Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow Switch Review

I know, I know – I should have written a review last weekend sometime during my drive to or from the Chicago keyboard meetup instead of taking the week off. You all know as well as I do that, I hate missing review weekends, and trust me I gave the simultaneous speeding and speed typing thing a go multiple times over those 13 combined hours of driving. Alas, my simultaneous speeding and typing skills are a bit rusty more than I remember them being. I’ll be sure to give it a shot again when I drive through the hillier parts of southern Ohio on my way to the Novelkeys meetup here in a few weeks, but that elevation may affect me quite a bit. Contrary to popular speculation, I am not one of those mountain goat breeds that deals with elevation well.

**Figure 1:** Look, I don't really understand anime shit but this immediately comes to mind every time I think of 'mountain goats'.

As some of you found out firsthand last weekend, I made the long drive over to Chicago for ‘That Windy City’ Keyboard Meetup finally! Having always wanted to check off that major venue on my list of places I’ve traveled to, I’m glad I could finally make it out to spend time with new and old friends alike. While I was told that this meetup was quite a bit bigger than it had been in recent years, the planning committee, vendors who helped sponsor it, and insane number of giveaways really would have had me fooled into thinking its always been this big and crazy in Chicago. With insane numbers of nearly 200 different people attending, over 100 different prizes given away, and vendors present like Drop, HHKB, my good buddy and sponsor SwitchOddities, it’s definitely a meetup I’m going to try and make it back out to again next year. Knowing full well that I could spend the rest of this review just talking about the different keyboards and artisans I saw, and an even longer second one recounting all the conversations I had over that weekend, I’m much more a fan of showing some of my favorite things that I saw whenever I travel to meetups. (But none of these photos are mine, for the record, I’m not talented enough to take awesome shots like these…)

**Figure 2:** One of the several artisan displays from around the room. (Photo by coffeeandkeebs)

**Figure 3:** The 2023 Chicago meetup cap and one of my favorite Anatomy Caps from Hello? Caps. (Photo by Ryan/Raikou)

**Figure 4:** Some fancy special photography by TofuTypes of a 'keyboard in Japan' style display.

**Figure 5:** And of course my Latrialum Pizza giveaway cap that I won. This thing is absolutely too adorable!

Switch Background

I don’t think that many people realize that after having reviewed switches fairly consistently for almost four straight years now, switches begin having personal historical context in addition to their history within the grand history of keyboard switches. Switches like the Cherry MX Brown and Zeal 3-in-1 Clickiez are switches which tend to have very polarizing opinions across the community at large, but to me they were the two reviews that I’ve wrote and felt the most stressed about during the preparation process. Aflion Blushes are a pretty well forgotten Aflion switch that also happens to be the first switch I ever made a force sheet on, and they still act as the template for all force curve sheets I’ve prepared since. Multiply these stories and tales across 350 caliper measurements, 750 force curves, over 100 reviews, and as of this very review 250 different scorecards, and I’m sure you can understand just how many memories I’ve got piled up behind the scenes. While I think that the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows are more than deserving of a review in their own right, it almost destined to be that I sat down to review these switches for this weekend. Why? Exactly 1,107 days ago I published my ‘Balling on a Budget: Gateron Yellow Switch Review’, the first switch to introduce the scorecard system which has since become a regular part of my content. The latest update to Gateron’s historical line of yellow switches – the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows – will in turn get to mark the 250th scorecard.

