Cherry MX Clear

Quick Summary

The Cherry MX Clear is the heavy tactile in Cherry’s lineup. It’s the switch a lot of people reach for after deciding the MX Brown’s bump is too faint to bother with. It pairs a firm 65g spring with a defined tactile event and sits between an everyday typing switch and an enthusiast tactile. If you want a tactile MX switch with real feedback and Cherry’s long-haul reliability, this is the obvious pick.

Specs and Feel

The Clear actuates at 65g with the standard MX 2.0mm pre-travel and 4.0mm total travel, built on a POM stem, nylon top and bottom housing, and a stainless steel spring. The bump is the headline: it’s positioned high in the stroke and resists noticeably before giving way, so you feel a clear “over the hill” event on every press rather than the vague nub a Brown gives you. That firmness keeps fingers from bottoming out lazily, which is why Clears are a popular fatigue-reduction choice for heavy typists. Housing wobble is tight and predictable, as you’d expect from Cherry tolerances. The trade-off is texture: stock Clears carry the familiar dry, faintly scratchy Cherry feel and a touch of spring ping, and the sound is on the clackier, higher-pitched side.

Tuning

A light lubing on the stem rails and a thin spring lube transform these: the scratch smooths out, the ping disappears, and the tactile bump stays fully intact. Switch films are largely unnecessary given Cherry’s tight housings. Lube is the one mod worth doing here.

Verdict

Buy the Cherry MX Clear if you want a firm, clearly-defined tactile with solid Cherry consistency and you’re happy to do a quick lube job. Anyone who bounced off MX Browns for being too soft will likely find their answer here. Skip it if you prefer light switches or a softer, rounded bump. The Clear is deliberately heavy and sharp, and that’s the whole point.