Gateron Oil King vs Zeal PC Tealios V2
Weight is the real gap here: 13 g between the Gateron Oil King and the Zeal PC Tealios V2 at bottom-out, which is enough to change how a long session ends. Our full switch library links the two to each other for that reason. Play the A/B bursts below to hear them back to back, match the volumes, then read the spec 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 Oil King | Zeal PC Tealios V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | bottom-out |
| Actuation force | 55 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 80 g | 67 g |
| 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 | Premium |
| Street price | ~$0.65 / switch | ~$1.00 / switch |
Gateron advertises an actuation force for the Gateron Oil King and Zeal PC a bottom-out force for the Zeal PC Tealios V2, so the two headline numbers are not measured at the same point. Compare row by row, not brand claim to brand claim.
Verdict
This is a linear versus linear contest: the Gateron Oil King and the Zeal PC Tealios V2 share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. 13 g at bottom-out is a bracket apart, not a shade, and it is the Gateron Oil King carrying the heavier end at 80 g. Price splits them too: the Gateron Oil King is the mid priced option while the Zeal PC Tealios V2 sits in the premium priced bracket, which adds up across a 70 switch board. We land on the Gateron Oil King for every use we score, and it is the one that carries less across a room, so the Zeal PC Tealios V2 makes sense only if you preferred its voice in the player above.
- Overall pick
- Gateron Oil King
Gaming, typing and a shared office all point at the Gateron Oil King, so printing the same name three times would tell you nothing. One pick it is.
Force curves
Gateron Oil King
Zeal PC Tealios V2
Gateron Oil King or Zeal PC Tealios V2: the long answer
Put the two side by side on paper before you trust your ears. Springs split them by 13 g at bottom-out: 80 g for the Gateron Oil King, 67 g for the Zeal PC Tealios V2. Gateron and Zeal PC are both selling you linears here, so nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. 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.
What the table cannot tell you is how either one lands in a room. Played back to back, the Gateron Oil King is deep, muted, oily thock; dark and full-bodied against bright, slightly hollow glassy clack from the Zeal PC Tealios V2. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
On cost and convenience, the Gateron Oil King is mid priced at roughly $0.65 per switch, about $46 for a typical 70 pack, while the Zeal PC Tealios V2 is premium priced at roughly $1.00 per switch, about $70 for a typical 70 pack. Only the Gateron Oil King comes factory lubed, so the Zeal PC Tealios V2 asks for either an evening with a brush or tolerance of a drier stroke.
The scoring gives up trying to divide this pair: the Gateron Oil King is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. On typing feel, nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. On noise, it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. That leaves the Zeal PC Tealios V2 to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Gateron Oil King page and the Zeal PC Tealios V2 page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Gateron Oil King or Zeal PC Tealios V2 for gaming?
We pick the Gateron Oil King for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Gateron Oil King or Zeal PC Tealios V2: which one is quieter?
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 Oil King or the Zeal PC Tealios V2?
The Gateron Oil King. Both brands publish at bottom-out, which makes 80 g against 67 g an honest 13 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Gateron Oil King or the Zeal PC Tealios V2?
The Gateron Oil King. At roughly $0.65 against $1.00 per switch, a 70 switch board comes to about $46 versus about $70. Street prices move, so treat those as the gap rather than the total.
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