**Figure 6:** Man, there really are stock photos for damn near everything isn't there?

Instead of retreading old ground covered in that first Gateron KS8 Yellow Switch Review which detailed the various iterations of Gateron switches from over the years, I figured that the natural point of progression would be in starting off just after where I left at Gateron’s KS-15 optical switches. However, unlike that previous list of Gateron’s switches by their internal naming scheme, this entry will be much less clean cut and obvious. With the rise in switch releases and increasingly rapid minor factory improvements to molds, lubrication, and internal structural designs, it seems like Gateron may have moved away from this hardline KS-X naming convention for the some of their latest releases and especially the G Pro 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 switches. Unlike KS-1 through 15, as well, a few of these latest entries don’t have any publicly available yellow variants at all. Previously I’ve hypothesized that the Gateron’s yellow switches were always a sort of ‘testing grounds’ through which they’d try out new springs, housing designs, molds, or whatever they would be iterating on. Sadly this may be a bit disproven with this update, as of the time of this review at least, we’ve yet to see yellow variants of a few the KS-X switches beyond KS-15s, such as…

KS-20

Following the non-traditional optical style design of the KS-15 switches, Gateron’s KS-20 line of switches are built around a magnetic Hall Effect style mechanism and are only compatible with Wooting keyboards that currently sport the Gateron-made KS-20 Lekker switches. In addition to these brand-specific Hall Effect switches, Gateron also has two normal KS-20 linears for sale in Orange and White. As mentioned previously, these are the first publicly released ‘KS-X’ line of switches to not feature a yellow-colored switch at time of their announcement in early 2023 nor by the time of publishing this review.

KS-22

If you immediately had thought that these switches look awfully similar to another previous KS-X list entry, you would not be wrong. Outwardly mirroring the design of the KS-15 optical switches, Gateron’s KS-22 line of switches are an upgraded version of the KS-15s with “a new structure and a more stable, smooth hand feel.” While I have yet to try any of these in hand, its assumed that these switches benefit from the same upgrades to production molds and factory lubrication that Gateron has treated nearly all lines of its switches to – from basic in stock budget options to premium China Joy convention announcements – since the release of the KS-15s back in the middle of 2021. Unlike those KS-15s, though, the now significantly more available western presence of Gateron by way of their sales website makes these much more readily accessible to collectors and optical switch fans alike. (Assuming there are optical switch fans, that is.)

KS-25

Announced at the tail end of 2020, the wildly unique KS-25 Gateron CAP switches first started making their way into the hands of western audiences in Q1 of 2021. Featuring a design which has an inverted, male type center pole hole and hollowed out, female-style stem instead of the other way around, the KS-25s were compatible with traditional MX-style keyboards but completely different everywhere else. Larger diameter springs and seemingly greater factory lubrication, in addition to these large structural changes, however, didn’t see these switches come across as necessarily as revolutionary in feeling as they may have been in initial appearance. Priced somewhere between Gateron’s true bargain bin budget tier and premium tier of offerings, the KS-25 CAP style designs have seen a second version released as well multiple variations of yellow-colored releases like with the various iterations of KS-3 housing designs.

KS-27/KS-33

**Figure 10:** Gateron KS-27 low profile Brown, Red, and Blue switches. Note that the KS-33s outwardly appear near identical to the KS-27s.

Admittedly extremely similar to each other as pointed out by Gateron in an article clarifying the differences, both KS-27 and KS-33 releases are a series of Red, Brown, and Blue Gateron low profile switches featuring a traditional MX-style cross keycap mount. While the KS-27s were first to be released in 2022, the KS-33s shortly followed up that same year acting as effective “KS-27 2.0s” with slider rails 0.3 cm shorter and stem poles roughly 0.3 cm longer. Further differentiation between the two low profile part codes by Gateron indicate subtle differences in the spring weights for each of the switches in addition to their changed travel distances as well. Much like the KS-20s which kicked off this updated Gateron part code list, neither the KS-27 nor KS-33 switches have a yellow stemmed variant to appear yet.

KS-…9?

