Gazzew Boba U4 vs Topre Silent 45g (Type-S)
The Gazzew Boba U4 and the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) do not fit the same keyboard, so this comparison starts with what you already own rather than with how either one sounds. Our full switch library 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 U4 | Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile (silent) | Tactile (silent) |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | actuation |
| Actuation force | not published | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 62 g | not published |
| Pre-travel | 1.7 mm | 2.2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.8 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | Yes | Yes |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | No |
| 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 U4 and actuation for the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S). Force numbers only compare within a row.
Verdict
Gazzew and Topre are selling the same stroke here, so the Gazzew Boba U4 and the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) separate on spring, distance and voice instead. These are not drop-in alternatives to each other. The Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) needs a board built for it and will not take ordinary MX keycaps. Weight is trickier to compare because Gazzew rates the Gazzew Boba U4 at 62 g bottom-out while the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) is rated 45 g at actuation, two different measuring points. The Gazzew Boba U4 comes out ahead of the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) for gaming and for typing, and its pads make it the only one of the two an office tolerates, so this comparison has one answer instead of a set of them.
- Overall pick
- Gazzew Boba U4
Gaming, typing and a shared office all point at the Gazzew Boba U4, so printing the same name three times would tell you nothing. One pick it is.
Force curves
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.
Topre Silent 45g (Type-S)
Topre publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Gazzew Boba U4 or Topre Silent 45g (Type-S): the long answer
Before anything else, check that both of these will go into the board you own. The Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) does not use an MX style stem, so it will not drop into a standard hot-swap board or accept ordinary MX keycaps. Both are premium priced. Factory lube on both, so the smoothness you hear in the player is roughly the smoothness you get.
On to the mechanical side. The force numbers do not line up: Gazzew rates the Gazzew Boba U4 at 62 g bottom-out while the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) is quoted 45 g at actuation, two different points on the curve. Travel differs at both ends, with the Gazzew Boba U4 registering first at 1.7 mm and the Gazzew Boba U4 running deepest at 4.0 mm. The stroke itself is shared: both give a finger something to aim at on the way down. Neither one out-feels the other on type, and the force rows are measured too differently to break the tie, so the rest of this page has to.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. The Gazzew Boba U4 sits at near-silence with a firm tactile knock underneath; the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) answers with muted 'puc': the thock, whispered. Both carry factory dampening, so this is a contest between two of the quieter switches you can buy rather than a loud one against a quiet one. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
This one does not split. Every axis we score points the same direction: the Gazzew Boba U4 is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. On typing feel, it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. On noise, a dampened bottom-out is the only version of this that a shared room forgives. That leaves the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. None of this beats hearing them yourself, which the player above lets you do in about a minute.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Gazzew Boba U4 page and the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Gazzew Boba U4 or Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) for gaming?
We pick the Gazzew Boba U4 for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Which of the Gazzew Boba U4 and the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) is quieter in a shared room?
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 U4 vs Topre Silent 45g (Type-S): which one is the heavier press?
It is hard to say precisely. Gazzew rates the Gazzew Boba U4 at 62 g bottom-out, while the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) is rated 45 g at actuation. Those are different measuring points, so the two numbers are not directly comparable; we label the basis wherever forces appear on this page.
Can the Gazzew Boba U4 and the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) go in the same keyboard?
No. The Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) does not use an MX style stem, so it needs a board built for it and will not take ordinary MX keycaps, while the Gazzew Boba U4 is a standard MX switch. Whichever you pick decides the keyboard, not the other way round.
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