Cherry MX Red MX2A vs Kailh BOX Red
The Cherry MX Red MX2A and the Kailh BOX Red match on every force figure either brand publishes, which makes this a comparison of everything the spec sheet does not measure. 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 Red MX2A | Kailh BOX Red |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 60 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 1.8 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.6 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Cherry and Kailh both advertise an actuation force, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other. Neither Cherry nor Kailh 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. How that derivation works .
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two linears feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows the spec sheet cannot fill in. Weight is a wash: the two are rated identically at actuation and at bottom-out. Neither Cherry nor Kailh publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those are our estimates. One of them is ready out of the bag: the Cherry MX Red MX2A is lubed at the factory and the other is not. The scoring splits them: the Kailh BOX Red for gaming, the Cherry MX Red MX2A for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Kailh BOX Red
- Typing pick
- Cherry MX Red MX2A
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Red MX2A
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.
Kailh BOX Red
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 Red MX2A or Kailh BOX Red: the long answer
Read the spec sheet once, carefully, and most of this decision makes itself. The springs match at both published points, 45 g at actuation and 60 g at bottom-out, so weight is off the table entirely. Neither Cherry nor Kailh publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those are our estimates. Cherry and Kailh are both selling you linears here, so neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. Neither the trigger point nor the depth matches: 1.8 mm to actuation on the Kailh BOX Red against 2.0 mm, and 3.6 mm of total travel on the Kailh BOX Red against 4.0 mm. Same stroke, same published spring: what is left to choose on is voice and the small print.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Played back to back, the Cherry MX Red MX2A is neutral mid-pitched clack with a faint scratch on the slide against clean, slightly hollow clack; tight and consistent from the Kailh BOX Red. Worth repeating: the audio here is a simulation built from specs and community descriptions, not a recording of either switch.
On cost and convenience, both are mid priced. Only the Cherry MX Red MX2A comes factory lubed, so the Kailh BOX Red asks for either an evening with a brush or tolerance of a drier stroke.
This one genuinely splits. The Kailh BOX Red for games, because the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. The Cherry MX Red MX2A for writing, since its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. The Cherry MX Red MX2A for an office, as it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
For either one on its own terms, read the Cherry MX Red MX2A page and the Kailh BOX Red page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Kailh BOX Red the better gaming switch?
We pick the Kailh BOX Red 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 Red MX2A or the Kailh BOX Red?
Neither is dampened, so volume comes down to your board and your typing force. The one audible difference on the spec sheet is lube: the Cherry MX Red MX2A is lubed at the factory, which takes out spring ping and scratch rather than loudness.
Which has the heavier spring, the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Kailh BOX Red?
Neither: they match at actuation and at bottom-out alike (45 g at actuation), so any difference in feel comes from the stroke rather than the spring. Neither Cherry nor Kailh publishes a bottom-out figure, so both of those numbers are our own derivation from the forces they do publish.
Do the Cherry MX Red MX2A and the Kailh BOX Red need lubing?
The Cherry MX Red MX2A arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The Kailh BOX Red does not, and on a full board that is an evening of work if you want it at its smoothest. Plenty of people run unlubed switches happily; it is a question of whether a slightly drier stroke bothers you.
More comparisons
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