Gaterons vs Cherry MX

[phinix]

I've been using Cherry and Topre switches so far, never tried Gaterons.

I would like to buy a new keyboard and was thinking of trying Gaterons for once. I have MX blues which supposed to be 50cN.
I found few pages that were saying that Gateron blues are 55cN or even 60cN.

Is there a big difference between these two blue switches?

When I use Topre 45g and MX Blue, I don't feel bigger resistance on blues.
Would I feel a difference on Gateron blues?

[minilov3]

same question here man


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[ander]

Most people say Gaterons are smoother than Cherry MXs, and that Gat Blues click louder and brighter than MXs. (In other words, if you like clickiness, that's good.)

Here's a good GH thread comparing Cherrys and Gats. And while you seem primarily interested in Blues, you may still find CPTBadAss's excellent piece on MX vs. Gateron Blacks interesting. That's what got me interested in getting hold of a board with Gat Blacks (which I still haven't managed to do—so any tips anyone can share about that are welcome).

[Tangtawan]

I dont really have good experience with Gaterons Blue, the click sounds very inconsistent across the board and also the tone is really high pitched (annoying for me). But I do prefer their linear switches over Cherry MX equivalent though.

[zslane]

Gateron reds are quite nice, but Cherry has upped the ante with their new silent red (pink) switch, which Gateron hasn't copied yet.

[Leslieann]

What I've been seeing in Blues is that:
Gateron are smooth but inconsistent.

Cherry are not as smooth (and getting worse), but tend to be consistent.

Kaihl blues have been shown to be smoother than Cherry and getting praise, but due to being a "lower end switch" people are ignoring it.

Outemu Blues, which have been flying under the radar, tend to be one of the smoothest and most consistent, however there is a weird transition from new to broken in where they can be odd and less used keys can take a long time to break in which could lead some to think they are inconsistent. They also tend to be slight stiffer with a 55g spring, I attribute this with part of why they are a bit less mushy than others. Blue switches cut a fine line between function and soft springs, that don't always work so well, that little extra bit helps while being hardly noticeable at your finger tips.

If you want blues, your best choices depend on a few factors.
Old Cherry Blues are still fantastic, but require a lot of work to put into a board, look for 2003 Razer Black Widow, while we laughed at the time for them using "hand picked switches", Razer was obviously more aware of the problems Cherry was having than we were. If you plan on making Jailhouse, any will work, though new Cherry would be my last choice. If you just want a nice keyboard with blues that works well out of the box, look for Outemu or Kaihl, which is a bonus since since they are cheaper.

[falkentyne]

Let me correct and add to you on this.

Cherry mx RGB blues are horribly inconsistent compared to the non RGB ones.  In fact Ducky had problems getting their shine 5 blue batches on the market and getting enough made (if you remember the old reddit posts about them being delayed).  Corsair once again had to stop production of the Lux and Strafe RGB MX blues, because they couldn't get enough from Cherry that passed QA.  So they make theirs in sporadic batches, when they get enough in.  I got lucky and won the lottery on a pretty nice consistent RGB blue Year of the Monkey, but many people who had the Shine 5 blues complained about the switches feeling inconsistent compared to the older blues.

Outemu blues actually act more like browns than blues.  They click loudly, but the switch electrical activation point is BELOW the click bump on the Outemus, while on the Cherry MX switches, it is exactly on the bump, so it's possible to activate the click on the Outemus without activating the switch itself.  MX Browns have activation below the bump also (both rgb and non)

[Leslieann]

Outemu blues actually act more like browns than blues.  They click loudly, but the switch electrical activation point is BELOW the click bump on the Outemus, while on the Cherry MX switches, it is exactly on the bump, so it's possible to activate the click on the Outemus without activating the switch itself.  MX Browns have activation below the bump also (both rgb and non)

The electrical actuation point always happens after the bump, never before or on peak. It may be more noticeable, been a while since I used stock Cherries, but yes, they all do this.

Take a look at the animation on this page, you can see what I mean.
https://input.club/tactile-clicky/

[phinix]

Thanks for explaining this guys.

I have a feeling like I should stay away from Gaterons.
I tried once this MagicForce 68 keyboard and it was Otemu blue or something like that - it was very inconsistent that I couldn't use it, it was very annoying.

I think I should try MX Greens now. Blues are fine but I have a feeling that I may need more stiffness:)

People say that greens are stiff, but many peeps actually use them to type and say that after few days of using, they feel great.

[moh18one]

Thanks for explaining this guys.

