Cherry MX

Cherry MX is one of the most common mechanical switches on the market; certainly so for contemporary mechanical keyboards produced by the likes of Ducky, Filco, Leopold, PLU, HPE, KeyCool and others.

Cherry MX switches are operated by depressing a spring-loaded slider to or past the actuation point of the switch. The slider is either a linear or tactile 'ramp' that displaces a leaf spring. When the slider is depressed, the leaf spring is allowed to complete the circuit between the + and - terminals that are soldered to the PCB.

There are four 'common' MX models in addition to a few other switches that are not often used by keyboard OEMs. Nowadays most Cherry switches are referred to by their slider color.

Common Switches

Switch Color	Model Number	Switch Feel
Black	Example	Linear, medium-heavy spring
Red	Example	Linear, light spring
Brown	Example	Tactile, light spring
Blue	Example	Tactile & Clicky, light spring