Cherry MX Blue MX2A vs Outemu Blue
The Cherry MX Blue MX2A and the Outemu Blue are separated mostly by spring weight, 10 g of it at actuation, with the Outemu Blue the firmer press and the Cherry MX Blue MX2A the easier one to hold down. Our library of every switch we simulate 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 Blue MX2A | Outemu Blue |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | 65 g |
| Pre-travel | 2.2 mm | 2.2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Budget |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Cherry and Outemu 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.
Verdict
This is a clicky versus clicky contest: the Cherry MX Blue MX2A and the Outemu Blue share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. The springs are far apart, with the Outemu Blue at 60 g actuation versus 50 g for the Cherry MX Blue MX2A, a gap you feel within a paragraph of typing. The Outemu Blue is the cheaper board to fill by a full bracket, budget friendly against mid priced. One pick, not three: the Cherry MX Blue MX2A takes gaming and typing, and it is the less punishing of the two in a shared room, though neither really belongs in one. The Outemu Blue is the answer only to a question our scoring does not ask.
- Overall pick
- Cherry MX Blue MX2A
Gaming, typing and a shared office all point at the Cherry MX Blue MX2A, so printing the same name three times would tell you nothing. One pick it is.
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.
Outemu Blue
Cherry MX Blue MX2A or Outemu Blue: the long answer
Start with feel, because it settles most switch arguments before sound comes up. At actuation the Outemu Blue is the firmer press, 60 g against 50 g, a difference you notice after a paragraph rather than on the first keystroke. The stroke itself is shared: both fire an audible click alongside the bump. Travel is a straight match, 2.2 mm of pre-travel and 4.0 mm in full on both. Same stroke character, so the spring is the fact to weigh.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Through the A/B player above, the Cherry MX Blue MX2A comes through as high-pitched two-part click with a faint upstroke rattle, while the Outemu Blue reads as harsh, loud, rattly click-jacket snap. Either way, both of these are heard by everyone in the room, so the choice between them is a choice of tone and not of volume. 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 Cherry MX Blue MX2A is mid priced, while the Outemu Blue is budget friendly. Neither is factory lubed, so enthusiasts often hand lube both for the smoothest result.
That leaves an unusually simple answer, because one switch wins on all three counts: the Cherry MX Blue MX2A is our pick for gaming and for typing, and the quieter of two switches that both announce themselves. On speed, this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. On typing feel, the click turns a long writing session into a rhythm, if your room allows it. On noise, neither of these belongs in a quiet shared room, and this is only the less punishing of the two clicks. That leaves the Outemu Blue to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. None of this beats hearing them yourself, which the player above lets you do in about a minute.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Cherry MX Blue MX2A page and the Outemu Blue 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 Outemu Blue for gaming?
We pick the Cherry MX Blue MX2A for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Cherry MX Blue MX2A or Outemu Blue: which one is quieter?
Neither is quiet. Two click mechanisms means two switches that broadcast every press, and picking between them will not save your colleagues. If noise decides this, look at a silent tactile instead.
Is the Cherry MX Blue MX2A heavier than the Outemu Blue?
The Outemu Blue. Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 60 g against 50 g an honest 10 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Blue MX2A or the Outemu Blue?
The Outemu Blue sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Cherry MX Blue 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
More vs Cherry MX Blue MX2A
More vs Outemu Blue
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.