Kailh Speed Copper vs Kailh Speed Gold
The Kailh Speed Copper and the Kailh Speed Gold are not the same kind of switch, so this comparison is settled by which stroke you want before a single number matters. Our full 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 Speed Copper | Kailh Speed Gold |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 40 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | 60 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 1.1 mm | 1.4 mm |
| Total travel | 3.5 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. The figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Kailh publishes no bottom-out figure for the Kailh Speed Gold. How we derive a bottom-out figure .
Verdict
The Kailh Speed Copper and the Kailh Speed Gold are different kinds of switch, tactile against clicky, which outranks every number in the table above. 10 g at actuation is a bracket apart, not a shade, and it is the Kailh Speed Gold carrying the heavier end at 50 g. Travel favors the Kailh Speed Copper: it registers at 1.1 mm where the Kailh Speed Gold needs 1.4 mm. One pick, not three: the Kailh Speed Copper takes gaming and typing, and it is the safer of the two in a shared room. The Kailh Speed Gold is the answer only to a question our scoring does not ask.
- Overall pick
- Kailh Speed Copper
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Kailh Speed Copper takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
Force curves
Kailh Speed Copper
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.
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 Speed Copper or Kailh Speed Gold: the long answer
Take the mechanical side first, since that is where this pair separates. Start with the stroke, because both raise a bump, but only the Kailh Speed Gold makes a noise about it. Weight is the loud fact here. At actuation the Kailh Speed Gold takes 50 g where the Kailh Speed Copper takes 40 g, and 10 g is enough to change how the third hour feels. The Kailh Speed Copper registers earlier, 1.1 mm against 1.4 mm, inside the same 3.5 mm of total travel. Settle the stroke you want to live with first and treat everything below as a tiebreak.
What the table cannot tell you is how either one lands in a room. The Kailh Speed Copper sits at bright early tap; the bump arrives immediately; the Kailh Speed Gold answers with crisp double click high in the stroke. The Kailh Speed Gold clicks on every press, which is as much a lifestyle choice as a spec. 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.
The scoring gives up trying to divide this pair: the Kailh Speed Copper is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation go its way. On typing feel, the bump tells your fingers the key registered, which is most of what typists want. On noise, no click mechanism means nothing that carries past the desk it sits on. That leaves the Kailh Speed Gold to anyone who wants a clicky stroke specifically, which the scoring cannot weigh for you. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Kailh Speed Copper page and the Kailh Speed Gold page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Kailh Speed Copper or the Kailh Speed Gold?
We pick the Kailh Speed Copper for gaming. It takes this one on a lighter spring at actuation and a shorter distance to actuation, which is what a fast repeated press actually cares about.
Which of the Kailh Speed Copper and the Kailh Speed Gold is quieter in a shared room?
The Kailh Speed Copper is quieter. The Kailh Speed Gold fires an audible click on every keystroke by design, which carries much further than the ordinary tactile sound of the Kailh Speed Copper.
Which switch is heavier, the Kailh Speed Copper or the Kailh Speed Gold?
The Kailh Speed Gold is heavier: 50 g against 40 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
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