Keyboard Builders' Digest / Switch trends

Best-selling keyboard switches of September 2025

September’s top mechanical switches are in – and the Oil King has finally been dethroned. Here’s how the community’s favorites stack up, based on vendor sales data.

KBD.news
Published October 8, 2025

(Cover: BSUN Strawberry Cheesecake R2 switches shot by Unikeys.)

Haha! Finally! The big news first: The Gateron Oil King is no longer the most popular switch – the Type R is the new king. I know many of you have been waiting for this for months, and it feels a bit strange to me too, because ever since I started compiling these monthly summaries, the Oil Kings have always sat at the very top of the list.

That said, a bunch of kind vendors got back to me with their sales volumes again, so let's continue this series highlighting the community's most favored switch models! This time, we're diving into September's best-selling switches. Discussion over at r/mk if you'd like to share your experiences or opinion.

Summary: 17 contributors from all around the globe, representing about a million switches sold, with 106 switch models mentioned and 18 new switch models appearing first in the top lists.

The article is quite long, feel free to jump to the list of contributors, to my quick market overview, the aggregated top10 list, the shooting stars, newly added switches, the detailed results by shops, or to the disclaimer, aggregation rules used by the algorithm, and my closing thoughts with new features and developments. Finally, search and filter the mechanical switch database for your favorite switch types or specific models.

General market trends

Is the era of Oil Kings really over? We'll get the answer in the coming months. What's certain is that in September it was beaten not only by the Gateron Type R, but also by the silent TTC Frozen V2 and Keygeek Y2.

Thanks to this compilation being fairly representative — we have data coming from the US to China, Japan to France, Germany to India, and Australia to the UK –, and based on the sales volumes reported by all the participating shops, I can usually spot some interesting trends. For example, that the quick end-of-summer rebound is already over. :)

Yep, based on the sales numbers coming in from our awesome contributor shops and manufacturers, the trend is now clearly declining again.

After a rather weak summer season, mixed July, and a hopeful August, most shops reported lower sales in September: out of 16 vendors, only 5 saw growth, while the rest experienced contraction or stagnation.

It's hard to explain this as a continued seasonal effect anymore, and I can't identify a regional effect either. So it's not that US shops are feeling the impact of the tariffs while EU and Asian shops are prospering – the overall picture is much more mixed. Part of the trend may be a delay in shipments from China, as Coffekeys reports. Given their long October holiday, this may affect next month's sales too.

Despite the Gateron Type R sitting at the top, tactile switches now account for only 20% of the top 10 aggregated list positions – but almost 40% of the top100, which is pretty much unchanged compared to the August list. As always: due to their smaller variety and greater concentration compared to linears, they may be somewhat overrepresented.

Quick side note: this month's per-shop lists – at least some of them – highlight another interesting phenomenon. Not really a flaw, but definitely something worth being aware of. The issue is stock clearances. Old and dusty switch models appear in the individual Top 10 lists as customers snap them temporarily at huge discounts. That said, these models have no chance of reaching the top of the aggregated list, so I’m not planning to update the ranking algorithm at this point.

For even more insight, check out the detailed lists.

Contributors

Many thanks to all the shops who are contributing their detailed stats to this series. Exact sales volumes (rather than mere rankings) make the aggregated list more accurate. Thank you for your confidence on behalf of the community – we all know how sensitive this data is.

Clicking the links takes you to the individual top lists:

MonacoKeys (DE), Lume Keebs (US), UniKeys (CN), BeaverKeys (CA), Delta Key Co. (FR), Mechboards (UK), The Thocc Exchange (UK), Gateron (CN), SerpentKeys (UK), Clackify (US), Keebz N Cables (AU), Coffeekeys (IT), AKKO EU (DE/CN), Yusha Kobo (JP), TALPKEYBOARD (JP), StacksKB (IN), Mechanical Keyboards (US).

Switch testers

Many of you asked for switch testers. While I'm not a merchant myself, Clackify (US) specializes in exactly that – custom switch testers. Give them a shot. Or there's Unikeys (CN) with a temporarily limited selection, and also Monacokeys (DE) and CoffeeKeys (IT) in the EU. Other shops offer more specific switch testers too, e.g. Beaverkeys (CA) or Keebz N Cables (AU).

Novelties & Database updates

18 new switch models have recently been added to the database as a result of the incoming top lists – most of these are new, however, some rather old ones have been "hacked" into the list by stock clearances. E.g. Choc V2 Blue at mechboards and Invokeys Red Bean at Keebz N Cables I guess.

In addition, two recolors, both based on WS Morandi if I'm right: Menel Eight Nine (Haku) at StacksKB and Chilkey Pink Lotus (WS Morandi recolor) at Keebz N Cables.

