The MX2A Red is Cherry's current take on the classic MX Red: the linear switch most beginners meet first. It presses straight down with no tactile bump and no click: smooth, light (45 cN) and quiet compared to a clicky switch. The MX2A generation is factory-lubed and uses a dust-proof stem for smoother travel. Reds are a sensible default for typing and gaming alike, and because the MX cross stem is the hobby's universal standard, they fit almost any keycap set and hot-swap board.
An MX2A-generation silent linear with an RGB-friendly clear housing, aimed at boards with per-key lighting where a milky housing would muddy the colour. 45 gf, 1.6 mm pre-travel, and an extra-polished top housing that Cherry uses to smooth the stem's travel rather than relying on lubricant. The vendor lists a 100 gf bottom-out force, which is implausible for a switch that actuates at 45 gf and is almost certainly a typo, so that figure is deliberately not recorded here.
Gateron's EF line builds the silencing into the switch rather than adding pads after the fact, which is why it stays firmer at the bottom than most silent switches manage. 50 gf on a full 4 mm of travel. Worth considering if you have tried silent switches and found them too soft: this is the version that keeps some definition, while staying quiet enough for a shared room.
The lighter sibling of the G Pro 3.0 Yellow, and the better first switch for anyone who finds most keyboards tiring. It actuates at 45 gf and bottoms out around 50 gf, so the press is short on resistance from top to bottom: fast to type on, and easy to rest your fingers on without triggering a key. Same construction as the rest of the G Pro 3.0 line, a POM stem in a polycarbonate top and nylon bottom housing on a stainless steel spring, and factory lubed before it ships. Pick the Red over the Yellow if you type all day, or if a heavier switch has ever made your hands ache.
Gateron's third revision of the G Pro Yellow, and the switch most often recommended as a first upgrade from whatever came in the box. It is a plain linear: no bump, no click, 50 gf to actuate and 67 gf to bottom out, which is light enough to type on all day and heavy enough not to trigger by accident. The interest is in what Gateron does before it ships. The stem is POM in a polycarbonate top and nylon bottom housing, the spring is 15.4 mm stainless steel, and it arrives factory lubed, so it feels smooth out of the packet rather than after an evening with a brush. That combination is why it turns up in so many builds: it is the closest thing the hobby has to a default.
The Ink housing is Gateron's own plastic blend, and it is the reason this switch sounds the way it does: deeper and fuller than a standard nylon build, with almost none of the scratchiness a heavy linear usually develops. At 60 gf it is the heaviest switch in this index. That suits people who rest their fingers on the keys and hate accidental presses, and frustrates anyone hoping for a light, fast board.
The linear member of the KS-33 low-profile family, 45 gf with 1.7 mm of pre-travel and 3.0 mm total. Low profile means a different mount and different keycaps: KS-33 switches do not accept MX caps. POK on top is Gateron's harder, higher-pitched top housing material, and the switch is factory lubed.
Gateron's silent linear at a light 45 gf, and one of the easier ways to make a loud board quiet without rebuilding it. Silencing a switch means putting rubber where plastic would otherwise hit plastic, and that always costs a little crispness: the bottom-out feels slightly cushioned rather than firm. The KS-9 3.0 handles that trade better than most, helped by a dual-stage spring that keeps the press from going mushy near the end. A sensible pick for an office, or for anyone typing next to someone else.
A 45 gf linear with a polycarbonate top and a nylon bottom, the mixed housing that gives a fuller sound than an all-PC switch without going as deep as full nylon. Travel is 2.0 mm to actuation and 3.6 mm to the bottom, slightly shorter than the 4.0 mm MX standard. No bottom-out force is published.
One of the switches that built Gateron's reputation with enthusiasts rather than manufacturers. A heavy linear at 55 gf that bottoms out around 80, so it takes deliberate pressure and returns firmly, and the ink-style housing gives it the deep sound the hobby spent years chasing. Not a beginner switch: if you have only used a stock keyboard it will feel like hard work. If you already know you type heavily, this is the reference everything else gets compared to.
The heavier linear Smoothie at 48 gf, all POM housing and POM stem, 2.0 mm to actuation and 3.7 mm total. Sits between Strawberry Smoothie at 40 gf and the tactile Chocolate at 55 gf if you are comparing within the line. Bottom-out force is not published.
A speed linear: 1.2 mm of pre-travel against the usual 2.0 mm, so it registers roughly a third of the way sooner than a standard MX switch. That is the whole point of the switch and the reason it is sold for gaming rather than typing, where a short pre-travel makes accidental presses easier. Weight is 45 gf and total travel 3.4 mm. Vendors describe the stem only as a proprietary material, so the field is blank here.
A 40 gf linear, factory lubed, 2.0 mm to actuation and 3.6 mm total. Light enough to sit at the bottom of the usable range for typing without being a speed switch. Both vendors carrying it describe the housing with a template placeholder rather than a material, so housing and bottom-out force are blank rather than guessed.
The lightest linear in the Smoothie line at 40 gf, and the only one indexed here that keeps the full 4.0 mm MX travel. All-POM housing with a POM stem, the self-lubricating pairing the line is built around. No bottom-out force is published.
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.
