Outemu Black vs Outemu Red
Weight is the real gap here: 15 g between the Outemu Black and the Outemu Red at actuation, which is enough to change how a long session ends. 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 | Outemu Black | Outemu Red |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 60 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | 80 g (our estimate) | 60 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Budget | Budget |
| 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. Outemu 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
This is a linear versus linear contest: the Outemu Black and the Outemu Red share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. 15 g at actuation is a bracket apart, not a shade, and it is the Outemu Black carrying the heavier end at 60 g. What really separates them is sound, with the Outemu Black tending toward firm mid-pitched budget clack and the Outemu Red toward light thin clack with a whisper of spring ping. The scoring splits them: the Outemu Red for gaming and typing, the Outemu Black for a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Outemu Red
- Typing pick
- Outemu Red
- Office pick
- Outemu Black
Force curves
Outemu Black
Outemu publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 80 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 Red
Outemu 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.
Outemu Black or Outemu Red: the long answer
Specs first, since the feel gap is what you notice in the first minute of typing. The spread at actuation is 15 g, 60 g on the Outemu Black against 45 g on the Outemu Red, which puts them in different weight brackets rather than two shades of one. The stroke itself is shared: nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. The two stroke depths are identical, 2.0 mm to actuation inside 4.0 mm of total travel. With the stroke shared, that spring gap does most of the deciding here.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. The Outemu Black sits at firm mid-pitched budget clack; the Outemu Red answers with light thin clack with a whisper of spring ping. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
On the practical side, both are budget friendly. Neither is factory lubed, so enthusiasts often hand lube both for the smoothest result.
The split is simple. Buy the Outemu Red for how it plays and how it writes: a lighter spring at actuation goes its way, and at the keyboard all day, its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. Buy the Outemu Black if other people have to sit near it, as it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. Do the listening first. It costs nothing and it changes minds more often than a spec table does.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Outemu Black page and the Outemu Red page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Outemu Black or Outemu Red for gaming?
We pick the Outemu Red for gaming. It takes this one on a lighter spring at actuation, which is what a fast repeated press actually cares about.
Is the Outemu Black quieter than the Outemu Red?
Nothing in either one is built to reduce noise, so on raw volume this is a tie decided by your keyboard rather than your switch. What you will actually hear is a difference of pitch and texture, which the player above shows better than a sentence can.
Which switch is heavier, the Outemu Black or the Outemu Red?
The Outemu Black is heavier: 60 g against 45 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
More comparisons
More vs Outemu Black
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.