Cherry MX Red MX2A vs Kailh Red
Money is the honest first difference between the Cherry MX Red MX2A and the Kailh Red: one is budget friendly and the other mid priced, multiplied by a full board. Our switch library 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 Red MX2A | Kailh Red |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | not published |
| 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 |
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. 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 Red MX2A. How that derivation works .
Verdict
This is a linear versus linear contest: the Cherry MX Red MX2A and the Kailh Red share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. The Kailh Red is the cheaper board to fill by a full bracket, budget friendly against mid priced. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at actuation, with the Kailh Red the marginally firmer press. Nothing here separates by use case: the Cherry MX Red MX2A is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. Take the Kailh Red only if you specifically want familiar MX-clone clack with a touch more scratch.
- Overall pick
- Cherry MX Red MX2A
No use case rescues the Kailh Red here. The Cherry MX Red MX2A wins gaming, typing and the office question alike, so the block collapses to one.
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 Red
Kailh 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.
Cherry MX Red MX2A or Kailh Red: the long answer
Cost is the honest headline on this pair, so take it first. The Cherry MX Red MX2A is mid priced, while the Kailh Red is budget friendly. Only the Cherry MX Red MX2A comes factory lubed, so the Kailh Red asks for either an evening with a brush or tolerance of a drier stroke.
Now the part the spec table measures. The Kailh Red carries the heavier spring at actuation, 50 g to 45 g. That is a real 5 g without being a change of bracket. Type is not in play. Both are linears, and nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. The two stroke depths are identical, 2.0 mm to actuation inside 4.0 mm of total travel. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
The ears usually get the last word here. The Cherry MX Red MX2A sits at neutral mid-pitched clack with a faint scratch on the slide; the Kailh Red answers with familiar MX-clone clack with a touch more scratch. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
The scoring gives up trying to divide this pair: the Cherry MX Red MX2A 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 one of these two you would not apologize for. That leaves the Kailh Red to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. Match the trims above, play both, and trust whichever one you keep replaying.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Cherry MX Red MX2A page and the Kailh Red page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Kailh Red the better gaming switch?
We pick the Cherry MX Red MX2A for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Is the Cherry MX Red MX2A quieter than the Kailh Red?
They are close. Neither is a silent switch and neither clicks, so loudness depends mostly on how hard you bottom out and the board they sit in. Their character differs though: the Cherry MX Red MX2A leans toward neutral mid-pitched clack with a faint scratch on the slide, while the Kailh Red is familiar MX-clone clack with a touch more scratch.
Which switch is heavier, the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Kailh Red?
The Kailh Red. Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 50 g against 45 g an honest 5 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Cherry MX Red MX2A or the Kailh Red?
The Kailh 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.
More comparisons
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