A mechanical keyboard is a blend of many tiny components placed together perfectly to give off a sensational feel and experience!
One major component is the stabilizers on the keyboard. Deciding the best keyboard stabilizers can be a tricky feat, as there are too many options varying in styles, sizes, and types.
Keyboard stabilizers are essential to achieving the best experience with a mechanical keyboard! They significantly enhance the typing experience by reducing the rattle. The best kind of stabilizers are the screw-in ones, like the Durock V2 and Gateron Ink V2. If you prefer the plate-mounted ones, go for the Cherry Originals.
Before talking about the best stabilizers, let's first understand what stabilizers are.
Stabilizers are an essential part of the keyboard placed under larger keyboard keys, such as the spacebar, enter, and backspace, to prevent rattle, shakiness, and tilting of the keys as you type.
what are the best keyboard stabilizers
There are an extensive number of stabilizer options available on the market, and figuring out which one is the finest of them all is not easy. Well, that's where I come in!
In this article, I will be informing you all about the best keyboard stabilizers and why you should go for them.
1. Gateron V2 Screw-in Stabilizers
Gateron is a brand name that has gained massive popularity with its top-notch quality and budget-friendly switches; similarly, their Gateron V2 Stabilizer is an excellent pick!
The stabilizers have an extremely high-quality stable build with silver-plated steel wiring and a great nylon housing. They are ideal for linear switches with lower travel distances and can be installed easily.
The black/yellow, white, and light brown variants are great for standard switches with a total travel of 4 mm and a pre-travel of 2 mm. In short, these stabilizers have something for everyone.
2. KPREPUBLIC Everglide V2 Screw-in Stabilizers
Strong, smooth, and see-through, Everglide’s first stabilizer set was an instant hit in the mechanical switch community. The second generation, Everglide V2 Stabilizer, has arrived with updated housings and three colors.
Like the V1s, the V2 stabilizers are compatible with MX-compatible PCBs and significantly minimize typing noise. Where the bar has gone up on the first generation’s design is in their pop-out resistance.
Each stabilizer has an enhanced housing that does an even better job at maintaining stability during custom keyboard builds. Besides, gold plating provides amazing sturdiness and oxidation resistance.
With "pre-clipped” inserts, these stabilizers are ready for easy installation and sustained use.
3. Durock V2 Screw-in Stabilizers
The most critically acclaimed stabilizers on the list, Durock V2 screw-in stabilizers, are amazing and loved by their users.
Durock V2 Stabilizers are PCB mount screw-ins with an exclusively featured mold to prevent wire dropout, a common issue in traditional stabilizers. Hence, great attention to detail is given to enhance the overall build quality of these fine products.
They are available in both smokey and clear housing to be universally compatible with the aesthetic of any PCB board.
Additionally, the perfectly designed stems and the outer casing eliminate the need for any kind of clipping at all. This makes this stabilizer suitable for custom builds, as it is easy to install and set up.
4. TX AP Rev 4 Clip-in Stabilizers
The TX Stabilizers have been a constant hype when it comes to this dynamic market. The TX AP Rev 4 is the fourth edition of the TX AP stabilizer series. The AP in the name stands for "Almost Perfect," and the quality does justify the compliment!
These stabilizers come with an improved housing and stem design that aids in the better fitting of the wire, reduces the wobble, and minimizes any excess noise and clatter.
The stabilizers also come with stabilizer stoppers that prevent wire dropout.
Available in three color variants: black, white, and white/pink, these stabilizers have both base and 2u sets. The support for varying sizes and styles of PCBs makes them compatible with a wide range of keyboards.
5. Durock Plate-mounted Stabilizers
Although of great use and popularity, adjusting screw-in stabilizers can be a time-consuming task. A perfect alternative to these are the plate-mounted stabilizers. One fine choice in this variant is the Durock plate-mounted stabilizers.
Just like their screw-in counterparts, the plate-mounted ones are also admired for their amazing quality and experience.
The high-quality nylon housing is engineered to resist threading and wear, and gold-plated steel wire makes them extremely durable and effective.
They are compatible with all keyboards and PCBs that support plate-mounted stabilizers, and installing them is a piece of cake. You just need to attach them to the PCB without needing to detach it or screw into it.
They are not pre-clipped, but their flat bottom stem makes them work well with the clipping required in rare cases.
6. Cherry Original Plate-mounted Stabilizers
Cherry MX switches are usually more known, but the Cherry original stabilizers are no different and are considered a fine choice in the market.
These stabilizers come with great build quality, featuring support to counter issues like wire drop and great resistance to extended usage.
The stabilizers are available in different sizes and variants to incorporate the diverse nature of the keyboards they are compatible with.
However, it should be noted that, just like Cherry mechanical switches, the stabilizers can also be a little expensive as compared to other alternatives.
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The Different Stabilizer Types
1. Screw-in Stabilizers
Mounted directly into the PCB with tiny screws inserted into the stem holes, these stabilizers are screwed indirectly into the PCB.
