Cherry MX Switch Comparison - KeyMouse

Silent red be like:

Gamers: The fans are so noisy! Also gamers: These Cherry Blues are so great!

I will never understand why companies fail to communicate such kind of vital information in such a clear and compelling way. Thank you.

I'm honestly shocked I never knew about the 'silent red' switches... I always thought red=silent, but no, apparently you can go even more silent I'm impressed

The blue switches are for streamers who put their mics so close to the keyboard it sounds like a car crash

One of the hardest decisions known to mankind.

I really wish we lived in a world sometimes where I'm not forced to buy a key tester or multiple keyboards online just to sample them all. I'd love to be able to walk into an actual store and have everyone of these types set up for people to actually try in person before buying!

Idk why him pressing the keys really fast at 2x speed made me laugh so hard I think my sense of humor is broken

“You can just borrow a keyswitch tester from a friend” i must not have the right friends because i know for a fact not a single person I know has a keyswitch tester handy and ready to let people borrow haha

I appreciate how quickly this went from key review to ASMR.

This was a really helpful sound test! Thank you for tapping the keys at different speeds and then doing them all together

TIMESTAMPS: Tactile (2:25) ....Brown - 2:45 ....Clear/Grey - 2:52 Clicky (2:58) ....Blue - 3:17 ....Green - 3:23 Linear (3:29) ....Speed Silver - 3:45 ....Red/Silent Red - 3:58 ....Black - 4:18 _________________ Nerd Stats: Tactile Keys - 4:43 Clicky Keys - 5:25 Linear Keys - 5:56 _________________ Spamming Random Keys - 7:00 _________________ Promo - 8:29 (Saved till the end like a champion)

silent reds: exist everyone at work: clacking away on blues

When the switch tester costs more than your keyboard

This is the single most informative guide I have ever seen about these different switches, and so simple too. Thank you so much!

I worked for Cherry from 1980 to 1985. The MX switch was invented during that time. The production of the switch took place at Cherry Mikroschalter in Germany.

I should be studying

This video feels like it’s 40 mins long

beautiful! I didn't just learn, I was enlightened with how the switches work thanks to the graphics 😂 a lot of good extra lessons

The two-at-a-time force test with led indication is genius. That's all I needed to know and no other video has managed to convey it in clear terms! Thank you!

I just spent 8 minutes looking at a dude jamming on cherry keys.

silent red is what i need when im playing at 2am

This is the best video for Cherry MX Switch demonstration I have ever seen. really helpful for people not having hands on opportunity with switch selections.

this was the most helpful and detailed video i've seen on the different switches. Thank you so much. I think I'll choose brown because I want the tactile feel but not too loud.

Just me who gets anxiety when he presses the silent red? its like a bad dream when you try to run away from a monster but its just right behind you walking chill AF even you're sprinting for your life

actual test starts at 4:40

Probably one of the best guides to picking a switch vs clattering away on keyboards. Appreciate the thoroughness and the little LED is a nice touch that most people I'm not a very fast typist so your medium speed key presses is what my blue switches sound like to my wife when she's sleeping. Might go speed silver and get some rubber bands with a k70. Thanks!

Just getting into keyboards and this is the best video ever. Explains everything about switches! Thanks 👍

Silent red is when you want to type at 2AM to not wake up the mrs. The blue ones is to annoy your mrs when you are in a fight.

Why not make a Frankenstein keyboard? Every single key on the keyboard is a different colored switch? :)

Thanks for this comparison! I have a keyboard with Cherry MX Reds (it’s a Cherry keyboard too) and I was getting worried that I’d got the wrong switches but after watching your demo, happy now that the one I have is likely to be best for my needs.

this video wins the internet today. the smooth nerdout on the raspberry pi lighting was sensational! the soft press of blues sound like how asmr would chip a tooth. i went from the terrible blues to the reds and now i want the silent reds. great video, you made it very easy to understand.

Silent Red sounds like a broken key lmao

Tried a silent red and it felt like the keys were broken.

Ive been looking around a good explanation video and this is by far the best one I found! Thanks a lot! Helped me choose my keyboard.

The best video out there explaining and demonstrating these switches. Thank you, it still helps us till today.

silent red sounds like rubber dome imo

Best video i've found thus far demonstrating the difference between Red and Silver actuation distance (6:39). Sure I know it's 1.2mm vs 2.0mm but it's very nice to see the simultaneous press and led activation. thank you for posting this, which helped me decide with switches to purchase.

