Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A vs Kailh Speed Copper
This one is a linear against a tactile: the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A and the Kailh Speed Copper feel different from the first press, and no amount of tuning closes that. Our library of every switch we simulate 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 Speed Silver MX2A | Kailh Speed Copper |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 40 g |
| Bottom-out force | 70 g (our estimate) | not published |
| Pre-travel | 1.2 mm | 1.1 mm |
| Total travel | 3.4 mm | 3.5 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. 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 Speed Silver MX2A. How that derivation works .
Verdict
Start with feel: the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A gives you a linear stroke and the Kailh Speed Copper a tactile one, and no amount of tuning changes that. The Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A is the firmer of the two at actuation, 45 g to 40 g, though 5 g is not much to choose between. Only the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A arrives factory lubed, which is an evening of work saved on a full board. By use case, then: the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A for gaming, the Kailh Speed Copper for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
- Typing pick
- Kailh Speed Copper
- Office pick
- Kailh Speed Copper
Force curves
Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 70 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 Speed Copper
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 Speed Silver MX2A or Kailh Speed Copper: the long answer
Read the spec sheet once, carefully, and most of this decision makes itself. One of these is a linear and the other a tactile, which means the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A runs smooth the whole way down while the Kailh Speed Copper raises a bump at the point it registers. At actuation the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A is the firmer press, 45 g against 40 g, a difference you notice after a paragraph rather than on the first keystroke. On distance the Kailh Speed Copper registers at 1.1 mm against 1.2 mm, and the full stroke runs 3.4 mm on the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A against 3.5 mm on the Kailh Speed Copper. Everything after this is a refinement of a choice you have already made by picking a type.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Played back to back, the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A is short, tight clack that arrives early against bright early tap; the bump arrives immediately from the Kailh Speed Copper. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
On the practical side, both are mid priced. Factory lube is on the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A alone. Budget the extra time if you pick the Kailh Speed Copper and want it at its best.
Answer the use case and the switch follows. Games point at the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A, because a linear stroke puts no bump between you and the next press. Writing points at the Kailh Speed Copper, since the bump tells your fingers the key registered, which is most of what typists want. A shared room points at the Kailh Speed Copper, 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 Speed Silver MX2A page and the Kailh Speed Copper page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A or the Kailh Speed Copper?
We pick the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A for gaming. On a fast repeat the tactile bump on the Kailh Speed Copper is one event too many, and the linear does not have it.
Is the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A quieter than the Kailh Speed Copper?
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 Speed Silver MX2A reading as short, tight clack that arrives early against bright early tap; the bump arrives immediately from the Kailh Speed Copper.
Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A vs Kailh Speed Copper: which one is the heavier press?
The Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 45 g to 40 g.
Do the Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A and the Kailh Speed Copper need lubing?
The Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The Kailh Speed Copper 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
More vs Cherry MX Speed Silver MX2A
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.