• I've tried the Neo Rye in the Evoworks Evo75 – simply the best out-of-the-box typing experience of any 75% board I've ever reviewed.
• A new manufacturer, Tonekeys with ex-Keygeek engineers, debuted with the XCJZ Chocolate Ball Bearing at SerpentKeys, and almost made it (11th) at Keebz N Cables. As the name implies, this switch features ball bearings in the stem.
• Another new manu, already mentioned last month, is WingTree, and their Yuying linear made it to the 8th place of Unikeys' list.
• Newly mentioned HMX switches in the lists: the silent HMX Taro, long-pole tactile HMX Yamatake, large-bump tactile HMX Ice Lotus, and the loud and clacky HMX Retro J (another tactile).

• New Gaterons: the all-POM Gateron Khonsu, and a Hall-effect model, Gateron Magnetic Jade Air HE, from the list of Lume Keebs.
• LowproKB Choc (V1) Ambients Bokeh. Darryl's silent Choc Red alternative.
• The tactile BSUN Strawberry Cheesecake R2 by Toro Studio.
• Wuhai Jelly Purple at Talpkeyboard.
• Cherry MX White at mechanicalkeyboards.
• G Square Beatrice

Results

September's Top 10 – aggregated

Beside this Top10 feel free to check out the Top 400+ list too. (About the ranking: switch models appearing in multiple shop lists are prioritized over high sales in a single shop.)

As you'll see, there's not much overlapping in the individual shop lists, because of the relatively few repetitions. It's no surprise that the well-known, widely available, recurring models made it into the aggregated list above.

Anyway, here is a more interesting list: the shooting stars.

Shooting stars

These are the switches with the highest gain in rank from August to September – with the Azure Dragon V4 (last month's cover image) on top:

And now let's take a look at the individual lists.

MonacoKeys (Germany)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

Here is the collection of Monaco's best sellers so you can find them all at once.

With HMX Bad Sweetheart, Keygeek Y2 and Neo Rye switches there are some new Thock options on the market after quite some time, so these switches all do pretty well. The HMX Ice Lotus also belong in that category but being a tactile switch they just didn't make it into the Top 10 – Michael.

Lume Keebs (US)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

We’re seeing a noticeable uptick in demand for Hall Effect switches, particularly from the gaming community looking for faster actuation and analog input. We’re keeping a close eye on this shift and exploring ways to expand in that direction – Emily.

UniKeys (China)
[7% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

We are seeing a lot more tactile switches on the list this month. At Unikeys, we are seeing a shift of interest from linear to tactile switches among our communities as well. There have been too many linear releases during the past few years and too few good tactiles. Thank you Silliworks and Gateron Type R tactile switch for setting a good standard for tactile switches XD – Dashan.

BeaverKeys (Canada)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

This month's sales have been dominated by our evergreens Akko Rosewood and the Gateron Milky Yellow. We also received a shipment of great switches from BSUN, TTC and Outemu and they are already gaining traction – Peter.

Delta Key Co. (France)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

Mechboards (UK)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

A big restock of Lowprokb switches, and you can see the results. Finally got the new Bokeh switches in, will have to see how well they do, but Twilight still reigns at the top spot. The Choc V2 Blue switches were put on clearance, which is why they’re suddenly selling. Jupiter Banana switches remain a dark horse, always selling consistently when in stock – Ben.

The Thocc Exchange (UK)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

September saw a really broad range of different switches purchased. Sadly Unity was out of stock (returning this week), but silent switches continue to be huge for us, and Akko and the Bad Sweethearts really deliver well. Big news is Wingtree European Exclusive this month. They are selling fast and for good reason. All Europe & US orders are now duties paid at checkout – Matty.

Gateron (China)
[10% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

SerpentKeys (UK)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

This months top 10 list features plenty of new switches, and it’s no surprise that the latest version of the Lucy switch from XCJZ has claimed the top spot right away, there still seems to be a lot of love for silent switches. If you’re interested in a light tactile switch, I highly recommend checking out the new Invokeys Goji Reserve, these are fantastic, I’m sure you’ll be seeing them in our top 10 list in no time! – Ollie.

Clackify (US)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

This month we saw Gateron Azure Dragon V4 making a push to the top spots, along with MMD Princess Tactile V4s. Still waiting to see some of the new HMX tactiles on the board, but I expect them soon! – Calvin.

Keebz N Cables (Australia)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

In September, we continued to see the same familiar switches as last month. Tropical Waters V3 has made it to the Top 10 again as its on clearance for 41% and many in our community noticing that its a really good performing switch that just lacked marketing compared to others released around the same time. Notable mentions go to XCJZ Chocolate Ball Bearings and BSUN x Zuoce Studio Turquoise, which made it to the 11th and 12th spots. XCJZ Chocolate Ball Bearings is a switch from a new manufacturer Tonekeys (started by ex-Keygeek engineers) and the first to offer an integrated ball bearing switch at the very affordable price of $0.65AUD per switch. The BSUN x Zuoce Studio Turquoise, a poppy and deep sounding switch at the ultra budget price of $0.38AUD per switch – Jason.

