CHERRY MX GREEN, GREY AND CLEAR: SPECIAL SWITCHES AT A GLANCE
09/2018 by FRIEDRICH STIEMER/HOLGER DASSLER - Back to overview
In addition to the established and widely used MX switches of the types Red, Black, Brown, Blue, Speed Silver and Silent, CHERRY also offers variants that have been designed for special purposes. Find out in this blog post what makes MX Green, Grey and Clear different from the standard switches, and what these switches are used.
Many renowned and leading keyboard manufacturers worldwide rely on CHERRY MX switches for their high product quality. Their keyboard models are often offered with several different switch types. The most popular switch types include MX Red, MX Black, MX Brown, MX Blue, MX Speed Silver and MX Silent. These are standard CHERRY MX switches produced in large quantities.
Keyboard enthusiasts and professionals know that in addition to these well-known switches, CHERRY offers variants that are less widespread or even completely unknown to some users. These include CHERRY MX Green, MX Grey and MX Clear. These variants have been designed for a specific purpose, which is reflected in the switching characteristics and the required actuating force. These special switches are produced only in small quantities, which makes them extremely popular with enthusiasts.
Just like their well-known counterparts, these switch variants all use the proven âMechanical X-Pointâ technology with Gold Crosspoint contacts at the heart of the switch. All MX switches including their individual components are manufactured in Germany, guaranteeing maximum quality. This results in a lifespan of more than 50 million keystrokes without losing any input quality.
More information about the standard MX switches and the technology itself can be found in the blog post "CHERRY MX switches at a glance".
CHERRY MX GREEN
CHERRY MX Green has similar switching characteristics to the well-known MX Blue: the switch is tactile, which means that the user first has to overcome a small resistance when pressing a key. At the same time, an audible click occurs. The actuation point (2.2 millimeters) and total travel distance (4.0 millimeters) are also identical. The biggest difference can be found in the higher actuation force, which is 80 centinewton for MX Green. CHERRY MX Green is designed as a switch for the spacebar on keyboards with MX Blue switches.
CHERRY MX GREY
The switching characteristics of CHERRY MX Grey are almost identical to that of MX Brown. In both variants, the actuation point is at 2.0 and the total travel distance is at 4.0 millimeters. Add to this a tactile switching behavior without audible click. But while MX Brown requires only 55 centinewton of actuation, the MX Grey needs a higher 80 centinewton. For this reason, MX Grey switches are usually used for the spacebar on keyboards with MX Brown switches.
CHERRY MX CLEAR
CHERRY MX Clear can be compared with the popular MX Brown as well, with its similar tactile switching behavior, similar actuation point and total travel distance, and the lack of an audible clicking sound. Again, the difference can be found in the actuating force: the MX Clear requires 65 centinewton of force, as opposed to the MX Brown (55 cN) or MX Grey (80 cN). Just like MX Grey, MX Clear is an alternative for the spacebar on MX Brown keyboards.
