| Switch Type: | Clicky |
| Mount Type: | Plate Mount |
| Travel Distance: | 2mm Actuation | 4mm Total |
| Force: | 65g Operating | 85g Bottom-out |
| Price: | ~£6 (10 pieces) |
The NK_ Sherbet is a click bar switch manufactured by Kailhua in partnership with NovelKeys hence the “NK” in the name, but I’ve no idea about the “Sherbet” part though.
Smoothness: 5/10
On-centre keypresses are of a mixed bag. They’re mostly okay, but there are switches in my batch that bind a decent amount and some just feel inconsistent throughout.
Off-centre keypresses are more or less similar, but with higher levels of inconsistencies. As a side note: The switch installed in my “M” key was the most ‘bindy’ of all the switches!
Overall, I’d say these are okay, not outright terrible, but with other superior click bar switches such as the Kailh BOX White, I’m not sure why anyone would want these for their lack of smoothness.
NK_ Sherbet switch disassembled switch disassembled.
Weighting: 6/10
According to the manufacturer, these switches have an actuation force of 65g at 2mm, a peak tactile force of 80g and a total travel of 4mm. So, it’s certainly not a light switch, but it isn’t heavy either, unless you’re looking at bottoming them out.
In terms of their feel, they’re heavy than the Cherry MX Blue and the Kailh BOX White. They feel quite similar to green clicky switches such as the Cherry MX Green or the Gateron Green in terms of WEIGHTING. Though, these Sherbet switches are crisper and more tactile.
However, despite it being a switch that seem to cater towards me, I’m not a big fan of how inconsistent the weighting is especially when typing at speed. The constant binding makes it very difficult not to make a mistake.
Overall, on pure spring weighting, it’s a great switch, but that’s all ruined by how inconsistent they are when in use. At this point, I’d rather pick the BOX Whites even though they’re lighter than what I would normally want.
Sound: 6/10
As a click bar switch, yes…they sound better than click jacket switches. However, they sound a touch rougher compared to BOX Whites possibly due to their binding and scratchiness.
Moreover, some switch ping is present, but this is hardly noticeable unless you’ve got your ears against the keyboard. Additionally, there is a faint clicking sound from my “P” key which isn’t part of the clicking mechanism. A possible quality control issue, perhaps?
Overall, as far as click bar switches go, this one isn’t too bad, but it’s not my favourite either. I still slightly prefer the sound of BOX Whites.
Typing Performance: 5/10
Oh boy, I’ve not got a lot of good things to say here.
Firstly, some keys are rougher than others which leads to inconsistent typing performances. At one point, I managed to achieve 91 WPM on monkeytype.com, but at the next attempt, I only manage 64. That’s inconsistency for you.
Now, aside from typing tests, they also suck ass for everyday typing. The constant binding from some of the switches means I’m having to reach for the backspace key more often than I’d like. Plus, some of the keys will actuate BEFORE the click making them quite unreliable (and yes, I am aware this is an issue with almost all click bar switches. It doesn’t make these less annoying).
I guess the only good thing I can say is that if all the switches are working as intended without fault, they’re actually great switches. And they at least feel better than click jacket switches, but that’s a really low bar, so it doesn’t really count.
Overall, whilst these aren’t the worst, there are better options out there – the BOX White being one of them.
Gaming Performance: 4/10
In a few words, these are not the sort of switches you want for gaming. They’re too loud, too scratchy and too bindy!
The slower paced the game, the more annoying these are to use. It isn’t as bad in fast-paced games like Team Fortress 2, but it does become an actual annoyance in slow-paced games like Hitman…or any in any other stealth game. This is further amplified when playing with open-back headphones, like I do.
Overall, it’s a big fat NO from me. Simple as that.
Final Score = 26/50 (52%) </mark >
Places to purchase this switch:
AliExpress | NovelKeys | Keybumps
I didn’t realize almost all click bar switches can possibly actuate before the sounds–learned something new today. 🙂 Thank you!