Cherry MX Low Profile Speed vs Kailh Speed Silver
Check compatibility before feel on this pair: the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed will not drop into the same board as the other one, which narrows the choice for most people to whatever their keyboard accepts. 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 Low Profile Speed | Kailh Speed Silver |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 40 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | 60 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 1 mm | 1.1 mm |
| Total travel | 3.2 mm | 3.5 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 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. The figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Kailh publishes no bottom-out figure for the Kailh Speed Silver. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two linears feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. They also do not fit the same keyboard: the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed is low profile and needs a low-profile board and keycaps. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at actuation, with the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed the marginally firmer press. The scoring splits them: the Kailh Speed Silver for gaming and typing, the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed for a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Kailh Speed Silver
- Typing pick
- Kailh Speed Silver
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Low Profile Speed
Force curves
Cherry MX Low Profile Speed
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.
Kailh Speed Silver
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 Low Profile Speed or Kailh Speed Silver: the long answer
This pair has a fit problem to clear before feel or sound matter. The Cherry MX Low Profile Speed is a low-profile switch, so it needs a low-profile board and low-profile keycaps and cannot be dropped into a standard-height board alongside the other. Both are mid priced. Neither ships lubed, so budget an evening with a brush if you want either at its best.
That leaves the stroke itself. The Cherry MX Low Profile Speed carries the heavier spring at actuation, 45 g to 40 g. That is a real 5 g without being a change of bracket. The stroke itself is shared: neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. Travel differs at both ends, with the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed registering first at 1.0 mm and the Kailh Speed Silver running deepest at 3.5 mm. Neither one out-feels the other on type, so the small differences in the table are where the decision lives.
The ears usually get the last word here. Put them through the player above and the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed lands as shallow and fast; a quick, clipped tick where the Kailh Speed Silver lands as short, sharp clack that fires early. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
The Kailh Speed Silver is the default here: this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up for fast inputs, and it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last across a long session. Swap to the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed when the room is the constraint, as it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
For either one on its own terms, read the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed page and the Kailh Speed Silver page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed or the Kailh Speed Silver the better gaming switch?
We pick the Kailh Speed Silver 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 of the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed and the Kailh Speed Silver 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 switch is heavier, the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed or the Kailh Speed Silver?
The Cherry MX Low Profile Speed, by 5 g. Both figures are published at actuation, 45 g against 40 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
Can the Cherry MX Low Profile Speed and the Kailh Speed Silver go in the same keyboard?
Not the same board, no. The Cherry MX Low Profile Speed is a low-profile switch and needs a low-profile board and low-profile keycaps; the Kailh Speed Silver is standard height. They are alternatives to each other only if you are choosing the keyboard at the same time.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX Low Profile Speed
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.