Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 vs Kailh BOX Red
The Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 and the Kailh BOX Red register at different depths, 0.6 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 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 | Kailh BOX Red |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 60 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 1.2 mm | 1.8 mm |
| Total travel | 3.4 mm | 3.6 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | 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 Gateron 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
This is a linear versus linear contest: the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 and the Kailh BOX Red share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. The Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 also actuates earlier, 1.2 mm of pre-travel against 1.8 mm, which fast players tend to notice. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at actuation, with the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 the marginally firmer press. The Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 comes out ahead of the Kailh BOX Red for gaming and for typing, and it is the one that carries less across a room, so this comparison has one answer instead of a set of them.
- Overall pick
- Gateron Box Ink Pink V2
This pair does not split by use case: the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 comes out ahead of the Kailh BOX Red on all three, so there is one pick here rather than three.
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.
Kailh BOX Red
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.
Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 or Kailh BOX Red: the long answer
Take the mechanical side first, since that is where this pair separates. Travel differs at both ends, with the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 registering first at 1.2 mm and the Kailh BOX Red running deepest at 3.6 mm. Springs split them by 5 g at actuation: 50 g for the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2, 45 g for the Kailh BOX Red. The stroke itself is shared: both give you spring resistance and nothing else. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. The Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 sits at Ink depth with a tighter, boxed-in clack over a short stroke; the Kailh BOX Red answers with clean, slightly hollow clack; tight and consistent. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
On price and practicality, the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 is premium priced, while the Kailh BOX Red is mid priced. Factory lube is on the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 alone. Budget the extra time if you pick the Kailh BOX Red and want it at its best.
That leaves an unusually simple answer, because one switch wins on all three counts: the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 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 is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. That leaves the Kailh BOX Red to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. Before you order either, match the volume trims above and hear them back to back.
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 Kailh BOX Red 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 Kailh BOX Red?
We pick the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 or Kailh BOX Red: which one is quieter?
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 clean, slightly hollow clack; tight and consistent from the Kailh BOX Red.
Which has the heavier spring, the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 or the Kailh BOX Red?
The Gateron Box Ink Pink V2, by 5 g. Both figures are published at actuation, 50 g against 45 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gateron Box Ink Pink V2 or the Kailh BOX Red?
The Kailh BOX Red 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.
More comparisons
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