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A tactile switch carries a bump on the stem that you push past, placed at or just before the point the key registers. You feel the key engage rather than inferring it.
A tactile is not harder work than a linear overall, it is unevenly distributed work: light at the top, a brief rise, then lighter again before the bottom. Which is why comparing tactiles on actuation force alone tells you very little.
The word covers an enormous range. Some of these have a bump you would struggle to notice; others feel like a fault in the key. The published figures give you the one real clue: a wide gap between actuation force and bottom-out force means a steep climb after the bump, and a narrow gap means the switch stays close to its starting weight the whole way.
28 of the 94 switches indexed here, from 35 gf to 59 gf. 14 have at least one force figure left blank, because the sources disagreed or published something impossible.
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
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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Wingtree
A tactile with a light-to-medium bump and a lightly grainy feel, according to the one shop checked that sells it. Nylon top and bottom, 37 gf actuation and 3.8 mm of travel, factory lubed. Bottom-out force, pre-travel and stem material are not published there, so those fields are blank rather than estimated. Among the shops checked for this index, only one US retailer stocks it.
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Wingtree
A tactile with a gentle bump, a textured, grainy feel and a full 4.0 mm of travel, with a light 37 gf actuation and 46 gf bottom-out. Nylon top and bottom, factory lubed. Pre-travel and stem material are not published by the one shop checked, so those fields are blank. A German retailer sells a 4 mm Wingtree Purple Sprout Tea that may be the same switch; that could not be confirmed.
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Gateron
A tactile from Gateron's drinks series, light for a tactile at 40 gf and short overall at 3.4 mm. The polycarbonate housing runs top and bottom with a POM stem, the pairing Gateron reaches for when it wants a brighter sound than nylon gives. Two figures are missing on purpose: no vendor publishes a bottom-out force, and the pre-travel both of them quote is shorter than an MX tactile bump can physically sit, so it is left out rather than repeated.
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KTT
A light silent tactile at 40 gf, which is unusual: most tactiles start heavier because the bump needs force behind it to be felt. The compromise here is a gentle bump rather than a sharp one, so it reads as texture in the travel rather than a distinct step. The same POM and TPE stem as the Phantom does the silencing. The vendor's spec block lists two actuation figures, so only the 40 gf from the product name is recorded.
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Wingtree
A silent light tactile from the Wingtree and Lichicx line: silicone dampening quiets both the bottom-out and the return while keeping a soft bump. PC top, nylon bottom, POM stem, 40 gf actuation and 55 gf bottom-out on a 16 mm spring, over 3.6 mm. Silent tactiles trade crispness for quiet, so the bump reads softer than on an undamped switch with the same figures.
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Wingtree
A short tactile with a P-shaped bump and a heavy 62 gf bottom-out against 42 gf actuation, over 3.3 mm of travel. PC top, PA66 bottom and a modified UPE stem with the rounded tip Wingtree uses on its long-pole tactiles. The gap between actuation and bottom-out is wide, so it suits people who type hard; light typists may find the end of the stroke stiff.
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Wingtree
A tactile at 42 gf actuation and 50 gf bottom-out, with the longest travel in this batch at a full 4.0 mm and a short 1.8 mm to the bump. All-nylon housing. The Light in the name is relative to the rest of the Torrero range rather than to tactiles generally: 42 gf is mid-weight for a tactile.
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Wingtree
The tactile version of the Yuying V2, on the same textured molds, so it is scratchy and clacky by design. PA66 top and bottom, a POM stem, 42 gf actuation and 50 gf bottom-out, 1.8 mm to actuation and 3.8 mm in total, factory lubed. Its bump is light; anyone wanting a strong tactile should look at the Yunie Tactile or the BM10.
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Cherry
Cherry's silent tactile, and a departure from the company's reputation for restraint: 45 gf with a 1.9 mm pre-travel and a bump you can actually feel. Cherry's silencing is built into the stem and housing rather than added as pads, which is why it does not feel as damped as most silent switches. Factory lubed. If Cherry MX Brown always felt vague to you, this is the same idea done properly and quietly.
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Wingtree
A tactile with a PC top, a PEI bottom that gives it the gold colour, and an LY stem, the first Wingtree switch to use one. Actuation is 45 gf and bottom-out 53 gf over a short 3.3 mm of travel, so the bump and the bottom arrive close together. Factory lubed, lightly on the stem legs and with dry film on the spring. Some shops list it as Golden Apple V2 PEI; it is the same switch. Try it before a full set if you are used to 4 mm travel.
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Wingtree
A silent tactile with a large, HP-style bump, from the Wingtree and Lichicx line. Silicone dampening removes the bottom-out and return noise while the bump stays pronounced. PC top, nylon bottom, POM stem, 45 gf actuation and 52 gf bottom-out on a 16 mm spring over 3.6 mm. The bump is big for a silent switch, which makes it a poor pick for anyone after a subtle tactile.
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Wingtree
A silent tactile designed by XLLAB with Lichicx: a refined bump, silicone dampening, a PC top, a PA66 bottom and a POM stem. It has 45 gf actuation and 53 gf bottom-out on a 22 mm spring over 3.8 mm, factory lubed with a mix of GPL 105 and 205. It is quiet enough for shared spaces, but the damping takes some of the sharpness off the bump compared with an undamped tactile.
