Gazzew Boba Gum vs Gazzew Boba U4
The Gazzew Boba Gum and the Gazzew Boba U4 are not the same kind of switch, so this comparison is settled by which stroke you want before a single number matters. Our library of every switch we simulate links the two to each other for that reason. Play the A/B bursts below to hear them back to back, match the volumes, then read the spec table and the verdict.
Hear them back to back
simulated from real specssound loads on your first tapShortcuts: press A or B anywhere outside a text box to fire that burst. Use the volume trims to loudness-match the pair before judging which sounds better.
Spec by spec
| Spec | Gazzew Boba Gum | Gazzew Boba U4 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear (silent) | Tactile (silent) |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | bottom-out |
| Actuation force | not published | not published |
| Bottom-out force | 62 g | 62 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 1.7 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | Yes | Yes |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both of these are rated at bottom-out, which is the one case where the advertised numbers compare directly. Every other force row still has to be matched basis to basis.
Verdict
These two sit in different camps, with the Gazzew Boba Gum built as a linear and the Gazzew Boba U4 as a tactile, so decide which stroke you want before anything else. The Gazzew Boba U4 also actuates earlier, 1.7 mm of pre-travel against 2.0 mm, which fast players tend to notice. Weight is hard to separate here: each is rated 62 g at bottom-out, and that is the only measuring point with a published figure for each. Where we land: the Gazzew Boba Gum for gaming, the Gazzew Boba U4 for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Gazzew Boba Gum
- Typing pick
- Gazzew Boba U4
- Office pick
- Gazzew Boba U4
Force curves
Gazzew Boba Gum
Gazzew rates this switch at its bottom-out and publishes no actuation force, so the marked bottom-out is the spec and the dashed line into it is an illustration of the stroke, not measured data.
Gazzew Boba U4
Gazzew rates this switch at its bottom-out and publishes no actuation force, so the marked bottom-out is the spec and the dashed line into it is an illustration of the stroke, not measured data.
Gazzew Boba Gum or Gazzew Boba U4: the long answer
Put the two side by side on paper before you trust your ears. Start with the stroke, because the Gazzew Boba Gum runs smooth the whole way down while the Gazzew Boba U4 raises a bump at the point it registers. Same depth, different trigger point: 1.7 mm on the Gazzew Boba U4 against 2.0 mm on the Gazzew Boba Gum, both inside 4.0 mm. They land on the same 62 g at bottom-out. That is the only measuring point with a figure for each of them, and actuation is exactly where two switches matched at bottom-out tend to separate. Pick the stroke before anything else. Sound, weight and price only matter once you know whether you want the bump.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Played back to back, the Gazzew Boba Gum is ultra-quiet cushioned patter, barely there against near-silence with a firm tactile knock underneath from the Gazzew Boba U4. Dampening pads are on both, which puts the whole comparison inside a narrow band of volume and moves it onto tone. Worth repeating: the audio here is a simulation built from specs and community descriptions, not a recording of either switch.
On the practical side, both are premium priced. Factory lube on both, so the smoothness you hear in the player is roughly the smoothness you get.
All three questions get different answers on this pair. Fast inputs: the Gazzew Boba Gum, because nothing interrupts fast repeated presses on its linear stroke. A long draft: the Gazzew Boba U4, since a felt confirmation on every press is what stops a typist bottoming out all day. A room with other people in it: the Gazzew Boba U4, as a dampened bottom-out is the only version of this that a shared room forgives. Do the listening first. It costs nothing and it changes minds more often than a spec table does.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Gazzew Boba Gum page and the Gazzew Boba U4 page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Gazzew Boba Gum or Gazzew Boba U4 for gaming?
We pick the Gazzew Boba Gum for gaming. On a fast repeat the tactile bump on the Gazzew Boba U4 is one event too many, and the linear does not have it.
Is the Gazzew Boba Gum quieter than the Gazzew Boba U4?
Both are dampened silent switches, so they sit among the quietest options you can buy. At this level the remaining differences come down to your board, your keycaps and how hard you type, not the switch itself.
Gazzew Boba Gum vs Gazzew Boba U4: which one is the heavier press?
Neither, as far as the published numbers go: both are rated 62 g at bottom-out, the only measuring point with a published figure for each. Actuation is where two switches matched at bottom-out often diverge, but neither switch here has a published actuation figure at all. Treat this as a tie on the spec sheet rather than a proven match in the hand.
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