**Figure 11:** Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches.

No, this list isn’t exactly out of order. While each of these aforementioned releases came out in the months and years following the ones preceding them, the latest iterations in switch design by Gateron have seemingly adopted the ‘G Pro’ moniker rather than a new KS-X part code. Referred to by ‘KS-9’ part codes on all of their specification sheets, the G Pro series of switches have had 3 iterations as of the time of writing this review and include a full gamut of traditionally stock-oriented colors including Red, Blue, Brown, Green, Black, White, and Yellow. Much like with the KS-27/KS-33 differentiation, Gateron swears in their comparative article between the Pro 2.0 and Pro 3.0 variations that subtle differences in the travel distance, bottoming out weight, and factory lubrication affect each one of the switches.

The third iteration of switches in the Gateron G Pro line were first released around Q2/Q3 of 2023 with very little in the way of broad marketing or notification by Gateron. While increased documentation surrounding the differences between each version of the G Pro line has since been added to their western facing website, something of which no major manufacturer has seemingly figured out to do up until this point in time, at the time of their release very little was known about the differences. Specifically the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows, which are being reviewed at length here, are reported as being marginally lighter than their G Pro 1.0 counterparts, coming in closer to 65-67 gf of bottom out rather than 70 gf. Priced between $0.31 and $0.35 per switch depending on the source that they are bought from, it is uncertain if this will be the final iteration of releases in Gateron’s G Pro series nor if they will see significant longevity in their stocking.

G Pro 3.0 Yellow Switch Performance

Appearance

At the highest level, the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches come in a five pin, clear over white housing construction with their iconic, lemon-yellow colored stems. While this housing color scheme has been used across the board for all of Gateron’s G Pro switches throughout all versions, only the 3.0s and 2.0s share a half-height LED-diffusing bubble on the southern side of the top housing. In fact, with the exception of the most minor differentiation in shade of yellow in the stems, the Gateron G Pro 2.0 Yellows and 3.0 Yellows are virtually indistinguishable visually. This also applies to other common external visual indicators such as mold markings on the bottom housing and mounting structures, as well. At a brief internal glance as well, the 3.0 Yellows also have silver-colored springs of fairly average length and threading – something also present in the vast majority of Gateron G Pro switches with the exception of two-stage springs present in some iterations of G Pro Silvers and Whites.

**Figure 12:** Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switch and its components.

**Figure 13:** Gateron G Pro 1.0 (Left), 2.0 (Middle), and 3.0 (Right) Yellow switches.

Looking more closely at the construction of the top housings, while there may not necessarily be all that much that would help distinguish the G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches from the 2.0 Yellow versions, there’s plenty of features that point to these being a more recent and premium Gateron product. First, and most obviously indicative of premium mold designs, is that of the inverted ‘GATERON’ nameplate. This feature was first noted back in 2022 with the advent of higher priced switches such as Vermilion Birds, Azure Dragons, and Oil Kings, and is usually indicative of improved mold tolerances between switch parts as well as drastically improved factory lubrication. Externally, as well, the top housing also have a half-height LED bubble which acts to diffuse LED lights built into the PCB or situated below the switches in any given construction. Internally, the top housings have very little in the way of readily unique features and anything that would stand out at a finer degree of inspection is always harder to see in completely see through housings. Of the little that is there internally, it’s worth noting that the mold markings for the top housings are in both upper corners underneath the nameplate region, and consist of a single, capital letter or number in each corner. While much more minor than the mold markings, I do want to mention as well that the half-height LED bubble is solid and not hollowed out. While it is more common in mid to late 2023 to see LED condenser bubbles of this fashion, some of the earliest iterations of such with TTC as well as more obscure brands like Momoka had these housing structures hollowed.

**Figure 14:** Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow top housing exterior showing inverted 'GATERON' nameplate and fixed half-height LED diffusing bubble.

**Figure 15:** Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow top housing interior design showing single letter/digit mold markings in upper left- and right-hand corners.

