Cherry MX Brown MX2A vs Kailh BOX Brown
The Cherry MX Brown MX2A and the Kailh BOX Brown match on every force figure either brand publishes, which makes this a comparison of everything the spec sheet does not measure. Our switch library 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 Brown MX2A | Kailh BOX Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 60 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 1.8 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.6 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 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 Kailh 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. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
This is a tactile versus tactile contest, and an unusually close one. Every force figure either brand publishes lands on the same number, so the spring is not the tiebreak here. One of them is ready out of the bag: the Cherry MX Brown MX2A is lubed at the factory and the other is not. Our picks: the Kailh BOX Brown for gaming, the Cherry MX Brown MX2A for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Kailh BOX Brown
- Typing pick
- Cherry MX Brown MX2A
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Brown MX2A
Force curves
Cherry MX Brown MX2A
Cherry 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.
Kailh BOX Brown
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 Brown MX2A or Kailh BOX Brown: the long answer
Put the two side by side on paper before you trust your ears. The springs match at both published points, 45 g at actuation and 60 g at bottom-out, so weight is off the table entirely. Neither Cherry nor Kailh publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those are our estimates. The stroke itself is shared: both raise a bump close to the point the press registers. On distance the Kailh BOX Brown registers at 1.8 mm against 2.0 mm, and the full stroke runs 4.0 mm on the Cherry MX Brown MX2A against 3.6 mm on the Kailh BOX Brown. With the stroke and the rated weight both matched, this comes down to sound and to how each one is built.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Put them through the player above and the Cherry MX Brown MX2A lands as soft, slightly sandy mid-pitch tap where the Kailh BOX Brown lands as muted, rounded tap; tidy and controlled. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
On cost and convenience, both are mid priced. Factory lube is on the Cherry MX Brown MX2A alone. Budget the extra time if you pick the Kailh BOX Brown and want it at its best.
The picks split by use. Take the Kailh BOX Brown 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 Cherry MX Brown MX2A 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 Cherry MX Brown MX2A 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.
For either one on its own terms, read the Cherry MX Brown MX2A page and the Kailh BOX Brown page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cherry MX Brown MX2A or the Kailh BOX Brown the better gaming switch?
We pick the Kailh BOX Brown for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Cherry MX Brown MX2A or Kailh BOX Brown: which one is quieter?
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 Cherry MX Brown MX2A leans toward soft, slightly sandy mid-pitch tap, while the Kailh BOX Brown is muted, rounded tap; tidy and controlled.
Which has the heavier spring, the Cherry MX Brown MX2A or the Kailh BOX Brown?
Neither: they match at actuation and at bottom-out alike (45 g at actuation), so any difference in feel comes from the stroke rather than the spring. Neither Cherry nor Kailh publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those numbers are our own derivation from the forces they do publish.
Do the Cherry MX Brown MX2A and the Kailh BOX Brown need lubing?
The Cherry MX Brown MX2A arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The Kailh BOX Brown 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 Brown MX2A
More vs Kailh BOX Brown
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.