Drop Holy Panda X vs Drop + Invyr Holy Panda
One of these is ready out of the bag and one is a project: the Drop Holy Panda X comes factory lubed, the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda does not. Our switch library puts these two on each other's shortlist, and the player below is the fastest way to settle it: match the volumes, then work down through the 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 | Drop Holy Panda X | Drop + Invyr Holy Panda |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | bottom-out |
| Actuation force | 60 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | 65 g | 67 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.5 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Drop advertises a bottom-out force for both of these, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other.
Verdict
Both the Drop Holy Panda X and the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda are tactiles, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. Only the Drop Holy Panda X arrives factory lubed, which is an evening of work saved on a full board. The Drop + Invyr Holy Panda is the firmer of the two at bottom-out, 67 g to 65 g, though 2 g is not much to choose between. Nothing here separates by use case: the Drop Holy Panda X is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. Take the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda only if you specifically want thocky bottom-out with a hint of stock scratch.
- Overall pick
- Drop Holy Panda X
Gaming, typing and a shared office all point at the Drop Holy Panda X, so printing the same name three times would tell you nothing. One pick it is.
Force curves
Drop Holy Panda X
Drop + Invyr Holy Panda
Drop Holy Panda X or Drop + Invyr Holy Panda: the long answer
The practical gap comes first here, because only one of these arrives ready to use. Both are premium priced. Only the Drop Holy Panda X comes factory lubed, so the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda asks for either an evening with a brush or tolerance of a drier stroke.
The specs are the smaller half of this pair, but they are not nothing. They register at the same 2.0 mm, then part company on depth: 4.0 mm on the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda against 3.5 mm on the Drop Holy Panda X. Both are tactiles either way, so both give a finger something to aim at on the way down. Spring weight barely separates them, 2 g at bottom-out with the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda on the firmer side, which most fingers will not register. Same family of stroke, so read the detail rather than the headline.
The ears usually get the last word here. Two different voices: deep polished thock, smooth and rattle-free on the Drop Holy Panda X, thocky bottom-out with a hint of stock scratch on the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
So who should buy which? The same switch wins every way we score it: the Drop Holy Panda X is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the honest answer is that either would do, and it wins on a margin too small to feel. On typing feel, it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. On noise, it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. That leaves the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. Before you order either, match the volume trims above and hear them back to back.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Drop Holy Panda X page and the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Drop Holy Panda X or the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda?
We pick the Drop Holy Panda X 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 Drop Holy Panda X and the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda is quieter in a shared room?
Volume is roughly a wash: no dampening and no click mechanism on either, so your typing force and your case decide the level. The character is not a wash, with the Drop Holy Panda X reading as deep polished thock, smooth and rattle-free against thocky bottom-out with a hint of stock scratch from the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda.
Which has the heavier spring, the Drop Holy Panda X or the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda?
The Drop + Invyr Holy Panda is heavier: 67 g against 65 g, both measured at bottom-out, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
Do the Drop Holy Panda X and the Drop + Invyr Holy Panda need lubing?
The Drop Holy Panda X arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The Drop + Invyr Holy Panda 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
More vs Drop Holy Panda X
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.