Gateron Oil King vs Gateron Yellow
The Gateron Yellow and the Gateron Oil King sit in different price brackets, which across the 70-odd switches a board needs is a bigger difference than most of the spec sheet. Our full 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 Oil King | Gateron Yellow |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 55 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | 80 g | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Budget |
| Street price | ~$0.65 / switch | varies |
Gateron advertises an actuation force for both of these, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other.
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two linears feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. Budget also has a say, since the Gateron Yellow is budget friendly and the Gateron Oil King is mid priced. The Gateron Oil King is the firmer of the two at actuation, 55 g to 50 g, though 5 g is not much to choose between. Our picks: the Gateron Yellow for gaming, the Gateron Oil King for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Gateron Yellow
- Typing pick
- Gateron Oil King
- Office pick
- Gateron Oil King
Force curves
Gateron Oil King
Gateron Yellow
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Gateron Oil King or Gateron Yellow: the long answer
Start with what these cost to fill a board, because that is the widest gap between them. The Gateron Oil King is mid priced at roughly $0.65 per switch, about $46 for a typical 70 pack, while the Gateron Yellow is budget friendly. Factory lube is on the Gateron Oil King alone. Budget the extra time if you pick the Gateron Yellow and want it at its best.
On to the mechanical side. The Gateron Oil King carries the heavier spring at actuation, 55 g to 50 g. That is a real 5 g without being a change of bracket. Type is not in play. Both are linears, and neither one puts a bump or a click in the way of the press. Distance is not the difference: both register at 2.0 mm and stop at 4.0 mm. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Put them through the player above and the Gateron Oil King lands as deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied where the Gateron Yellow lands as smooth, slightly deep clack; famously good for the money. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
This one genuinely splits. The Gateron Yellow for games, because this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. The Gateron Oil King for writing, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. The Gateron Oil King for an office, as it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. None of this beats hearing them yourself, which the player above lets you do in about a minute.
For either one on its own terms, read the Gateron Oil King page and the Gateron Yellow page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Gateron Oil King or the Gateron Yellow?
We pick the Gateron Yellow for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Which is quieter, the Gateron Oil King or the Gateron Yellow?
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 Oil King reading as deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied against smooth, slightly deep clack; famously good for the money from the Gateron Yellow.
Is the Gateron Oil King heavier than the Gateron Yellow?
The Gateron Oil King is heavier: 55 g against 50 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gateron Oil King or the Gateron Yellow?
The Gateron Yellow 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.
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