Are Akko switches factory-lubed?

About the Standard of Akko Factory-lube

The standard “factory-lubed” switches will have pre-apply lubes on the following parts: 1) bottom housing stem rails, 2) spring, 3) stem, and 4) spring cylinder.

Factory-lubed switches can be further categorized as machine-lubed and hand-lubed.

The technology of machine lubrication is not yet well developed and thus the amount of lube applied on every switch cannot be consistent. This could sometimes cause the switches to be over-lubed with spillage. On the other hand, the lubes applied by hand lubrication will be more uniform and controllable, with comparably higher labor costs.

In some scenarios, “factory-lubed” means that the switches are being briefly lubricated during manufacturing. Therefore, we want to clear up a bit about the difference below and it is important to be 100% transparent for customers on what they would get:

The regular version Akko switches: the stem and spring have been processed with dry film lubrication, with machine lubrication on the metal leaf corners.

The hand-lubed version of Akko switches: bottom housing stem rail and cylinder will be hand-lubed in addition to the dry film lubrication on stem and spring as well as the machine lubrication on the metal leaf corners like the regular CS switches.

Akko’s Recommendations for Lubing Switches:

Everyone has their own preferred feelings for typing. The factory-lubed version can effectively reduce the pings/noise and increase typing smoothness. However, the application of lube will alter the original typing experiences on the “raw and dry switches”. And the amount of lubricant applied is also a matter of personal experience. Therefore, there is not necessarily the best switch out there but just the switch that fits you the most. The purpose of Akko CS switches is to offer more options to keyboard enthusiasts.