From the first few key presses, Cherry’s £80/$90 KC 200 MX mechanical keyboard ably demonstrates the genius of the German firm’s new MX2A switches – while being a fascinating but not faultless keyboard for typing or gaming in its own right.
These switches are undoubtedly the star of the show, and come with a genuine litany of improvements over the original Cherry MX designs that have appeared in basically every popular mechanical keyboard made in the last 13 years. The MX2A switches are smoother with “near contactless” movement, quieter, more uniform, longer-lasting, more eco-friendly… and less wobbly, scratchy or ping-y. This new switch even “boasts aesthetics” (direct quote) – and of course is available in the usual wide range of varieties, with MX Silent Red and MX Brown options available for the KC 200 MX itself.
Given that Cherry’s original MX switch design dates back to the 1980s, it seems there were a lot of potential upgrades that could all be bundled together when it came time for the MX2A, and indeed as promised the new Silent Red switches in my review unit feel startlingly good: buttery-smooth with a deeper, quieter report, courtesy of fancy factory lubrication and a new barrel-shaped spring in contrast to the cylindrical shape it had before. I also got a chance to try the new Brown switches, which weren’t as quiet or effortless to press as the Silent Red but perhaps better for typing given their extra tactile bump.