Moving next to the stems of the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows, there is a surprising lack of premium design characteristics that would have been initially assumed given the outward appearance of the switches as well as their marketing by Gateron. Premium features not present in these stems that I certainly would have expected included tapered slider rails, more flush connections between stem legs and front plates of the stems, and even an aggressive center pole taper. However, what is presented in the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows is a fairly ‘average’ set of features: non tapered slider rails, a barely tiered center pole, and a thin and judicious film of lubricant that is hard to photograph. As well, mold ejector and injector marks are present in their usual, as expected places on the front plate above the stem legs and in the side of one of the keycap mounting posts, respectively. Even the dimensions of these stems are fairly mundane, with even their length being near the average across all switches I’ve reviewed on this website around 12.51 mm in total length. While I didn’t necessarily expect that the stems of a newly improved, stock- priced Gateron Yellow switch would have been among the most premium of their designs and offerings, I am surprised that they don’t feature at least a few of the more minor details that have been prevalent among their most marketed switches over the past year or two of time.

**Figure 16:** Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow stems showing fairly basic design with non-tapered slider rails, non-tiered center pole, and lack of adornment otherwise.

Finally arriving at the bottom housings of the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows, we are presented with a series of smaller mold-level details that are seemingly more premium and line up with the switch’s marketing a bit better than the stems. Internally, these switches have all the bells and whistles at the base of the housing including a medium sized south side spring collar, geometrically intricate bottoming out pads at the base of the slider rails, as well as mold ejector marks between these two. Free almost entirely from lubrication residue, the internal structure of the G Pro 3.0 Yellows is a textbook example of what a modern, slightly more sophisticated than the majority switch bottom housing would look like. Externally, the mold markings for these five-pin housings are similar to many other premium Gateron offerings before them as well as other G Pro iterations. Coming in two parts, the first mold marking is a single capital letter located facing the LED slot and underneath the right-hand PCB mounting pin. The second is an upside down, large single digit number located between the two metal PCB pins.

**Figure 17:** Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow bottom housing interior design showing padded bottoms of slider rails, south side spring collar, and mold ejector circles.

**Figure 18:** Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow bottom housing exterior design showing 5-pin PCB mounts and pair of identifying mold markings.

Push Feel

You would think that after having reviewed well over a hundred linears that the process of describing their push feeling, in short or long form, would become a bit of a repetitive task. While many of you reading this may feel that way after shotgunning consecutive linear reviews, rest assured that I do not feel the same in writing them. Part of the thing that helps stave off the repetitive mental strain is when I get to try switches that have a very strong set of associations and expectations with them just on their name alone – such as the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows. If you’ve been around the hobby for any length of time, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve tried one of the dozens of iterations of Gateron Yellows that exist, and an even better chance that they were good too. With that kind of assumed excellence, it is always a bit interesting to see how the latest of the iterations in this series of switches will stack up. To that end, the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows are great at meeting and exceeding the expectations that I and most people would have. Fresh out of the box these linears walk the perfect tight rope balancing act of being consistently smooth, both within a switch and across the batch received, without having too much or too little lube. On the grand scale of switches I’ve reviewed, the Pro 3.0 Yellows certainly are on the slightly lighter lubed side of things, but with the application being as consistent and precise as it is, you can’t really complain.

**Figure 19:** Stock Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow force curve diagram.

With the smoothness aspect out of the way, though, some real discussion is warranted on the housing collisions in the clear over white housing constructions of the G Pro 3.0s. Many people’s personal experiences with Gateron Yellows come by way of Milky Yellows (KS-3-X1s) or KS-8s which have clear top housings and thicker, black bottom housings. In turn, the more muted and firm housing collisions in these milky and black bottom housings drive the expectations of many that all Gateron Yellows will necessarily feel that way. And with that in mind, these 3.0 Yellows do break those community-wide expectations a bit. While the bottoming outs in the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows are still somewhat firm, and don’t exactly have a sharpened pointedness that is associated with thinner housing materials or longer stem poles, it is a bit more direct and responsive than those more muted housing constructions in KS-3s or KS-8s. The topping out of the G Pro 3.0 Yellows is more on the thinner and sharper side, but again it doesn’t have the expected plasticky and cheap feeling that polycarbonate housings are commonly associated with. Combining these two familiar yet expectation-breaking housing collisions together and we are again left with an expected gap between the two of them, yet surprisingly one that doesn’t feel as if it is out of place or not exactly what Gateron had in mind.

