Cherry MX Black MX2A vs Cherry MX Nature White
One of these is ready out of the bag and one is a project: the Cherry MX Black MX2A comes factory lubed, the Cherry MX Nature White does not. Our full 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 | Cherry MX Black MX2A | Cherry MX Nature White |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 60 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 80 g (our estimate) | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both of these are rated 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 figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure for the Cherry MX Black MX2A. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
This is a linear versus linear contest: the Cherry MX Black MX2A and the Cherry MX Nature White share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. One of them is ready out of the bag: the Cherry MX Black MX2A is lubed at the factory and the other is not. Weight is nearly even at actuation: 60 g for the Cherry MX Black MX2A against 55 g, a gap most fingers will barely register. Our picks: the Cherry MX Nature White for gaming, the Cherry MX Black MX2A for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Cherry MX Nature White
- Typing pick
- Cherry MX Black MX2A
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Black MX2A
Force curves
Cherry MX Black MX2A
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 80 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.
Cherry MX Nature White
Cherry 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 Black MX2A or Cherry MX Nature White: the long answer
Start with what you will have to do to them, not with how they feel. Both are mid priced. 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.
That leaves the stroke itself. The Cherry MX Black MX2A is nominally firmer at actuation, 60 g to 55 g, but 5 g is not a gap you buy a switch for. The stroke itself is shared: both give you spring resistance and nothing else. The two stroke depths are identical, 2.0 mm to actuation inside 4.0 mm of total travel. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Two different voices: deeper, firmer bottom-out than Red; controlled and solid on the Cherry MX Black MX2A, balanced clack, sitting between Red's lightness and Black's depth on the Cherry MX Nature White. One caveat we repeat wherever a player appears: no studio recording sits behind either of these. They are built from what each maker publishes and what the community reports.
Answer the use case and the switch follows. Games point at the Cherry MX Nature White, because the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. Writing points at the Cherry MX Black MX2A, since its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. A shared room points at the Cherry MX Black MX2A, as it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. Before you order either, match the volume trims above and hear them back to back.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Cherry MX Black MX2A page and the Cherry MX Nature White page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Cherry MX Black MX2A or Cherry MX Nature White for gaming?
We pick the Cherry MX Nature White for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Which is quieter, the Cherry MX Black MX2A or the Cherry MX Nature White?
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 Cherry MX Black MX2A reading as deeper, firmer bottom-out than Red; controlled and solid against balanced clack, sitting between Red's lightness and Black's depth from the Cherry MX Nature White.
Is the Cherry MX Black MX2A heavier than the Cherry MX Nature White?
The Cherry MX Black MX2A, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 60 g to 55 g.
Do the Cherry MX Black MX2A and the Cherry MX Nature White need lubing?
The Cherry MX Black MX2A arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The Cherry MX Nature White 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 Cherry MX Black MX2A
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.