CHERRY CHERRY KC 200 MX

The CHERRY KC 200 MX is the sort of keyboard that does not shout. It is a wired, full-size mechanical keyboard built around an anodized metal plate, sculpted keycaps and the company's own MX2A switches, with white status lights and four extra keys and nothing else. CHERRY, the German switch maker, describes it as a slim, reliable office board with a clear-cut design that also suits programmers, content creators and gamers. This guide is based on CHERRY's product page, its properties table and its list of variants. The page shows no price, so we do not quote one, and we have not tested the keyboard ourselves; where we say something is good, it is CHERRY's claim and we label it as such.

Design and build

The first thing CHERRY points to is the bronze-coloured, anodized metal plate on top, which it says gives the keyboard both an elegant look and a durable, robust feel. The rest is deliberately restrained: minimal dimensions, sculpted keycaps and clean lines. The keycaps are ABS plastic, and the board has integrated adjustable feet. It measures 430 mm wide, 121 mm deep and 39 mm high without packaging. There is no backlight: the properties table lists illumination as none, and the only lights are white status LEDs built into the Caps Lock, Scroll Lock and Num Lock keys. That may seem like a contradiction with the page's mention of LEDs, but the two facts fit together, because the LEDs are indicators and not lighting for the legends. If you type in a dim room and rely on backlit legends, take note.

The MX2A switch

The centrepiece is the switch. CHERRY presents MX2A as the new version that replaces its current full-size MX range, still manufactured exclusively in Germany, with a factory-applied lubricant, redesigned springs and other refinements. The company says this promises smoother operation, better acoustics, and, depending on the variant, a guaranteed service life of more than 100 million keystrokes. CHERRY also mentions Gold-Crosspoint contact precision. Two variants are offered on this keyboard:

• MX2A Brown: tactile without a click, described as targeted and tangible, rated above 100 million keystrokes. CHERRY suggests it for offices and gaming.
• MX2A Silent Red: linear and quiet, described as smooth and quiet, rated above 50 million keystrokes. CHERRY recommends it if you want a silent mechanical keyboard for an office.

Whichever you pick, the keyboard has N-key rollover, which stops keystrokes from being lost when you press many keys at once, and anti-ghosting, which stops the wrong key from registering. Response time is listed at 1 ms. If you are not sure what tactile, linear and clicky mean, our guide to mechanical keyboard switches explains the difference in plain language. Note that the KC 200 MX is not described as hot-swappable, so the switch you order is the switch you keep; if you want to change switches later, read about hot-swap keyboards and look elsewhere.

Four extra keys and assignable F-keys

The keyboard has 104 keys plus four additional ones directly above the number pad, which give quick access to the calculator app and to volume control. CHERRY's free CHERRY KEYS software lets you assign your own shortcuts, macros and more to the F-keys. The properties table says the keyboard has no internal memory, so settings are handled through that software, and the software is listed for Windows. The same table lists Windows as the operating system and USB-A as the hardware requirement. The keyboard is a plain USB device, so we would expect it to type on other systems too, but CHERRY does not say so on the page, and the extra-key and macro features depend on the Windows software.

Who it suits

CHERRY says it is not only for people who spend a lot of time typing, but also for gamers and programmers, and it stresses value for money. Our read: this is a solid office and coding board for someone who wants a real mechanical feel, a full number pad and a metal plate, but does not need wireless, RGB or hot-swap sockets. If you want backlighting and gaming polish, look at the Corsair K70 MAX RGB. If you like a mechanical feel but need a familiar gaming-style layout, our page on the Logitech G15 is another option.

Which switch should you pick?

Use the numbers CHERRY gives to decide. If you want a clear bump under the finger without a click and expect to type or game for years, the MX2A Brown is rated for more than 100 million keystrokes. If you share an office or type late and quiet matters more, the MX2A Silent Red is linear and quiet, and CHERRY rates it for more than 50 million keystrokes. Both ratings are large numbers, and CHERRY does not present the lower one as a drawback, so the choice comes down to feel and sound. Because you cannot swap the switches later, it is worth trying both types on a colleague's keyboard or another board first.

Layouts and colours

CHERRY lists a long run of regional layouts, among them US, EU (US layout with the euro symbol), GB, DE, FR, CH, PanNordic and Taiwan, plus Chinese and Korean versions. The standard colourway is black with a bronze plate, and a white and silver version is also listed for the German and US layouts; some Chinese-market versions come in orange, pink and white. Each variant has its own article number and EAN code, so check that the layout you order matches your keys. The scope of delivery is the keyboard and a manual, and the warranty is two years.

A note on the page's own wording

The page ends its description by saying that the packaging of the KC 200 MX is "completely plastic". A claim like this normally means plastic-free, and the sentence reads as if a word is missing, so we are not repeating it as a statement about the packaging. It has no bearing on the keyboard. There is also a feature on the page that lets you place a 3D model of the keyboard in your own room through your phone camera, which is a neat way to judge its size against your desk before ordering.

Bottom line

The KC 200 MX is for people who want the tap and the sound of a mechanical keyboard without the gamer costume. It has a strong build, switches that CHERRY says are made exclusively in Germany, and no wireless complexity. Compare it with the rest of our keyboard category, and read our guide to mechanical versus membrane keyboards if you are still deciding whether a mechanical board is right for your desk.