Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 vs Gateron Ink Black V2
The Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 and the Gateron Ink Black V2 are separated mostly by spring weight, 10 g of it at actuation, with the Gateron Ink Black V2 the firmer press and the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 the easier one to hold down. Our full switch library 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 | Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 | Gateron Ink Black V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 70 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 1.2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | 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
Gateron is on both sides of this one and both are linears, so the question is which of its own linears suits you. 10 g at actuation is a bracket apart, not a shade, and it is the Gateron Ink Black V2 carrying the heavier end at 60 g. The Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 also actuates earlier, 1.2 mm of pre-travel against 2.0 mm, which fast players tend to notice. Where we land: the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 for gaming and a shared office, the Gateron Ink Black V2 for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Gateron Box Ink Pink V2
- Typing pick
- Gateron Ink Black V2
- Office pick
- Gateron Box Ink Pink V2
Force curves
Gateron Box Ink Pink V2
Gateron 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.
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 Box Ink Pink V2 or Gateron Ink Black V2: the long answer
Put the two side by side on paper before you trust your ears. Springs split them by 10 g at actuation: 60 g for the Gateron Ink Black V2, 50 g for the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2. On distance the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 registers at 1.2 mm against 2.0 mm, and the full stroke runs 3.4 mm on the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 against 4.0 mm on the Gateron Ink Black V2. Type is not in play. Both are linears, and both give you spring resistance and nothing else. Everything else about them is close enough that the spring is the honest tiebreak.
What the table cannot tell you is how either one lands in a room. Put them through the player above and the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 lands as Ink depth with a tighter, boxed-in clack over a short stroke where the Gateron Ink Black V2 lands as 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.
On the practical side, both are premium priced. Both arrive lubed from the factory, which is one project you can skip either way.
Who buys which, then? Gaming goes to the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2, because a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation go its way. Writing goes to the Gateron Ink Black V2, since nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. A shared room goes to the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2, as it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. Before you order either, match the volume trims above and hear them back to back.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 page and the Gateron Ink Black V2 page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 or the Gateron Ink Black V2?
We pick the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 for gaming. The scoring gives it a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation against the Gateron Ink Black V2, and both of those show up in a fast game.
Is the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 quieter than the Gateron Ink Black V2?
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 Box Ink Pink V2 leans toward Ink depth with a tighter, boxed-in clack over a short stroke, while the Gateron Ink Black V2 is signature deep-yet-clacky Ink voice; smooth and resonant.
Which switch is heavier, the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 or the Gateron Ink Black V2?
The Gateron Ink Black V2. Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 60 g against 50 g an honest 10 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
More comparisons
More vs Gateron Box Ink Pink V2
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.