Akko CS Rose Red vs Gateron Red
One of these is ready out of the bag and one is a project: the Akko CS Rose Red comes factory lubed, the Gateron Red does not. Our full switch library cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
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 Rose Red | Gateron Red |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 43 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 55 g (our estimate) | 55 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 1.9 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.5 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. The two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because neither Akko nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure. How that derivation works .
Verdict
The Akko CS Rose Red and the Gateron Red are both linears, so nothing separates them at the fingertip until you look at springs and acoustics. One of them is ready out of the bag: the Akko CS Rose Red is lubed at the factory and the other is not. Their springs sit close together, just 2 g apart at actuation, with the Gateron Red the marginally firmer press. We land on the Akko CS Rose Red for every use we score, and it is the one that carries less across a room, so the Gateron Red makes sense only if you preferred its voice in the player above.
- Overall pick
- Akko CS Rose Red
This pair does not split by use case: the Akko CS Rose Red comes out ahead of the Gateron Red on all three, so there is one pick here rather than three.
Force curves
Akko CS Rose Red
Akko publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 55 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.
Gateron Red
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 55 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 Rose Red or Gateron Red: the long answer
Start with what you will have to do to them, not with how they feel. Both are budget friendly. Factory lube is on the Akko CS Rose Red alone. Budget the extra time if you pick the Gateron Red and want it at its best.
Now the part the spec table measures. On distance the Akko CS Rose Red registers at 1.9 mm against 2.0 mm, and the full stroke runs 3.5 mm on the Akko CS Rose Red against 4.0 mm on the Gateron Red. Akko and Gateron are both selling you linears here, so both give you spring resistance and nothing else. At actuation they sit 2 g apart, 45 g against 43 g, close enough that lube and housing will decide the feel before the spring does. Nothing here is decisive on its own, which is why the sound comparison matters more than usual on this pair.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. The Akko CS Rose Red sits at soft light patter, easygoing and unobtrusive; the Gateron Red answers with smooth, light clack with minimal scratch. Worth repeating: the audio here is a simulation built from specs and community descriptions, not a recording of either switch.
The scoring gives up trying to divide this pair: the Akko CS Rose Red is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the honest answer is that either would do, and it wins on a margin too small to feel. On typing feel, it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. On noise, it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. That leaves the Gateron Red 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.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Akko CS Rose Red page and the Gateron Red page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Akko CS Rose Red or Gateron Red for gaming?
We pick the Akko CS Rose Red for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Which of the Akko CS Rose Red and the Gateron Red is quieter in a shared room?
Volume is roughly a wash: no dampening and no click mechanism on either, so your typing force and your case decide the level. The character is not a wash, with the Akko CS Rose Red reading as soft light patter, easygoing and unobtrusive against smooth, light clack with minimal scratch from the Gateron Red.
Which switch is heavier, the Akko CS Rose Red or the Gateron Red?
The Gateron Red. Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 45 g against 43 g an honest 2 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
Do the Akko CS Rose Red and the Gateron Red need lubing?
The Akko CS Rose Red arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The Gateron Red 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 Rose Red
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.