| Switch Type: | Linear |
| Mount Type: | Plate Mount |
| Travel Distance: | 2.3mm Actuation | 4mm Total |
| Force: | 43g Operating | 57g Bottom-out |
| Price: | ~£4.20 (10 pieces) |
The Gateron Red is a light linear Cherry MX Red clone switch. The force curves show that the Gateron Red being slightly less progressive compared to the MX Red switch: Gateron Red | Cherry MX Red . The Gateron Red also actuates at a lighter 43g rather than 49g and at a further distance of 2.3mm to the 2.1mm of the MX Red. However, the Gateron Red is still much cheaper coming in around £4.00 for 10 switches, making it cheaper than the Outemu Red in many cases.
Smoothness: 6/10
On-centre keypresses are very smooth for the most part with only hints of scratchiness in some switches. However, I wouldn’t pay attention to the inconsistencies as its very minor and could be ‘fixed’ with some lube.
Off-centre keypresses are also very smooth, though, you can clearly feel the inconsistencies between the good and the bad switches on the board. It’s a slight annoyance, but definitely not a huge dealbreaker.
Gateron Red switch disassembled.
Weighting: 5/10
The switch actuates at 43g at 2.3mm and bottoms out at 54g at 4mm. So, it’s nothing unusual, but it is quite a bit lighter than the MX Red. Although, the weighting difference when testing them out side by side is not that noticeable. I do still find this weighting to be very light for me; I’ve made waaaaaay too many mistakes both typing and gaming with it. I’d rather give this to an MX Red user as they’ll probably enjoy this if they liked using the MX Red.
Sound: 5/10
The last switch I reviewed – The Outemu Red as a lot thockier (deep sounding) which I liked more. This switch however…is not like that, it’s more “average”; it’s not bad, but it’s nothing special.
Typing Performance: 6/10
Typing on this switch is nice. It’s a very well-rounded switch, decently smooth, not horrible sounding and affordable for most people. Anyone coming from an MX Red or equivalent will mostly enjoy using this switch. However, I still would look for a heavier switch as this just isn’t going to be cutting it for me in the long run.
Gaming Performance: 7/10
Gaming on these is pretty good, I enjoyed using it. The smooth and lightweight nature of the switch makes for a great gaming experience. I’d have a tough time choosing any other switch, especially as it’s currently the cheapest switch you can buy on the market.
If you’re looking to upgrade from a crappy rubber dome keyboard to an entry level budget mechanical keyboard…this would be my number 1 pick. You honestly can’t go any cheaper for the for the performance this offers.
Final Score = 29/50 (58%)