It's interesting how red and silver are aimed at gamers, but I love blue for the physical and audio feedback. Nothing like pressing a button and nothing is happening in game, then you know you've been rooted, stunned or something else is stopping you in game, the peace of mind that it's not the keyboard is underrated. It's like "I know I pressed it, I felt it, I heard it"

One thing wasn’t mentioned: the blues must be released to a slightly higher point than their trigger point before they reset and can be triggered again. Theoretically not ideal for rapid mashing over and over. Then again I’ve seen pros use them so it can be done…

This was a beautifully executed test. You even put in extra effort to add some flair with controlling the brightness and explained everything (from each PCB connector wiring to the individual switches' travel distance) thoroughly. Easily the best key switch comparison video on KZhead to date. Thank you for sharing.

Substitute Teacher: "stop pushing my buttons or I'll tell the principal" Me and The boys: 5:10

I'm very impressed by your idea with the lights. I thought my keyboard with blue switches was wonky because I noticed my map coming up when I hit M before I heard the click sound. Now I know why!

Thanks! I've watched many videos about switches and still didn't know what's the difference. This video showwn me everything

Silent Reds all the way 👌

This is great you give a very good description of what the keys actually feel like rather than saying”it’s clicks or linear” you describe what linear means and helped me a lot!

Thank you for going into detail with every switch really appreciate it ima sub keep up the work

thank you! I have been searching online for years for a good sound and release comparison between switches. I write novels and code, so I type a lot. I hate loud keyboards and have been struggling with what was the best sound to keep the noise level down but still able to keep the key activation at a recognizable pressure point. I had no idea Silent red existed, this will be my go to switch from now on

Informative and clear. I learnt a lot about keyboard switches and it was easy to watch. Great video!

“You can just borrow a keyswitch tester from a friend” See this is a funny statement because i do not have any friends

Man amazing not only just sound thock thock thick thick like the other but you actually explained all of them deep down one by one this is what i looking for thankyou 👍

Thank you so much for this! I wasn't sure if linear were the right ones for me, now I am. :)

Thank you for this ELI5 roundup of the keys. The diagrams were really helpful.

*Sound Test* *Tactile* 4:45 Brown, Clear, Grey *Tactile with clicky sound* 5:25 Green, Blue *Linear* 5:56 Black, Silent Red, Speed Silver, Red

pretty much just learned about keyboard switches a few hours ago. This video is very helpful, thank you!

This is the best Cherry MX Switch video EVER! So awesome in the tactile and sound review. So shocked at how quiet the MX Silent Red is compared to all others. Sort of like the MX Green though it'd been dumped from my conference calls when trying to type while sharing documents. I think I need two full keyboards --one with Silent Reds and another with Greens for alone time typing and light gaming.

PERFECT demonstration!

A lot of these types of videos has a lot of voice overs during the keypresses whereas you give great audio samples of the different switch types. Thank you!! Your video was a lot more helpful than many others!

Good job,this helped me a lot to decide what kind of switches I need. Well done!

Very helpful, this is exactly what I was looking for, now I know what all of the colors mean, and not just a few or the most popular! Awesome video!

This is the best comparison on KZhead. Great visuals and explanations, thank you for this.

Being new to looking this stuff up and wanting to see direct comparisons between switch types, this was very helpful. Thank you. Can’t believe I just watched a video of button pushing, but it was EXACTLY what I needed to see.

So much detail, that's beyond most of the KZhead review videos! Amazing work

Really helpful video, thanks! I've always liked Cherry MX Blue switches for typing but I've found the keystrokes are picked up quite a lot when I'm streaming. Buying a new keyboard as we speak so I'm going to try out Cherry MX Brown switches.

Does anyone find it oddly satisfying when he taps the keys loudly?

OMG, yesss!! This is how you do a comparison & testing video!! The level of detail is so satisfying!

This was excellent. Thank you for demonstrating the differences. It will come down to personal impressions using the keyboard in the end but seeing and hearing the differences already helps the newcomer in "do I want blue or brown" to kick things off :)

A great explanation on the difference between all the keys. Some fantastic info that will help me choose my next keyboard! 👍

My list from best to worse (out of experience and only the one's I have owned) 1. Speed Silver (no question about this, shorter travel distance, faster key registrations, perfect for MOBA's and FPS games especially if you're a competitive gamer this is a must imo) 2. Standard Red (saw great improvements when playing FPS games and during times where I had to tap the keys really fast back to back for example when doing corner peeks or weapon quickswitches.. not so much difference for MOBA's compared to Speed Silver imo) 3. Black (again very minor difference from Red unless you're a competitive player that plays games on the highest level I don't think you'll notice a difference) 4. Brown (no comments about this one, good enough for gaming if you can't find Red or Silver switches in your country these will do just fine as a starter) 5. Red Silent (even though the actuation force and travel distance is the same as regular Red, these somehow feel a bit delayed or slower for some odd reason. The standard Red makes very little noise but if for some reason you really really need a quieter keyboard for example if you're sharing your room then these are the ones for you? 6. Blue & Green (I personally see no reason to have these for gaming unless you like the clicking sound these switches make as stated in the video. Other than that I would recommend getting any other one from the ones mentioned above)

