Durock T1 vs Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0
Money is the honest first difference between the Durock T1 and the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0: one is mid priced and the other premium priced, multiplied by a full board. Our switch library cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
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 | Durock T1 | Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | actuation |
| Actuation force | 55 g | 59 g |
| Bottom-out force | 67 g | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Durock advertises a bottom-out force for the Durock T1 and Gateron an actuation force for the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0, so the two headline numbers are not measured at the same point. Compare row by row, not brand claim to brand claim.
Verdict
Both the Durock T1 and the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 are tactiles, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. Budget also has a say, since the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 is mid priced and the Durock T1 is premium priced. Weight is nearly even at actuation: 59 g for the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 against 55 g, a gap most fingers will barely register. Nothing here separates by use case: the Durock T1 is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. Take the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 only if you specifically want poppy, clacky tactile snap with a lively rebound.
- Overall pick
- Durock T1
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Durock T1 takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
Force curves
Durock T1
Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0
Gateron 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.
Durock T1 or Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0: the long answer
Money separates these two more cleanly than any spec does. The Durock T1 is premium priced, while the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 is mid priced. Both arrive lubed from the factory, which is one project you can skip either way.
That leaves the stroke itself. They register at the same 2.0 mm, then part company on depth: 4.0 mm on the Durock T1 against 3.4 mm on the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0. Both are tactiles either way, so both give a finger something to aim at on the way down. The Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 is nominally firmer at actuation, 59 g to 55 g, but 4 g is not a gap you buy a switch for. Nothing here is decisive on its own, which is why the sound comparison matters more than usual on this pair.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Played back to back, the Durock T1 is deep thocky tap with a big D-shaped bump against poppy, clacky tactile snap with a lively rebound from the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
So who should buy which? The same switch wins every way we score it: the Durock T1 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, nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. On noise, it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. That leaves the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 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.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Durock T1 page and the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Durock T1 or the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0?
We pick the Durock T1 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 Durock T1 or the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0?
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 Durock T1 leans toward deep thocky tap with a big D-shaped bump, while the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 is poppy, clacky tactile snap with a lively rebound.
Which switch is heavier, the Durock T1 or the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0?
The Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 59 g to 55 g.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Durock T1 or the Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0?
The Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0 sits in the mid priced bracket and the Durock T1 in the premium 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
More vs Durock T1
More vs Gateron Baby Kangaroo 2.0
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.