Thoughts on Akko CS Silver switches

Speed switches are something that I’ve gone over before. They feature a shorter actuation point and, typically, a lighter actuation versus other switches. Akko’s entry to that world is much the same. They are a light-to-medium actuation, linear, short actuation switch. They aren’t exotic, factory lubricated, or particularly exciting. What they are is Akko’s answer to the speed switch market demand, something that has been popularized since the introduction of the Cherry Speed Silver switches.

Starting with construction, they feature a gray POM stem, clear polycarbonate top, and a gray polyamide nylon bottom housing. The stem itself is a dustproof box housing (that is to say, IP54 rated) and a short 1mm of travel for actuation. They also bottom out at a shorter 3mm of total travel. This means that, compared to many other MX style switches that are set for 2mm actuation and 4mm bottom out that they are 1mm shorter in both regards. As for the actual effect that has with gaming, that’s nebulous at best and likely falls within the realm of placebo but at the very least it isn’t a negative effect to typing or gaming, at least in theory. For heavy typists they may prove to be prone to higher incidence of errors because they are light switches, 43g actuation point and 50g bottom out force. If you are used to heavier switches, particularly in the 67g or higher bottom out range, I could easily see them as feeling too light to comfortably use.

That said, unlike the two other silver speed switches I’ve used, Cherry Speed Silver and Kailh Silver, these are the smoothest of the three in stock form. The Kailh and Cherry switches are both particularly scratchy feeling, noticeable even just from their sound profile. These, in stock form, aren’t the smoothest linear switches, even ignoring all other switches that are lubricated, but they are pleasant enough to use in stock form sans lubrication. They are adequate. Not offensively scratchy, nor particularly smooth. They aren’t the most pingy or crunchy, but there is still the occasional ping and more than occasional spring crunch. For most users looking for gaming-oriented switches to just put them into a keyboard and forget about them, I think they are, again, adequate for the job. They are decent, if unremarkable.

They feature Cherry style housing, with four legs on the upper housing versus the two large tabs found on Kailh style switches. For compatibility, much like many other Akko switches, they are three-leg design and lack the two additional plastic securing pins. Because of that they do have greater compatibility out of the box. They feature a 22mm 50g weighted spring and a copper alloy contact leaf. Also featured is an RGB shine-through cutout which when combined with the transparent upper housing makes them excellent for RGB. The upper housing also features the Akko logo on the opposite side of the RGB channel.

The tolerances are what I’ve come to expect from Akko switches, with the housing fitting together securely and tightly allowing very little play between top and bottom housing. The box stem also carries the benefit of being tighter compared to many other cross only stems, with minimal stem wobble in the north-south direction and slightly more play to the east-west direction. There is some irregularity between switches, with some featuring more play than others, but nothing egregious in my testing. I wouldn’t say any are excellent nor are any poor, they all fall in the realm of decent continuing the trend of these switches being a solid option.

In stock form, paired with my Portico and GMK Serenity keycaps they are a fun set of switches. They sound pleasant, with notes of scratchiness fairly minimal. The reduced stem wobble makes them nice to use, undistracting, unobtrusive. I would describe the sound as higher pitch and more in-line with what I’d expect for switches featuring a polycarbonate upper housing paired with POM stem. Overall, they are exactly what I would expect from their specifications and that’s a good thing. There aren’t any nasty surprises, poor quality, or glaring inadequacies. They’re solid, quality, and inexpensive speed switches with no frills but also no corners cut to the detriment of the product. They are a good linear switch option even in stock form without lubrication and that is ideal.

Sold in packages of 45 like other Akko switches it makes it easy to buy two boxes for 90 switches for most keyboards outside of the 95% or full-size boards. On Amazon they are $18.99 for 45 switches, $0.42 a switch. From Akko directly they are $13.99 or $0.31 a switch. The prices are largely a wash however as Amazon features free shipping while from Akko you would have to pay for shipping. At the $0.30-0.45 per switch price point they fall in line with other, similar switches. They may be more or less expensive than the other options but when factoring in shipping costs they may still be cheaper than the likes of Amazon with shipping being free. Ultimately, they fall into the typical price range for speed switches. 

Going through the process of hand lubricating these switches brings them up to feeling even more refined. Though not necessary to make them pleasant to use, lubricating them does smooth the harsher edges of using them. What little scratch there was is now largely eliminated. Spring ping and crunch is also greatly reduced, allowing for the natural sound of the stem tapping the housing when typing to be played up and it’s a nice sound. There’s a deeper resonance, due to the nylon bottom, than all polycarbonate switches that I find more enjoyable. Paired with the ABS keycaps I think they produce a lovely profile on the Portico keyboard. Altogether, I think it’s a lovely pairing with GMK Serenity and the Portico that features a polycarbonate housing with FR4 plate. I’d describe the sound as a distinct “takka takka takka” when typing with some deeper sounds, especially with larger keys like the spacebar, and some higher notes on the 1U keys for a balanced sound when typing. And while I don’t think it is necessary to lubricate these switches to enjoy them, to have them really shine, I think a light and even coating gives you a delightful set of switches to use.

I like having lighter switches now, and have for a while, in fact. These aren’t the lightest switches around by any means, but they are light and paired with a higher actuation and final travel that makes them feel distinctly shorter than other switches. Again, for heavier typists I feel like they would be less pleasant to use because of that and would be more likely to result in accidental actuations. For lighter typists, especially those who are accustomed to lighter switches and don’t bottom out heavily, these can be incredibly fun to type with. That short throw and light weighting means that they have a more pillowy feel when typing whilst still retaining the feel of a hard bottom out.

As far as using them when gaming, I’m largely agnostic when it comes to what switches I use when gaming. I may be able to actuate these more quickly than standard throw switches, but I’m hardly good enough to notice that difference. I don’t notice any detrimental effects either though. As a linear switch they’re a great option for typing or gaming I think, so long as you go in aware of the lighter feel versus many other linear options that feature 60g or heavier springs versus the 50g springs these switches use. If you are prone to resting your fingers on the keys when thinking you may notice these switches will accidentally actuate because they are so light and actuate so quickly with the 1mm actuation point. Those are issues largely present with speed switches and if you’ve not liked other speed switches because of issues like that you won’t find these will magically solve that problem.

In the end, they’re a solid switch. They’re priced right in the range of where I’d expect them to be for speed switches and I didn’t have any real complaints of them in stock form aside from the usual gripes of dry, that is to say unlubricated, switches. Taking the time to lubricate them myself and those issues evaporate leaving me with a great set of switches. I think I’ll keep them in the board for a while longer to continue to enjoy them and keep them in my regular rotation. If you’re looking for linear speed switches I’d recommend them over Kailh and Cherry, though I’m curious to see how Gateron’s factory lubricated Silver switches would play against them and may have to get those in the future. Until then, however, I am quite pleased with the results.