Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 vs Gateron Oil King
The Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 and the Gateron Oil King are separated mostly by spring weight, 10 g of it at actuation, with the Gateron Oil King the firmer press and the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 the easier one to hold down. Our switch library puts these two on each other's shortlist, and the player below is the fastest way to settle it: match the volumes, then work down through the 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 G Pro Red 3.0 | Gateron Oil King |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 50 g (our estimate) | 80 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | 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. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure for the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0, so the figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. How that derivation works .
Verdict
Both the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 and the Gateron Oil King are linears, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. Weight separates them clearly: measured at actuation, the Gateron Oil King is 10 g heavier than the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0, which changes both fatigue and sound. Price splits them too: the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 is the budget friendly option while the Gateron Oil King sits in the mid priced bracket, which adds up across a 70 switch board. By use case, then: the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 for gaming and a shared office, the Gateron Oil King for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Gateron G Pro Red 3.0
- Typing pick
- Gateron Oil King
- Office pick
- Gateron G Pro Red 3.0
Force curves
Gateron G Pro Red 3.0
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 50 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 G Pro Red 3.0 or Gateron Oil King: the long answer
Start with feel, because it settles most switch arguments before sound comes up. At actuation the Gateron Oil King is the firmer press, 55 g against 45 g, a difference you notice after a paragraph rather than on the first keystroke. Both are linears either way, so both give you spring resistance and nothing else. Distance is not the difference: both register at 2.0 mm and stop at 4.0 mm. With the stroke shared, that spring gap does most of the deciding here.
The ears usually get the last word here. Played back to back, the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 is quieter, lube-sheened clack; smoother than standard Red against deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied from the Gateron Oil King. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
On the practical side, the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 is budget friendly, while the Gateron Oil King is mid priced at roughly $0.65 per switch, about $46 for a typical 70 pack. Both come factory lubed, so neither needs work out of the box.
The picks split by use. Take the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 if games come first, because this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. 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 G Pro Red 3.0 if other people have to sit near it, as it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. 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 G Pro Red 3.0 page and the Gateron Oil King page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 or Gateron Oil King for gaming?
We pick the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Which of the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 and the Gateron Oil King is quieter in a shared room?
Nothing in either one is built to reduce noise, so on raw volume this is a tie decided by your keyboard rather than your switch. What you will actually hear is a difference of pitch and texture, which the player above shows better than a sentence can.
Which has the heavier spring, the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 or the Gateron Oil King?
The Gateron Oil King is heavier: 55 g against 45 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 or the Gateron Oil King?
The Gateron G Pro Red 3.0 sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Gateron Oil King in the mid 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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