Outemu Blue

The Outemu Blue is another Cherry MX Blue clone. It is usually the switch choice in many budget mechanical keyboards, making it the most popular and successful clone thus far. They also perform similarly to the MX Blue making for a decent alternative. Big time MX Blue fans should give these a try.

Smoothness: 5/10

On-centre key presses are decently smooth, but off-centre keypresses are a little scratchy. However, off-centre keypresses are a touch smoother than Cherry MX Blues, but the difference is marginal. You probably wouldn’t notice it unless you’re comparing the two side by side.

Outemu Blue switch disassembled

Weighting: 5/10

There is roughly 1.4mm of pre-travel, with the tactile bump peaking at 65g at 1.7mm of travel. The tactile bump is short and rounded similar to the MX Blue. The switch has a total travel of 3.6mm and bottoms out at 60g. It’s all in all an MX Blue with a different name!

Sound: 4/10

The switches are much higher pitched than the MX Blue, a similar trait with clicky clone switches. These also use a click jacket achieve their click giving them an unpleasant, rattly soundtrack. It’s not the worst, but I really dislike the sound. However, a number of people seem to enjoy them.

Typing Performance: 6/10

It’s neither inferior nor superior to the MX Blue when it comes to actually using the switches, but these aren’t exactly special either. However, in some cases, keystrokes won’t register, especially when pressed lightly. It’s not a major downside, but it’s worth mentioning.

Gaming Performance: 4/10

If you’re thinking the reduced travel from 4mm to 3.6mm is going to make a difference in gaming, think again. I barely noticed it until I tried some MX Blues in a side by side comparison. The racket that it puts out is really annoying too, even with noise cancelling headphones on. So, it would be even more annoying to you if you play without headphones! Definitely not recommended for gaming.

Final Score = 24/50 (48%)

Places to purchase this switch:

AliExpress