NovelKeys NK Silk vs C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g
The NovelKeys NK Silk and the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g are rated at different points on the force curve, which is the first thing this page has to sort out before it compares anything. Our 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 | NovelKeys NK Silk | C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | bottom-out |
| Actuation force | not published | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | 67 g |
| 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 | Premium | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Watch the "brand rates force at" row: these two makers do not measure at the same place, actuation for the NovelKeys NK Silk and bottom-out for the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g. Force numbers only compare within a row.
Verdict
This is a linear versus linear contest: the NovelKeys NK Silk and the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. Weight cannot be called at all, because NovelKeys publishes no force figure for the NovelKeys NK Silk. What really separates them is sound, with the NovelKeys NK Silk tending toward soft, well-lubed nylon linear; low and even and the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g toward soft deep clack, gently muted by UHMWPE housings. Our picks: the NovelKeys NK Silk for gaming and a shared office, the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g for typing.
- Gaming pick
- NovelKeys NK Silk
- Typing pick
- C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g
- Office pick
- NovelKeys NK Silk
Force curves
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.
C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g
NovelKeys NK Silk or C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g: the long answer
Read the spec sheet once, carefully, and most of this decision makes itself. NovelKeys publishes no headline force for the NovelKeys NK Silk at all, so there is no honest number to hold against the 67 g bottom-out figure on the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g. NovelKeys and C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) are both selling you linears here, so nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. The two stroke depths are identical, 2.0 mm to actuation inside 4.0 mm of total travel. 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.
The ears usually get the last word here. Put them through the player above and the NovelKeys NK Silk lands as soft, well-lubed nylon linear; low and even where the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g lands as soft deep clack, gently muted by UHMWPE housings. Worth repeating: the audio here is a simulation built from specs and community descriptions, not a recording of either switch.
On what they cost to fill a board, both are premium priced. Both arrive lubed from the factory, which is one project you can skip either way.
All three questions get different answers on this pair. Fast inputs: the NovelKeys NK Silk, because the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. A long draft: the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. A room with other people in it: the NovelKeys NK Silk, as it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. 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 NovelKeys NK Silk page and the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the NovelKeys NK Silk or the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g the better gaming switch?
We pick the NovelKeys NK Silk for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Which is quieter, the NovelKeys NK Silk or the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g?
Volume is roughly a wash: no dampening and no click mechanism on either, so your typing force and your case decide the level. The character is not a wash, with the NovelKeys NK Silk reading as soft, well-lubed nylon linear; low and even against soft deep clack, gently muted by UHMWPE housings from the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g.
Which has the heavier spring, the NovelKeys NK Silk or the C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g?
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.
More comparisons
More vs NovelKeys NK Silk
More vs C³Equalz x TKC (JWK) Tangerine 67g
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.