The Guide to Outemu Switches: A Good Alternative?

Getting a good keyboard can be a budget busting endeavour, luckily there are a lot of budget friendly products out there. Outemu is often a more affordable option compared to the more popular switch brands.

Going with Outemu switches is great for your wallet, and can be a good introduction to newer mechanical keyboard users. But the sheer variety of their switches can be daunting to some people. I’ve typed on a bunch of Outemu keyboards in writing for this blog, here’s me with some Brown’s:

While Outemu switches don’t have the proven longevity that Cherry switches do, Outemu switches have made quite a bit of progress to shed their budget Cherry alternative label. I think there are several good Outemu switches that not only feel pretty good, but are also budget friendly.

I went ahead and created this guide to Outemu switches. Let’s take a look at which Outemu switches might be interesting to you.

Types of Outemu Switches

Outemu’s have the Cherry MX clones with color-themed names, as well as a variety of different switches, straight out of Outemu’s own book. Here’s an overview of the various categories of Outemu Switches:

1. Regular Switches
2. Low-Profile Switches
3. Dust-proof Switches
4. ICE Switches
5. Silent Switches
6. GAOTE Switches
7. Cream Switches
8. Milk Switches

For a complete guide that encompasses mechanical switches from various companies, check out our Mechanical Switch Chart.

Outemu Regular Switches

Most of these regular line Outemu switches are unremarkable. I think their reputation is actually a little worse than reality because you see them in so many cheap boards, it’s hard to evaluation the switch itself if the board is lacking.

All the Cherry clones feel similar, but the Brown are actually a little bit more tactile compared to Cherry Brown.

Outemu Sky’s are an interesting tactile switch, very tactile bump and an upgrade over the traditional brown in almost every way.

The Outemu Low Profile line up is just a budget clone of the traditional Cherry MX low profiles, though I find that the Outemu LPs are not as low as the Cherry’s they’re a bit taller.

Dustproof Switches

The Dustproof line uses a different stem design that helps prevent fine particles from getting inside the switch. I don’t think they noticeable feel any different from regular switches. So you should only consider one of these if you’re in a dustier than normal environment.

Ice Switches

The Ice switches are the enthusiast level switches from Outemu, trying to escape their reputation as just a clone manufacturer. Some of these Ice switches are interesting. The Ice Purples are decent tactiles, though not as tactile as top tiers they do come in a lower price.

The Ice Blue and Click are pretty good clicky switches, with a sharp response and recovery.

Silent Switches

Every switch manufacturer needs a silent line of and Outemu is no exception. I think their silent line up is their best line up, they’re producing some great silent switches that rival the best silent switches at a fraction of the price. The Silent Cream Yellow and Silent White’s are the standouts in this bunch for tactile and linear respectively.

You might have noticed that the GAOTE prefix is derived directly from the parent company’s name, Dongguan Gaote Electronics. These switches are a slightly tweaked version of the regular switches with improved overall smoothness and quality. 

Although they’re not very popular, Outemu’s Cream switches are great performers. They come factory-lubed and have a dustproof bracket around the stem. 

There are three switches, one of each type. The Clicky Cream Blue and the Tactile Cream Yellow have a good tactile response, and the Linear Cream Pink doesn’t feel too mushy either. 

Overall, if you’re on a budget, these are a very good option.

Outemu Milk Switches are similar to Cream switches, with one color for each type of switch.

Extra Switches

Which Outemu Switch is Best for Gaming?

Which switch is best for gaming ultimately comes down to your preference. Outemu Silent Cream Yellows are great, short actuation and a quiet tactile. Any of their low profile switches will be quite fast for gaming. For the most part, their silent line has to faster actuations, but some might not like the softer bottom out for gaming.

Are Outemu Switches Any Good?

They’ve been getting better and better with each new product release. Outemu used to be known as an alternative to save some budget. But I think at this point, some of the Outemu switches, especially the sub brands like Gazzew are top choices regardless of price. Not all of the Outemu switches are winners, but it’s looking like they will keep getting better.

Outemu Company Overview

Outemu was established in 2004, alongside many other companies like Gateron, to give direct competition to Cherry MX. Prior to this, Cherry held the patent to mechanical switches. But when it expired in late 2003, a slew of clone companies, including Outemu, started making switches similar to Cherry MX, but at a fraction of the price.

Outemu, formally known as Dongguan Gaote Electronics Co., LTD outside the USA, is popular among the mechanical keyboard fanbase for its switches’ price-to-performance ratio. Coming in at even cheaper than Gateron, Outemu’s wide variety of switches hits a perfect balance between quality and cost.

The real star of the show in Outemu’s lineup is the non-clone switches, like the Outemu Sky and Ice Switches. While these clones perform really well and have well-defined tactility in their switches, they aren’t as smooth as Gateron’s switches, or as durable as Cherry MX originals.