Kailh BOX White vs NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie
The Kailh BOX White and the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie are both clicky, but they do not click the same way, and that is where the whole difference lives. Our switch library cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
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 | NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 55 g |
| Bottom-out force | 60 g (our estimate) | 75 g |
| Pre-travel | 1.8 mm | 1.9 mm |
| Total travel | 3.6 mm | 3.9 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both makers rate these 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 the Kailh BOX White, so the figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation from the forces that are published rather than a rating. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
The type row says clicky twice, which undersells it: these two clicks are produced by different mechanisms. They also click differently: a click bar snapping inside the housing on the Kailh BOX White against a bowed metal disk popping under the stem on the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie. There is a real weight gap too: 55 g against 45 g at actuation, so the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie asks noticeably more of your fingers over a long session. We land on the Kailh BOX White for every use we score, and it is the less punishing of the two in a shared room, though neither really belongs in one, so the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie makes sense only if you preferred its voice in the player above.
- Overall pick
- Kailh BOX White
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Kailh BOX White takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
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.
NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie
Kailh BOX White or NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie: the long answer
Sound is not a tiebreak on these two. It is the comparison. Through the A/B player above, the Kailh BOX White comes through as sharp, clean tick-tick; click bar snapping on press and release, while the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie reads as a sharp bottle-cap pop, brighter than a click bar. They do not even click the same way: a click bar snapping inside the housing on the Kailh BOX White against a bowed metal disk popping under the stem on the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie, which is most of the tonal difference you are hearing. 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. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
Under the noise, the two strokes are built differently. The NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie carries the heavier spring at actuation, 55 g to 45 g. That is a real 10 g without being a change of bracket. Type is not in play. Both are clickies, and both stack a click mechanism on a bump you already feel. Travel differs at both ends, with the Kailh BOX White registering first at 1.8 mm and the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie running deepest at 3.9 mm. Same stroke character, so the spring is the fact to weigh.
On cost and convenience, the Kailh BOX White is mid priced, while the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie is premium priced. 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 Kailh BOX White is our pick for gaming and for typing, and the quieter of two switches that both announce themselves. On speed, the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. 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 NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
For either one on its own terms, read the Kailh BOX White page and the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie 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 White or the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie?
We pick the Kailh BOX White for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Which of the Kailh BOX White and the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie is quieter in a shared room?
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 has the heavier spring, the Kailh BOX White or the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie?
The NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie is heavier: 55 g against 45 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Kailh BOX White or the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie?
The Kailh BOX White sits in the mid priced bracket and the NovelKeys NK Cream Clickie in the premium priced one. We do not hold a reliable per-switch price for both, so the bracket is the honest answer rather than a total.
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