Akko CS Ocean Blue vs Cherry MX Brown MX2A
The Akko CS Ocean Blue and the Cherry MX Brown MX2A are separated mostly by spring weight, 9 g of it at actuation, with the Cherry MX Brown MX2A the firmer press and the Akko CS Ocean Blue the easier one to hold down. Our full switch library 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 Ocean Blue | Cherry MX Brown MX2A |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 36 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | 60 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 figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure for the Cherry MX Brown MX2A. How that derivation works .
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two tactiles feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. Weight separates them clearly: measured at actuation, the Cherry MX Brown MX2A is 9 g heavier than the Akko CS Ocean Blue, which changes both fatigue and sound. Budget also has a say, since the Akko CS Ocean Blue is budget friendly and the Cherry MX Brown MX2A is mid priced. Where we land: the Akko CS Ocean Blue for gaming and a shared office, the Cherry MX Brown MX2A for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Akko CS Ocean Blue
- Typing pick
- Cherry MX Brown MX2A
- Office pick
- Akko CS Ocean Blue
Force curves
Akko CS Ocean Blue
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.
Cherry MX Brown MX2A
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 60 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 Ocean Blue or Cherry MX Brown MX2A: the long answer
Take the mechanical side first, since that is where this pair separates. The springs are a long way apart: 45 g against 36 g at actuation, so the Cherry MX Brown MX2A asks noticeably more of your fingers across a long session. Akko and Cherry are both selling you tactiles here, so both give a finger something to aim at on the way down. Same depth, different trigger point: 1.9 mm on the Akko CS Ocean Blue against 2.0 mm on the Cherry MX Brown MX2A, both inside 4.0 mm. Same family of stroke, so read the detail rather than the headline.
The ears usually get the last word here. Two different voices: soft rounded tap, gentle mid-pitch on the Akko CS Ocean Blue, soft, slightly sandy mid-pitch tap on the Cherry MX Brown MX2A. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
On cost and convenience, the Akko CS Ocean Blue is budget friendly, while the Cherry MX Brown MX2A is mid priced. Both come factory lubed, so neither needs work out of the box.
Who buys which, then? Gaming goes to the Akko CS Ocean Blue, because the honest answer is that either would do, and it wins on a margin too small to feel. Writing goes to the Cherry MX Brown MX2A, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. A shared room goes to the Akko CS Ocean Blue, as it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. None of this beats hearing them yourself, which the player above lets you do in about a minute.
For either one on its own terms, read the Akko CS Ocean Blue page and the Cherry MX Brown MX2A page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Akko CS Ocean Blue or Cherry MX Brown MX2A for gaming?
We pick the Akko CS Ocean Blue for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Is the Akko CS Ocean Blue quieter than the Cherry MX Brown MX2A?
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.
Akko CS Ocean Blue vs Cherry MX Brown MX2A: which one is the heavier press?
The Cherry MX Brown MX2A is heavier: 45 g against 36 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 Ocean Blue or the Cherry MX Brown MX2A?
The Akko CS Ocean Blue sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Cherry MX Brown 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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