Durock T1 vs Zeal PC Zealios V2
The Durock T1 arrives lubed and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 does not, which is an evening of work standing between two switches that otherwise look close. 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 | Durock T1 | Zeal PC Zealios V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | bottom-out |
| Actuation force | 55 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | 67 g | 67 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 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 | ~$1.00 / switch |
Both makers rate these at bottom-out, which is the one case where the advertised numbers compare directly. Every other force row still has to be matched basis to basis.
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two tactiles feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. Only the Durock T1 arrives factory lubed, which is an evening of work saved on a full board. Weight is nearly even at actuation: 60 g for the Zeal PC Zealios V2 against 55 g, a gap most fingers will barely register. Nothing here separates by use case: the Durock T1 is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. Take the Zeal PC Zealios V2 only if you specifically want rounded clack behind a huge sharp top-of-stroke bump.
- Overall pick
- Durock T1
Gaming, typing and a shared office all point at the Durock T1, so printing the same name three times would tell you nothing. One pick it is.
Force curves
Durock T1
Zeal PC Zealios V2
Durock T1 or Zeal PC Zealios V2: the long answer
The practical gap comes first here, because only one of these arrives ready to use. Both are premium priced, with the Zeal PC Zealios V2 at roughly $1.00 per switch, about $70 for a typical 70 pack and no reliable street price for the Durock T1. Factory lube is on the Durock T1 alone. Budget the extra time if you pick the Zeal PC Zealios V2 and want it at its best.
Now the part the spec table measures. The Zeal PC Zealios V2 is nominally firmer at actuation, 60 g to 55 g, but 5 g is not a gap you buy a switch for. The stroke itself is shared: both give a finger something to aim at on the way down. Travel is a straight match, 2.0 mm of pre-travel and 4.0 mm in full on both. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Played back to back, the Durock T1 is deep thocky tap with a big D-shaped bump against rounded clack behind a huge sharp top-of-stroke bump from the Zeal PC Zealios V2. Both packs are synthesized rather than recorded, so read the comparison as a faithful sketch of each voice and not as a measurement of it.
That leaves an unusually simple answer, because one switch wins on all three counts: the Durock T1 is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. On typing feel, it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. On noise, it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. That leaves the Zeal PC Zealios V2 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.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Durock T1 page and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Durock T1 or the Zeal PC Zealios V2 the better gaming switch?
We pick the Durock T1 for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Which of the Durock T1 and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 is quieter in a shared room?
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 Durock T1 leans toward deep thocky tap with a big D-shaped bump, while the Zeal PC Zealios V2 is rounded clack behind a huge sharp top-of-stroke bump.
Which switch is heavier, the Durock T1 or the Zeal PC Zealios V2?
The Zeal PC Zealios V2, by 5 g. Both figures are published at actuation, 60 g against 55 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
Do the Durock T1 and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 need lubing?
The Durock T1 arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The Zeal PC Zealios V2 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.
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