Tactile switches

What the tactile catalog actually looks like

Forty-one switches from 12 brands — the same brand count as the much larger linear category, which tells you tactile is contested rather than neglected.

The weight range is wider than linear's: 30-70 gf against 34-60, with the same 45 gf median. Tactiles have room at both ends because the bump itself adds perceived weight, so a 40 gf tactile can feel heavier than a 45 gf linear. Judge tactiles against other tactiles, not across the categories.

79% ship factory-lubed, essentially the same as linear. Worth knowing because hand-lubing a tactile is harder to get right: too much on the legs and you round off the bump you paid for.

Price per switch runs $0.17 to $0.83, median $0.35 — a rounding error above linear's $0.34. Tactility does not cost extra.

Bump position is the spec nobody lists

The number that decides how a tactile feels is where the bump sits in the travel, and almost no vendor publishes it. Broadly there are two families.

Early bump switches put the tactile event near the top of the stroke, so you feel it almost immediately and the rest of the press is smooth. They feel sharp and are popular for typing.

Mid-travel bump switches place it around the actuation point, closer to how a classic Cherry MX Brown behaves. Rounder, softer, less divisive.

Since the spec is rarely published, the practical route is a switch tester or a 10-pack before committing to 90. Switches 101 covers what to listen and feel for.