Coffeekeys (Italy)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

In September, we observed a decline in switch sales, largely due to delays in shipments from China, which limited our stock of top-selling products. By the end of the month, however, we were able to restock popular models such as the Gateron Oil King, Gateron Baby Kangaroo, and Gateron Quinn. With these key switches back in inventory, we anticipate stronger sales performance in October. Additionally, we are launching new collaborations with other brands, which positions us for an exciting and promising month ahead – Tommaso.

Mechanical Keyboards (US)
[5% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

AKKO EU (Germany/China)
[10% off with the KBDNEWS coupon code]

Yusha Kobo (Japan)

Our custom switch Yushakobo Fairy Silent is still leading the list. The switch stays popular not only among the Japanese keyboard community but we also receive a lot of feedback and love for this switch from our overseas customers. The Tecsee Medium switch is another rather unique local favorite I guess – a lot of people ask us for a compatible low-profile switch for their standard MX keyboards and decide to go with this one – Sabrina.

TALPKEYBOARD (Japan)

Yousuke regularly publishes his top10 rankings, this time here.

The arrivals in August influenced September’s sales, causing quite a bit of movement in the rankings. Recently, the rankings have been dominated almost entirely by Choc V2 and silent linear switches, but this month Cherry MX–compatible switches made up a large share, resulting in a more varied and interesting lineup of switch types. New products are also scheduled to arrive this month, so please look forward to them – Yousuke.

StacksKB (India)

Gateron Type-R were an instant hit locally. Crystal Wine Red snuck back in because we cleared the last of our stock. Sales affected due to the fact that we were closed for Durga Puja – Aditya.

Disclaimer

Keep in mind that most of the time I'm not in a position to verify the validity and accuracy of the data provided by shop runners. Some of these lists come automatically from their databases, with screenshots, however, some were put together manually. I asked for the numbers of the previous month, but some shops query the past 30 days, etc.

That said, take everything with a grain of salt, but I hope this compilation will still hold some value, highlighting trends, giving you some tips, and as a snapshot of the zeitgeist it will be also interesting to look back at on the long run.

About the algorithm

While contributors provide exact numbers, standardization, normalization, and other techniques remain essential to come up with a ranked list due to some remaining inconsistencies, unfortunately.

The current system:

• incorporates sales volume as a percentage – to mitigate the dominance of a single huge vendor
• rewards switches present in multiple lists – to compensate the effect of some switches being offered in a single shop only, thus reflecting availability
• incorporates the previous month with decaying weight – to rank the products that are in a tie.

As with all such statistical methods, if we were to tamper with the algorithm, it would produce completely different results.

Another source of confusion and inconsistency is the arrival of belated lists. When such datasets come in, I update the database but often not the already published article. While I add the specific list to the database, I don’t update the overall rankings in the write-up.

Final thoughts & Developments

Hey, I hope this write-up was useful to some of you because it took me a lot of time to complete it again, despite the heavy automation wherever possible. That said, I'm closer to "only" 12-14 hours this time I guess, instead of the usual 15-20 hours.

Developments

Lots of small tweaks, but I'd like to highlight two changes.

• It's high time to spice up the offers part of the switch pages with various ordering modes, other than the original list ordered by shop name – for some popular switch models I may list over 20 offers. As a start, the new default is from lowest to highest price, with out-of-stock shops put at the end of the list. (Well, discounts are not incorporated yet, so that's why the inconsistencies.)
• And articles in this series, just like this very piece you're reading now, will use a single image sprite instead of 100-120 small switch icons from now on – a mechanism similar to the switch database.

As always, creating the entries and tagging the new switch models was the most challenging part when working on the current list: researching these new switches, and often diving into desperate investigations about missing actuation forces, pre-travels and whatnot. It's very time-consuming, just like looking for usable photos sometimes.

PSA – botnet attacks

Because of continued attacks by botnets, I may still switch on and off some resource-heavy parts of kbd.news every now and then. I've managed to properly cache the switch comparison pages and also the less resource-heavy individual switch pages, but there's still a lot of work to do. Btw, the switch comparison feature (at the bottom of every switch page) is still WIP, with some strange results. :)

That said, feel free to use and reference this post and the switch database. Spread the word so it makes sense for me to invest all this time and effort.

• Check out the switch database – with 400 switch models – with specs, photos, vendors, prices, typing tests.
• Some features: Search by keyword, filter by tags. You can order the list by price and release date now, as well as filter switches by color. Use permalinks to custom lists like silent tactiles or light, lubed linears with dust-proof stem and light diffuser. ;)
• Finally, the archive of all the monthly switch compilations is available too, e.g. the previous, August top list as a reference.

Thanks for reading this far, see you next month!

Published on Wed 8th Oct 2025. Featured in KBD #200.

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