GATERON Oil King V2 Pre-lubed 5 Pin Linear Switches (90 Pcs) Review (2026)

What is in the 90-piece pack

GATERON sells the Oil King V2 in several pack sizes, and this listing is the 90-piece count, enough to fill a tenkeyless layout of roughly 87 keys with a handful of spares left over for switches that arrive with minor blemishes or get damaged during a later mod. Buyers building a full-size board with a numpad will still need to add a second pack or a smaller top-up order, since 90 pieces alone will not stretch to 104 or 108 keys. For anyone doing a 60 percent, 65 percent or TKL build, though, one bag covers the whole board without needing to order twice.

Operating force and travel feel

The Oil King V2 is a 5-pin linear switch with an operating force of about 55 grams-force, a 2.0mm pre-travel and 4.0mm of total travel, figures published on GATERON's own product page. That places it on the heavier side of common linear switches, so typists who prefer light, fast-bottoming switches around 45gf may find it firmer than expected, while gamers and typists who like a more deliberate, weighted keystroke should feel at home. The smooth linear travel, free of the tactile bump or click found in other switch families, keeps the motion consistent from press to bottom-out.

Factory lube and sound

These switches ship pre-lubed from the factory, which is the main selling point over unlubed alternatives that require a separate lube station, brush and several hours of manual work before a build sounds finished. The factory lube job is applied to reduce spring ping and smooth the up-stroke, giving the deep, polished, thocky sound that the Oil King line is known for in plate-mounted builds. It will not match the consistency of a full hand-lube using thin and thick lube on the spring, stem rails and housing separately, but it removes the biggest barrier to a good-sounding board for anyone who does not want to lube switches themselves.

Materials and build quality

GATERON lists a POM stem paired with a nylon top housing and a proprietary bottom housing material, along with a 20mm gold-plated spring, according to the manufacturer's specification page. POM stems are common in premium linear switches because the material is naturally slick and quiet against the housing, which helps the factory lube go further and keeps stem wobble low. GATERON also states the switch is rated for tens of millions of keystrokes in lab durability testing, a figure that applies to the switch family broadly rather than being unique to this exact 90-piece listing.

Who should buy this pack

This pack fits someone building or hot-swapping a tenkeyless keyboard who wants a linear switch that sounds good with minimal extra work, and who does not mind a firmer 55gf actuation force. It uses a standard 5-pin MX-style cross stem, so it should fit nearly all keycap sets and most 5-pin or 3-pin compatible hot-swap sockets without extra work. Buyers who type very lightly, who need switches for a full-size board, or who want a lighter sub-45gf feel should look at a different weight in the Oil King V2 lineup or a lighter linear switch instead. Buyers should also confirm whether their case and plate support 5-pin switches before ordering, since some low-profile or compact plates are cut for 3-pin switches only and would need the extra pins clipped first.

Frequently asked questions