JWICK (JWK) Black V2 vs NovelKeys NK Silk
The JWICK (JWK) Black V2 and the NovelKeys NK Silk sit in different price brackets, which across the 70-odd switches a board needs is a bigger difference than most of the spec sheet. Our full switch library links the two to each other for that reason. Play the A/B bursts below to hear them back to back, match the volumes, then read the spec 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 | JWICK (JWK) Black V2 | NovelKeys NK Silk |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | actuation |
| Actuation force | 42 g | not published |
| Bottom-out force | 58.5 g | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Watch the "brand rates force at" row: these two makers do not measure at the same place, bottom-out for the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 and actuation for the NovelKeys NK Silk. Force numbers only compare within a row.
Verdict
The JWICK (JWK) Black V2 and the NovelKeys NK Silk are both linears, so nothing separates them at the fingertip until you look at springs and acoustics. The JWICK (JWK) Black V2 is the cheaper board to fill by a full bracket, budget friendly against premium priced. Weight cannot be called at all, because NovelKeys publishes no force figure for the NovelKeys NK Silk. Nothing here separates by use case: the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. Take the NovelKeys NK Silk only if you specifically want soft, well-lubed nylon linear; low and even.
- Overall pick
- JWICK (JWK) Black V2
Gaming, typing and a shared office all point at the JWICK (JWK) Black V2, so printing the same name three times would tell you nothing. One pick it is.
Force curves
JWICK (JWK) Black V2
NovelKeys NK Silk
NovelKeys publishes no force figures for this switch, so the dashed curve is the shape a linear switch takes, not measured data. Travel is the only number here off a spec sheet.
JWICK (JWK) Black V2 or NovelKeys NK Silk: the long answer
Start with what these cost to fill a board, because that is the widest gap between them. The JWICK (JWK) Black V2 is budget friendly, while the NovelKeys NK Silk is premium priced. Both come factory lubed, so neither needs work out of the box.
That leaves the stroke itself. NovelKeys publishes no headline force for the NovelKeys NK Silk at all, so there is no honest number to hold against the 58.5 g bottom-out figure on the JWICK (JWK) Black V2. JWICK (JWK) and NovelKeys are both selling you linears here, so neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. Travel is a straight match, 2.0 mm of pre-travel and 4.0 mm in full on both. Neither one out-feels the other on type, and the force rows are measured too differently to break the tie, so the rest of this page has to.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. The JWICK (JWK) Black V2 sits at clean smooth clack, Alpaca-adjacent on a budget; the NovelKeys NK Silk answers with soft, well-lubed nylon linear; low and even. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
This one does not split. Every axis we score points the same direction: the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 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, nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. On noise, it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. That leaves the NovelKeys NK Silk 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.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 page and the NovelKeys NK Silk page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 or the NovelKeys NK Silk?
We pick the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Is the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 quieter than the NovelKeys NK Silk?
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 JWICK (JWK) Black V2 leans toward clean smooth clack, Alpaca-adjacent on a budget, while the NovelKeys NK Silk is soft, well-lubed nylon linear; low and even.
Is the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 heavier than the NovelKeys NK Silk?
At least one of these switches has no published force figure, so an honest number-to-number answer is not possible. Use the type and travel specs in the table above, and your own fingers, as the guide.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 or the NovelKeys NK Silk?
The JWICK (JWK) Black V2 sits in the budget friendly bracket and the NovelKeys NK Silk 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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