Cherry MX Clear vs Cherry MX Grey (Tactile)
Weight is the real gap here: 15 g between the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) and the Cherry MX Clear at actuation, which is enough to change how a long session ends. Our library of every switch we simulate cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
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 Clear | Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 65 g | 80 g |
| Bottom-out force | 95 g (our estimate) | 105 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 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 | 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 two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure for either of these. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
The Cherry MX Clear and the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) are both tactiles, so nothing separates them at the fingertip until you look at springs and acoustics. 15 g at actuation is a bracket apart, not a shade, and it is the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) carrying the heavier end at 80 g. What really separates them is sound, with the Cherry MX Clear tending toward deep thud with a heavy, emphatic bottom-out and the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) toward deep, dense thud; heavyweight tactile landing. We land on the Cherry MX Clear for every use we score, and it is the one that carries less across a room, so the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) makes sense only if you preferred its voice in the player above.
- Overall pick
- Cherry MX Clear
No use case rescues the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) here. The Cherry MX Clear wins gaming, typing and the office question alike, so the block collapses to one.
Force curves
Cherry MX Clear
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 95 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 Grey (Tactile)
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 105 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 Clear or Cherry MX Grey (Tactile): the long answer
Read the spec sheet once, carefully, and most of this decision makes itself. The Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) carries the heavier spring at actuation, 80 g to 65 g. That is a real 15 g without being a change of bracket. The stroke itself is shared: both raise a bump close to the point the press registers. The two stroke depths are identical, 2.0 mm to actuation inside 4.0 mm of total travel. Everything else about them is close enough that the spring is the honest tiebreak.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Put them through the player above and the Cherry MX Clear lands as deep thud with a heavy, emphatic bottom-out where the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) lands as deep, dense thud; heavyweight tactile landing. 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.
On what they cost to fill a board, both are mid priced. Lube is on you with both of these, which is a real cost in time whichever one you order.
Who buys which, then? One switch takes every axis we score: the Cherry MX Clear is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, it wins on a lighter spring at actuation. 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 Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) 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 Clear page and the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) 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 Clear or the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile)?
We pick the Cherry MX Clear for gaming. It takes this one on a lighter spring at actuation, which is what a fast repeated press actually cares about.
Which of the Cherry MX Clear and the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile) is quieter in a shared room?
Nothing in either one is built to reduce noise, so on raw volume this is a tie decided by your keyboard rather than your switch. What you will actually hear is a difference of pitch and texture, which the player above shows better than a sentence can.
Which has the heavier spring, the Cherry MX Clear or the Cherry MX Grey (Tactile)?
The Cherry MX Grey (Tactile). Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 80 g against 65 g an honest 15 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX Clear
More vs Cherry MX Grey (Tactile)
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.