How To Lube and Properly Tune Stabilizers - 2022

[@Jayden-tq6to]

Thank you for advocating for wire balancing! I was expecting this guide to be a bit more generic but that step is pretty important. Some things I would like to add is that you should only be balancing ONE side of the wire and remembering which side it is to insert into your stabilizers. If you balance one side, the flipped over side WILL be crooked.

[@alexotos]

Good to know! Ill definitely dive into this more with perhaps a more advanced video, but I really do think it's an important step! Im glad you like that!

[@jamess.2491]

honestly if you're not :3ildcat don't do it. most people will end up screwing it up and most wires are pretty (with exceptions) well balanced.

[@alexotos]

@@jamess.2491 while I agree that a lot of stabs are balanced already, I do strongly think people should inspect and insure stab wires are straight before installing them.

[@Cinekeysbytommy]

@@alexotos I'm probably extremely unlucky then, as I've purchased dozens of stab kits (durocks, TX, staebies) and not a single one came with a straight wire. Thus I've been trying to refine my wire balancing, you do still hear some rattling and ticking in my videos, but I'm getting there. I look forward to a more advanced video Alex!

[@nonnegaard]

@@jamess.2491 wildcat is human, too. If he can do it, everyone else can, and if you cant, you likely lack patience (as 99% of newcomers to this hobby does)

[@MrYonoka]

This is the only video that talked about clicking in the stabs. Before i saw this i'd been fiddling with the keyboard for 6 hours, and was about to order different stabs. Thank you for a real step by step guide for someone as new as myself.

[@alexotos]

Anytime at all! I’m super glad it was helpful!

[@MrSkullhead0]

This is the Part 2 to Taehas stabilizer for beginner video that I’ve been waiting for. (No shot at taeha) I’m just happy for you taking your time to show us noobs how to get some perfect stabs! Thank you!

[@H3LLASAUCE]

I have seen a countless amount of tutorials on how to properly lube and tune the stabilizers. But dare I say, this is the best one in my opinion. I just love the style of this and how simple you have guided this tutorial. This is great!

[@alexotos]

Thank you so much wow!!

[@thesurgeonkeebs9857]

I bought a syringe of lube after watching one of your streams, and it has been, by far, the best mod-related investment I've made. I wish this video existed when I started this hobby. It's probably the most helpful thing. Great job!

[@alexotos]

Glad you enjoy it! And Im happy it helped

[@g4nar]

Did you lube custom stabilizers OR OEM/stock ?

[@defi71zh]

glad that the addition of wire balancing was added into this guide. There isn't many of these stabilizer videos that include steps on how to do it yourself, and previously I've just had to teach myself how to do it by watching others do it, since no one ever explained it. I'm sure this will be super helpful for many people. Balanced wires are super important to get rid of stabilizer ticking.

[@JerelTeh]

Definitely what I need. Despite being in the hobby for almost a year and has built quite a number of boards, getting stabs right is the hardest in my opinion and “how to tune stabilizers” videos are usually a year old. With new mods created, a new refreshed version of tuning stabilizers is definitely needed!

[@alexotos]

I hope you find this useful! I didn't cover other mods since I don't use them but this is how ive been doing them for nearly a year.

[@JerelTeh]

@@alexotos well wire balancing and the tightness of the screw ins are definitely something I wouldn't see in previous videos

[@tsprouse1322]

I can’t stress enough how important this is to do before putting your switches in or the board together 🤣 it’s always such a hard take to take your time especially if you are new to the hobby cuz you want to get it done and type! But nothing worse then getting done and having a terrible tick and having to disassemble and reassemble! Also such a great video and love seeing the detail to actually teach people 😌 thank you!

[@Zambumon]

When installing any stabilizer: wire balance, always. Just like you should do a visual inspection of the switch pins, you should check that all of the stab components are OK. It takes seconds, and makes troubleshooting much easier.

