Durock Piano vs. Everglide Rice Pudding

Overview

When it comes to choosing the right mechanical keyboard switch, the Durock Piano and Everglide Rice Pudding stand out as exceptional options, each catering to different preferences and typing styles. The Durock Piano, celebrated for its proprietary material blend, offers a delightful linear experience with a gliding push feel and a deep, creamy sound signature. With a bassy, frictionless, and silky profile, it provides a satisfying typing experience that many users find pleasing. On the other hand, the Everglide Rice Pudding switches bring a unique advantage with their hall effect design, delivering a perfect blend of smooth operation and rich acoustics. Known for their balanced response, these switches not only ensure a precise typing experience but are also fully compatible with Wooting's innovative keyboards, making them a standout choice for enthusiasts seeking performance and versatility. Ultimately, each switch has its own charm and utility, catering to different user needs; however, let's dive in a bit deeper beyond generalities so you can best decide on the best switch for you.

By the numbers

Durock Piano Linear

Everglide Rice Pudding Hall Effect

$6.70

$5.57 per 10

$8.00

$6.79 per 10

Learn moreLearn more

Housing materials

The housing materials of the Durock Piano and Everglide Rice Pudding switches reveal distinct characteristics that contribute to their overall sound profiles. The Durock Piano features a proprietary POM blend top housing, which is designed to produce a uniquely satisfying and deep sound. This blend, while not explicitly detailed, is recognized for enhancing the switch's bass tones and providing a richer auditory experience, making it suitable for users who appreciate a fuller sound profile. In contrast, the Everglide Rice Pudding utilizes a polycarbonate top housing, known for its clarity and sharper, higher-pitched sound. The stiffness of polycarbonate contributes to a more resonant sound profile, which can be particularly appealing for those looking for a snappier keystroke experience. Therefore, while both switches aim to deliver satisfying audio feedback, their materials yield markedly different sonic characteristics.

The bottom housings of these switches further highlight their diversity. The Durock Piano's bottom housing also utilizes the proprietary POM blend, which aligns with its top housing to maintain a deep sound profile. This unity in material throughout the switch ensures a coherent auditory experience, particularly when bottoming out, as the softness of the POM absorbs sound, delivering richness and fullness to the keystroke. In contrast, the Everglide Rice Pudding employs a nylon bottom housing, a traditional choice that enhances the switch's ability to produce a deeper and rounder sound. Nylon's softer nature allows it to absorb more sound, creating an auditory contrast that differentiates the bottoming-out experience from that of the sharper top housing. This results in a unique sound dynamic where users can feel a blend of tonal qualities from both the top and bottom materials.

In terms of performance, the differences in material approach between the two switches lead to unique auditory experiences that cater to different preferences. While the Durock Piano achieves its warm, deep tones through a consistent use of POM in both top and bottom housings, the Everglide Rice Pudding’s hybrid design creates a more layered sound profile, merging the crispness of polycarbonate with the fullness of nylon. Users seeking a similar auditory outcome can achieve it by considering the balance of the materials and how they impact the overall keystroke experience. For instance, while the Piano aims for depth in sound consistency, the Rice Pudding offers a more complex tonal experience, producing a distinctive auditory feedback that can be appreciated in different contexts. Thus, both switches, despite their differences, can yield satisfying results depending on the user's sound preferences, typing style, and desired tactile feedback.

Weight

The actuation force and bottom out force of the Durock Piano linear switch and the Everglide Rice Pudding hall effect switch present a clear comparison in terms of weight and feel. The Durock Piano switch has an unspecified actuation force but features a bottom out force of 63.5 grams, categorizing it as medium-heavy. In contrast, the Everglide Rice Pudding switch has a lighter actuation force of 38 grams and a bottom out force of 48 grams. This difference indicates that the Rice Pudding switch is lighter overall, making it more suitable for users who prefer long typing sessions or gaming marathons due to reduced finger fatigue. Meanwhile, the Piano switch, with its heavier bottom out force, offers a more substantial typing experience for those who appreciate a sturdier push feel. Overall, while the actuation force of the Piano switch is unknown, its heavier bottom out force suggests a more robust typing experience compared to the lighter, more agile Rice Pudding switch.

Travel distance

When comparing the travel distance of the Durock Piano linear switch and the Everglide Rice Pudding hall effect switch, it is clear that the two options cater to different preferences in tactile feedback. The Durock Piano boasts a travel distance of 4 mm, making it one of the more traditional options that some users may find offers a satisfying depth in each keystroke. In contrast, the Everglide Rice Pudding has a slightly shorter travel distance of 3.5 mm, which may appeal to gamers seeking quicker response times and a more immediate actuation. While both switches have their unique advantages, those who prefer a deeper feel will find the Durock Piano’s longer travel distance more appealing, whereas the shorter travel of the Rice Pudding might be preferred by users who favor speed and responsiveness in their keystrokes.

Price comparison

Typing experience

When it comes to sound, the Durock Piano switches are celebrated for their bassy sound profile, providing a deep and rich auditory experience during key presses. This low-frequency richness creates an engaging feedback loop for typists who appreciate the auditory reward of each keystroke. On the other hand, specifics about the sound signature of the Everglide Rice Pudding switches are not provided, leaving an element of mystery in their auditory characteristics. However, it can be gleaned that they also deliver a deep sound, which may suggest a satisfying acoustic quality, though comparing or contrasting it to the Piano's more defined bassy nature isn't possible.

In terms of feel, the Durock Piano switches shine with their frictionless and silky typing experience, allowing for an incredibly smooth and effortless journey across the key travel. This results in a typing feel that minimizes any resistance, making each keystroke fluid and satisfying. Unfortunately, no specific descriptions are available regarding the feel of the Rice Pudding switches, leaving an unknown in this aspect. It suggests that enthusiasts may need to try the Rice Pudding to appreciate its tactile qualities fully.

In conclusion, both the Durock Piano and Everglide Rice Pudding switches offer appealing characteristics for mechanical keyboard enthusiasts, albeit with differing levels of detail in their descriptions. The Piano stands out with its bassy sound and smooth feel, promising a rich auditory and tactile experience. While the Rice Pudding switches' sound remains unspecified, their compatibility with innovative keyboards makes them an appealing choice for those seeking versatility. Ultimately, enthusiasts choosing between these options will find that while they may offer different experiences, both are designed to enhance typing enjoyment in their own unique ways.

Conclusion

To conclude, the decision between the Durock Piano linear switch and the Everglide Rice Pudding hall effect switch largely hinges on your personal preferences in typing feel and sound, as well as the specific usage scenarios you envision. If you prefer a robust typing experience with a medium-heavy actuation force, the Durock Piano switches can provide a satisfying, bassy sound and a notably smooth, frictionless feel that enhances your overall typing experience, making them ideal for both gaming and extensive typing sessions. However, if you lean towards a lighter touch, appreciate precise keystrokes, and require compatibility with versatile setups like Wooting’s keyboards, the Rice Pudding switches may serve you better with their smoother operation and high versatility. Understanding these nuances will allow you to make an informed choice tailored to your typing style and needs, ensuring that your mechanical keyboard experience is both enjoyable and productive.

Mentioned in this article

Durock Piano Linear

$6.70

$5.57 per 10

Learn more

Everglide Rice Pudding Hall Effect

$8.00

$6.79 per 10

Learn more