Kailh BOX Jade vs Outemu Blue
Two clicky switches with two different click mechanisms: the Kailh BOX Jade against the Outemu Blue is a comparison of tone, not of volume. 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 | Kailh BOX Jade | Outemu Blue |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | 65 g (our estimate) | 65 g |
| Pre-travel | 1.8 mm | 2.2 mm |
| Total travel | 3.6 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Budget |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Kailh and Outemu 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. The figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Kailh publishes no bottom-out figure for the Kailh BOX Jade. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
This is clicky against clicky with a catch, because the Kailh BOX Jade and the Outemu Blue make their click in different ways. They also click differently: a click bar snapping inside the housing on the Kailh BOX Jade against a click jacket sliding down the stem on the Outemu Blue. Weight separates them clearly: measured at actuation, the Outemu Blue is 10 g heavier than the Kailh BOX Jade, which changes both fatigue and sound. Nothing here separates by use case: the Kailh BOX Jade is our pick for gaming and for typing, and it is the less punishing of the two in a shared room, though neither really belongs in one. Take the Outemu Blue only if you specifically want harsh, loud, rattly click-jacket snap.
- Overall pick
- Kailh BOX Jade
No use case rescues the Outemu Blue here. The Kailh BOX Jade wins gaming, typing and the office question alike, so the block collapses to one.
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.
Outemu Blue
Kailh BOX Jade or Outemu Blue: the long answer
Take the noise question first, because it is the real gap here. Two different voices: loud, crunchy, metallic double click; unapologetic on the Kailh BOX Jade, harsh, loud, rattly click-jacket snap on the Outemu Blue. They do not even click the same way: a click bar snapping inside the housing on the Kailh BOX Jade against a click jacket sliding down the stem on the Outemu Blue, which is most of the tonal difference you are hearing. A click you love at your own desk can still be the loudest thing in someone else’s meeting. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
The mechanical picture is the smaller half of this, but it is not nothing. At actuation the Outemu Blue is the firmer press, 60 g against 50 g, a difference you notice after a paragraph rather than on the first keystroke. Neither the trigger point nor the depth matches: 1.8 mm to actuation on the Kailh BOX Jade against 2.2 mm, and 3.6 mm of total travel on the Kailh BOX Jade against 4.0 mm. Both are clickies either way, so both stack a click mechanism on a bump you already feel. Same stroke character, so the spring is the fact to weigh.
On the practical side, the Kailh BOX Jade is mid priced, while the Outemu Blue is budget friendly. Neither is factory lubed, so enthusiasts often hand lube both for the smoothest result.
So who should buy which? The same switch wins every way we score it: the Kailh BOX Jade is our pick for gaming and for typing, and the quieter of two switches that both announce themselves. On speed, the scoring hands it a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation. On typing feel, the click is a metronome for a long draft, which some writers will not give up. On noise, neither of these belongs in a quiet shared room, and this is only the less punishing of the two clicks. That leaves the Outemu Blue 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 Kailh BOX Jade page and the Outemu Blue page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Kailh BOX Jade or Outemu Blue for gaming?
We pick the Kailh BOX Jade for gaming. The scoring gives it a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation against the Outemu Blue, and both of those show up in a fast game.
Which of the Kailh BOX Jade and the Outemu Blue is quieter in a shared room?
Neither, honestly. Both are clicky switches that announce every keystroke, so neither belongs in a quiet shared space. If noise is the deciding factor, a silent tactile is the better direction entirely.
Is the Kailh BOX Jade heavier than the Outemu Blue?
The Outemu Blue. Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 60 g against 50 g an honest 10 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Kailh BOX Jade or the Outemu Blue?
The Outemu Blue sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Kailh BOX Jade 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.
More comparisons
More vs Kailh BOX Jade
More vs Outemu Blue
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.