Cherry MX Clear vs Zeal PC Zealios V2
The Cherry MX Clear and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 sit in different price brackets, which across the 70-odd switches a board needs is a bigger difference than most of the spec sheet. Our switch library already points each of these at the other. Hear them back to back below with the trims matched before you read a single number.
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 | Zeal PC Zealios V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | bottom-out |
| Actuation force | 65 g | 60 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 | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Premium |
| Street price | varies | ~$1.00 / switch |
Cherry advertises an actuation force for the Cherry MX Clear and Zeal PC a bottom-out force for the Zeal PC Zealios V2, so the two headline numbers are not measured at the same point. Compare row by row, not brand claim to brand claim. 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. Budget also has a say, since the Cherry MX Clear is mid priced and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 is premium priced. Weight is nearly even at actuation: 65 g for the Cherry MX Clear against 60 g, a gap most fingers will barely register. Where we land: the Zeal PC Zealios V2 for gaming and typing, the Cherry MX Clear for a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Zeal PC Zealios V2
- Typing pick
- Zeal PC Zealios V2
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Clear
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.
Zeal PC Zealios V2
Cherry MX Clear or Zeal PC Zealios V2: the long answer
Cost is the honest headline on this pair, so take it first. The Cherry MX Clear is mid priced, while the Zeal PC Zealios V2 is premium priced at roughly $1.00 per switch, about $70 for a typical 70 pack. Neither ships lubed, so budget an evening with a brush if you want either at its best.
The specs are the smaller half of this pair, but they are not nothing. At actuation they sit 5 g apart, 65 g against 60 g, close enough that lube and housing will decide the feel before the spring does. 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. Neither one out-feels the other on type, so the small differences in the table are where the decision lives.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Through the A/B player above, the Cherry MX Clear comes through as deep thud with a heavy, emphatic bottom-out, while the Zeal PC Zealios V2 reads as rounded clack behind a huge sharp top-of-stroke bump. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
The Zeal PC Zealios V2 is the default here: the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair for fast inputs, and nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch across a long session. Swap to the Cherry MX Clear when the room is the constraint, as it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. Match the trims above, play both, and trust whichever one you keep replaying.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Cherry MX Clear page and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 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 Zeal PC Zealios V2?
We pick the Zeal PC Zealios V2 for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Cherry MX Clear or Zeal PC Zealios V2: which one is quieter?
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 rounded clack behind a huge sharp top-of-stroke bump from the Zeal PC Zealios V2.
Is the Cherry MX Clear heavier than the Zeal PC Zealios V2?
The Cherry MX Clear, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 65 g to 60 g.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Clear or the Zeal PC Zealios V2?
The Cherry MX Clear sits in the mid priced bracket and the Zeal PC Zealios V2 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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