Brand
HMX is a newer manufacturer that built its reputation on the current generation's sound: long-pole stems that reach the bottom housing sooner, which shortens the travel and sharpens the bottom-out. Its switches are noticeably consistent in one specific way, the gap between actuation force and bottom-out force is often very small, which is what people mean when they describe an HMX switch as flat or even. It also uses a wider range of housing plastics than most, with PA12 and PA66 nylons appearing alongside polycarbonate.
| Type | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Country | China |
| Indexed here | 9 entries |
| Force range | 35 to 48 gf |
No official site could be confirmed for HMX, so none is linked here.
6 of the 9 entries have specifications confirmed by more than one independent retailer. The other 3 rest on a single source. Any figure the sources disagreed on was left blank rather than averaged.
HMX
A very light tactile at 35 gf that still bottoms out around 52, and that wide gap is the whole point: the bump arrives early and gently, then the press firms up underneath it. Unusually forgiving for a tactile, where the common complaint is that the bump costs too much effort. HMX's material choices give it a dry, sharp sound rather than a muted one.
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HMX
A light linear at 37 gf actuation and 42 gf bottom-out, so only 5 gf separates the two: the press stays close to the same weight all the way down, which is what people mean when they call an HMX switch flat. PA12 nylon on both halves is denser than the PA66 HMX uses elsewhere. Travel is 2.0 mm and 3.5 mm.
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HMX
HMX has spent the last few years making the switches that enthusiasts actually recommend, and this is a representative one: 42 gf, a POK stem in a PA12 top and fibreglass-loaded nylon bottom, on a 22 mm long spring. The material choice is the point. POK on nylon is what gives HMX switches their characteristically dry, clacky sound rather than the deeper tone of an all-nylon build. Factory lubed thinly, which is the right amount.
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HMX
One of three Retro switches indexed here, all 2.0 mm to actuation with the same polycarbonate top over a PA66 nylon bottom. The C is a 45 gf linear bottoming out at 50 gf, with 3.5 mm total travel. Retro C and Retro T share every published figure, so the difference between them is one HMX describes rather than specifies.
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HMX
The tactile of the Retro set and the odd one out: 36 gf to actuate but 55 gf at the bottom, a 19 gf climb that is the steepest in this batch, over only 3.0 mm of travel. A light bump followed by a firm floor. Pre-travel is 2.5 mm, deeper than the 2.0 mm its linear siblings use.
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HMX
Part of HMX's Retro line, which aims at the sound of older switches without the roughness that came with them. 45 gf over 3.5 mm, so it bottoms out slightly sooner than a standard 4 mm switch and feels a touch more immediate. A safe, unshowy linear: the kind that gets recommended when someone asks what to put in a first custom build and does not want to think about it further.
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HMX
A 45 gf linear bottoming out at 50 gf, 2.0 mm to actuation and 3.5 mm total, in an all-PA66 nylon housing. Nylon on both halves is the deeper, quieter choice against the polycarbonate top used on the Retro C. Every published number matches the Retro C, so pick between them on housing rather than on feel figures.
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HMX
A medium tactile at 48 gf rising to about 55 at the bottom. The bump sits early in the travel and is pronounced enough to be unmistakable without the sharpness some tactiles use to prove a point. Shorter total travel at 3.4 mm keeps the press feeling tight. A reasonable first tactile for someone coming from linears who wants to feel where the key registers.
View →HMX and its logo are the property of their owner and are used here only to identify the brand. Thockery is not affiliated with, endorsed by or partnered with HMX. If you own this material and want it removed, email us and it will come down. Details last checked 2026-09-12.