Durock Lupine vs. Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie

Overview

When choosing mechanical keyboard switches, enthusiasts often find themselves drawn to unique offerings such as the Durock Lupine and the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie, both of which are linear switches prominent in today’s market. The Durock Lupine is celebrated for its innovative two-stage long springs, providing users with a consistent weight distribution while typing and a satisfying, powerful rebound on release. This design delivers a distinctly clacky sound profile, making it an engaging choice for writers and gamers who enjoy auditory feedback. In contrast, the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie is crafted from high-quality POM material, ensuring exceptional smoothness with each keystroke. While it boasts a delightful thocky sound profile, it also breaks price barriers without compromising performance, attracting budget-conscious users who seek reliability in their typing experience. Both switches offer their own unique blend of feel and sound, catering to different preferences in touch and auditory feedback. However, let’s dive in a bit deeper beyond generalities so you can best decide on the ideal switch for you.

By the numbers

Durock Lupine Linear

Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie Linear

$5.50

$4.25 per 10

$3.00

$2.70 per 10

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Housing materials

When comparing the top housing of the Durock Lupine and Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie, a notable distinction arises from the materials used: polycarbonate versus POM. The Lupine's polycarbonate top housing is celebrated for producing a sharper, higher-pitched sound profile that resonates with clarity. This is largely because polycarbonate is a stiff plastic, which contributes to a more transparent auditory experience, especially desirable for those who use RGB lighting. In contrast, the Sea Salt Smoothie's POM top housing offers a deeper and more muted sound. POM, while still a robust material, tends to absorb more sound, creating a softer acoustic profile. Therefore, those who prioritize a pronounced and crisp sound may lean towards the Lupine, while users seeking a subtler auditory experience might prefer the Sea Salt Smoothie.

The bottom housing of both switches also showcases unique characteristics, albeit with a shared material—POM. The Lupine employs nylon for its bottom housing, which is known for delivering a fuller, deeper sound due to nylon's softer nature. This trait facilitates significant sound absorption, contributing to a rounder acoustic experience. On the other hand, the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie's POM bottom housing aims for a similarly muted sound profile but does so in a distinctly different way. Both housings exhibit rich sound qualities, albeit the Lupine focuses more on providing depth while the Sea Salt Smoothie's POM bottom works to create a soft acoustic that remains unique in texture. For users seeking nuanced auditory experiences, the polymer characteristics in both switches offer different yet enjoyable sound profiles.

Ultimately, the interplay between the top and bottom housings significantly influences the overall sound and feel of each switch. With the Durock Lupine featuring a crisp polycarbonate top complemented by a deeper-sounding nylon bottom, it aims to strike a balance of clarity and richness. In contrast, the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie's uniform POM material lends a seamless quality to both the top and bottom, favoring a coherent and muted sound throughout. While the sound profiles diverge thanks to different top materials, if one were to experiment with a setup where both switches are blended; utilizing a polycarbonate top from Lupine with POM bottoms or vice versa could yield a rich texture, balancing clarity with muted resonance. Thus, while the individual strengths of each switch are highlighted by their materials, creative combinations may still result in favorable and unique outcomes.

Weight

When comparing the Durock Lupine linear switch and the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie linear switch, we see some notable differences in their actuation and bottom out forces. The Lupine features a bottom out force of 62 grams, which positions it in the medium range, providing a balanced typing experience that some users may find appealing. However, the actuation force for the Lupine is listed as unknown, making it difficult to assess how that might affect the typing experience in terms of effort required to register a keystroke. In contrast, the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie presents an actuation force of 48 grams, making it the lighter option between the two, potentially offering a less strenuous typing experience suited for long sessions. While the bottom out force for the Smoothie is unknown, the lighter actuation force suggests it may be more suitable for users who favor a softer touch. Ultimately, if you're looking for a heavier feel, the Durock Lupine would be the better choice, while the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie is likely to provide a more delicate push.

Travel distance

The Durock Lupine linear switch and the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie linear switch both boast a travel distance of 3.7 mm, making them equal in this regard. This means that users can expect a similar keystroke experience when pressing down on either switch, as they will travel the same distance from top to bottom. Therefore, both switches provide a consistent tactile feedback and a comparable bottom-out feel, ensuring that those who prefer one switch over the other won't notice a significant difference in travel distance during use.

Price comparison

Typing experience

In terms of sound, the Durock Lupine linear switch produces a classic clacky sound profile, characterized by its high-pitched and neutral qualities, making it versatile for a range of environments. This makes the switch suitable for both beginners and advanced users, as it can blend well in both casual and professional settings. The distinct high-pitched sound adds a satisfying auditory feedback while typing, ensuring a more vibrant experience. In contrast, the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie offers a thocky sound profile, which is typically deeper and somewhat more subdued than the clacky sound of the Lupine. However, the specific sound characteristics of the Smoothie are not detailed, so while one can anticipate a pleasing audio experience, the comparison in sound quality remains somewhat open-ended.

When considering the feel, the Lupine excels with its two-stage long springs, delivering a balanced typing experience defined by a consistent weight distribution and a powerful rebound. The switch boasts mild feel characteristics, which cater to a gentle typing experience, and is also noted for a polished finish that minimizes friction and enhances smooth key travel. This creates an approachable experience for users, appealing to a broad demographic. The feel of the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie, while celebrated for its smoothness, hasn't been described explicitly; thus, while one can expect a comparable level of comfort and usability, specifics about its tactile response remain unknown.

In conclusion, both the Durock Lupine and Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie linear switches bring their unique sound and feel to the table, each catering to different preferences. The Lupine is known for its clacky sound and polished, mild feel, making it a great choice for those who appreciate auditory feedback and smoothness in typing. Meanwhile, the Sea Salt Smoothie stands out with its thocky sound profile and is aimed at providing a premium experience at an accessible price, although its feel remains less detailed. Ultimately, while they have different acoustic profiles and may appeal to various users based on their preferences, both switches offer high-quality experiences that will satisfy nearly any keyboard enthusiast.

Conclusion

To conclude, when deciding between the Durock Lupine and the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie linear switches, consider your typing preferences and the overall experience you desire. If you prefer a more consistent bottom-out feel with a bit of resistance, the Durock Lupine, with its medium 62-gram actuation force and two-stage spring design, would be an excellent choice. These switches deliver a satisfying, clacky sound profile and a mild, polished feel that suits both beginners and advanced users alike, making them versatile for various settings, whether at home or in the office. On the other hand, if you favor a smoother experience paired with a thocky sound that resonates more with those who enjoy a plush key press, the Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie might be the better option. Though its bottom-out force is unspecified, you can expect it to deliver exceptional smoothness while breaking the price barrier, thus providing fantastic value. In the end, your choice will depend on whether you prioritize a tactile response and sound or a silky, subdued typing experience.

Mentioned in this article

Durock Lupine Linear

$5.50

$4.25 per 10

Learn more

Gateron Sea Salt Smoothie Linear

$3.00

$2.70 per 10

Learn more