Cherry MX Red MX2A vs Gateron Red
Money is the honest first difference between the Cherry MX Red MX2A and the Gateron Red: one is budget friendly and the other mid priced, multiplied by a full board. Our full 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 Red MX2A | Gateron Red |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 55 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Budget |
| 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 Gateron 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
Cherry and Gateron are selling the same stroke here, so the Cherry MX Red MX2A and the Gateron Red separate on spring, distance and voice instead. Price splits them too: the Gateron Red is the budget friendly option while the Cherry MX Red MX2A sits in the mid priced bracket, which adds up across a 70 switch board. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at bottom-out, with the Cherry MX Red MX2A the marginally firmer press. Neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those are our estimates. The Cherry MX Red MX2A comes out ahead of the Gateron Red 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
- Cherry MX Red MX2A
This pair does not split by use case: the Cherry MX Red MX2A comes out ahead of the Gateron Red on all three, so there is one pick here rather than three.
Force curves
Cherry MX Red 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.
Gateron Red
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 55 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 Red MX2A or Gateron Red: the long answer
Money separates these two more cleanly than any spec does. The Cherry MX Red MX2A is mid priced, while the Gateron Red is budget friendly. 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.
That leaves the stroke itself. The Cherry MX Red MX2A is nominally firmer at bottom-out, 60 g to 55 g, but 5 g is not a gap you buy a switch for. Neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those are our estimates. Cherry and Gateron are both selling you linears here, so neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. Travel is a straight match, 2.0 mm of pre-travel and 4.0 mm in full on both. Same family of stroke, so read the detail rather than the headline.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Two different voices: neutral mid-pitched clack with a faint scratch on the slide on the Cherry MX Red MX2A, smooth, light clack with minimal scratch on the Gateron Red. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
This one does not split. Every axis we score points the same direction: the Cherry MX Red MX2A is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the honest answer is that either would do, and it wins on a margin too small to feel. On typing feel, its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. On noise, it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. That leaves the Gateron Red 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.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Cherry MX Red MX2A page and the Gateron Red page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Gateron Red?
We pick the Cherry MX Red MX2A for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Is the Cherry MX Red MX2A quieter than the Gateron Red?
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 Red MX2A reading as neutral mid-pitched clack with a faint scratch on the slide against smooth, light clack with minimal scratch from the Gateron Red.
Cherry MX Red MX2A vs Gateron Red: which one is the heavier press?
The Cherry MX Red MX2A on the figures this page carries, 60 g to 55 g at bottom-out, but the comparison is not manufacturer against manufacturer: neither Cherry nor Gateron publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those numbers are our own derivation from the forces they do publish.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Gateron Red?
The Gateron Red sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Cherry MX Red MX2A in the mid priced one. We do not hold a reliable per-switch price for both, so the bracket is the honest answer rather than a total.
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