Durock T1 vs NovelKeys NK Blueberry
The Durock T1 and the NovelKeys NK Blueberry register at different depths, 1 mm apart, which is the kind of difference you feel in a game long before you notice it in a spec table. Our full 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 | Durock T1 | NovelKeys NK Blueberry |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | actuation |
| Actuation force | 55 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 67 g | 80 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 3 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Durock advertises a bottom-out force for the Durock T1 and NovelKeys an actuation force for the NovelKeys NK Blueberry, so the two headline numbers are not measured at the same point. Compare row by row, not brand claim to brand claim.
Verdict
Both the Durock T1 and the NovelKeys NK Blueberry are tactiles, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. The Durock T1 also actuates earlier, 2.0 mm of pre-travel against 3.0 mm, which fast players tend to notice. There is a real weight gap too: 80 g against 67 g at bottom-out, so the NovelKeys NK Blueberry asks noticeably more of your fingers over a long session. We land on the Durock T1 for every use we score, and it is the one that carries less across a room, so the NovelKeys NK Blueberry makes sense only if you preferred its voice in the player above.
- Overall pick
- Durock T1
No use case rescues the NovelKeys NK Blueberry here. The Durock T1 wins gaming, typing and the office question alike, so the block collapses to one.
Force curves
Durock T1
NovelKeys NK Blueberry
Durock T1 or NovelKeys NK Blueberry: the long answer
Put the two side by side on paper before you trust your ears. The Durock T1 registers earlier, 2.0 mm against 3.0 mm, inside the same 4.0 mm of total travel. Springs split them by 13 g at bottom-out: 80 g for the NovelKeys NK Blueberry, 67 g for the Durock T1. The stroke itself is shared: both give a finger something to aim at on the way down. Same stroke character, so the spring is the fact to weigh.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Put them through the player above and the Durock T1 lands as deep thocky tap with a big D-shaped bump where the NovelKeys NK Blueberry lands as deep heavy thud after a long wall of a bump. 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 the practical side, both are premium priced. One of them has already been lubed for you and one has not, which is worth more than the price gap if you were not planning to open 70 switches.
The scoring gives up trying to divide this pair: the Durock T1 is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the scoring hands it a lighter spring at bottom-out and a shorter distance to actuation. On typing feel, it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. On noise, it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. That leaves the NovelKeys NK Blueberry 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.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Durock T1 page and the NovelKeys NK Blueberry page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Durock T1 or NovelKeys NK Blueberry for gaming?
We pick the Durock T1 for gaming. Of the two it has the quicker, less intrusive stroke, winning on a lighter spring at bottom-out and a shorter distance to actuation.
Which of the Durock T1 and the NovelKeys NK Blueberry is quieter in a shared room?
Neither is dampened, so volume comes down to your board and your typing force. The one audible difference on the spec sheet is lube: the Durock T1 is lubed at the factory, which takes out spring ping and scratch rather than loudness.
Durock T1 vs NovelKeys NK Blueberry: which one is the heavier press?
The NovelKeys NK Blueberry. Both brands publish at bottom-out, which makes 80 g against 67 g an honest 13 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
Do the Durock T1 and the NovelKeys NK Blueberry need lubing?
The Durock T1 arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The NovelKeys NK Blueberry 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 Durock T1
More vs NovelKeys NK Blueberry
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.