Kailh BOX White vs Kailh Speed Gold
The Kailh BOX White and the Kailh Speed Gold are separated mostly by spring weight, 5 g of it at actuation, with the Kailh Speed Gold the firmer press and the Kailh BOX White the easier one to hold down. Our 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 | Kailh BOX White | Kailh Speed Gold |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 60 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 1.8 mm | 1.4 mm |
| Total travel | 3.6 mm | 3.5 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. What actuation force actually measures .
Verdict
Both the Kailh BOX White and the Kailh Speed Gold are clickies, so this matchup comes down to weight, travel and sound rather than feel. Weight is nearly even at actuation: 50 g for the Kailh Speed Gold against 45 g, a gap most fingers will barely register. The Kailh Speed Gold also actuates earlier, 1.4 mm of pre-travel against 1.8 mm, which fast players tend to notice. The scoring splits them: the Kailh Speed Gold for gaming, the Kailh BOX White for typing and a shared office. Read that office call as relative: the Kailh BOX White clicks too, just less insistently.
- Gaming pick
- Kailh Speed Gold
- Typing pick
- Kailh BOX White
- Office pick
- Kailh BOX White
Force curves
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 Speed Gold
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 White or Kailh Speed Gold: the long answer
Specs first, since the feel gap is what you notice in the first minute of typing. At actuation the Kailh Speed Gold is the firmer press, 50 g against 45 g, a difference you notice after a paragraph rather than on the first keystroke. Travel differs at both ends, with the Kailh Speed Gold registering first at 1.4 mm and the Kailh BOX White running deepest at 3.6 mm. Both are clickies either way, so both fire an audible click alongside the bump. Neither one out-feels the other on type, so the small differences in the table are where the decision lives.
Sound is where most people finally pick a side. Played back to back, the Kailh BOX White is sharp, clean tick-tick; click bar snapping on press and release against crisp double click high in the stroke from the Kailh Speed Gold. 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 price and practicality, both are mid priced. Lube is on you with both of these, which is a real cost in time whichever one you order.
So who should buy which? For gaming we lean toward the Kailh Speed Gold, because the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. For long typing sessions the Kailh BOX White makes the stronger case, since the click is a metronome for a long draft, which some writers will not give up. And if your keyboard shares a room with other people, the Kailh BOX White is the one we would trust, as neither of these belongs in a quiet shared room, and this is only the less punishing of the two clicks. Match the trims above, play both, and trust whichever one you keep replaying.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Kailh BOX White page and the Kailh Speed Gold page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Kailh BOX White or Kailh Speed Gold for gaming?
We pick the Kailh Speed Gold for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Is the Kailh BOX White quieter than the Kailh Speed Gold?
Both are loud, so choosing between them is choosing a tone and not a volume. If the room is the constraint, neither of these is the answer and a silent tactile is.
Which switch is heavier, the Kailh BOX White or the Kailh Speed Gold?
The Kailh Speed Gold. Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 50 g against 45 g an honest 5 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
More comparisons
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