Outemu (Gaote) switches in the UK?

strumpusplunket · 11 Jun 2020 at 13:40

I have a Redragon keyboard with Outemu red switches (I believe they're also know as Gaote switches?). A couple of the switches are a bit unreliable in their reponsiveness so I'm trying to source some replacements. I quite fancy trying out Browns on my main keys in any case, to see if the typing experience is any better.

They are next to impossible to find in the UK, though, it seems. I can only find one source for 20 browns @ £10 on a large UK etailer and the only other sources I see are from China.

Anyone had any success sourcing these switches in the UK? Or does anyone know for sure if any other switches are cross-compatible (I don't think Cherries are without filing down the stems, but I'm not 100% sure on this).

JamieH · 11 Jun 2020 at 19:11

Which Redragon keyboard is it? The one with hot-swappable socketed switches?

strumpusplunket · 11 Jun 2020 at 20:48

JamieH said:
Which Redragon keyboard is it? The one with hot-swappable socketed switches?

It's the K582. Yeah, it has hot-swappable switches. I've had a few go a bit wonky and used the included spares, but need a few more and then thought I might as well try replacing the letter keys with browns to try them out.

Snookums · 12 Jun 2020 at 08:39

The only really reputable keyboard component company in the uk are mechboards, the rest are all US or China based and even then Outemu switches arent exactly popular. I use KBDfans but they are based in china and also don't carry outemu switches so no help there.

(I feel like I can mention competitors as ocuk doesn't sell keyboard parts but please let me know if I need to change it mods.)

strumpusplunket · 12 Jun 2020 at 09:39

Snookums said:
The only really reputable keyboard component company in the uk are mechboards, the rest are all US or China based and even then Outemu switches arent exactly popular. I use KBDfans but they are based in china and also don't carry outemu switches so no help there.

(I feel like I can mention competitors as ocuk doesn't sell keyboard parts but please let me know if I need to change it mods.)

Thanks. I will check some of those links out, but it may end up being the case that this Redragon was just a gateway keyboard! I still really enjoy the feel of typing on it and don't think I could bear going back to a membrane board for daily use (plus it spurred me to learn proper touch-typing and easily double my typing speed!).

I have my eye on the PCMR board since that looks pretty customisable. This K582 is good for the money, but it's not high-end and the half-failing/sometimes unresponsive switches that have now developed on several keys (same has happened on my son's K582, btw, so it seems like it could be a switch defect) makes me think I'll want another one at some point.

I think it might work best for me if I could put brown switches on the letters and puntuation keys, and reds on the arrows and keypad that I mostly use in games. I might try that with this board for a bit if I can find a decent source of Outemu switches, otherwise I might just move on to my next board sooner rather than later.

Unless there are any other decent mechanical keyboards with switches that can be swapped out without soldering?

JamieH · 12 Jun 2020 at 23:29

I have used the Redragon K552 RGB UK at work for the past year and had the red back-lit K552 US before that for 3 and a half years.

The red back-lit one had an issue with a couple of switches too and on the older boards these were soldered in rather than socketed. After I soldered in replacement blue Outemu switches it was working nicely again, but had already bought the RGB because I needed a working keyboard again quickly and liked the first one (and it was on Prime for next day) so that got relegated to backup.

The only issue I had was with how loud the blue Outemus are so I replaced these with Outemu DP blacks because I like heavier switches (Model M and Dell AT101W before that) and liked how linear Cherry reds are even for typing. Love it now.

So, depending on how many switches you need I can pop some replacements in the post for you if you want (I have a handful of Outemu Blues and Browns).

strumpusplunket · 13 Jun 2020 at 09:19

JamieH said:
I have used the Redragon K552 RGB UK at work for the past year and had the red back-lit K552 US before that for 3 and a half years.

The red back-lit one had an issue with a couple of switches too and on the older boards these were soldered in rather than socketed. After I soldered in replacement blue Outemu switches it was working nicely again, but had already bought the RGB because I needed a working keyboard again quickly and liked the first one (and it was on Prime for next day) so that got relegated to backup.

The only issue I had was with how loud the blue Outemus are so I replaced these with Outemu DP blacks because I like heavier switches (Model M and Dell AT101W before that) and liked how linear Cherry reds are even for typing. Love it now.

So, depending on how many switches you need I can pop some replacements in the post for you if you want (I have a handful of Outemu Blues and Browns).

That's an awesomely kind offer, thanks! If I do go for browns, though, I would need to replace the whole set of letters and surrounding keys as it would drive me crazy I think to have one or two browns against the rest being red.

Interesting that you had issues with the installed Redragon switches too. I notice that the included ones already on the board are slightly different to the spares (one has a black base the other white). I don't know if there's a difference, but I haven't had a replacement I've fitted go wrong yet, even for my most used keys. I wonder if they just use overly cheap switches for those installed on the board to keep it sellable as a budget board. I like lots of things about this board for the money, but it's annoying that between two boards we've now had seven switches go wonky in a few months.

Getting 40 brown swtiches for £20 from the rainforest is okay, I guess. I can't find reds in the UK, though, and I think I would like to keep my arrow and numpad keys with red switches - and I'm down to my last spare red switch now. Are these Chinese shops like Ali okay for shipping these switches to the UK? Do they actually sell decent quality items?

I'm kind of caught between shelling out for a set of brown switches and just going for a PCMR board instead...

JamieH · 13 Jun 2020 at 10:09

Yeah, I tried to mix some of the greater used keys up to compare switch feel and it was pretty horrible to type on so swapped the whole lot out for Outemu Blacks (except Space which I used 2 Outemu Reds). The Browns are pretty nice to type on too if you like the Tactile bump of the Blue switches, they don't have the loud click of the Blues and are slightly lighter on actuation.

I have only ever used the white base switches (which I think are the same fitted to the factory Redragon keyboards) so can't comment on the black base switches, but I have seen them and the all clear ones too. I agree, these Redragon keyboards have been great value for money.

I was looking myself at the Glorious PCMR keyboard on OCUK around xmas time but most of the options were sold out (looks like most are at the moment too). If they re-stock the keycaps and switches I wouldn't mind building one up myself.

Edit: Tried to send you a PM but looks like the OCUK forums have turned if off by default now