Time to pit the Gateron Oil King switches against the Gateron Ink Black switches
I’m a keyboard nerd who’s built dozens of boards and swapped switches more times than I can count.
I’ve put these things through the wringer for you (so you don’t have to).
This Gateron Oil King vs Gateron Ink Black article breaks down their specs, performance, and whether they’re worth your hard-earned cash.
Stick around to see which one of these switches deserve a spot in your next build!
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Switch Snapshot
- Type: Linear
- Top Housing: Nylon
- Bottom Housing: Proprietary INK Blend
- Stem: POM
- Initial Force: Not Specified
- Actuation: 55g
- Bottom-Out: Not Specified
- Pre-Travel: 2.0mm
- Total Travel: 4.0mm
- Pins: 5-pin
- Lube: Pre-Lubricated
- Type: Linear
- Top Housing: Proprietary INK Blend
- Bottom Housing: Proprietary INK Blend
- Stem: POM
- Initial Force: Not Specified
- Actuation: 60g
- Bottom-Out: 70g
- Pre-Travel: 2.0mm
- Total Travel: 4.0mm
- Pins: 5-pin
- Lube: Pre-Lubricated
Curious how these switches stack up against the top-rated linears? Check out our guide to see our current favorites:
Hands On Breakdown
Gateron was founded in 2000 and is a manufacturer of mechanical keyboard switches and related components. The company has become a prominent player in the mechanical keyboard market and is known for producing high-quality switches.
The Gateron Oil King and Gateron Ink Black switches are two top-of-the-line products from the company.
Check out the in-depth reviews for SOUND TESTS:
I tried these switches as they came from the factory using the following setup:
Keyboard: Neo Studio Neo65
- Case: Aluminum
- Plate: FR4
- Mount: Gasket
- Foam: Poron Case Foam, PE Sheet
Keycaps: Wuque Studio BOW
- Material: PBT
- Printing: Double Shot
- Profile: Cherry
Note: Neo Studio Neo65 doesn’t have RGB. RGB was tested on a Keychron Q1.
Overwhelmed by the anatomy of keyboards? Check these links to learn all about them:
Colorway:
The switches have the following color scheme:
| Gateron Oil King | Gateron Ink Black | |
| Stem | Black | Black |
| Top Housing | Black | Smokey |
| Bottom Housing | Black | Smokey |
I’m not a fan of transparent housings, so the Oil Kings look better to me. That said, the Ink Blacks actually don’t look too bad. The smokey transparency definitely looks better than clear transparency. But if I had to pick one, I’d go with the Oil Kings.
PERFORMANCE | Winner: Gateron Oil King
Preferences:
The switches I’ve used the longest are the Gateron Oil Kings. So, you can consider them the baseline for what my preferences are.
I like to rest my fingers on the keys when I’m typing. This often leads to keys being inadvertently pressed.
I also type like I’m hammering nails. I bottom out pretty hard when I press the keys.
General:
These switches can both be considered on the heavier side. The Ink Blacks have a slightly heavier bottom out than the Oil Kings, but they both felt great to me. I love the way heavy switches feel.
They both felt very smooth.
The Oil Kings have a slightly lighter initial force than the Ink Blacks. This slight difference actually feels huge to me. The Ink Blacks were much more comfortable to type on.
The separate, in-depth reviews for these switches go more into how they feel and also include force curve graphs. Check them out if you’re into the nerdy details.
Gaming:
I played various Steam games while reviewing the switches.
My movements felt great with both switches, regardless of game. Everything was snappy and responsive.
Most of the games I played involved a lot of WASD action to move the character around. Various other keys were also used for character abilities.
Being linear switches, neither the Oil Kings nor the Ink Blacks gave me any feedback when pressed. However, they both felt buttery smooth and made the gaming experience very pleasant. I didn’t experience any finger fatigue at all when using either of them.
Typing:
Typing felt awesome.
Both switches had the perfect weight for me.
I love switches that are heavy enough for me to rest my lazy fingers on the keys without accidentally activating them.
I did still notice a very slight bit of travel as I rested my fingers on the Oil Kings. They would have been perfect for me if they just had a bit of a higher initial force.
Enter the Ink Blacks. These were the perfect initial force. My fingers rested comfortably on them.