[@tonchok9488]

wire balancing is so important and underrated

[@Oznark46]

coating the stem once inside the housing to ensure even spread of lube is actually genius i never would have thought to do that gonna start doing that from now on

[@hendruw]

i've been frustated by my spacebar wire rattle, even after hours of tuning, wire stabilizing, changing with another stabs, etc, i can't quite nailed it with the rattle. it always there. but after watching your video, at last i can tackle the rattle. it turns out a generous amount of lube inside the stabs is making the job done. Thank you for making my day

[@pleox42]

After some struggling on other methods, I found this video and dude you just made my night. I feel like the gmmk pro enter key is inherently fucky, and this method made it the best it could possibly be. Thank you.

[@kalle1349]

This is absolutely the most comprehensive guide about stabs. Finally someone gives proper advice on wire balancing (rather than wildcat just quickly doing something, and not saying or explaining anything), goes through best options regarding lubes, and shows exactly how to use the syringes. If you added a guide on Holee mods this would've been absolutely spot on. Just one question popped into my mind: I have all of my lubes in the glass jars, and I would not like to purchase the same lubes in a syringe that the vendor provides. So my question is: What kind of a needle do you use for your syringes, I'd like to know the exact size of the diameter of the needle. I tried using a syringe with Tribosys 3204 using a 0,45mm needle, was too small, only got some small drops of lube out. I hope you'll see my comment and give an answer, thank you so much in advance, and thank you for the tutorial. All the best my dude

[@kafaer]

use a brown needle

[@severouspearous2757]

thank you very much, with the arrival of the Keychron Q4 in the coming weeks, I think it is time to enter this world, and your guide has shown me that it is quite simple even for a novice with the right tools to lubricate the stabilizers so decent

[@LANO_fficial]

양섭 폼 미쳤다 ...

[@adequatequality]

It's also good to note that it's always recommended to use the washers on any size PCB because it's not just used to tighten the screw but also to avoid metal coming into direct contact with the surface of the PCB so as to not damage it.

[@phlooke]

Most newer PCBs especially higher-end reputable company's have ESD (electronic shock protection) on their PCBs.(and reputable brands will always put in the description if they have this feature on the PCB), but you're correct. If the PCB doesn't explicitly state that it has ESD protection then It's always a good habit to treat every PCB as if it DOESN'T have this protective feature by always using the washers included with your stabilizers (on PCB mount /screw-in stabilizers).

[@ChiefBrianIrons]

I just use clip in stabilizers no worries at all about that. whole myth about clip ins popping out never experienced it.

[@fabiant123]

Awesome video! In addition to all of the mods listed, I always always always make sure to holee mod my stabilizers because without it, no matter how nicely I tune my stabs, they will eventually tick ):

[@NotxSplayd]

wire balance + 205 housing/stem + bdz on wires = chef's kiss

[@LightSpiritRoblox]

gon use this dont disappointme

[@scxrlethouse]

@@LightSpiritRobloxhow’d it go

[@TheFruitingChamber]

Dang it I was convinced to buy BTZ and 205G0 for my new Keycron v6

[@TyKeys]

Awesome video! Between this and your guide going over your personal style for switch lubing, I greatly appreciate the work and level of detail you put into these. You've only helped my boards sound and feel better, so thank you Alex!

[@aserola1700]

I can't catch your stream recently because of the time zone gap so uploading these videos make me happy😊　anyway this tutorial helps me alot! TY alex😍

[@CoffeeHarvey]

Thank you for this video! Just bought my first custom keyboard and I’m lubing the switches now. Your advice made it easy for me to understand! Keep up the awesome work! I hope all is well with you!

[@TheFutura8888]

Here we go! this is the video I've been looking forward to. All the keyboard builds you do sound great.

[@louis_legowerks5538]

I've never found a reliable wire balancing video but this works the best! the other wire balancing videos I follow dont work as well since the methods are hard to do or require hard to find tools.

[@brianjuice]

wonderful video, you kinda hear these tips here and there in the keyboard community, but this is the first video where i've seen all the major stabilizer mods in one video

[@sebastiandan5645]

I really like this style of video, keep up the great work!

[@alexotos]

Thank you so much :3 I worked pretty hard on this!

[@sebastiandan5645]

@@alexotos Its also pretty mind blowing how good the production quality is here as well

[@alexotos]

@@sebastiandan5645 Damn, i really appreciate that! I tried my best to produce something eye pleasing this time around

[@CrisChen]

This is like a cheat code to modding your stabs. Good work Alexotos!

