Cherry MX Blue MX2A vs Kailh BOX White
Two clicky switches with two different click mechanisms: the Cherry MX Blue MX2A against the Kailh BOX White is a comparison of tone, not of volume. 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 | Cherry MX Blue MX2A | Kailh BOX White |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | 60 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2.2 mm | 1.8 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.6 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Cherry and Kailh both advertise an actuation force, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other. The figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Kailh publishes no bottom-out figure for the Kailh BOX White. How that derivation works .
Verdict
This is clicky against clicky with a catch, because the Cherry MX Blue MX2A and the Kailh BOX White make their click in different ways. They also click differently: a click jacket sliding down the stem on the Cherry MX Blue MX2A against a click bar snapping inside the housing on the Kailh BOX White. The Cherry MX Blue MX2A is the firmer of the two at actuation, 50 g to 45 g, though 5 g is not much to choose between. By use case, then: the Kailh BOX White for gaming, the Cherry MX Blue MX2A for typing and a shared office. Read that office call as relative: the Cherry MX Blue MX2A clicks too, just less insistently.
- Gaming pick
- Kailh BOX White
- Typing pick
- Cherry MX Blue MX2A
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Blue MX2A
Force curves
Cherry MX Blue MX2A
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.
Kailh BOX White
Kailh publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 60 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 Blue MX2A or Kailh BOX White: the long answer
Sound is not a tiebreak on these two. It is the comparison. Put them through the player above and the Cherry MX Blue MX2A lands as high-pitched two-part click with a faint upstroke rattle where the Kailh BOX White lands as sharp, clean tick-tick; click bar snapping on press and release. They do not even click the same way: a click jacket sliding down the stem on the Cherry MX Blue MX2A against a click bar snapping inside the housing on the Kailh BOX White, which is most of the tonal difference you are hearing. A click you love at your own desk can still be the loudest thing in someone else’s meeting. 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.
The mechanical picture is the smaller half of this, but it is not nothing. The Cherry MX Blue MX2A carries the heavier spring at actuation, 50 g to 45 g. That is a real 5 g without being a change of bracket. On distance the Kailh BOX White registers at 1.8 mm against 2.2 mm, and the full stroke runs 4.0 mm on the Cherry MX Blue MX2A against 3.6 mm on the Kailh BOX White. Cherry and Kailh are both selling you clickies here, so both stack a click mechanism on a bump you already feel. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
On price and practicality, both are mid priced. Neither is factory lubed, so enthusiasts often hand lube both for the smoothest result.
So who should buy which? For gaming we lean toward the Kailh BOX White, because the scoring hands it a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation. For long typing sessions the Cherry MX Blue MX2A makes the stronger case, since the click is a metronome for a long draft, which some writers will not give up. And if your keyboard shares a room with other people, the Cherry MX Blue MX2A is the one we would trust, as neither of these belongs in a quiet shared room, and this is only the less punishing of the two clicks. 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 Cherry MX Blue MX2A page and the Kailh BOX White page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Cherry MX Blue MX2A or Kailh BOX White for gaming?
We pick the Kailh BOX White for gaming. It takes this one on a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation, which is what a fast repeated press actually cares about.
Which of the Cherry MX Blue MX2A and the Kailh BOX White is quieter in a shared room?
Neither, honestly. Both are clicky switches that announce every keystroke, so neither belongs in a quiet shared space. If noise is the deciding factor, a silent tactile is the better direction entirely.
Cherry MX Blue MX2A vs Kailh BOX White: which one is the heavier press?
The Cherry MX Blue MX2A is heavier: 50 g against 45 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX Blue MX2A
More vs Kailh BOX White
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.