Gateron Red vs Kailh Red
Weight is the real gap here: 5 g between the Kailh Red and the Gateron Red at actuation, which is enough to change how a long session ends. Our library of every switch we simulate 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 Red | Kailh Red |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | 55 g (our estimate) | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Budget |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Gateron and Kailh both advertise an actuation force, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other. Gateron publishes no bottom-out figure for the Gateron Red, 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. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at actuation, with the Kailh Red the marginally firmer press. With the numbers this close, the honest tiebreak is the voice: smooth, light clack with minimal scratch on the Gateron Red, familiar MX-clone clack with a touch more scratch on the Kailh Red. Nothing here separates by use case: the Gateron Red is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. Take the Kailh Red only if you specifically want familiar MX-clone clack with a touch more scratch.
- Overall pick
- Gateron Red
No use case rescues the Kailh Red here. The Gateron Red wins gaming, typing and the office question alike, so the block collapses to one.
Force curves
Gateron Red
Gateron publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 55 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.
Kailh Red
Kailh 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 Red or Kailh Red: the long answer
Put the two side by side on paper before you trust your ears. At actuation the Kailh Red is the firmer press, 50 g against 45 g, a difference you notice after a paragraph rather than on the first keystroke. The stroke itself is shared: nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. Travel is a straight match, 2.0 mm of pre-travel and 4.0 mm in full on both. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Two different voices: smooth, light clack with minimal scratch on the Gateron Red, familiar MX-clone clack with a touch more scratch on the Kailh Red. 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 budget friendly. Neither ships lubed, so budget an evening with a brush if you want either at its best.
This one does not split. Every axis we score points the same direction: the Gateron Red 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 Kailh Red 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.
For either one on its own terms, read the Gateron Red page and the Kailh Red page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Gateron Red or the Kailh Red the better gaming switch?
We pick the Gateron Red for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Which is quieter, the Gateron Red or the Kailh Red?
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 Red or the Kailh Red?
The Kailh Red, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 50 g to 45 g.
More comparisons
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Or browse every switch comparison on the site.