Gazzew Boba LT vs Gateron Oil King
The Gazzew Boba LT and the Gateron Oil King are separated mostly by spring weight, 25 g of it at bottom-out, with the Gateron Oil King the firmer press and the Gazzew Boba LT the easier one to hold down. Our 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 | Gazzew Boba LT | Gateron Oil King |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | actuation |
| Actuation force | not published | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 55 g | 80 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.2 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | ~$0.65 / switch |
Watch the "brand rates force at" row: these two makers do not measure at the same place, bottom-out for the Gazzew Boba LT and actuation for the Gateron Oil King. Force numbers only compare within a row.
Verdict
Both the Gazzew Boba LT and the Gateron Oil King are linears, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. The springs are far apart, with the Gateron Oil King at 80 g bottom-out versus 55 g for the Gazzew Boba LT, a gap you feel within a paragraph of typing. Stroke depth separates them too: 4.0 mm on the Gateron Oil King against 3.2 mm on the Gazzew Boba LT, which you hear at the bottom as much as you feel it. Our picks: the Gazzew Boba LT for gaming and a shared office, the Gateron Oil King for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Gazzew Boba LT
- Typing pick
- Gateron Oil King
- Office pick
- Gazzew Boba LT
Force curves
Gazzew Boba LT
Gazzew rates this switch at its bottom-out and publishes no actuation force, so the marked bottom-out is the spec and the dashed line into it is an illustration of the stroke, not measured data.
Gateron Oil King
Gazzew Boba LT or Gateron Oil King: the long answer
Specs first, since the feel gap is what you notice in the first minute of typing. Weight is the loud fact here. At bottom-out the Gateron Oil King takes 80 g where the Gazzew Boba LT takes 55 g, and 25 g is enough to change how the third hour feels. They register at the same 2.0 mm, then part company on depth: 4.0 mm on the Gateron Oil King against 3.2 mm on the Gazzew Boba LT. Gazzew and Gateron are both selling you linears here, so both give you spring resistance and nothing else. Same stroke character, so the spring is the fact to weigh.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Put them through the player above and the Gazzew Boba LT lands as deep muted linear thud in a Boba shell where the Gateron Oil King lands as deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
On what they cost to fill a board, the Gazzew Boba LT is premium priced, while the Gateron Oil King is mid priced at roughly $0.65 per switch, about $46 for a typical 70 pack. Both come factory lubed, so neither needs work out of the box.
The picks split by use. Take the Gazzew Boba LT if games come first, because the honest answer is that either would do, and it wins on a margin too small to feel. Take the Gateron Oil King if the board is mostly a writing tool, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. Take the Gazzew Boba LT if other people have to sit near it, as it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Gazzew Boba LT page and the Gateron Oil King page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Gazzew Boba LT or the Gateron Oil King?
We pick the Gazzew Boba LT for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Is the Gazzew Boba LT quieter than the Gateron Oil King?
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 Gazzew Boba LT leans toward deep muted linear thud in a Boba shell, while the Gateron Oil King is deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied.
Gazzew Boba LT vs Gateron Oil King: which one is the heavier press?
The Gateron Oil King, and the comparison is clean: bottom-out on both sides, 80 g to 55 g.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gazzew Boba LT or the Gateron Oil King?
The Gateron Oil King sits in the mid priced bracket and the Gazzew Boba LT in the premium priced one. We do not hold a reliable per-switch price for both, so the bracket is the honest answer rather than a total.
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