Kailh BOX Jade vs Kailh BOX White
The Kailh BOX Jade and the Kailh BOX White are separated mostly by spring weight, 5 g of it at actuation, with the Kailh BOX Jade the firmer press and the Kailh BOX White the easier one to hold down. Our library of every switch we simulate 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 | Kailh BOX Jade | Kailh BOX White |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 65 g (our estimate) | 60 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 1.8 mm | 1.8 mm |
| Total travel | 3.6 mm | 3.6 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| 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. Kailh publishes no bottom-out figure for either of these, so the two figures marked "our estimate" are our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
Kailh is on both sides of this one and both are clickies, so the question is which of its own clickies suits you. Weight is nearly even at actuation: 50 g for the Kailh BOX Jade against 45 g, a gap most fingers will barely register. Their voices split them more than their specs: the Kailh BOX Jade sounds like loud, crunchy, metallic double click; unapologetic, while the Kailh BOX White gives you sharp, clean tick-tick; click bar snapping on press and release. The scoring splits them: the Kailh BOX White for gaming, the Kailh BOX Jade for typing and a shared office. Read that office call as relative: the Kailh BOX Jade clicks too, just less insistently.
- Gaming pick
- Kailh BOX White
- Typing pick
- Kailh BOX Jade
- Office pick
- Kailh BOX Jade
Force curves
Kailh BOX Jade
Kailh publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 65 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 BOX White
Kailh 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.
Kailh BOX Jade or Kailh BOX White: the long answer
Take the mechanical side first, since that is where this pair separates. At actuation the Kailh BOX Jade is the firmer press, 50 g against 45 g, a difference you notice after a paragraph rather than on the first keystroke. These are two Kailh BOX clickies, so both fire an audible click alongside the bump. Distance is not the difference: both register at 1.8 mm and stop at 3.6 mm. Same family of stroke, so read the detail rather than the headline.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Played back to back, the Kailh BOX Jade is loud, crunchy, metallic double click; unapologetic against sharp, clean tick-tick; click bar snapping on press and release from the Kailh BOX White. Either way, both of these are heard by everyone in the room, so the choice between them is a choice of tone and not of volume. One caveat we repeat wherever a player appears: no studio recording sits behind either of these. They are built from what each maker publishes and what the community reports.
On cost and convenience, both are mid priced. Lube is on you with both of these, which is a real cost in time whichever one you order.
Who buys which, then? Gaming goes to the Kailh BOX White, because the honest answer is that either would do, and it wins on a margin too small to feel. Writing goes to the Kailh BOX Jade, since the click turns a long writing session into a rhythm, if your room allows it. A shared room goes to the Kailh BOX Jade, as neither of these belongs in a quiet shared room, and this is only the less punishing of the two clicks. Before you order either, match the volume trims above and hear them back to back.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Kailh BOX Jade page and the Kailh BOX White page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Kailh BOX Jade or the Kailh BOX White?
We pick the Kailh BOX White for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Kailh BOX Jade or Kailh BOX White: which one is quieter?
Neither is quiet. Two click mechanisms means two switches that broadcast every press, and picking between them will not save your colleagues. If noise decides this, look at a silent tactile instead.
Which switch is heavier, the Kailh BOX Jade or the Kailh BOX White?
The Kailh BOX Jade, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 50 g to 45 g.
More comparisons
More vs Kailh BOX Jade
More vs Kailh BOX White
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.