They are considered the most effective kind of stabilizer, as they almost bring down the shakiness, rattling, and tilting to an almost negligible level.
Screw-in stabilizers are mostly available on custom-made keyboards, and people are now considering them more and more for their smoother and more comfortable typing experience.
2. Plate-mounted Stabilizers
Plate-mounted stabilizers are the most abundantly found stabilizers and are commonly available on most pre-built mechanical keyboards.
These stabilizers are attached to the metal plate inside the keyboard instead of directly mounting them on the PCB.
Plate-mounted stabilizers are not considered the most effective as they tend to rattle and shake more as you type, and they also make a little more noise. However, these issues can be resolved with certain modifications, such as lubrication.
3. Snap-in Stabilizers
Unlike plate-mounted stabilizers and screw-in stabilizers, snap-in stabilizers are mounted directly on the PCB. They are considered a better option than plate-mounted stabilizers, but not better than screw-in stabilizers.
Since snap-in stabilizers mount to the PCB, they tend to vibrate less than plate-mounted stabilizers, which makes them a good option.
The only downside is that they are not readily available like common plate-mounted keyboards, and they are usually found on custom-designed keyboards only.
What is the best stabilizer for a keyboard?
It is advised to incline more toward screw-in stabilizers, as they are the most effective with almost zero shake and rattle in the typing experience.
But still, answering this question is a bit tricky, with too many great alternatives available. As a result, choosing a single one would be difficult and daunting.
The options for screw-in stabilizers are also not limited, but I would suggest going for Durock V2, Staebies V2.1, and Gateron Ink V2.
All of these stabilizers are some of the finest, loved by their users, and positively reviewed by enthusiasts, and both brands are well-reputed in this industry.
Can I lube stabilizers with Krytox?
Of course, you can lube stabilizers with Krytox. Krytox is the most popular lubricant when it comes to mechanical keyboards and stabilizers!
It is widely used and is known to enhance the effectiveness of stabilizers, especially due to its stability and integrity for a prolonged period of time.
Krytox is available with different names; the most common is Krytox 205g0, and the other popular one is GPL 205g0.
Are Durock V2 stabilizers worth it?
Durock V2 is one of the best Keyboard stabilizers available, and it is worth it and highly recommended!
With these stabilizers, you can unleash the true comfort of typing and using your keyboard. Moreover, they are built well, so you would never need to worry about them wearing andoraring off.
Are Royal Kludge stabilizers good?
Royal Kludge is a popular Chinese brand renowned for manufacturing premium gaming mechanical keyboards at a very feasible price.
The Royal Kludge stabilizers might not be the most highlighted ones out there, but similar to the keyboards, they are good for their reasonable price.
RK stabilizers are known to have a considerable amount of rattle in their use as compared to other popular ones, but it is not unbearable and can be improved with proper lubrication.
Are Keychron stabilizers good?
Keychron, being a popular and loved brand of mechanical keyboards, does have really good stabilizers.
Yes! Keychron stabilizers are the prime reason for the admirable typing experience of their flagship keyboards.
They are well-lubed and diminish the rattle of the keys.
Are Durock stabilizers the best?
Yes, Durock stabilizers—both the plate-mounted and screw-in stabilizers—are considered some of the best ones out there! They are excellent in use, loved by the community, and provide amazing stability.
However, many new stabilizers, like Staebies V2.1 and others, have come onto the market and are just as good as the Durocks, if not better.
Why are Durock V2 Stabilizers good?
Durock V2 stabilizers are excellent because of their build quality, making them resistant to extended usage.
Additionally, they provide an extremely good typing experience, with almost no rattle and significantly decreased noise.
Moreover, they are compatible with a great variety of keyboards, and different variants make them go well with the aesthetics of any board.
Do all stabilizers fit all keyboards?
No, it is a bit complicated to decide which stabilizers you should choose as a perfect fit for your keyboard. The main difference comes in the size of the stabilizers.
Stabilizers are available in different size categories, for example, 2u, 6.5u, and 7u.
They are measured pretty similarly to the keycap sizes, where 1u is equal to the size of a single keycap.
Hence, for a perfect fitting of a stabilizer, it is important to take into consideration the size of the keycaps on the keyboard.
Moreover, stabilizers also vary in their mounting style, which is highly dependent on the PCB on your keyboard. Not all PCBs support the mounting of screw-in stabilizers or snap-in stabilizers.
Conclusion
Keyboard stabilizers are essential to achieving the best experience with a mechanical keyboard! They reduce the rattle and shakiness of longer keys on the keyboard.
Stabilizers come in different kinds and sizes, and selecting the perfect one is complex.
The most effective kinds of stabilizers are the screw-in ones; the best options you can seek out in this category are Durock V2 and Gateron Ink V2 stabilizers!
If you prefer the plate-mounted ones, then you should go for the Cherry Originals.
Keep visiting thetechsetup.com to get more information on mechanical keyboards and read amazing reviews!