Gazzew Boba LT vs NovelKeys NK Cream
Weight is the real gap here: 15 g between the NovelKeys NK Cream and the Gazzew Boba LT at bottom-out, which is enough to change how a long session ends. 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 LT | NovelKeys NK Cream |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | actuation |
| Actuation force | not published | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 55 g | 70 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.2 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Watch the "brand rates force at" row: these two makers do not measure at the same place, bottom-out for the Gazzew Boba LT and actuation for the NovelKeys NK Cream. Force numbers only compare within a row.
Verdict
Gazzew and NovelKeys are selling the same stroke here, so the Gazzew Boba LT and the NovelKeys NK Cream separate on spring, distance and voice instead. The springs are far apart, with the NovelKeys NK Cream at 70 g bottom-out versus 55 g for the Gazzew Boba LT, a gap you feel within a paragraph of typing. Stroke depth separates them too: 4.0 mm on the NovelKeys NK Cream against 3.2 mm on the Gazzew Boba LT, which you hear at the bottom as much as you feel it. Our picks: the Gazzew Boba LT for gaming and a shared office, the NovelKeys NK Cream for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Gazzew Boba LT
- Typing pick
- NovelKeys NK Cream
- Office pick
- Gazzew Boba LT
Force curves
Gazzew Boba LT
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.
NovelKeys NK Cream
Gazzew Boba LT or NovelKeys NK Cream: the long answer
Start with feel, because it settles most switch arguments before sound comes up. The spread at bottom-out is 15 g, 70 g on the NovelKeys NK Cream against 55 g on the Gazzew Boba LT, which puts them in different weight brackets rather than two shades of one. They register at the same 2.0 mm, then part company on depth: 4.0 mm on the NovelKeys NK Cream against 3.2 mm on the Gazzew Boba LT. Type is not in play. Both are linears, and both give you spring resistance and nothing else. Same stroke character, so the spring is the fact to weigh.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Played back to back, the Gazzew Boba LT is deep muted linear thud in a Boba shell against unique rounded POM clack-thock, deep and resonant from the NovelKeys NK Cream. One caveat we repeat wherever a player appears: no studio recording sits behind either of these. They are built from what each maker publishes and what the community reports.
On cost and convenience, both are premium priced. Only the Gazzew Boba LT comes factory lubed, so the NovelKeys NK Cream asks for either an evening with a brush or tolerance of a drier stroke.
Who buys which, then? Gaming goes to the Gazzew Boba LT, because the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. Writing goes to the NovelKeys NK Cream, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. A shared room goes to the Gazzew Boba LT, as it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. Match the trims above, play both, and trust whichever one you keep replaying.
For either one on its own terms, read the Gazzew Boba LT page and the NovelKeys NK Cream page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Gazzew Boba LT or the NovelKeys NK Cream?
We pick the Gazzew Boba LT for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Is the Gazzew Boba LT quieter than the NovelKeys NK Cream?
They are close. Neither is a silent switch and neither clicks, so loudness depends mostly on how hard you bottom out and the board they sit in. Their character differs though: the Gazzew Boba LT leans toward deep muted linear thud in a Boba shell, while the NovelKeys NK Cream is unique rounded POM clack-thock, deep and resonant.
Which has the heavier spring, the Gazzew Boba LT or the NovelKeys NK Cream?
The NovelKeys NK Cream, by 15 g. Both figures are published at bottom-out, 70 g against 55 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
Do the Gazzew Boba LT and the NovelKeys NK Cream need lubing?
The Gazzew Boba LT arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The NovelKeys NK Cream does not, and on a full board that is an evening of work if you want it at its smoothest. Plenty of people run unlubed switches happily; it is a question of whether a slightly drier stroke bothers you.
More comparisons
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