Gateron Silent Black Switch Sample (Milk Bottom)

Title says it all: these switches are *very* scratchy; there's a lot of noise as the stem rubs against the housing, - and you can feel it too. It feels quite different to a regular switch when it bottoms out - but as far as can tell it's standard as 'silent' switches go, and it doesn't feel particularly spongy or so. Plus, sound-wise, they ARE notably quieter than non-silent switches, while the aforementioned scratchy stem almost makes more noise than when it hits the padded(?) bottom.
It's likely that lubing the switch will improve the scratchiness - hence leniancy with the rating - but out the box I'd definitely rate it 2-3*. For the price though , it's pretty robust, and it does reduce switch noise significantly - just if you don't want to mess with lube then you'll want to try other quiet switches.