[@JYoutubes10]

Thank you for explaining wire balancing and showing your process thoroughly! Definitely picked up some good practices here!

[@kikoz8571]

Bro I have left the community for a while but was here since u had 2K subs I’m glad To see ur success❤

[@mattpom9693]

I was just about to dog through your vods to look at your stab method! THANK YOU :)

[@maxkemp651]

Finally did this on my GMMK Pro. You got me addicted to mechanical keyboards. Such a weird thing to say but its true. Space bar is crazy different.

[@MrElariv]

Always loved your stabilizers work, so this guide is very welcomed! I'm glad you didn't include holee mod as I think there is some community pressure to do it even though I feel proper wire balancing and stab installation should avoid the need for it.

[@zandkeyboards]

A long awaited video! Thanks for this!

[@DominikZalewski85]

My first mech keybee barebone kit arrives tomorrow. This video helped me a lot. Thanks!

[@robots4dancing]

Great keyboard work, great video work, keep on killin' it Alex!

[@Uryftw]

Super nice guide, Alex. Top notch production as well

[@SnoopySmells]

Love the breakdown of each step! You're the GOAT

[@alexotos]

NO YOURE THE GOAT

[@aahlala]

Thank you for the video! I'm looking forward to even more tutorial videos. ☺️ P.S. Great production quality!

[@wh0tube]

I’ve needed syringes for my aquarium hobby, for applying flux when soldering, and now for lubing my keyboard. My pharmacist now just shakes his head and says “..no need to explain!”.

[@DaEmuGuy]

Really great guide! I'll definitely be following this for my next build.

[@oidiv3316]

The video everyone wanted

[@alexotos]

I'm low key nervous about it, but I hope you enjoy :D

[@Nehimsupacac]

I have 2 thoughts about this: Why aren't you brushing some lube where the wire clips into the housing, instead of just applying some ABOVE the wire after installation? There's no lube where the plastic meets the wire except the little bit that will get to it when the wire twists. The second thing is, there's no talking about bandaid for plate clip-in stabs or holee (or something of the sort) mod. I understand high end stab brands such as durock don't really need them but in really cheap stock stabs this mods really make a huge difference (certainly in my own experience). Anyway, great video, impossible to argue with the results!

[@Nehimsupacac]

@@bigbenmk4873 it's crazy you respond this when I specifically talk about really cheap stock stabs in my comment

[@bigbenmk4873]

@@Nehimsupacac yeah, thats why i said that

[@silentnative0134]

Watch your streams all the time. Good habits to pick up from you... thank you for your content.

[@Mayden_America]

Great video Alex! Thought I was the only one who's dielectric grease caps broke all the time

[@alexotos]

Ive had about 3 of these, and all 3 have broke LOL

[@j9ke3r]

ha I knew he will show the wind x65, he was so proud of that spacebar like a proud father meeting his long time lost but successful son

[@e_yiizy]

Yoooo the stupid caps...I super glued mine back together LOL. Thanks for the vid, Alex! I always seem to OVER lube my stabs, so I keep spamming the key to help squeeze the residual lube out.

[@GDubb_GG]

This video is a gift! Thanks very much Alex!

[@alexotos]

Youre way too kind !!

[@cincinnatiking8008]

Nothing in my life has ever been so confusing as buying the lube I need for my first mech keyboard. that's what brought me here

[@johndalealfredjulian6919]

this helps a lot! stabs have been a nightmare when i build keyboards. thanks for this!

[@alexotos]

Glad to hear it! I hope it helps :)

[@zealiaa]

Do the wires have to be balanced both ways? I can only manage to balance it one way but when I flip it, it ticks on the other side

[@oImagine]

That Wind x65 spacebar tho :weary: haha. Loved the video!

[@lorna_ovlov240]

Thank you it was really helpful and now my keep sounds perfect and i love this hobby even more. And to be honest i feel cool cus of this new skill

[@Agent_Alpha_SLV]

i've always skipped the wire balancing part and go for the holee mod if it ticks, since i can't seem to bend it straight, im too weak :(

[@Sirhl]

Honestly, it's impossible to actually balance wires, so I wouldn't feel bad about not straightening it.

