Cherry MX White vs Kailh BOX White
The Cherry MX White and the Kailh BOX White are separated mostly by spring weight, 35 g of it at actuation, with the Cherry MX White the firmer press and the Kailh BOX White the easier one to hold down. 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 White | Kailh BOX White |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 80 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 100 g (our estimate) | 60 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2.2 mm | 1.8 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.6 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. 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
Both the Cherry MX White and the Kailh BOX White are clickies, but they are not the same click: the two use different mechanisms, and that is where most of the difference lives. The springs are far apart, with the Cherry MX White at 80 g actuation versus 45 g for the Kailh BOX White, a gap you feel within a paragraph of typing. They also click differently: a click jacket sliding down the stem on the Cherry MX White against a click bar snapping inside the housing on the Kailh BOX White. Where we land: the Kailh BOX White for gaming and typing, the Cherry MX White for a shared office. Read that office call as relative: the Cherry MX White clicks too, just less insistently.
- Gaming pick
- Kailh BOX White
- Typing pick
- Kailh BOX White
- Office pick
- Cherry MX White
Force curves
Cherry MX White
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 100 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 White
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 White or Kailh BOX White: the long answer
Start with feel, because it settles most switch arguments before sound comes up. The springs are a long way apart: 80 g against 45 g at actuation, so the Cherry MX White asks noticeably more of your fingers across a long session. Neither the trigger point nor the depth matches: 1.8 mm to actuation on the Kailh BOX White against 2.2 mm, and 3.6 mm of total travel on the Kailh BOX White against 4.0 mm. Cherry and Kailh are both selling you clickies here, so both fire an audible click alongside the bump. With the stroke shared, that spring gap does most of the deciding here.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Played back to back, the Cherry MX White is muted, duller click; a clicky that half-whispers against sharp, clean tick-tick; click bar snapping on press and release from the Kailh BOX White. They do not even click the same way: a click jacket sliding down the stem on the Cherry MX White against a click bar snapping inside the housing on the Kailh BOX White, which is most of the tonal difference you are hearing. A click you love at your own desk can still be the loudest thing in someone else’s meeting. 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. Neither ships lubed, so budget an evening with a brush if you want either at its best.
Two of the three questions have the same answer. The Kailh BOX White takes gaming, because a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation go its way, and typing, because the click turns a long writing session into a rhythm, if your room allows it. Only the shared-room question goes to the Cherry MX White, as neither of these belongs in a quiet shared room, and this is only the less punishing of the two clicks. Before you order either, match the volume trims above and hear them back to back.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Cherry MX White page and the Kailh BOX White page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Cherry MX White or the Kailh BOX White?
We pick the Kailh BOX White for gaming. It takes this one on a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation, which is what a fast repeated press actually cares about.
Which of the Cherry MX White and the Kailh BOX White is quieter in a shared room?
Both are loud, so choosing between them is choosing a tone and not a volume. If the room is the constraint, neither of these is the answer and a silent tactile is.
Cherry MX White vs Kailh BOX White: which one is the heavier press?
The Cherry MX White. Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 80 g against 45 g an honest 35 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX White
More vs Kailh BOX White
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.