Cherry MX Clear vs Durock T1
The Cherry MX Clear and the Durock T1 are separated mostly by spring weight, 10 g of it at actuation, with the Cherry MX Clear the firmer press and the Durock T1 the easier one to hold down. Our full switch library 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 | Durock T1 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | bottom-out |
| Actuation force | 65 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 95 g (our estimate) | 67 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Watch the "brand rates force at" row: these two makers do not measure at the same place, actuation for the Cherry MX Clear and bottom-out for the Durock T1. Force numbers only compare within a row. The figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Cherry publishes no bottom-out figure for the Cherry MX Clear. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two tactiles feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. There is a real weight gap too: 65 g against 55 g at actuation, so the Cherry MX Clear asks noticeably more of your fingers over a long session. Budget also has a say, since the Cherry MX Clear is mid priced and the Durock T1 is premium priced. The Durock T1 comes out ahead of the Cherry MX Clear for gaming and for typing, and it is the one that carries less across a room, so this comparison has one answer instead of a set of them.
- Overall pick
- Durock T1
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Durock T1 takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
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.
Durock T1
Cherry MX Clear or Durock T1: the long answer
Specs first, since the feel gap is what you notice in the first minute of typing. Springs split them by 10 g at actuation: 65 g for the Cherry MX Clear, 55 g for the Durock T1. Both are tactiles either way, so both give a finger something to aim at on the way down. Travel is a straight match, 2.0 mm of pre-travel and 4.0 mm in full on both. Everything else about them is close enough that the spring is the honest tiebreak.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Played back to back, the Cherry MX Clear is deep thud with a heavy, emphatic bottom-out against deep thocky tap with a big D-shaped bump from the Durock T1. 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 the practical side, the Cherry MX Clear is mid priced, while the Durock T1 is premium priced. One of them has already been lubed for you and one has not, which is worth more than the price gap if you were not planning to open 70 switches.
This one does not split. Every axis we score points the same direction: the Durock T1 is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. On typing feel, nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. On noise, it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. That leaves the Cherry MX Clear to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
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 Durock T1 page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Cherry MX Clear or Durock T1 for gaming?
We pick the Durock T1 for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Which is quieter, the Cherry MX Clear or the Durock T1?
Volume is roughly a wash: no dampening and no click mechanism on either, so your typing force and your case decide the level. The character is not a wash, with the Cherry MX Clear reading as deep thud with a heavy, emphatic bottom-out against deep thocky tap with a big D-shaped bump from the Durock T1.
Is the Cherry MX Clear heavier than the Durock T1?
The Cherry MX Clear, by 10 g. Both figures are published at actuation, 65 g against 55 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Clear or the Durock T1?
The Cherry MX Clear sits in the mid priced bracket and the Durock T1 in the premium 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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