[@switch_3060]

u have just have finished a thoccy build that i have been wanting to make for a long time now with some amazing jelly blacks and my stabs are just really bad and this video will help me out so thanks and also have many keyboards have you made before

[@purvy7240]

On my first build ever I installed the durock stabs and was wondering how people were able to screw them in without the stabs falling out. I managed to attach the screws and little did I know, the reason they weren’t staying in was because I didn’t clip the bigger part in properly… and to top it all off I was so confident that I didn’t test them before assembling the rest of the board

[@MarcBehar]

Thanks for the great video! I'm always looking at ways to make stabs sound better

[@Fezz21]

Great video for lubing stabs!

[@Cringemoment4045]

I'll be watching this once I get my pc plate for my keyboard

[@empoy65]

Removed the holee mod and tried emulating how you lube your stabs. For the life of me I couldn't the rattling to stop even with tons of dielectric grease. Turns out the stab stems were not latching securely to the key caps. Had to use teflon tape to make the holes in the keycaps tighter and now they sound better but a bit mushy lol

[@coolsurfer89]

8:30 so... I bought wuque stabs with ikki r2 for nth...?

[@cristianherrera8564]

Hey Alex big fan! Quick question how do you clean stabilizers? Say I moved some from one board to another but wanted to start fresh how would I clean them?

[@shynnsup8383]

6:15 what was the reason to not go past the bend? I don't think he explains that later :(

[@Orlyy]

Because if there is rattle or ticking, he just applies some 205g0 on a brush and brushes it at that bend.

[@Makav3ll1]

Alex, no need for bandaid mod or some type of pad on the PCB under the stab housings?

[@Shatex666]

i have the same question

[@garrettr8772]

Thank you for posting this, it was very helpful

[@alexotos]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AuziFox]

Great video! One question though. What do you do if you stabilizers won’t clip into the pcb because the length is to short? Thought it was a thin board but apparently not

[@smigglesmiggles614]

Great video! But I do have one question: at 6:20 you mentioned that you don't go past the bend but why since you were going to lube it with 205g0 anyway? Also, why did you lube that bend with 205g0 instead of dielectric grease?

[@alexotos]

I find that part with dielectric grease feels a bit to thick and something creates a 'gushy' sound

[@smigglesmiggles614]

@@alexotos Thanks for the reply! I'm about to use the XHT-BDZ. Should I avoid the bend as well?

[@discoboards305]

Great video as always, I've been having an uphill battle with my stabs for too long... This is gonna be the one. But since you mentioned that the lube sits, does that mean that after some time (maybe like 9 months), you reuse the syringe in the housings? Thanks alex

[@ResunaTrue]

Wouldn't it be easier to hear the sound of the stab with a silent switch, at least in testing?

[@DoctorQcumber]

My opinion: just holee mod them. Dumping a bunch of lube into stabs gives me inconsistent results. Even once I get it tuned right, a day later it will start feeling mushy or rattling again. I've wasted too much time thinking I can get my stabs to sound perfect if I just follow a lubing tutorial carefully when in reality it's never worked. The holee mod just magically fixes everything for me. It takes longer, but my stabs come out consistently amazing with it. I'll definitely be trying TX stabs in the future.

[@dylanuttamchandani2125]

Alex sometimes when I use dielectric grease it forms blobs at the beginning of the housing

[@SmartFool24]

The more boards I build the less I do for stabs and switch lubing lol. I just bandaid mod, 205g0 the housing, dielectric grease the wire, and pop it in unless the wire is really bad. Got tired of holee modding and now my spacebar is kind of loud and hollow but I like the sound and it has no rattle.

[@ggHarsha]

New stab tuning method: buy TX stabs 🤣 I honestly love dielectric, people say BDZ lasts longer but I’ve found they last same amount of time, but dielectric is easier to plug the butt with when re-tuning

[@DMCnME]

Yeah but unfortunately they are impossible to get.

[@rando843]

@@DMCnME They're really not that hard tbh. Well, at lest not now, 5 months later. Hard to find would be Staebies

[@francisfaustino]

Do stabilizers usually develop rattling after some time of use and need to be re--tuned and re-lubed regularly to keep it sounding fresh?