Though I enjoyed the Ink Blacks much more, my typing was noticeably better with the Oil Kings. I think this might have to do with the fact that my typing test was shorter with the Oil Kings. It’s much easier to score higher on a short test than to sustain a fast typing speed for a longer period of time.
SOUND | Winner: Gateron Ink Black
Sound Signature:
This is where you’ll get a slight difference between the switches.
The Gateron Oil Kings are clacky. Despite the fact that I liked the way they felt and used them for years, the sound always bothered me.
The Gateron Ink Blacks, on the other hand, sound amazing. Thock all day. I loved the way they sounded every time I pressed them.
Pinging:
The Oil Kings had consistent pinging. I tested dozens of them. I had to hold them up to my ears to hear anything.
The Ink Blacks had some faint pinging on some of the switches. Not enough to even notice unless you listen really closely.
Scratchiness:
Both switches had virtually zero scratchiness.
Leaf Tick:
I only ran across a single switch with leaf tick on the Ink Blacks. However, I ran across a good portion of switches that had leaf ticking with the Oil Kings.
Microphone Usage:
Neither of the switches had any issues on Discord. In the past, Discord would frequently pick up all the typing sounds. However, it seems the newer mic options in the mic are really good at suppressing keyboard sounds now.
QUALITY | Winner: Gateron Ink Black
Socket Fit:
Coming from Gateron, of course these switches looked and felt premium.
They performed like premium switches too.
The Oil Kings were a bit difficult to install, but once in place, they sat very securely.
The Ink Blacks were much easier to install and kinda felt like they just squished into place. Despite that, they sat very securely as well.
Pins:
I have the Oil Kings from before they upgraded the pins. These pins were super flimsy and would do the “splits” when installing some of the switches. This is an issue that Gateron has acknowledged in the past and already remedied. With this in mind, I won’t be counting the pins negatively against the Oil Kings in this comparison.
The Ink Blacks have the upgraded pins and worked great.
Errors:
Neither of the switches experienced any ghost-typing, which meant I didn’t have to reseat any of them during installation.
Lubrication:
I opened a handful of both switches and was pleased with their factory lubrication.
COMPATIBILITY | Winner: Gateron Ink Black
Pins:
Both switches use the 5-pin design and, as noted in the earlier section, seated very securely in the sockets.
Keycaps:
Keycaps installed on both switches without any issues and were very secure. Although, some of them felt like they went on the Oil Kings a bit loose. Regardless, they all had the normal amount of wobble.
Keycaps also came off of both switches without any issues.
RGB:
This is a major difference between the switches. The Oil Kings were not designed for RGB at all. You’ll barely get any light shining through.
The Ink Blacks, though, work great with RGB. It’s a bit more muted than clear transparency, but it’s leagues better than the Oil Kings.
PRICE | Winner: Gateron Oil King
Both switches fall in the range of Premium pricing, with the Oil King sitting closer to the lower end of the pricing scale.
Being a budget shopper, I don’t like the price for either of these switches. Especially not the Ink Blacks.
However, both of these switches perform amazing and can definitely justify their more expensive pricing.
They both also periodically go on sale, so be sure to keep an eye on them and hit that checkout button when they drop to a price point you’re comfortable with.
VERDICT | Winner: Gateron Ink Black
There you have it. A quick comparison of the Gateron Oil Kings vs Ink Blacks.
I would actually consider this a tie. It’s likely the Oil Kings would have a better score if I had the upgraded 3.0 pins. You can pick either one. Both of these switches are highly regarded.
My Pick: Gateron Ink Black
This pick is mainly because of the way they sounded and their heavier initial force. I found myself really enjoying using them.
My goal for this sum up was to give you a place to get info on a general comparison of the switches.
If you’re ready to jump in on these switches, grab a pack today!
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Be sure to check out the in-depth reviews for the SOUND TESTS:
How We Tested and Our Methodology
Keyboard Forge is a 100% independent publisher.
We purchased these switches with our own funds and were not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
We conducted numerous hours of hands-on testing with these switches in both gaming and typing environments. Majority of the gaming testing was done playing various Steam games. Majority of the typing testing was done writing articles for Keyboard Forge.
We hope this review helps you get a better understanding of these switches. Feel free to reach out to suggest switches to review in the future.
Thanks for the support!
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