Keyboard Switch Lubing: Is It Really Necessary?

If you’ve been looking into building your first (or even thirteenth) mechanical keyboard over the past few weeks, there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ve seen a lot of different switches out there that you could choose from. Colors, spring weights, and tactility aside, one of the most ubiquitous marketing points for any modern, MX-style switch circles around their ‘factory lubing.’ But what even is factory lubing? Should I be listening to this manufacturer over here who claims their lubrication is perfect for out of the box use, or should I be concerned that that vendor over there is trying to sell me a lube kit in addition to unlubed switches? Knowing that this is all can be a bit daunting, I hope I can help pin down some key points on this slippery topic.

To put it as simply as I can: factory lubrication refers to when a switch manufacturer applies a lubricant inside of the switch to reduce friction when pressing a switch up and down. Since switches contain a moving plastic stem which rubs back and forth with other plastic and metal pieces such as the leaves and slider rails, there’s bound to be some friction between these components. With a thin layer of lubricant, however, the friction between these pieces can be drastically reduced allowing for a much smoother, consistent feel. While marketing surrounding factory lubrication is often narrowly focused on the lubing in between the stem and the slider rails, since this is where the most friction is in a switch, note that factories do sometimes apply lubrication between the stem and leaf as well as on the springs. Given that the stem/rail interface is where the majority of friction and marketing occurs, let’s focus on how you might see factory lubrication there.

Heavily Lubed Switches

Heavily lubricated switches are ones which come from the factory with little if any scratchiness or grittiness to their push feeling. Coming with a rather substantial amount of lubricant which can coat all sides of the stem, these are most preferred by users who don’t want to modify their switches or people who are ‘one-and-done’ builders who go straight for endgame. While historically factory lubrication has been hit or miss from some factories, recent improvements from companies like Gateron in switches such as their Oil Kings really do produce an incredibly smooth feeling out of the box that requires no extra effort. Even though there is good benefit to buying heavily lubed switches in that they are almost always very readily usable as soon as they hit your doorstep, some users may not like just how smooth they feel. Without any noticeable friction between the slider rails and stems, some users complain that heavily lubed switches can be missing a uniquely characteristic feeling specific to them, and instead feel just like that of every other lubed switch out there.

Lightly Lubed Switches

For those users who may have some misgivings about heavily lubed switches not having any ‘character’ to them, lightly factory lubed switches are just what they may be looking for! Coming with a lesser amount of lube, these lightly lubricated switches stay on the smoother side of things while still having some minor amount of friction that can make a switch truly feel like its own. In addition to users who may want something less heavy-handed, lightly factory lubed switches are excellent for people who like to modify switches. If switch modders want to make their switches feel more heavily lubed, they can often add additional lubrication on top of what the factory provides to move them up a notch in smoothness. Or, in completely opposite fashion, modders often find it easier to remove a light amount of factory lubing if they want their switches completely dry. While not carrying quite the same strengths as heavily lubed or completely dry switches, lightly lubed switches often offer the most versatility to users looking to explore what mechanical keyboards has to offer them.

Unlubed / Dry Switches

Coming completely without any factory lubrication, unlubed or ‘dry’ switches are the opposite end of the spectrum from heavily lubricated ones. Most common in prebuilt keyboards as well as from older, more established lines of switches such as Cherry MX Browns, this is often where many people start out their mechanical keyboard journey before diving into the custom scene. While significantly fewer people like the scratch and grit that comes from completely dry switches, many people often will buy these for the same reason that people who modify switches would buy lightly lubed ones – dry switches are as blank of a canvas as you can get! With completely dry switches, you can add aftermarket lubrication exactly tuned to your tastes and specifications.

Regardless of what it is that you want from your switches, you should keep in mind that the marketing surrounding factory lubrication is an important point to consider and often an overlooked one. While aftermarket lubrication and modification kits are quite common these days and extremely affordable, some people simply don’t want to deal the extra hassle if they’re only planning to build a singular keyboard. Other users like myself may sink so deep into switches that they want that infinite scope of customizability that is afforded in unlubed switches. Or you can even be somewhere in the middle of these two groups and want a perfect goldilocks-like balance of friction and smoothness in lightly factory lubed switches. While it may take some experimentation for you to figure out how you like your switches lubed, know that at the end of the day it is always a personal preference and up for you to decide.