Akko CS Lavender Purple vs Gateron Brown
Weight is the real gap here: 19 g between the Gateron Brown and the Akko CS Lavender Purple at actuation, which is enough to change how a long session ends. Our library of every switch we simulate links the two to each other for that reason. Play the A/B bursts below to hear them back to back, match the volumes, then read the spec table and the verdict.
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 Lavender Purple | Gateron Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 36 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | not published |
| Pre-travel | 1.9 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Budget |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both makers rate these at actuation, which is the one case where the advertised numbers compare directly. Every other force row still has to be matched basis to basis.
Verdict
Both the Akko CS Lavender Purple and the Gateron Brown are tactiles, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. There is a real weight gap too: 55 g against 36 g at actuation, so the Gateron Brown asks noticeably more of your fingers over a long session. One of them is ready out of the bag: the Akko CS Lavender Purple is lubed at the factory and the other is not. One pick, not three: the Akko CS Lavender Purple takes gaming and typing, and it is the one that carries less across a room. The Gateron Brown is the answer only to a question our scoring does not ask.
- Overall pick
- Akko CS Lavender Purple
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Akko CS Lavender Purple takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
Force curves
Akko CS Lavender Purple
Akko publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Gateron Brown
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Akko CS Lavender Purple or Gateron Brown: the long answer
The table above already holds the answer. Here is what it means under a finger. Weight is the loud fact here. At actuation the Gateron Brown takes 55 g where the Akko CS Lavender Purple takes 36 g, and 19 g is enough to change how the third hour feels. Akko and Gateron are both selling you tactiles here, so both give a finger something to aim at on the way down. The Akko CS Lavender Purple registers earlier, 1.9 mm against 2.0 mm, inside the same 4.0 mm of total travel. Same stroke character, so the spring is the fact to weigh.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Through the A/B player above, the Akko CS Lavender Purple comes through as poppy snappy tap with an early bump, while the Gateron Brown reads as soft mid-pitch tap, slightly rounder than MX Brown. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
On price and practicality, both are budget friendly. One of them has already been lubed for you and one has not, which is worth more than the price gap if you were not planning to open 70 switches.
The scoring gives up trying to divide this pair: the Akko CS Lavender Purple is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, it wins on a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation. On typing feel, nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. On noise, it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. That leaves the Gateron Brown to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Akko CS Lavender Purple page and the Gateron Brown page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Akko CS Lavender Purple or Gateron Brown for gaming?
We pick the Akko CS Lavender Purple for gaming. Of the two it has the quicker, less intrusive stroke, winning on a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation.
Akko CS Lavender Purple or Gateron Brown: 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.
Is the Akko CS Lavender Purple heavier than the Gateron Brown?
The Gateron Brown is heavier: 55 g against 36 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
Do the Akko CS Lavender Purple and the Gateron Brown need lubing?
The Akko CS Lavender Purple arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The Gateron Brown does not, and on a full board that is an evening of work if you want it at its smoothest. Plenty of people run unlubed switches happily; it is a question of whether a slightly drier stroke bothers you.
More comparisons
More vs Akko CS Lavender Purple
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.