Cherry MX Black MX2A vs Gateron Black
Weight is the real gap here: 10 g between the Cherry MX Black MX2A and the Gateron Black at bottom-out, which is enough to change how a long session ends. Our switch library puts these two on each other's shortlist, and the player below is the fastest way to settle it: match the volumes, then work down through the 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 | Cherry MX Black MX2A | Gateron Black |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 60 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | 80 g (our estimate) | 70 g (our estimate) |
| 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 | 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. Neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so the two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
Cherry and Gateron are selling the same stroke here, so the Cherry MX Black MX2A and the Gateron Black separate on spring, distance and voice instead. There is a real weight gap too: 80 g against 70 g at bottom-out, so the Cherry MX Black MX2A asks noticeably more of your fingers over a long session. Neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those are our estimates. Price splits them too: the Gateron Black is the budget friendly option while the Cherry MX Black MX2A sits in the mid priced bracket, which adds up across a 70 switch board. One pick, not three: the Cherry MX Black MX2A takes gaming and typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. The Gateron Black is the answer only to a question our scoring does not ask.
- Overall pick
- Cherry MX Black MX2A
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Cherry MX Black MX2A takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
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.
Gateron Black
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 70 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 Black MX2A or Gateron Black: the long answer
Take the mechanical side first, since that is where this pair separates. At bottom-out the Cherry MX Black MX2A is the firmer press, 80 g against 70 g, a difference you notice after a paragraph rather than on the first keystroke. Neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those are our estimates. Both are linears either way, so both give you spring resistance and nothing else. Distance is not the difference: both register at 2.0 mm and stop at 4.0 mm. With the stroke shared, that spring gap does most of the deciding here.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Through the A/B player above, the Cherry MX Black MX2A comes through as deeper, firmer bottom-out than Red; controlled and solid, while the Gateron Black reads as firm, deeper clack with a planted landing. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
On price and practicality, the Cherry MX Black MX2A is mid priced, while the Gateron Black is budget friendly. Only the Cherry MX Black MX2A comes factory lubed, so the Gateron Black asks for either an evening with a brush or tolerance of a drier stroke.
This one does not split. Every axis we score points the same direction: the Cherry MX Black MX2A is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. On typing feel, nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. On noise, it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. That leaves the Gateron Black to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. Do the listening first. It costs nothing and it changes minds more often than a spec table does.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Cherry MX Black MX2A page and the Gateron Black page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Cherry MX Black MX2A or the Gateron Black?
We pick the Cherry MX Black MX2A for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Which is quieter, the Cherry MX Black MX2A or the Gateron Black?
Neither is dampened, so volume comes down to your board and your typing force. The one audible difference on the spec sheet is lube: the Cherry MX Black MX2A is lubed at the factory, which takes out spring ping and scratch rather than loudness.
Which has the heavier spring, the Cherry MX Black MX2A or the Gateron Black?
The Cherry MX Black MX2A on the figures this page carries, 80 g to 70 g at bottom-out, but the comparison is not manufacturer against manufacturer: neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those numbers are our own derivation from the forces they do publish.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Black MX2A or the Gateron Black?
The Gateron Black sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Cherry MX Black 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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