I have a feeling like I should stay away from Gaterons.
I tried once this MagicForce 68 keyboard and it was Otemu blue or something like that - it was very inconsistent that I couldn't use it, it was very annoying.

I think I should try MX Greens now. Blues are fine but I have a feeling that I may need more stiffness:)

People say that greens are stiff, but many peeps actually use them to type and say that after few days of using, they feel great.

Zaelios Zaelios Zaelios !!!!!!

[alienman82]

removed.

[minilov3]

managed to get my hands on few gateron (black red blue clear) and decided to stick with filco stock silent red mx.


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[childofthehorn]

Gateron Blues are much better than current Cherry blues.

However, I would put new springs in the Gaterons. Modded, these guys beat anything else out there IMO. Just the springs that come in them stock are not great.

There is a reason why Zealios are made by Gateron.....

[alienman82]

removed.

[childofthehorn]

Because cherry wouldn't allow a licensed switch competing with their own.

If you mean kailh is better than gateron ok but that not saying much

Zeal had quite a few manufacturers he could have gone to, but the stems and casings of Gateron switches are better molded and made than Cherry as well as the competitors. The copper switch plates are also nice and sturdy. Only the springs are very average and not as "cushy" as others. Put better springs and you have the nicest MX style switch out there. Again IMO and I have tried It, kailh, vintage Cherry blues, modern Cherry blues and some other copies. Vintage cherry clears are so much better than modern clears that it's disconcerting. Zealios to me just feel like my late 80's clears (my Siemens 1800 HUA ).


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[phinix]

But clears are not clicky.

WHat do you guys think of greens?

[childofthehorn]

But clears are not clicky.

WHat do you guys think of greens?

I mentioned blues and clears for multiple references for multiple MX types.

Like, I don't like linears normally... But do have some vintage blacks that are nice and tried new Cherry blacks and they are not as good. Never tried Gateron blacks though.

My order of MX makers

Blues: Gateron - vintage Cherry - OT - Kailh / modern Cherry - unknown Chinese switches in $30 keyboards

Clear : Vintage Cherry - Zealios - .........Way down the line.... Modern Cherry

Case in point, I thought I hated tactile switches, but only had tried modern Cherry brown (Logitech) and clears(P0k3r preorder... Man that board was replaced FAST). Turns out I really like them once I tried vintage clears on a board I found in a warehouse being vacated (OMG Ergo clear Vintage is just amazing as the weight is more like ~65g springs, actuating around 55-60g) which made me get some Zealios in 62g (R3) and then making my WhiteFox from those. The vintage Clear switches though, they have very little wobble compared to Zealios which is why the vintage clears win.

Cherry is like Nike in the late 90's / early 2000's with junk quality now. Perhaps it's to better compete on price with the Chinese makers, relying on brand recognition.

[Andy_Nixeus]

Gaterons are definitely more smoother than Cherry switches.

The only issue with Gaterons is that some of the switches tend wiggle near top making it inconsistent when typing/ clicking.

[phinix]

Gaterons are definitely more smoother than Cherry switches.

The only issue with Gaterons is that some of the switches tend wiggle near top making it inconsistent when typing/ clicking.

Which gaterons tend to be inconsistent?
All of them or particular color?


What are actuation forces for gaterons? Same colors and forces as cherry?

[need]

Gaterons are definitely more smoother than Cherry switches.

The only issue with Gaterons is that some of the switches tend wiggle near top making it inconsistent when typing/ clicking.

Which gaterons tend to be inconsistent?
All of them or particular color?


What are actuation forces for gaterons? Same colors and forces as cherry?

Some weights are different, here's a link for your reference:

https://deskthority.net/wiki/Gateron_KS-3_series

From my experience of Gateron Yellows, they have been consistent enough for me to not noticing it.

[ghostjuggernaut]

Gaterons are definitely more smoother than Cherry switches.

The only issue with Gaterons is that some of the switches tend wiggle near top making it inconsistent when typing/ clicking.

I 100% agree with these statements.

[chuckdee]

Gaterons are definitely more smoother than Cherry switches.

The only issue with Gaterons is that some of the switches tend wiggle near top making it inconsistent when typing/ clicking.

Sounds about right.  Another consideration that I've noticed... gateron inconsistency isn't as noticeable to me on smaller boards.  Larger boards with larger keys, on the larger keys, it can get downright criminal.

[krumbprone]

I alternate between Cherry black at work office and Gateron black at home office.  Keys feel slightly wobbly on the Cherry where the Gateron are more stable. I don't really feel much difference in amount of force needed. I do bottom out on both. Gateron are smoother and my preferred blacks.