Akko CS Jelly Black vs Cherry MX Black MX2A
Weight is the real gap here: 10 g between the Cherry MX Black MX2A and the Akko CS Jelly Black at actuation, which is enough to change how a long session ends. Our full switch library already points each of these at the other. Hear them back to back below with the trims matched before you read a single number.
Hear them back to back
simulated from real specssound loads on your first tapShortcuts: press A or B anywhere outside a text box to fire that burst. Use the volume trims to loudness-match the pair before judging which sounds better.
Spec by spec
| Spec | Akko CS Jelly Black | Cherry MX Black MX2A |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | 63.5 g (our estimate) | 80 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 1.9 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Akko and Cherry both advertise an actuation force, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other. The two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because neither Akko nor Cherry publishes a bottom-out figure. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two linears feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. The springs are far apart, with the Cherry MX Black MX2A at 60 g actuation versus 50 g for the Akko CS Jelly Black, a gap you feel within a paragraph of typing. The Akko CS Jelly Black is the cheaper board to fill by a full bracket, budget friendly against mid priced. Split by use: the Akko CS Jelly Black for gaming and a shared office, the Cherry MX Black MX2A for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Akko CS Jelly Black
- Typing pick
- Cherry MX Black MX2A
- Office pick
- Akko CS Jelly Black
Force curves
Akko CS Jelly Black
Akko publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 63.5 g at the end of the stroke is our estimate and the run into it is dashed. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers. How we derive it.
Cherry MX Black MX2A
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 80 g at the end of the stroke is our estimate and the run into it is dashed. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers. How we derive it.
Akko CS Jelly Black or Cherry MX Black MX2A: the long answer
The table above already holds the answer. Here is what it means under a finger. The Cherry MX Black MX2A carries the heavier spring at actuation, 60 g to 50 g. That is a real 10 g without being a change of bracket. Both are linears either way, so neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. Same depth, different trigger point: 1.9 mm on the Akko CS Jelly Black against 2.0 mm on the Cherry MX Black MX2A, both inside 4.0 mm. Same stroke character, so the spring is the fact to weigh.
The ears usually get the last word here. Two different voices: firm clacky bottom-out, a step deeper than Jelly Pink on the Akko CS Jelly Black, deeper, firmer bottom-out than Red; controlled and solid on the Cherry MX Black MX2A. Both packs are synthesized rather than recorded, so read the comparison as a faithful sketch of each voice and not as a measurement of it.
On price and practicality, the Akko CS Jelly Black is budget friendly, while the Cherry MX Black MX2A is mid priced. Factory lube on both, so the smoothness you hear in the player is roughly the smoothness you get.
Answer the use case and the switch follows. Games point at the Akko CS Jelly Black, because it wins on a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation. Writing points at the Cherry MX Black MX2A, since nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. A shared room points at the Akko CS Jelly Black, as it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Akko CS Jelly Black page and the Cherry MX Black MX2A page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Akko CS Jelly Black or the Cherry MX Black MX2A?
We pick the Akko CS Jelly Black for gaming. It takes this one on a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation, which is what a fast repeated press actually cares about.
Akko CS Jelly Black or Cherry MX Black MX2A: which one is quieter?
Nothing in either one is built to reduce noise, so on raw volume this is a tie decided by your keyboard rather than your switch. What you will actually hear is a difference of pitch and texture, which the player above shows better than a sentence can.
Which switch is heavier, the Akko CS Jelly Black or the Cherry MX Black MX2A?
The Cherry MX Black MX2A is heavier: 60 g against 50 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Akko CS Jelly Black or the Cherry MX Black MX2A?
The Akko CS Jelly Black sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Cherry MX Black MX2A in the mid priced one. We do not hold a reliable per-switch price for both, so the bracket is the honest answer rather than a total.
More comparisons
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