| Switch Type: | Clicky |
| Mount Type: | Plate Mount |
| Total travel(mm): | 4.0 |
| Price: | ~£4.20 (10 pieces) |
The Gateron Blue is a rather bland Cherry MX Blue clone. However, it is the cheapest option for those craving an MX Blue like typing experience. I would still personally opt for the more expensive Outemu Blue as it is the closest switch to the MX Blue regarding performance.
Smoothness: 5/10
On-centre keypresses feel smooth when pressed fairly quickly (i.e. when typing), but they have a very inconsistent feel when pressed slowly. Some rattle, whilst some do not.
Off-centre keypresses are even worse. Most switches exhibit some form of binding, especially when pressed towards the bottom of the key. My “N” and “M” key have it the worst. It’s pretty bad when you discover it, but it’s only really noticeable when the keys are pressed slowly.
Overall, it’s a little disappointing that it’s not as smooth or problem-free as other stock Gateron switches. Perhaps, some modifications could help it become a decent switch.
Gateron Blue switch disassembled.
Weighting: 4/10
There is roughly 1.1mm of pre-travel, with the tactile bump peaking at 58g at 1.3mm of travel. The tactile bump is short, with a rounded feel when typing at speed. The switch has a total travel of 4.0mm and bottoms out at 62g. It’s a standard ‘blue switch clone’ with the exception of the early tactile event which starts 1.1mm and ends at 2.0mm which I highly dislike about the switch.
Sound: 4/10
The switches are less high pitched compared to other popular clones, but still a little more compared to the MX Blue. Additionally, Gateron made no attempt to make the switches sound less rattily. Maybe every click jacketed switch suffers from the same fate. The unpleasant rattly soundtrack is something I can never enjoy. However, there are people who do appreciated them.
Typing Performance: 5/10
Despite it having a very similar weighting to the MX Blue, I couldn’t bring myself to like these switches. The tactile bump comes a little too early in the travel leaving the switch with plenty of over-travel. The tactile bump is also not that tactile. These could be the reason why I made plenty of typos with this switch.
The typing experience with these switches isn’t anything to write home about, especially with the small issues I mentioned above. It’s a switch you’ll likely to forget.
Gaming Performance: 5/10
Since its lower pitched compared to other popular clones, it’s not as distracting for gaming. A plus point, finally! However, you can still make out some switch noise in quieter scenes and areas.
The tactile bump is also much higher compared to other popular clones, meaning you may have less chances of bottoming out, giving you a small advantage if you practise long enough. Just don’t think it’ll make you a gamer god after one day.
Final Score = 23/50 (46%)