Wuque Studio WS Silent Linear & Silent Tactile Review: Whisper Quiet Without the Mush

With so many different keyboard switches in the market now, it can be tough to decide on which switch is right for you. But if you’re looking for a silent linear or tactile switch, consider Wuque Studio’s WS Silent Linear and WS Silent Tactile.

As far as silent switches go, both of them are very quiet, as you can hear – or not, given how silent they are – in our sound test video above. On top of that, the WS Silent switches don’t have (too much) of the “mushy” typing feel either, not to mention the fact that they are quite affordable.

Of course, they do have some shortcomings. But for the most part, the WS Silent switches are definitely worth shortlisting.

What It Is

Besides their linear or tactile nature, the WS Silent Linear and Silent Tactile share the exact same materials and specifications. These include nylon top and bottom housings, a POM stem, and 15mm singe-stage spring with a bottom out force of 63.5g.

Like most offerings in the market now, the WS Silent series are also 5-pin switches with factory lubing out of the box. Priced at $14.70 (about RM65) for a pack of 35 switches, they are really quite affordable – you’re basically paying RM1.80 per switch.

For that kind of money, the WS Silent switches are really quite impressive; let’s get to their positive qualities in the next section.

The Good Stuff

One aspect of silent switches that I don’t quite like is the fact that they have a mushy typing feel, but this isn’t particularly noticeable on the WS Silent Linear and WS Silent Tactile switches. The soft, “cushioned” bottom out is still very much present, but it doesn’t feel particularly mushy, in my opinion.

Another quality of silent switches that I’m not fond of is the reduced travel, lending to a shallow typing experience. But surprisingly enough, the WS Silent switches still offer a decent amount of travel at 3.5mm. Not quite as long as non-silent switches (around 4mm), but still good enough for a natural typing feel.

Factory lube of the WS Silent switches is good too. There’s still a bit of audible scratch if I listen to the switch closely, but at head level, this is very hard to pick up. In normal typing, I don’t feel the scratch at all either. All in all, I am impressed with the smoothness of the two switches.

I’m quite a fan of the WS Silent Tactile’s…tactile bump too. It has a pronounced, rounded tactile event that starts at the very top of the downstroke, and there is no audible leaf tick as well; a common issue with highly tactile switches like this.

Thanks to the dustproof stem design, the WS Silent switches also have very minimal wobble. There’s almost no vertical or horizontal wobble, and they can certainly provide a “stable” typing experience, if you’re concerned about that.

As mentioned, the WS Silent switches are also very silent. The soft bottom out is completely muted with minimal spring noise, which can be attributed to the factory lube of these switches. However, the same cannot be said for the upstroke.

The Bad Stuff

While the downstroke of the WS Silent Linear and WS Silent Tactile is dampened very well, the upstroke yields quite a bit of sound from the rebound of the keycaps. This is even more obvious on the tactile version, especially on the spacebar. But to Wuque Studio’s credit, the upstroke sound of the WS Silent Tactile is quieter (and more pleasant) compared to the Gazzew U4Tx.

Aside from that, the spring weight of the WS Silent switches is a little too light for my taste. Don’t get me wrong, the 63.5g bottom out does lend to a pleasant typing feel, but I wish it had a more substantial downstroke and upstroke sensation.

Granted, using a heavier spring (or even two-stage spring) on the WS Silent switches is counterintuitive to the silent nature of the switch. After all, if it had a more aggressive upstroke, it may make these silent switches…not-so-silent switches.

Is It Worth It?

If you’re looking to get a silent switch without the typical mushy downstroke or reduced travel, Wuque Studio’s WS Silent Linear and WS Silent Tactile switches are great options. On top of that, its value proposition is great as well, even if it has some shortcomings.

Keen to pick up the WS Silent switches? You can do so from Wuque Studio’s very own online store. The other switches in the series are also quite interesting, such as the WS Brown switch featured in our QwertyKeys QK75 sound test.