Gateron vs Kailh vs Cherry: Black Edition

[LukeSavenije]

Introduction:

Today I have tested 5 versions of the popular Black lines of Kailh, Gateron and Cherry. I'll be giving out up to 5 points per switch, giving 5 to the best, 1 to the worst on each part. This is all based off opinion, and your preference may vary on some parts.

 

Gateron Black:

Key stability: 3/5

RGB passthrough: 2/5

Lubing: 3/5

Sound: 2/5

Smoothness: 3/5

Weight: 5/5

Value: 5/5

To start with the cheapest of the line: Gateron black. They can be found for as low as 20 cents/switch and are a great step-in point if you want something that feels like a heavier red. Their key stability is decent, RGB passthrough unfortunately really not good, for this you should get an RGB version. Their smoothness is actually quite decent for the price, especially after lubing i did enjoy the quick session of gaming i did with it. with their lower travel and relatively light weight compared to others I'd sure recommend it.

 

Gallary:

Spoiler

 

Gateron Milk Black:

Key stability: 4/5

RGB passthrough: 3/5

Lubing: 4/5

Sound: 4/5

Smoothness: 2/5

Weight: 4/5

value 4/5

 

Then a slightly different, but similar switch. Gateron's Milk black has a top housing that's white rather than transparent, giving it a bit of a special look. I felt like the key stability on it was a bit better, the RGB passthrough are still wishes to be found, but it's still better than the normal one as well. I felt a bit of sand-like feeling at stock, but a lot of it lost when I lubed it. the sound of it becomes a bit clacky when doing this as well. the smoothness on itself I gave rather low because of its stock performance. the weight is highly enjoyable for the short session I played, though the normal ones felt a little better on this. because they generally cost only a little more than regular blacks (24c/switch), I’m giving them a 4/5 on value.

 

Gallery:

Spoiler

 

Gateron Ink Black:

Key stability: 1/5

RGB passthrough: 4/5

Lubing: 5/5

Sound: 5/5

Smoothness: 5/5

Weight: 2/5

value: 2/5

 

then, the most expensive out of this lineup. the switch is easy to recognize by its smoky black housing, which seems to give a lot of the incredible smoothness to the switch. the key stability looks bad this way, but i felt like it was the worst from the 5 that i tried. the RGB passthrough is a bit dark because of the housing, but does come through decently. lubing it gives it even a little more smoothness, rivalling it with the well-known and personally used Tealios. their weight unfortunately felt a bit heavy for me at bottom out for gaming, but would be very enjoyable if you're purely typing. because of their high price tag of at minimum 0,75 cents/switch, their value is of course not that high rated, but if you're looking for something really smooth and don't want to pay the premium for something like Tealios, this is the option to go for.

 

Gallery:

Spoiler

 

Kailh Box Black:

Key stability: 5/5

RGB passthrough: 5/5

Lubing: 2/5

Sound: 3/5

Smoothness: 4/5

Weight: 3/5

value: 3/5

 

Kailh box black is a bit of a different formfactor, and takes it's name from it's "box" around the switch stem. because of this the key stability is simply unrivalled by the others. their RGB passthrough is also the best out of these switches, as Kailh used a transparent housing on the switch. the lubing is decent, but doesn't feel that needed on it compared to the others. their smoothness is decent, though the feeling between the actuation point and bottom out was for me hard to feel. as they're more expensive than the Gateron milk and regular black, I felt like a 3/5 value would be fair for it.

 

Gallery:

Spoiler

 

Cherry MX Black:

Key stability: 2/5

RGB passthrough: 1/5

Lubing: 1/5

Sound: 1/5

Smoothness: 1/5

weight: 1/5

value: 1/5

 

It almost feels like i just chose these numbers to shit on cherry here... but this really was how I felt about it. the key stability of it is decent, but nothing special compared to Gateron, it's RGB passthrough on this version is about nothing, since the fully black switch blocks the light on my keyboard. the lubing made the already sandpaper-like feel of the switch even worse, which also gives a sound while you’re typing on it. the weight of it felt on the heavy side for me and because I have so many complaints, while this is the second most expensive switch in the line, the 1/5 value makes it a worse one than the most expensive switch in the lineup.

 

Gallery:

Spoiler

 

Verdict:

Gateron Black: very cheap (~20c), decent weight for gaming and typing, smooth, worth lubing but recommended to get the RGB version if needed.

Gateron Milk Black: cheap (~24c), nice weight for gaming and typing, relatively smooth, but a bit sand-like feel at stock, RGB passthrough not well.

Gateron Ink Black: expensive (~75c), but the smoothest black switch out there, very nice clacky sound, RGB passthrough doable, but not ideal.

Kailh Box Black: well-priced (~40c), extremely good key stabilization, pretty smooth, not that worthy to lube, RGB passthrough is good.

Cherry MX Black: middle ground price (~40c), sandpaper-like feeling, mediocre sound, key stability, lubing makes the sand-like feel even worse, RGB gets completely blocked, so recommended is to get the RGB version.

[Guest]

Luke dating @sowon confirmed.

[kelvinhall05]

Linearized black SKCM anyone?

[LukeSavenije]

1 minute ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Linearized black SKCM anyone?

sorry, doesn't fit the gmmk

[kelvinhall05]

1 minute ago, LukeSavenije said:

sorry, doesn't fit the gmmk

Should give it a shot if you ever get the chance to. AT101 is pretty cheap and even without lube, linearized SKCM black are the smoothest switches I've ever tried.

[LukeSavenije]

52 minutes ago, Den-Fi said:

Luke dating @sowon confirmed.

repeated pressing on x with black switch in it

[Guest]

Just now, LukeSavenije said:

repeated pressing on x with black switch in it

Darn. I thought it finally happened.

[Eschew]

*hi-fives another GMMK owner!*

 

Just wanted to say that I love everything about this comparisons review. There's a bunch of black linears on my shopping/wish list, and hearing the opinion of someone else, in a controlled test, using a similar keyboard set up to mine, is absolutely perfect? The review's also very easy to follow. I appreciate the ratings/scales, and the concise introduction and clear conclusion -- one of my gripes about any writing in general is unnecessary filler text, most often found in the intros and endings.

 

If you're accepting suggestions, I'd like to have seen some pics of the RGB passthrough for each of the switches. No worries if you consider the review done and done, though, I totally understand!

 

Once again, brilliant review, love it.

 

(Also, added this review to the Custom Keeb Guide. Thank you for the suggestion!)