Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile vs Kailh Choc V2 Red
The Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile and the Kailh Choc V2 Red are not the same kind of switch, so this comparison is settled by which stroke you want before a single number matters. Our switch library cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
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 Ultra Low Profile | Kailh Choc V2 Red |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 65 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | not published |
| Pre-travel | 0.8 mm | 1.3 mm |
| Total travel | 1.8 mm | 3.2 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | No | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | 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.
Verdict
Feel is the headline difference here: the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile is a tactile switch while the Kailh Choc V2 Red is a linear, and that shapes every keystroke. These are not drop-in alternatives to each other. The Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile needs a board built for it and will not take ordinary MX keycaps. 15 g at actuation is a bracket apart, not a shade, and it is the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile carrying the heavier end at 65 g. Where we land: the Kailh Choc V2 Red for gaming, the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Kailh Choc V2 Red
- Typing pick
- Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile
- Office pick
- Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile
Force curves
Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile
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 V2 Red
Kailh 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.
Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile or Kailh Choc V2 Red: the long answer
Read the spec sheet once, carefully, and most of this decision makes itself. Feel splits them at the root: the Kailh Choc V2 Red runs smooth the whole way down while the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile raises a bump at the point it registers. The springs are a long way apart: 65 g against 50 g at actuation, so the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile asks noticeably more of your fingers across a long session. Travel differs at both ends, with the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile registering first at 0.8 mm and the Kailh Choc V2 Red running deepest at 3.2 mm. Settle the stroke you want to live with first and treat everything below as a tiebreak.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. The Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile sits at crisp laptop-like tick, shallow and precise; the Kailh Choc V2 Red answers with shallow clack with a touch more body than V1. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
On cost and convenience, the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile is premium priced, while the Kailh Choc V2 Red is mid priced. Lube is on you with both of these, which is a real cost in time whichever one you order. One compatibility warning: the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile does not use an MX style stem, so it will not drop into a standard hot-swap board or accept ordinary MX keycaps.
So who should buy which? For gaming we lean toward the Kailh Choc V2 Red, because nothing interrupts fast repeated presses on its linear stroke. For long typing sessions the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile makes the stronger case, since a felt confirmation on every press is what stops a typist bottoming out all day. And if your keyboard shares a room with other people, the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile is the one we would trust, as it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
For either one on its own terms, read the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile page and the Kailh Choc V2 Red page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile or the Kailh Choc V2 Red?
We pick the Kailh Choc V2 Red for gaming. On a fast repeat the tactile bump on the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile is one event too many, and the linear does not have it.
Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile or Kailh Choc V2 Red: which one is quieter?
They are close. Neither is a silent switch and neither clicks, so loudness depends mostly on how hard you bottom out and the board they sit in. Their character differs though: the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile leans toward crisp laptop-like tick, shallow and precise, while the Kailh Choc V2 Red is shallow clack with a touch more body than V1.
Which switch is heavier, the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile or the Kailh Choc V2 Red?
The Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile is heavier: 65 g against 50 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
Can the Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile and the Kailh Choc V2 Red go in the same keyboard?
No. The Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile does not use an MX style stem, so it needs a board built for it and will not take ordinary MX keycaps, while the Kailh Choc V2 Red is a standard MX switch. Whichever you pick decides the keyboard, not the other way round.
More comparisons
More vs Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.