Switch: Kailh White BOX V2

Rounding off the set is the new Kailh White BOX V2, and I again got 110 pieces. One image Kailh shared with me shows retail packages in three sizes, and the product pages show that these switches are purchasable in packs of 10, 30, 70, 90, or 110 pieced. As the original BOX White V1, the White BOX V2 is a tactile and clicky switch, and all three feedback mechanisms of the new lineup have now been covered. Missing so far are replacements for the likes of the BOX Black and BOX Jade, with the former a heavier linear switch and the latter a heavier and clickier, well, clicky switch. But this new White BOX V2 might have something to say about that. It looks quite similar to the other switches aside from the obvious white stem and also has the squared columns around the cross-point stem for added dust and spill resistance.


As before, I had already covered the original Kailh BOX White switch, and we again have the two side-by-side for further comparison. The biggest external change is that the new White Box V2 switch uses a black instead of white bottom housing, again with a 5-pin instead of 3-pin design. LED support is also slightly different, no longer allowing for surface-mounted LED support since backlit keyboards emphasize SMD LEDs these days. Otherwise, the two occupy the same footprint. As such, any kit or keycap set that worked with the original will work with the new BOX V2.


Disassembling the Kailh White BOX V2 switch shows a similar working mechanism as the Red and Brown BOX V2 switches, including a similar BOX design with the lubed Active Block. This time, the block is green, and the stem has the extension on the other side finally make sense on this switch that employs a click bar in its housing for the decoupled tactile and clicky feedback. This also means the tactile and clicky feedback can be put anywhere along the travel pathway without the issue of an earlier or later tactile bump than expected in other clicky switches, and the click sounding anemic in comparison. But we now know that the mold for the stems in all three is based on the stem for the White BOX V2. The spring is the same long, gold-plated unit as before, which in this case also adds corrosion resistance on top of the quicker rebound time after bottoming out.


Aside from the housing being different and having been designed with tighter tolerances for the positioning columns, the stem on the newer BOX V2 is overall better defined than on the older one, including for the extension on the other side of the contact surface for actuation. As with the Brown BOX V2, the Active Block is positioned the other way around in the older switch. I took apart multiple switches to verify this, and it appears to be the result of the metal contact being shorter in the older switch. Here too it appears Kailh is able to get away with re-using a lot of the same parts, which will result in production cost savings that are hopefully passed on to the consumers.


Using the Kailh White BOX V2 switches with the Akko MOD 003 kit is as simple as before, especially since we know that the switch sockets on the kit are compatible with 5-pin switches out of the box. Just ensure the metal pins are straight before aligning them with the switch-socket openings and pressing down vertically until you hit a solid wall. If the pins go in at an angle or are slightly off-center, or angled, you might encounter resistance sooner or even hear the scrunching of the pins being bent or crumpled further. The BOX switches also provide further support courtesy the columns around the cross-point stem, which are meant to add further dust and spill resistance but help you hold on to the switches. Something about these white stem switches looks better against the dark green backdrop of the kit to me, at least compared to the Red and Brown BOX V2, but you are not going to see the switches once the keycaps are installed anyway.


It was also now that I figured out the Akko MOD 003 has software support that isn't mentioned officially. You see, the PCB design is quite similar to the one on the Akko 3098B, including on the USB and LED controllers, so I downloaded the same Akko Cloud Driver put to good use before. It confirmed that the MOD 003 works with it, and with it comes key mapping, which I tested on the four keys in the top-right corner, implementing volume control and a calculator shortcut I had dedicated keycaps for as well. I also retained the neon green Esc key, but did swap out the console (~) key for the darker green base version to better match the other modifiers below.


This is the force-travel curve for the Kailh White BOX V2 switches courtesy Kailh. These are medium-force tactile and clicky switches with a total travel distance of 3.6 +/-0.3 mm instead of the usual 4.0 mm and a rated actuation distance of 1.8 +/-0.4 mm as opposed to the average switch at 2.0 mm, both of which is the same as on the White BOX V1, as is the rated actuation force of 45 +/-10 gf and click and tactile force of 55 gf. However, the click bar is felt slightly earlier on the White BOX V2, at ~1.5-1.6 mm instead of 1.7–1.8 mm as with the previous iteration. I would have liked this to remain the same, too, since having feedback at the point of actuation is nice. The biggest change, however, is that bottoming-out force is just 50 instead of 60 gf, making this a lighter switch more prone to be bottomed out once past the click bar feedback. Once again, a randomly chosen set of ~20 switches performed nearly the same.


This is how this specific combination sounds when typing at ~95 WPM. Keep in mind that the sound profile is heavily influenced by everything. Even the aluminium case matters, with cases out of plastic, acrylic, or wood changing things drastically, too. The presence or absence of sound-dampening foam is also quite the factor, which is why it's best to compare switches with the same case, plate, and keycap set combination. There is a significant improvement in the sound signature of the White BOX V2 over the White BOX V1 even with the two switches next to each other in my hands with nothing else affecting them. The new White BOX V2 is not as high-pitched and has the more satisfying click I previously had to go to the BOX Jade for, which is also slightly heavier than the White BOX V1. This means the White BOX V2 is a nice hybrid of the two previous clicky BOX switches we covered, and for that alone, it is the best of the three in this series to me. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with tactile and clicky switches.