This is the perfect comparison video and all you really need to see or hear to decide :) (brown and red silent for me)

Finally a review that does a good job of demonstrating the differences between Cherry MX Switches. Normally it's just subjective waffle but this really shows the objective differences. One thing I think you forgot to mention is that blues don't reactivate if pressed down again within the lower half of their travel. You have to go above the half-way click otherwise it won't register a press. Absolutely terrible for mashing keys in a game or whatever.

Thanks for this. I am looking to change my switches in my keyboard and I am pretty new to the differences. Before this video I was under the impressions that since my keyboard already has Cherry Red switches It will not make a big difference. After watching I realised I have the silent switches and it is a huge difference and i need switches asap.

This was really helpful bro. Thanks for getting right to the switches and showing multiple times how they differ instead of me having to press "J" every ten seconds. I was actually thinking about getting that switch tester on amazon but you made a good point that it won't let you experience the switches closing. I think I'm an MX Blue fan. I like the Clicky and ever since my ABS M1 broke, I haven't been able to find a switch like it considering it is no longer in production.

Glad I found the video, Bought my first mechanical about a year ago for gaming with cherry reds and I personally find them too sensitive. Really happy you included the actuation force because I thought blacks would be best for me although hard to find, however, seeing that brown and blue are quite a bit firmer helps tremendously.

Great video! You've helped me enjoy my Sunday on this roller coaster of learning 😀

Thanks for the explanation of the different switch types.

This was the most informative video on cherry switches I could ever find ! Thanks a lot !

I loved the silent red.

I've owned two different keyboards with cherry switches in them, both from corsair. I had the silent reds first, which were fine, but I don't like the feel of those switches. I use the silvers now, which are imo the best switches, but they have one drawback (though it may just be the keyboard itself), which is that there is no anti-ghosting. Occasionally I'll get a double keypress, or I'll hit more than I intend to, since the actuation distance is so short. Plus, I've played osu enough that my x key is really worn compared to the rest, and it has the worst problem with double-presses. If you don't play osu, I'd recommend the silver switches for most high-speed gaming (fps, rhythm games, etc). Even if you do play osu, the silvers are still the best performing, you just have to be willing to deal with the ghosting problem. I usually get around it by being more intentional when I press the x key.

Going to make my first keyboard next year, this really helped, thank you 👏🏻👏🏻

Me: puts pillows around my Xbox to quiet it Also me: orders blue switches that can be heard from Venus

The comparison between the red and silver switches at 6:40 was exactly what I was looking for, thanks a lot!

This has to be the best video with explanation and sound testing out there!

My keyboard is very old and looking for a new one but it's changed so much, great comparison video... Now to find the right keyboard....

Wow, silent red really means it huh. So much quieter than the others. And the clicky keys are the opposite. So... Yeah... XD

I think that would be useful to make extra test, when you push slowly all switches, so that moment of switching can be noticed. Sometimes I prefer when keys can be softly pushed to be activated, sometimes it's better to push all to down to activate switch.

I am completely new to the keyboard world and I never comment on youtube videos but this is the best explanation and demo video I have seen! Thank you

The diagram for each switches is so detailed and easy to understand.

maaaan the silent red is really silent... anyway thanks for the great video I want to buy a mechanical keyboard but didn't knew these green and clear swiches...

in fact this is the best comparison I found to really hear the difference

Thanks for making this video, it was extremely detailed and informative! I now know exactly what I want to get.

Great comparison, was looking for this kind of a video.

i don't know why everyone likes clicky blues so much. they literally give me a headache

Once again boys the algorithm has brought us together, see ya’ll in a year!

Thank you so much for this. I've been meaning to get my first keyboard and was wondering what the difference between the switches was. I have to say, the blues are REALLY doing it for me, but I'm not sure if they'd be appropriate for office use (I'd mainly use them at home anyway so who cares).

Thank you, very helpful in sorting out what is best for me

I am blown away at how silent the...well... _silent_ reds are hahah Thank you for the in depth comparison!

I'm so glad I watched this video. I've been researching my first mechanical keyboard and now I know I absolutely don't want clicky switches. I was fairly fond of both the tactile and linear though.

Very helpful video, thanks for making the effort to put this together!

Great review, it's amazing how quiet the Silent Red switch is... well deserved that name, I don't know which should I pick, I'm between red and brown, maybe I'll buy one of those switch tester