Historically, I’ve always taken a bit of an issue with the push feeling of two-tone housings that have an opaque half and a transparent or semi-translucent other half. Often times the differences in materials used between these two housings leads to a collision at one end that is wildly different from the other, causing the switches to feel disjointed and shoddily thrown together. A classic example of such being any of the dozens of switches released over the past few years with polycarbonate top housings and nylon bottom housings. For perhaps the first time ever, if not for a very long time that has since escaped my memory, I don’t really feel as if the two-tone housing construction of the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows fits into that negative stereotype I have of switches like such. Is there a touch of a difference which could bother some people, sure, but the overlap in firmness, general responsive strength, and sharpness between the topping and bottoming out of these switches just feels like it belongs and it is correct. Probably further helping my mixed feelings about actually liking a switch in this capacity is the fact that this well-balanced difference between topping and bottoming out is actually quite consistent at all actuation speeds. Often times the differences in feeling between topping and bottoming outs in different switch materials is exaggerated at faster typing speeds and becomes even harsher in feeling at one or both ends.

Sound

Overall, the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches occupy a very well-balanced intersection of medium volume and medium to slightly higher pitch that most two-tone housing linear switches struggle to stay consistently within. Slightly higher pitched and louder at the topping out than at the bottoming out, these switches are largely free from other sound issues and don’t have any of the associated negative sounds that make for a poor sounding linear switches. You know, the classic combinations of scratch, ping, and odd stickiness commonly associated with heavy factory lubing. As well, the consistency in feeling noted at different typing speeds largely holds true here too, with most of the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows hardly pitching up or becoming all that different sounding when being used for aggressive typing sessions. While there is a tiny amount of variability in the tone and volume of these switches across the batch that I received, the difference is largely miniscule enough that it almost certainly wouldn’t matter when they are built into a keyboard and used casually.

Wobble

The stem wobble in the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows is perhaps the weakest point of an already pretty high performing switch by all other metrics. With slightly more stem wobble in the N/S direction than the E/W direction, its highly unlikely that this would bother the vast majority of keyboard users, and probably even those fairly picky about their stem wobble as well. I do, for the record, swear up and down that Gateron has done marginally better on stem wobble than this in some of their more premium priced and marketed offerings, but not by much. While there is room for improvement here, its not as if the wobble wouldn’t be more than satisfactory for most people.

Measurements

If you’re into this level of detail about your switches, you should know that I have a switch measurement sheet that logs all of this data, as well as many other cool features which can be found under the ‘Archive’ tab at the top of this page or by clicking on the card above. Known as the ‘Measurement Sheet’, this sheet typically gets updated weekly and aims to take physical measurements of various switch components to compare mold designs on a brand-by-brand basis as well as provide a rough frankenswitching estimation sheet for combining various stems and top housings.

**Figure 21:** Numerical details regarding the stock Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switch force curve diagram.

The latest in the content-adjacent work that I’ve picked up, the new ‘Force Curve Repository’ is now hosted on GitHub alongside the Scorecard Repository and contains all force curves that I make both within and outside of reviews. In addition to having these graphs above, I have various other versions of the graphs, raw data, and my processed data all available for each switch to use as you please. Check it out via the ‘Archive’ tab at the top of this page or by clicking any of the force curve cards above.

Break In

Break In Notes

17,000 Actuations

- At 17,000 actuations, the largest notable difference in the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches is in the consistency of their sound. While the switches don’t pick up any scratch nor ping that is common to acquire under break in testing, the pitch of the housing collisions does begin to drift a bit further apart at this point and especially under more aggressive typing conditions.

