Cherry MX Low Profile Red vs Kailh Choc Red V1
Check compatibility before feel on this pair: the Kailh Choc Red V1 will not drop into the same board as the other one, which narrows the choice for most people to whatever their keyboard accepts. Our full switch library already points each of these at the other. Hear them back to back below with the trims matched before you read a single number.
Hear them back to back
simulated from real specssound loads on your first tapShortcuts: press A or B anywhere outside a text box to fire that burst. Use the volume trims to loudness-match the pair before judging which sounds better.
Spec by spec
| Spec | Cherry MX Low Profile Red | Kailh Choc Red V1 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | 60 g (our estimate) |
| Pre-travel | 1.2 mm | 1.5 mm |
| Total travel | 3.2 mm | 3 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | No |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Cherry and Kailh both advertise an actuation force, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other. The figure marked "our estimate" is our own derivation and not a manufacturer number, because Kailh publishes no bottom-out figure for the Kailh Choc Red V1. How that derivation works .
Verdict
This is a linear versus linear contest: the Cherry MX Low Profile Red and the Kailh Choc Red V1 share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. Check your board first: the Kailh Choc Red V1 does not use an MX style stem, so the two are not interchangeable in the same keyboard. Their springs sit close together, just 5 g apart at actuation, with the Kailh Choc Red V1 the marginally firmer press. By use case, then: the Cherry MX Low Profile Red for gaming and a shared office, the Kailh Choc Red V1 for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Cherry MX Low Profile Red
- Typing pick
- Kailh Choc Red V1
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Low Profile Red
Force curves
Cherry MX Low Profile Red
Cherry publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Kailh Choc Red V1
Kailh publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the 60 g at the end of the stroke is our estimate and the run into it is dashed. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers. How we derive it.
Cherry MX Low Profile Red or Kailh Choc Red V1: the long answer
This pair has a fit problem to clear before feel or sound matter. The Kailh Choc Red V1 does not use an MX style stem, so it will not drop into a standard hot-swap board or accept ordinary MX keycaps. Both are mid priced. Neither ships lubed, so budget an evening with a brush if you want either at its best.
On to the mechanical side. At actuation the Kailh Choc Red V1 is the firmer press, 50 g against 45 g, a difference you notice after a paragraph rather than on the first keystroke. On distance the Cherry MX Low Profile Red registers at 1.2 mm against 1.5 mm, and the full stroke runs 3.2 mm on the Cherry MX Low Profile Red against 3.0 mm on the Kailh Choc Red V1. Type is not in play. Both are linears, and nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. Same family of stroke, so read the detail rather than the headline.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Played back to back, the Cherry MX Low Profile Red is shallow, brighter clack with little body against thin, shallow clack; the sound of ergo split boards everywhere from the Kailh Choc Red V1. These demos are synthesized from published specs and documented character rather than studio recordings, which every player on the site says plainly.
Answer the use case and the switch follows. Games point at the Cherry MX Low Profile Red, because the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. Writing points at the Kailh Choc Red V1, since its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. A shared room points at the Cherry MX Low Profile Red, as it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. Do the listening first. It costs nothing and it changes minds more often than a spec table does.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Cherry MX Low Profile Red page and the Kailh Choc Red V1 page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Cherry MX Low Profile Red or Kailh Choc Red V1 for gaming?
We pick the Cherry MX Low Profile Red for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Which of the Cherry MX Low Profile Red and the Kailh Choc Red V1 is quieter in a shared room?
Nothing in either one is built to reduce noise, so on raw volume this is a tie decided by your keyboard rather than your switch. What you will actually hear is a difference of pitch and texture, which the player above shows better than a sentence can.
Cherry MX Low Profile Red vs Kailh Choc Red V1: which one is the heavier press?
The Kailh Choc Red V1, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 50 g to 45 g.
Can the Cherry MX Low Profile Red and the Kailh Choc Red V1 go in the same keyboard?
No. The Kailh Choc Red V1 does not use an MX style stem, so it needs a board built for it and will not take ordinary MX keycaps, while the Cherry MX Low Profile Red is a standard MX switch. Whichever you pick decides the keyboard, not the other way round.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX Low Profile Red
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.