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Wingtree
A light tactile with a small bump in the manner of an MX Brown, on a long-pole stem that gives it a clacky sound. PA66 top and bottom, a POM stem, 45 gf actuation and 58 gf bottom-out, 2.4 mm to actuation and 3.7 mm in total, factory lubed. Two shops publish identical figures for it. If you want a pronounced bump, this is the wrong switch.
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Gateron
Named after the tea, and part of the run of Gateron switches aimed at enthusiast taste rather than the retail shelf. 48 gf with a bump leading into a 55 gf bottom-out, on the full 4 mm of travel, so it feels roomier than the shorter-travel tactiles here. Middleweight, unfussy, and easy to live with over a long day.
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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.
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Gateron
A low-profile tactile on Gateron's KS-33 platform, so it is not an MX switch and will not fit MX keycaps or a standard hot-swap socket. Everything is shorter than MX: 1.7 mm to actuation and 3.0 mm to the bottom, against roughly 2.0 and 4.0 on a full-height switch. At 50 gf it is the middle weight of the three KS-33 flavours indexed here, and it ships factory lubed.
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Wingtree
The shorter, higher-pitched sibling of the BM10. The bottom housing swaps PA66 for PC with fiberglass, and total travel drops to 2.9 mm, with 50 gf actuation and 56 gf bottom-out on a 20 mm spring. At that travel the bump and the bottom arrive close together. If you are used to 4 mm switches, try a few before filling a board: 2.9 mm feels abrupt at first.
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Gateron
The heaviest tactile in the Smoothie line at 55 gf, with an all-POM housing and POM stem. POM against POM is the self-lubricating combination, which is why the Smoothies are usually sold on smoothness rather than on a sharp bump. Bottom-out force is not published for this switch.
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Gateron
The tactile version of the same silent housing, at 55 gf with a short 1.5 mm pre-travel, so the bump arrives early and the key registers soon after it. Tactile and silent is a harder combination than either alone, because the dampening that kills the noise also blunts the bump. This keeps enough of it to feel deliberate. Heavier than the Pink, and the right choice if you want feedback from a switch nobody else can hear.
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Gateron
At 59 gf this is one of the heavier tactiles in the index, in an all-nylon housing with a POM stem. Nylon on both halves is the quietest and deepest of Gateron's common housing choices. Total travel is 3.4 mm, noticeably short, so the switch reaches the bottom sooner than an MX-standard 4.0 mm. Bottom-out force is unpublished.
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TTC
A factory-lubed silent tactile with a polycarbonate top, nylon bottom and POM stem. The consulted listings agree on 50g bottom-out and 3.5mm total travel. Actuation is omitted because one retailer mixes g and cN labels. Choose this exact silent V2 listing rather than assuming every Bluish White version has the same damping and mounting arrangement. Milktooth lists the V2 as a three-pin switch, in packs of ten.
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Wingtree
The tactile version of the Matcha Cream, also by Zuoce Studio: a light bump, a PA66-blend housing, a POM-blend stem, 2.0 mm to actuation and 3.8 mm in total. The lube is applied sparingly to keep the scratchy character while controlling noise. Two spring weights, 45 gf and 55 gf bottom-out, so the force fields are blank. The bump is light; for a strong tactile, look at the BM10 or the Yunie Tactile.
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Wingtree
Wingtree's first custom light tactile, designed by SULAB on new molds rather than those of the Yuying Brown. PA66 housings with fiberglass, 10 percent in the top and 30 percent in the bottom, a POM stem, 2.4 mm to actuation and a full 4.0 mm in total. Sold in 48, 52 and 58 gf bottom-out, so the force fields are blank. A silent Puer Tea also exists and is a different switch.
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Wingtree
A tactile designed by Ruben Studio with a full PC housing and a UPE stem, 2.4 mm to actuation and 3.3 mm in total, leaning thocky rather than bright. Actuation and bottom-out are left blank because the two sources disagree: Divinikey lists 38 gf and 56 gf, Unikeyboards 45 gf and 55 gf. Treat both as unconfirmed until the maker publishes one figure.
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Wingtree
A silent tactile on the classic Lichicx silent mold, designed by XLLAB, with a small bump and a silicone silencer in the stem. PC top, modified PA66 bottom, 2.0 mm to actuation and 3.8 mm in total. It is sold in 42 gf and 53 gf bottom-out, so the force fields are blank. The bump is small; anyone who wants obvious tactile feedback should look at the Taro or the Pumpkin instead.
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Wingtree
A tactile with a large P-shaped bump that takes up most of the travel and ends in a very short linear stretch. Full PC housing, a UPE stem, 2.2 mm to actuation and 3.2 mm in total. It is sold in 60 gf and 63.5 gf bottom-out, plus a hand-lubed option, so force is blank. The bump is strong and the travel short, a combination light typists may find tiring over a long session.
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Brands represented here: Cherry, Gateron, HMX, KTT, TTC, Wingtree.