Mechanical Cherry MX Switches
Mechanical Cherry MX Switches
Cherry is a company that was established in 1953 in the US, but its headquarters were moved to Germany in 1979. It has four divisions, and the one that is the most interesting in relation to this review is the one that is responsible for mechanical switches. Cherry MX switches were first launched around 1985, and they are referenced mainly by the color of the key stem.
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Switch type |
Click |
Tactile |
Linear |
Actuation force |
|
Cherry MX Red |
No |
No |
Yes |
0.45 N |
|
Cherry MX Silent Red |
No |
No |
Yes |
0.45 N |
|
Cherry MX Speed Silver |
No |
No |
Yes |
0.45 N |
|
Cherry MX Nature White |
No |
No |
Yes |
0.55 N |
|
Cherry MX Black |
No |
No |
Yes |
0.60 N |
|
Cherry MX Silent Black |
No |
No |
Yes |
0.60 N |
|
Cherry MX Linear Grey |
No |
No |
Yes |
0.80 N |
|
Cherry MX Brown |
No |
Yes |
No |
0.45 N |
|
Cherry MX Clear |
No |
Yes |
No |
0.55 N |
|
Cherry MX Tactile Grey |
No |
Yes |
No |
0.80 N |
|
Cherry MX Blue |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
0.50 N |
|
Cherry MX White |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
0.50 N / 0.70 N |
|
Cherry MX Green |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
0.70 N |
Mechanical switches give you a more tangible feel compared with the rubber membrane used in most of the cheaper keyboards, and mechanical keyboards are quickly gaining an increasing share of the gaming market. Performance is good, while the reliability is outstanding, so what more can you ask for? Aaah, yes – full key rollover (but can you push more than 10 buttons at once?) and anti-ghosting. MX Reds are possibly the best ones for first-time buyers. Why’s that? Well, 45 g of actuation force, linear response and quite rapid bounce back are the features that make it possible. Still, there are switches that work better for typing, e.g. MX Browns/Blues. Cherry MX Red switches should last for at least 50 million key presses, but that’s not what I’m going to test here. You’ve got the warranty if it breaks, right?
The keycaps are made of ABS (unfortunately not PBT).
