Gateron Black vs Gateron Ink Black V2
Money is the honest first difference between the Gateron Black and the Gateron Ink Black V2: one is budget friendly and the other premium priced, multiplied by a full board. Our full switch library links the two to each other for that reason. Play the A/B bursts below to hear them back to back, match the volumes, then read the spec 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 | Gateron Black | Gateron Ink Black V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 60 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | 70 g (our estimate) | 70 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Gateron advertises an actuation force for both of these, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure for either of these, so the two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
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. Budget also has a say, since the Gateron Black is budget friendly and the Gateron Ink Black V2 is premium priced. Weight is a wash: the two are rated identically at actuation and at bottom-out. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. Where we land: the Gateron Black for gaming, the Gateron Ink Black V2 for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Gateron Black
- Typing pick
- Gateron Ink Black V2
- Office pick
- Gateron Ink Black V2
Force curves
Gateron Black
Gateron 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.
Gateron Ink Black V2
Gateron 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.
Gateron Black or Gateron Ink Black V2: the long answer
Cost is the honest headline on this pair, so take it first. The Gateron Black is budget friendly, while the Gateron Ink Black V2 is premium priced. Only the Gateron Ink Black V2 comes factory lubed, so the Gateron Black asks for either an evening with a brush or tolerance of a drier stroke.
Now the part the spec table measures. Every force row in the table above reads the same on both sides, 60 g at actuation and 70 g at bottom-out. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those are our estimates. Both are linears either way, so nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. Distance is not the difference: both register at 2.0 mm and stop at 4.0 mm. Same stroke, same published spring: what is left to choose on is voice and the small print.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. The Gateron Black sits at firm, deeper clack with a planted landing; the Gateron Ink Black V2 answers with signature deep-yet-clacky Ink voice; smooth and resonant. Both packs are synthesized rather than recorded, so read the comparison as a faithful sketch of each voice and not as a measurement of it.
All three questions get different answers on this pair. Fast inputs: the Gateron Black, because the honest answer is that either would do, and it wins on a margin too small to feel. A long draft: the Gateron Ink Black V2, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. A room with other people in it: the Gateron Ink Black V2, as it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. 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 Gateron Black page and the Gateron Ink Black V2 page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Gateron Black or the Gateron Ink Black V2?
We pick the Gateron Black 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 of the Gateron Black and the Gateron Ink Black V2 is quieter in a shared room?
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 Gateron Black leans toward firm, deeper clack with a planted landing, while the Gateron Ink Black V2 is signature deep-yet-clacky Ink voice; smooth and resonant.
Is the Gateron Black heavier than the Gateron Ink Black V2?
Neither: they match at actuation and at bottom-out alike (60 g at actuation), so any difference in feel comes from the stroke rather than the spring. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure at all, so both of those numbers are our own derivation from the forces it does publish.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gateron Black or the Gateron Ink Black V2?
The Gateron Black sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Gateron Ink Black V2 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.
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