[@bryantforsythe728]

Thanks Alex! You're the best 👌

[@RobiLemos10]

What do you think about put a layer of BDZ in the wire and dielectric grease in the housing with needle ??

[@Sincald]

Guess I should try and get a couple of syringes for future builds & retouches. Thanks for the vid, I'll be referring back to it later hahah

[@Bluecauses]

Does it matter what brand of dielectric grease you use? I bought a cheaper one from permatex. I also bought some empty syringes instead of the one from TKC, I'm assuming I should be able to just load the grease into the syringes?

[@SparkyNorth]

Damn that was probably the most amount of lube ive ever seen being used, Mushy makes me more crazy than a tick tbh

[@ryanishimitsu]

thank you for the video! do you recommend the holee mod?

[@kurtbautista186]

Great video Alex! Although, would you recommend using stabilizer pads? Thank you so much!

[@xreyuk]

This is a very very good guide, especially surrounding how to check the wires are balanced properly. I've heard di-electric gets very messy, would you recommend adding as much bdz as you do dielectric?

[@iqblhmdi]

can't wait for my Ginkgo65 to arrive then try this lubing method!

[@alexotos]

Stoked for you to give this a go :D

[@ethanbustos-vr4sd]

Do I ever need to relube switches and stabs?

[@OneTrueLove]

So underrated channel im new here and just subscribe hope u gain more viewers and subscribers

[@icedwatr]

i dont understand, my durock v2 stabs are never not rattling, ive come back to this video over and over and followed your routine exactly but even after syringing small amount of lube over and over the rattle still persists for some reason.

[@Thelovelyrosie2002]

What brand are those key cabs in the thumbnail I have to know!!!!

[@mrweeb4825]

this guy keeps on reminding me that ill never get gmk darling

[@janet.gomez.original]

Random question but what are those pink and red keycaps on the thumbnail??? I NEED them

[@thomascrouv79]

Great vid! Could you use XHT-BDZ for the wire and plug it with 205G0 with a syringe for tuning?

[@jonathanchu730]

When plugging the front side of the housing with dielectric grease, doesn't it eventually settle on the pcb and the stem gets mushy on the bottom out?

[@NerdPsycho]

I been using G502 on my spacebar stabs and no wonder it has slight ticking all the time (after reapplying more it's gone). Gonna try dielectric grease the next time.

[@Cactuspractice12]

Beautifuly shot Alex. Q. Did you ever use the Finish Line Extreme Fluoro stuff? I bought a tube some years ago after TT used it, still have whole tube left practically

[@inspire1ove]

I noticed in the [adding more lube] section of your video, you add enough dielectric grease to kind of 'fill up' the inside of the stem and stem housing. Is this a good amount to begin with usually?

[@alexotos]

Yupp just use a standard amount to fill it up or you can go lighter, I then recommend using 205g0 to plug any missing spots rather than try to stuff more dielectric grease in there

[@ALANatWork]

Is it okay to use DE grease with the syringe instead of 205? I'm curious what the difference is.

[@riceoverwife]

what keyboard was shown in the stab test? (no, not the nue PCB)

[@DannyRecords69420]

I love you, Alex thank you

[@somelolplayer6199]

What do you think about XHT-BDZ for wires as an alternative to dielectric grease?

[@3xlu914]

The quality, holy

[@winter-uj2zh]

finally this come out thank you alex! :D

[@alexotos]

Anytime at all :)

[@Dirchew]

I got a question and I hope it can be answered: About the spacebar's switch, is it better to have a heavier spring force(say, 65g and up) than the rest as it's holding on to the stabs and the weight of the spacebar. or it doesn't matter.

[@alexotos]

Totally preference! I find with a stronger spring you get a nicer kick back for sure, but I havent done that in some time on my boards.

[@Dirchew]

@@alexotos thank you!

[@pshiloh2753]

Any advice for spacebar tick caused by long pole switches? Noticed it on my kaihls and gat box inks and I have no idea how to fix it. I put tape on the spacebar insert to avoid the Keycap popping up on one side but the tick is still present. Any personal experience with this?