Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) vs Zeal PC Zealios V2
On paper these two are the same spring. The Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 tie at every published measuring point, so the answer has to come from sound and build. 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 | Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) | Zeal PC Zealios V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | bottom-out |
| Actuation force | 60 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 | No | 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 the spec sheet cannot fill in. Every force figure either brand publishes lands on the same number, so the spring is not the tiebreak here. What really separates them is sound, with the Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) tending toward deep rounded thock with a snappy tactile knock and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 toward rounded clack behind a huge sharp top-of-stroke bump. Nothing here separates by use case: the Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the one that carries less across a room. Take the Zeal PC Zealios V2 only if you specifically want rounded clack behind a huge sharp top-of-stroke bump.
- Overall pick
- Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch)
No use case rescues the Zeal PC Zealios V2 here. The Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) wins gaming, typing and the office question alike, so the block collapses to one.
Force curves
Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch)
Zeal PC Zealios V2
Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) or Zeal PC Zealios V2: the long answer
Specs first, since the feel gap is what you notice in the first minute of typing. Every force row in the table above reads the same on both sides, 60 g at actuation and 67 g at bottom-out. The stroke itself is shared: each one puts a felt event in the middle of the stroke. Distance is not the difference: both register at 2.0 mm and stop at 4.0 mm. On paper these are the same switch. The difference has to be somewhere the spec sheet does not reach.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Two different voices: deep rounded thock with a snappy tactile knock on the Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch), rounded clack behind a huge sharp top-of-stroke bump on the Zeal PC Zealios V2. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
On price and practicality, 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 Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch). Neither ships lubed, so budget an evening with a brush if you want either at its best.
So who should buy which? The same switch wins every way we score it: the Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) 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, nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. On noise, it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. 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. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) page and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) or the Zeal PC Zealios V2 the better gaming switch?
We pick the Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) 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 is quieter, the Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) or the Zeal PC Zealios V2?
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 Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) leans toward deep rounded thock with a snappy tactile knock, while the Zeal PC Zealios V2 is rounded clack behind a huge sharp top-of-stroke bump.
Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) vs Zeal PC Zealios V2: which one is the heavier press?
Neither: they are rated the same at actuation and at bottom-out (60 g at actuation), so the springs really are the same weight and any difference in feel comes from the stroke, not the spring.
Are the Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch) and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 the same switch?
Not the same, but the spec sheet cannot tell them apart on weight: they match at every published force figure. They come from Community and Zeal PC respectively, built in different factories to the same numbers. Compare the travel rows and the two sound packs above, because that is where the difference actually lives.
More comparisons
More vs Community Holy Panda (Original Frankenswitch)
More vs Zeal PC Zealios V2
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.