scratchiness on off-centre keypresses, but I’m not 100% sure.
Additionally, I wouldn’t recommend these to anyone playing slower-paced games as the scratchiness could be a distraction. Again though, modifying these is always an option.
Other than those, everything else was all okay.
Overall, it isn’t a bad switch for fast-paced gaming, but I would highly recommend modifying these if you’re looking for a smoother experience.
Final Score = 31/50 (62%)
Places to purchase this switch:
Glorious PC Gaming Race | Overclockers UK | Amazon