Drop Holy Panda X vs Glorious Panda
Money is the honest first difference between the Drop Holy Panda X and the Glorious Panda: one is mid priced and the other premium priced, multiplied by a full board. Our switch library already points each of these at the other. Hear them back to back below with the trims matched before you read a single number.
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 | Glorious Panda |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | bottom-out |
| Actuation force | 60 g | 49 g |
| Bottom-out force | 65 g | 60 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2.5 mm |
| Total travel | 3.5 mm | 3.3 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Drop and Glorious both advertise a bottom-out force, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other.
Verdict
This is a tactile versus tactile contest: the Drop Holy Panda X and the Glorious Panda share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. Price splits them too: the Glorious Panda is the mid priced option while the Drop Holy Panda X sits in the premium priced bracket, which adds up across a 70 switch board. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at bottom-out, with the Drop Holy Panda X the marginally firmer press. The Drop Holy Panda X comes out ahead of the Glorious Panda for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room, so this comparison has one answer instead of a set of them.
- Overall pick
- Drop Holy Panda X
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Drop Holy Panda X takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
Force curves
Drop Holy Panda X
Glorious Panda
Drop Holy Panda X or Glorious Panda: the long answer
Cost is the honest headline on this pair, so take it first. The Drop Holy Panda X is premium priced, while the Glorious Panda is mid priced. Only the Drop Holy Panda X comes factory lubed, so the Glorious Panda asks for either an evening with a brush or tolerance of a drier stroke.
Now the part the spec table measures. On distance the Drop Holy Panda X registers at 2.0 mm against 2.5 mm, and the full stroke runs 3.5 mm on the Drop Holy Panda X against 3.3 mm on the Glorious Panda. Spring weight barely separates them, 5 g at bottom-out with the Drop Holy Panda X on the firmer side, which most fingers will not register. Both are tactiles either way, so both give a finger something to aim at on the way down. Nothing here is decisive on its own, which is why the sound comparison matters more than usual on this pair.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Played back to back, the Drop Holy Panda X is deep polished thock, smooth and rattle-free against poppy thock with a touch of stock spring ping from the Glorious Panda. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
Who buys which, then? One switch takes every axis we score: the Drop Holy Panda X 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, its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. On noise, it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. That leaves the Glorious Panda to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Drop Holy Panda X page and the Glorious Panda page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Drop Holy Panda X or Glorious Panda for gaming?
We pick the Drop Holy Panda X for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Is the Drop Holy Panda X quieter than the Glorious Panda?
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 Drop Holy Panda X leans toward deep polished thock, smooth and rattle-free, while the Glorious Panda is poppy thock with a touch of stock spring ping.
Which has the heavier spring, the Drop Holy Panda X or the Glorious Panda?
The Drop Holy Panda X, by 5 g. Both figures are published at bottom-out, 65 g against 60 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Drop Holy Panda X or the Glorious Panda?
The Glorious Panda sits in the mid priced bracket and the Drop Holy Panda X in the premium priced one. We do not hold a reliable per-switch price for both, so the bracket is the honest answer rather than a total.
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