| Switch Type: Tactile | Mount: PCB Mount (5-pin) | Spring: Single Stage | Price: £32.99 (110pcs) on keychron.uk |
| Top Housing: Nylon PA66 | Bottom Housing: Nylon PA66 | Stem: POM | Factory Lubed: Yes |
| Actuation Point (mm): | 2.0 ± 0.5 | Actuation Point (mm): | 2.18 |
| Actuation Force (gf): | 55 ± 10 | Actuation Force (gf): | 41.8 |
| Total Travel (mm): | 3.3 | Total Travel (mm): | 3.1 |
| Peak Tactile Point (mm): | 0.5 | Peak Tactile Point (mm): | 0.57 |
| Peak Tactile Force (gf): | 58.0 | Peak Tactile Force (gf): | 51.4 |
| Reset Point (mm): | 2.0 | Reset Point (mm): | 2.16 |
| Bottom-out Force (gf): | 60.0 | Bottom-out Force (gf): | 57.2 |
| Stem Length (mm): | 12.49 | ||
The Keychron Silent Banana is a relatively unknown silent tactile switch, but it competes with what I consider to be the silent Holy Panda – the Akko Penguin Silent. And spoiler alert, these are pretty good too.
TL;DR
If you were hoping that these would be a silent version of the Gateron Jupiter Banana; it’s not. The Jupiter Banana has a heavier peak tactile bump at the very start while the Silent Banana has a lighter tactile bump with the addition of a much mushier bottom out due to the silencing dampeners.
The Silent Banana’s performance is similar to the Akko Penguin Silent. So, if you’re looking for a silent tactile switch, I’d pick cheaper of the two.
Smoothness: 7/10
On-centre keypresses are a little scratchy with some switches being smoother than others. Although, this is only the case at very slow keypresses.
Off-centre keypresses perform similarly. However, oddly enough, off-centre keypresses felt smoother than on-centre ones in some cases.
Overall, it isn’t the smoothest out there, but its scratchiness can barely be felt when actually using the switch, and not pressing them slowly one by one.
Keychron Silent Banana switch disassembled.
Weighting: 7/10
Now, according to Keychron these switches have a peak tactile force of 58g at 0.5mm, an actuation force of 55g at 2mm and a bottom-out force of 60g at 3.3mm.
Keychron Silent Banana force curve.
As you can see from the force curve above, the Keychron Silent Banana were outside the specs regarding both the actuation force and peak tactile force. Otherwise, it was within spec.
Keychron Silent Banana consistency force curve.
They weren’t super consistent with all 3 measuring noticeably different from one another. Switch 3 (black line) suffers from a jagged (scratchy) bottom-out which the other 2 switches didn’t have.
Keychron Silent Banana vs Gazzew Boba U4 force curve.
The above force curve shows a comparison between the Keychron Silent Banana and the Gazzew Boba U4. I decided to compare these two as the Boba U4 is one of the most popular silent tactile switches. As you can see, the Boba U4 is significantly heavier on the downstroke.
Keychron Silent Banana vs Akko Penguin Silent force curve.
The above force curve shows a comparison between the Keychron Silent Banana and the Akko Penguin Silent. The Akko switch is its closest competitor by far with their performance almost matching.
Overall, these are medium weighted tactile switches with an inconsistency issue. Although, I personally wouldn’t have an issue picking this over the Akko Penguin Silent.
Sound: 7/10
These are extremely quiet with a lean towards a thocky sound signature.
Overall, given they have a mushier feeling compared to the Akko Penguin Silent, you’d think these would be quieter, but they aren’t. The Akko Penguin Silent is still quieter, but these are a very close second.
The Keychron Silent Banana stem length is 12.49 mm.
Typing Performance: 7/10
Now, these aren’t Cherry MX Browns, but I would’ve preferred them to have a heavier and sharper tactility. They’re adequate for the most part, and I think a sharper tactile bump may have led to a louder switch; the Durock Shrimp being a prime example.
In addition, these are mushier compared to most silent switches I’ve typed on – definitely more so compared to the Akko Penguin Silent. I would recommend the Akko switch instead if this is a concern to you.
On the plus side however, they were smooth and consistent in day-to-day use, unlike what the force curve shows. It’s a good reminder that force curves do not tell 100% of the story.
Overall, they would’ve been the perfect competitor the Akko Penguin Silent if they had a sharper tactile bump and a slightly less mushy bottom-out, but they aren’t a worse package, just a little different.
Gaming Performance: 6/10
Similarly to typing, their mushy nature isn’t great for gaming, especially as I found myself bottoming out on them quite often.
I also wouldn’t rely on their tactility as it can “disappear” in many fast-paced scenarios. Although, this is the case for the majority of tactile switches.
However, they were pleasant enough to use in both fast and slow-paced games. They were both smooth and consistent which is what you want in a switch for gaming.
Overall, this is worth considering if you’re looking for a budget, silent tactile switch for gaming.
Final Score = 34/50 (68%)