Gateron Ink Red V2 vs Gateron Ink Yellow V2
The Gateron Ink Red V2 and the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 are separated mostly by spring weight, 15 g of it at actuation, with the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 the firmer press and the Gateron Ink Red V2 the easier one to hold down. Our library of every switch we simulate 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 Ink Red V2 | Gateron Ink Yellow V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 67 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 1.2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
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 two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure for either of these. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
Both the Gateron Ink Red V2 and the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 are linears, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. There is a real weight gap too: 60 g against 45 g at actuation, so the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 asks noticeably more of your fingers over a long session. Distance to actuation splits them as well, 1.2 mm on the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 against 2.0 mm on the Gateron Ink Red V2. Split by use: the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 for gaming and typing, the Gateron Ink Red V2 for a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Gateron Ink Yellow V2
- Typing pick
- Gateron Ink Yellow V2
- Office pick
- Gateron Ink Red V2
Force curves
Gateron Ink Red 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 Yellow V2
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 67 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 Red V2 or Gateron Ink Yellow V2: the long answer
Start with feel, because it settles most switch arguments before sound comes up. Weight is the loud fact here. At actuation the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 takes 60 g where the Gateron Ink Red V2 takes 45 g, and 15 g is enough to change how the third hour feels. Neither the trigger point nor the depth matches: 1.2 mm to actuation on the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 against 2.0 mm, and 3.4 mm of total travel on the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 against 4.0 mm. The stroke itself is shared: neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. With the stroke shared, that spring gap does most of the deciding here.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. The Gateron Ink Red V2 sits at light and airy with the Ink housing's deep undertone; the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 answers with the Ink voice on a compressed stroke; deep, crisp, quick to land. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
On what they cost to fill a board, both are premium priced. Both come factory lubed, so neither needs work out of the box.
The split is simple. Buy the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 for how it plays and how it writes: the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair, and at the keyboard all day, its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. Buy the Gateron Ink Red V2 if other people have to sit near it, as it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. 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 Ink Red V2 page and the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Gateron Ink Red V2 or Gateron Ink Yellow V2 for gaming?
We pick the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Gateron Ink Red V2 or Gateron Ink Yellow V2: 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 Ink Red V2 reading as light and airy with the Ink housing's deep undertone against the Ink voice on a compressed stroke; deep, crisp, quick to land from the Gateron Ink Yellow V2.
Gateron Ink Red V2 vs Gateron Ink Yellow V2: which one is the heavier press?
The Gateron Ink Yellow V2, by 15 g. Both figures are published at actuation, 60 g against 45 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
More comparisons
More vs Gateron Ink Red V2
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.