- Like most other switches which I’ve subjected to break in testing over the years, the G Pro 3.0 Yellow do pick up the tiniest bit more N/S and E/W direction stem wobble after having been broken in to this point in testing.

34,000 Actuations

- The same changes noted in the sound and stem wobble of the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows at 17,000 actuations largely holds true here at 34,000 actuations as well and without a significant change since that point. While some switches may be a bit more wobbly or have a bit more of a different sound to them than most, largely the average switch has not changed much in the last 17,000 actuations on these points.

- The only differences really noted in the G Pro 3.0 Yellows is in the feeling of the housing collisions of the switches. At 34,000 actuations, these switches begin to pick up a slightly more varied set of housing collisions that begins to make them feel less coherent than they do in stock form.

51,000 Actuations

- Surprisingly, out at 51,000 actuations the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows don’t appear to change all that much beyond the changes already noted at the previous two break in steps. While I imagine it may be possible to see further changes at breaking in testing beyond this point in time, I would also hedge my bets that those changes are far from significant and easily could be mitigated by aftermarket care prior to putting the switches into a build.

**Figure 23:** Comparative diagram showing no distinctive trend in change of Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellow force curve diagrams during break in testing.

Comparison Notes to Other Notable Linear Switches

Note – These are not aimed at being comprehensive comparisons between all factors of these switches as this would simply be too long for this writeup. These are little notes of interest I generated when comparing these switches to the G Pro 3.0 Yellow switches side by side.

Designer Studio Graphite Gold

- In terms of their overall sound profiles, the Designer Studio Graphite Golds have a touch more depth and bass-heavy tones to their housing collisions as compared to the more crystal clear, higher pitched tones of the G Pro 3.0 Yellows. At normal actuation speeds, as well, they are almost identical in terms of overall volume.

- Without much competition, there’s significantly less stem wobble in both directions in the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows than there is in the Graphite Golds.

- Even though both of these two switches are lubed, the lube application is ever so slightly heavier, consistent, and more impactful in the G Pro 3.0 Yellows than the Graphite Golds. Roughly translated, I think that most people would consider the Gaterons the ‘smoother’ switches in a heads-up comparison here.

Invokeys Black Sesame

- While these two switches are again similar in terms of their overall volume, the Invokeys Black Sesames are a bit deeper and more complex sounding in their housing collisions that the singular, pointed high notes of the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows.

- In terms of stem wobble, the Black Sesame switches are a bit better than the Yellows in the E/W direction, but also a bit more worse than the Yellows in the N/S direction.

- Both of these switches occupy a very narrow window of nearly perfectly smooth throughout the keystroke and across a batch of switches, those perhaps on opposite sides of a dividing line. Whereas the Black Sesame switches are a bit more heavily lubed and nearly perfectly smooth, the G Pro 3.0 Yellows manage to do so with lesser lube.

Wuque Studio Morandi

- There’s hardly a contest to be made in terms of smoothness between these two switches as the G Pro 3.0 Yellows are significantly smoother and more consistent in their push feeling across the batch that I received than the Morandi switches.

- While comparable to each other in the N/S direction, there is quite a bit less stem wobble in the E/W direction of the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows than in the Wuque Studio Morandi.

- Much like with the comparisons made to the Black Sesame and Graphite Golds above, the housing collisions on the Morandi switches are much more firm, solid, and impactful than the comparatively dainty, pointed housing collisions of the G Pro 3.0 Yellows.

TTC Tiger

- In a head-to-head comparison of their sound profiles, the TTC Tigers are not only louder but also slightly higher pitched than the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows. With that being said, though, the sounds of the housing collisions are bit more two dimensional in the Tigers, with the G Pro 3.0 Yellows having a more rounded, multi-layered sound by comparison.

