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Outemu SKY is a series of Cherry MX clone switches from Gaote. All SKY switches have been sold with Outemu branding on the switch top. SKY switches can be bought directly from Reddit user /u/hbheroinbob, who commissioned them from Gaote. He has stated that his goal was "to make a versatile factory made ergo-clear alternative with a reasonable street price; and have all of the parts be interchangeable with the cherry-class ecosystem". Various online keyboard-part retailers also stock SKY switches.
These switches are available prebuilt in certain configurations, or as individual parts. Unlike the predecessor of the SKY switches, Outemu ICE, the switches don't come with hot-swap sockets, although these can usually be requested from hbheroinbob for manual installation.
The SKY switches started out being known for their large tactility, but a silent linear version was added later on.
Variants
Switches can be obtained with a variety of springs, housings, and stems. Certain combinations of these are available from various sources pre-assembled, but the combinations change somewhat often. If you choose to assemble the switches yourself, you have a lot more options.
Switch parts
Stems
|
Name |
Type |
Color |
Status |
Notes
|
|
U4
|
Tactile
|
Semi-clear
|
Active
|
A silent tactile stem with a bump that occurs throughout the keypress, as opposed to a bump at the top with lots of linear travel afterwards.
|
|
|
Phoenix
|
Clicky
|
Semi-clear
|
Active
|
A clone of the Aristotle stem that fixes the issues with the original switch. It uses a click jacket design that creates a click on both the downstroke and the upstroke.
|
|
Silent linear |
Linear |
Silver |
Active |
Improved on the engineering sample by improving the dampening and making the rubber inserts removable.
|
|
Silent Sky |
Tactile |
Semi-clear |
Active |
Improved on the engineering sample by improving the dampening and making the rubber inserts removable. The switch has a similar feel to the v2.2 stem but does not have any pre-travel, and overall travel is reduced.
|
|
Silent linear (engineering sample) |
Linear |
Semi-clear |
Superseded |
This was an engineering sample of what would become the silent linear stem. It wasn't sold to the public, but hbheroinbob would sometimes include one when you ordered from him.
|
|
Silent tactile (engineering sample) |
Tactile |
Brown |
Superseded |
This was an engineering sample of what would become the silent tactile stem. It wasn't sold to the public, but hbheroinbob would sometimes include one when you ordered from him.
|
|
v2.2 tactile |
Tactile |
Semi-clear |
Active |
Improved on v2.1 by narrowing the stem post even more (to remove the need to retool the base) and improving the bump profile. It also added a cutout to the side of the stem.
|
|
v2.1 tactile |
Tactile |
Semi-clear |
Superseded |
Improved on v2.0 by narrowing the stem post to prevent having to retool the base, however it still was too wide. Added a small bump on the surface next to the stem, similar to the Cherry MX Blue.
|
|
v2.0 tactile |
Tactile |
Semi-clear |
Superseded |
These stems had an issue where the base they were used in had to be retooled (drilling out the center hole with a 2.35mm drill bit) to reduce scratchiness and stiffness.
|
Bottom housings
|
Name |
Material |
Color |
Notes
|
|
SKY |
PA6/6 Nylon |
Teal |
|
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Blue ICE |
Polycarbonate |
Transparent blue |
Created for the silent variants of SKY stems
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Top housings
|
Name |
Material |
Color |
Notes
|
|
SKY |
PA6/6 Nylon |
Teal |
|
|
Clear with-slot |
Polycarbonate |
Clear |
|
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Clear no-slot |
Polycarbonate |
Clear |
Has tighter tolerances to reduce stem wobble
|
|
Blue ICE |
Polycarbonate |
Transparent blue |
Created for the silent variants of SKY stems
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References
