Outemu Purple vs. HMX Twilight

Overview

When it comes to mechanical keyboards, choosing the right switch can significantly impact your typing experience. The Outemu Purple switch is a tactile switch, designed to provide a noticeable feedback at the actuation point, which can enhance accuracy during typing and gaming sessions. On the other hand, the HMX Twilight switch is a linear switch that offers an extended travel distance of 3.85mm, delivering a smoother keystroke with reduced noise—perfect for users who prefer a quieter operation without sacrificing the satisfying clack characteristic associated with HMX switches. While the Outemu Purple may appeal to those who appreciate tactile responsiveness, the HMX Twilight caters to typists and gamers who enjoy a fluid typing experience. However, let's dive in a bit deeper beyond generalities so you can best decide on the best switch for you.

By the numbers

Outemu Purple Tactile

HMX Twilight Linear

$3.10 per 10

$3.50

$3.29 per 10

Learn moreLearn more

Housing materials

The Outemu Purple and HMX Twilight switches exhibit contrasting sound properties largely due to their differing top housing materials. The Outemu Purple utilizes a polycarbonate top housing that is known for its stiffness, resulting in a sharper, higher-pitched, and crisper sound profile. This property makes it particularly suited for use with RGB lighting, as its translucency enhances the aesthetic appeal while contributing to the overall sound clarity. In contrast, the HMX Twilight features a nylon top housing, which provides a deeper and fuller sound profile due to its softer material. The absorbent qualities of nylon lead to a rounder, more muted acoustic experience, making the typist's feedback distinctly different from that of the Outemu Purple.

Upon examining the bottom housings, both switches share a commonality in their implementation of nylon material. The nylon bottom housing in both the Outemu Purple and HMX Twilight contributes to a similar deeper and fuller sound profile, enriching the tactile feel and auditory feedback when the switch bottoms out. This interplay of materials highlights how the characteristics of the bottom housing play a significant role in defining the overall sound experience during typing. Since both switches utilize nylon for the bottom housing, users can expect comparable feelings and sounds when bottoming out the keys, resulting in a familiar auditory and tactile feedback for both models.

In summary, while the Outemu Purple and HMX Twilight switches differ in their top housing materials—polycarbonate for the Purple, producing a sharper sound, and nylon for the Twilight, offering a fuller sound—they converge in their nylon bottom housing, which influences the bottom-out experience. This combination leads to a nuanced auditory experience in which the advantages of each material can be observed depending on which part of the switch is being engaged. Ultimately, while the top housings create contrasting sound profiles, the similar bottom housing material ensures that users still enjoy some cohesive acoustic characteristics.

Weight

When comparing the Outemu Purple tactile switch and the HMX Twilight linear switch, there are notable differences in their actuation and bottom out forces. The Outemu Purple features an actuation force of 50 grams, which gives it a heavier feel, making it more suitable for those who prefer a substantial typing experience. In contrast, the HMX Twilight has a lighter actuation force of 42 grams, making it easier to press and inviting for long typing sessions. As for bottom out force, the Outemu Purple's value is unspecified, while the HMX Twilight has a bottom out force of 50 grams. This indicates that the Twilight switch's bottoming out is light in relation to its actuation, suggesting a softer transition when reaching the bottom of the switch. Overall, the Outemu Purple is the heavier switch, whereas the HMX Twilight is the lighter option, making them cater to different user preferences in terms of typing feel and comfort.

Travel distance

The Outemu Purple tactile switch features a travel distance of 4 mm, making it the longer option when compared to the HMX Twilight linear switch, which has a travel distance of 3.85 mm. This difference of 0.15 mm may seem minor, but it can significantly affect the typing experience. For users who favor a more pronounced press and a deeper tactile feedback, the Purple switch is preferable due to its longer travel distance. Conversely, the Twilight's shorter travel distance aligns with the current trend of reducing travel lengths for quicker response times, which is particularly appealing to gamers searching for efficiency in their keystrokes. Ultimately, while both switches serve different preferences, the Outemu Purple provides a more substantial feel, while the HMX Twilight caters to those who appreciate speed and responsiveness.

Price comparison

Typing experience

The Outemu Purple tactile switch is generally characterized by a sound profile that is direct and pronounced due to its tactile feedback, which can produce a noticeable bump at the actuation point. However, the specifics of the sonic experience with the Purple are not clearly defined in the available information. In contrast, the HMX Twilight linear switch is known for its extended 3.85mm travel distance, which contributes to a sound that is slightly quieter while still retaining the signature clacky characteristics of HMX switches. The result is a sound signature that can be less disruptive, which can be beneficial in shared workspaces or quieter environments. However, it's important to note that the overall auditory experience can be affected by other factors like the choice of keyboard and keycaps.

In terms of feel, the Outemu Purple offers a tactile bump that is typically appreciated by users who enjoy feedback during their typing. This tactile response can enhance typing accuracy for those who prefer a physical indication of actuation. On the other hand, the HMX Twilight linear switch provides a smooth, uninterrupted keystroke without any tactile bump, which is ideal for those who favor a more seamless typing experience. The absence of a tactile element in the Twilight can lead to a different kind of engagement, allowing for rapid key presses without distraction.

In summary, while the Outemu Purple and HMX Twilight switches cater to different preferences in sound and feel, they both appeal to distinct user needs. The Purple’s tactile feedback might be appealing for those who enjoy a sensation of engagement with each keystroke, while the Twilight's quieter linear action offers a smooth and clean typing experience. Depending on your typing style and sound preferences, both options can provide satisfying results, whether you favor tactile feedback or linear fluidity.

Conclusion

To conclude, when choosing between the Outemu Purple tactile switch and the HMX Twilight linear switch, your decision should hinge on your preferences for tactile feedback, actuation force, and sound profile. If you enjoy a tactile response that can help you feel when a key is actuated, particularly for typing or gaming, the Outemu Purple may be more suitable for you. However, since the specifics of its bottom-out force and sound profile are unavailable, you might want to consider other elements such as the overall feeling you experience while using them. In contrast, if you prefer a smoother, quieter typing experience with a linear switch, the HMX Twilight would be an excellent choice. With its lighter 50-gram actuation force and extended travel distance of 3.85mm, it allows for rapid key presses without the tactile feedback, making it an ideal option for fast typists or gamers seeking speed over tactility. Ultimately, your choice should reflect how you prioritize feedback and sound during your typing and gaming sessions, ensuring you enjoy every keystroke.

Mentioned in this article

Outemu Purple Tactile

$3.10 per 10

Learn more

HMX Twilight Linear

$3.50

$3.29 per 10

Learn more