- With the stem designs of these two switches being drastically different from each other, it is a bit striking that their overall stem wobble is pretty damn close to each other. If I had to parse the finest of hairs, the G Pro 3.0 Yellows may edge out the Tigers in the E/W direction, but it’s a really hard one to notice at that.

- Even though the G Pro 3.0 Yellows have anything hardly close to resembling a muted, firm feeling bottom out, their housing collisions feel much more subtle and composed when compared to the pointed bottoming out of the TTC Tiger switches.

Gateron Vermilion Bird

- While the Vermilion Birds and G Pro 3.0 Yellows are very similar to each other in terms of their overall out of the box smoothness, the Birds have just a touch of a sticky sluggishness to them from a heavier-than-normal factory lube application that just isn’t there in the newest iteration of Gateron Yellows.

- In terms of their overall sound profile, the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows have a much more consistent, clean, and predictable sound across their batch of switches (and across all ranges of actuation speeds for that matter) that the Vermilion Birds simply do not have.

- The stem wobble is certainly a bit of a nebulous comparison to be made here. While I have singular Vermilion Bird switches with better N/S and E/W wobble than the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows, on the whole the consistency is much better in the Yellows than the Vermilion Birds.

Kailh Christmas Tree

- In terms of my raw, completely unbiased personal preference – I like the sound of the Kailh Christmas Trees a lot more in this matchup. However, it’s really worth noting that this is a hard comparison to make because the heavily lubed, muted, and quiet nature of the Christmas Trees sits on the complete opposite end of the scale from comparatively crystalline, pointed, and sharper sounds of the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows.

- While fairly similar to each other in terms of the E/W direction stem wobble, there’s a touch more N/S direction wobble in the Christmas Trees than the G Pro 3.0 Yellows.

- Much like with the comparison drawn above between the sound of these two switches, they are both smooth while occupying opposite ends of scale on the amount of factory lubrication provided to get them to that point.

Bonus Round

Sometimes I’m just feeling it, you know? Why not add a few more switch comparisons into this one?

KTT Darling

- The KTT Darling switches, while decently smooth for an average stock switch, just don’t have the same degree of factory lubrication consistency that Gateron really tried to dial in for the G Pro 3.0 switch series.

- Being an average, budget friendly KTT switch, its not that surprising to find that the Darlings have quite a bit more N/S and E/W direction stem wobble to them that the G Pro 3.0 Yellows are missing.

- In addition to some errant ping noises present in their strokes, the Darling switches are much more variable in pitch and volume with differences in actuation speeds than the comparatively more even keeled and consistent Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows.

Lubed Black Geon Switch

- Occupying a similar community agreed upon realm of quality as the KTT Darlings, the Tecsee-made Lubed Black Geon switches also have a much less consistent factory lubing and sound profile to them than Gateron’s G Pro 3.0 Yellows.

- As is to be expected as well, there’s significantly more N/S and E/W direction stem wobble in all of the Geon switches than there is in the G Pro 3.0 Yellows.

- Surprisingly, the bottoming out of the Gateron G Pro 3.0 Yellows is just a touch more firm and heavy in the feedback than the bottoming out of the Geon switches.

Gateron X

- Even these weirdly planned and executed Gateron releases sound cooler with the name ‘X’ than whatever the fuck Elon Musk is attempting to do with the website formerly known as Twitter. (No, I did not include these for comparison just to make that joke either.)

- In terms of the straight out of the box smoothness, the G Pro 3.0 Yellows really highlight just how much more consistent and accurate Gateron’s lubrication practices have become over the past couple of years’ time.

- Furthermore, the molds and mold tolerances in the G Pro 3.0 Yellows also are much more controlled than the Gateron X switches, leading to noticeably less N/S and E/W direction stem wobble in a head-to-head comparison.

Scores and Statistics

Note – These scores are not necessarily completely indicative of the nuanced review above. If you’ve skipped straight to this section, I can only recommend that you at least glance at the other sections above in order to get a stronger idea of my opinion about these switches.