A 53 gf bottom-out linear in a PA66 top and HMX's P2 bottom, 2.0 mm to actuation and 3.7 mm total. The actuation force is missing for a reason: the two shops carrying it quote 45 gf and 37 gf, an eight gram gap that no reading can reconcile, so neither figure appears here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A 42 gf linear bottoming out at 50 gf, factory lubed, with a full 3.8 mm of travel. The housing is liquid crystal polymer top and bottom, a stiffer and more dimensionally stable plastic than nylon or POM, which is unusual at this price and is the reason to look at this switch. Kailh describes the stem only as running new moulds, so that field is blank.
A 40 gf linear, factory lubed, bottoming out at 50 gf over 3.4 mm. The 10 gf spread between actuation and bottom-out is wider than the HMX linears in this batch, so the press firms up more noticeably as it goes down. No housing material is published by either vendor carrying it.
A light 40 gf linear bottoming out at 45 gf, factory lubed, 2.0 mm and 3.5 mm. The bottom housing is nylon loaded with 30 percent fibreglass, which Keygeek uses to stiffen the shell and raise the pitch of the bottom-out. A polycarbonate top over a filled-nylon bottom is the pairing most of the Keygeek line uses.
A 37 gf linear bottoming out at 42 gf, factory lubed, with a nylon stem rather than the usual POM. The bottom housing carries 50 percent fibreglass, the highest fill in this batch. Total travel is left out: one shop says 3.8 mm and the other 3.4 mm, and a 0.4 mm disagreement is too large to average.
A 42 gf linear bottoming out at 50 gf, 2.0 mm to actuation and 3.6 mm total. Sits between Cheese V2 at 40 gf and Y2 at 48 gf in the Keygeek range, with a 40 percent fibreglass bottom housing between their 30 and the Full Nylon's 50. Neither vendor states whether it ships lubed.
The heaviest Keygeek linear indexed here: 48 gf to actuate, 53 gf at the bottom, factory lubed, 3.6 mm of travel. The stem is a UPE blend rather than POM, and hollowed at the tip, both choices aimed at the sound rather than the weight. PA12 housing top and bottom.
At 32 gf this is the lightest switch in the index, light enough that resting your hands on the board can press a key. Factory lubed, 2.0 mm to actuation, 3.8 mm total, with a spherical stem tip. Bottom-out force is blank because both shops print 32 gf for it as well, and a spring cannot weigh the same at the top of its travel as at the floor.
The lightest of KTT's Baby series at 40 gf, bottoming out around 45, so the whole press happens in a narrow band of force and feels almost frictionless. KTT's appeal is that this smoothness used to cost considerably more. Good for long typing sessions, and a poor match for anyone who rests their fingers heavily on the home row.
A short-travel linear built for speed: 1.3 mm of pre-travel, so the key registers barely into the press, and 3.5 mm total. That combination is aimed at gaming, where the distance to actuation matters more than how the switch sounds. At 48 gf it is not light, which stops the short travel turning into constant mistypes. A specialist choice, and honest about it.
A silent linear built around a POM and TPE composite stem, where the TPE does the dampening rather than separate pads. 43 gf to actuate and 55 gf to bottom out, so the press builds noticeably towards the end instead of staying flat. The quietest category of switch there is, and priced low enough that silencing a full board does not become a project in itself.
A middleweight linear at 45 gf with a 50 gf bottom-out and 1.9 mm of pre-travel, which is a very ordinary specification and meant as a compliment. Nothing here is unusual, which makes it a sensible default when you want a board to feel normal rather than distinctive. The nylon bottom housing keeps the sound on the deeper side.
A 43 gf linear bottoming out at 49 gf with an unusually short 1.9 mm pre-travel, in a polycarbonate top over Owlab's modified P1 bottom. Total travel is missing: the two shops quote 3.5 mm and 3.6 mm. A tenth of a millimetre is small enough to be a rounding difference and large enough that neither number is worth printing as fact.
Very light at 39 gf, which puts it in the territory where typing feels almost weightless and accidental presses become a genuine consideration. TTC's P3 stem in a polycarbonate top and PA66 nylon bottom gives a softer, rounder sound than an all-PC switch. A good match for long typing sessions and a poor one for gaming, where a light linear rewards precision you may not have.
A silent linear at 35 gf actuation and 45 gf bottom-out, factory lubed, 3.8 mm of travel. Silencing is done with silicone on the stem, so both the bottom-out and the return are damped, and the switch gives up some of the crispness a non-silent linear has in exchange. Light and quiet is a shared office combination rather than a sound-test one.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A low-profile clicky, which is an unusual thing to want and a very specific thing to enjoy. Total travel is 3.0 mm rather than the usual 4.0, so everything happens sooner, and at 60 gf the press is firm. The POK top and POM bottom housing give the click a harder, drier sound than a standard-height clicky. Only relevant if your board takes Gateron low-profile switches, which is worth checking before you buy.
A click bar switch rather than a click jacket, which is the distinction that matters if you have ever found clicky switches rattly. The bar gives a sharper, more repeatable click and a cleaner reset, and TTC's partial-Box stem keeps the stem from wobbling enough to spoil it. Light for a clicky at 42 gf, with a polycarbonate top and bottom that make the sound bright rather than deep. Loud, deliberately.
