Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 vs Gateron Oil King
The Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 and the Gateron Oil King register at different depths, 0.8 mm apart, which is the kind of difference you feel in a game long before you notice it in a spec table. 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 | Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 | Gateron Oil King |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 80 g |
| 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 | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | ~$0.65 / switch |
Both of these are rated 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. The figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure for the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
The Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 and the Gateron Oil King are both linears, so nothing separates them at the fingertip until you look at springs and acoustics. Distance to actuation splits them as well, 1.2 mm on the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 against 2.0 mm on the Gateron Oil King. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at actuation, with the Gateron Oil King the marginally firmer press. Split by use: the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 for gaming and a shared office, the Gateron Oil King for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Gateron Box Ink Pink V2
- Typing pick
- Gateron Oil King
- 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 Oil King
Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 or Gateron Oil King: the long answer
Take the mechanical side first, since that is where this pair separates. 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 Oil King. At actuation the Gateron Oil King is the firmer press, 55 g against 50 g, a difference you notice after a paragraph rather than on the first keystroke. Type is not in play. Both are linears, and neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. Nothing here is decisive on its own, which is why the sound comparison matters more than usual on this pair.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Played back to back, the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 is Ink depth with a tighter, boxed-in clack over a short stroke against deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied from the Gateron Oil King. 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 what they cost to fill a board, the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 is premium priced, while the Gateron Oil King is mid priced at roughly $0.65 per switch, about $46 for a typical 70 pack. Both arrive lubed from the factory, which is one project you can skip either way.
The picks split by use. Take the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 if games come first, because the scoring hands it a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation. Take the Gateron Oil King if the board is mostly a writing tool, since nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. Take the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 if other people have to sit near it, as it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. 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 Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 page and the Gateron Oil King page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 or the Gateron Oil King the better gaming switch?
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 Oil King, and both of those show up in a fast game.
Is the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 quieter than the Gateron Oil King?
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 Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 reading as Ink depth with a tighter, boxed-in clack over a short stroke against deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied from the Gateron Oil King.
Which has the heavier spring, the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 or the Gateron Oil King?
The Gateron Oil King. Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 55 g against 50 g an honest 5 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 or the Gateron Oil King?
The Gateron Oil King sits in the mid priced bracket and the Gateron Box Ink Pink 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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