Akko CS Ocean Blue vs Gateron Brown
The Akko CS Ocean Blue and the Gateron Brown are separated mostly by spring weight, 19 g of it at actuation, with the Gateron Brown the firmer press and the Akko CS Ocean Blue the easier one to hold down. 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 Ocean Blue | 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 Ocean Blue 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. Only the Akko CS Ocean Blue arrives factory lubed, which is an evening of work saved on a full board. One pick, not three: the Akko CS Ocean Blue takes gaming and typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. The Gateron Brown is the answer only to a question our scoring does not ask.
- Overall pick
- Akko CS Ocean Blue
Gaming, typing and a shared office all point at the Akko CS Ocean Blue, so printing the same name three times would tell you nothing. One pick it is.
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.
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 Ocean Blue or Gateron Brown: the long answer
Specs first, since the feel gap is what you notice in the first minute of typing. The spread at actuation is 19 g, 55 g on the Gateron Brown against 36 g on the Akko CS Ocean Blue, which puts them in different weight brackets rather than two shades of one. Type is not in play. Both are tactiles, and each one puts a felt event in the middle of the stroke. The Akko CS Ocean Blue 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.
What the table cannot tell you is how either one lands in a room. The Akko CS Ocean Blue sits at soft rounded tap, gentle mid-pitch; the Gateron Brown answers with soft mid-pitch tap, slightly rounder than MX Brown. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
On the practical side, both are budget friendly. Factory lube is on the Akko CS Ocean Blue alone. Budget the extra time if you pick the Gateron Brown and want it at its best.
That leaves an unusually simple answer, because one switch wins on all three counts: the Akko CS Ocean Blue 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, its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. On noise, it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. That leaves the Gateron Brown to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. None of this beats hearing them yourself, which the player above lets you do in about a minute.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Akko CS Ocean Blue page and the Gateron Brown page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Akko CS Ocean Blue or the Gateron Brown?
We pick the Akko CS Ocean Blue 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.
Is the Akko CS Ocean Blue quieter than the Gateron Brown?
They are close. Neither is a silent switch and neither clicks, so loudness depends mostly on how hard you bottom out and the board they sit in. Their character differs though: the Akko CS Ocean Blue leans toward soft rounded tap, gentle mid-pitch, while the Gateron Brown is soft mid-pitch tap, slightly rounder than MX Brown.
Which has the heavier spring, the Akko CS Ocean Blue or the Gateron Brown?
The Gateron Brown, by 19 g. Both figures are published at actuation, 55 g against 36 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
Do the Akko CS Ocean Blue and the Gateron Brown need lubing?
The Akko CS Ocean Blue 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
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