Gateron Ink Yellow V2 vs Gateron Oil King
The Gateron Ink Yellow V2 and the Gateron Oil King swap places on weight depending on where you measure, which is exactly the kind of thing a spec table hides and a comparison page should not. 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 Ink Yellow V2 | Gateron Oil King |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 60 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 67 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. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure for the Gateron Ink Yellow V2, so the figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two linears feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. Weight depends on where you measure: the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 is the firmer press at actuation by 5 g, while the Gateron Oil King is the heavier one at bottom-out by 13 g. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure, so treat that 67 g as our estimate. Distance to actuation splits them as well, 1.2 mm on the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 against 2.0 mm on the Gateron Oil King. Split by use: the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 for gaming and a shared office, the Gateron Oil King for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Gateron Ink Yellow V2
- Typing pick
- Gateron Oil King
- Office pick
- Gateron Ink Yellow V2
Force curves
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 Oil King
Gateron Ink Yellow V2 or Gateron Oil King: the long answer
Take the mechanical side first, since that is where this pair separates. The two force rows in the table disagree with each other. At actuation the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 leads by 5 g; at bottom-out the Gateron Oil King leads by 13 g, so read them together or not at all. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure, so treat that 67 g as our estimate. Travel differs at both ends, with the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 registering first at 1.2 mm and the Gateron Oil King running deepest at 4.0 mm. The stroke itself is shared: nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. Same family of stroke, so read the detail rather than the headline.
What the table cannot tell you is how either one lands in a room. Played back to back, the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 is the Ink voice on a compressed stroke; deep, crisp, quick to land against deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied from the Gateron Oil King. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
On what they cost to fill a board, the Gateron Ink Yellow 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. Factory lube on both, so the smoothness you hear in the player is roughly the smoothness you get.
Who buys which, then? Gaming goes to the Gateron Ink Yellow V2, because it wins on a shorter distance to actuation. Writing goes to the Gateron Oil King, 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 Ink Yellow V2, as it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. Do the listening first. It costs nothing and it changes minds more often than a spec table does.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 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 Ink Yellow V2 or Gateron Oil King for gaming?
We pick the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 for gaming. It takes this one on a shorter distance to actuation, which is what a fast repeated press actually cares about.
Is the Gateron Ink Yellow 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 Ink Yellow V2 reading as the Ink voice on a compressed stroke; deep, crisp, quick to land against deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied from the Gateron Oil King.
Is the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 heavier than the Gateron Oil King?
That depends on where you measure, because these two cross over. The Gateron Ink Yellow V2 is the firmer press at actuation, 60 g against 55 g, but that reverses at bottom-out, where the Gateron Oil King is the heavier of the two at 80 g against 67 g. Both of these are advertised at actuation, so the actuation figures are the ones the makers stand behind. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure, so the 67 g we list for the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 is our own derivation from the forces it does publish rather than a manufacturer rating.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gateron Ink Yellow V2 or the Gateron Oil King?
The Gateron Oil King sits in the mid priced bracket and the Gateron Ink Yellow 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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