Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) vs Kailh Choc V2 Red
One of these is ready out of the bag and one is a project: the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) comes factory lubed, the Kailh Choc V2 Red does not. Our switch library puts these two on each other's shortlist, and the player below is the fastest way to settle it: match the volumes, then work down through the table and the verdict.
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 | Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) | Kailh Choc V2 Red |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 50 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | not published |
| Pre-travel | 1.7 mm | 1.3 mm |
| Total travel | 3 mm | 3.2 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | No |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both makers rate these at actuation, which is the one case where the advertised numbers compare directly. Every other force row still has to be matched basis to basis.
Verdict
The Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) and the Kailh Choc V2 Red are both linears, so nothing separates them at the fingertip until you look at springs and acoustics. Only the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) arrives factory lubed, which is an evening of work saved on a full board. Weight is nearly even at actuation: 50 g for the Kailh Choc V2 Red against 45 g, a gap most fingers will barely register. Our picks: the Kailh Choc V2 Red for gaming, the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Kailh Choc V2 Red
- Typing pick
- Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33)
- Office pick
- Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33)
Force curves
Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33)
Gateron 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.
Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) or Kailh Choc V2 Red: the long answer
Start with what you will have to do to them, not with how they feel. Both are mid priced. Only the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) comes factory lubed, so the Kailh Choc V2 Red asks for either an evening with a brush or tolerance of a drier stroke.
That leaves the stroke itself. At actuation the Kailh Choc V2 Red 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 Kailh Choc V2 Red registers at 1.3 mm against 1.7 mm, and the full stroke runs 3.0 mm on the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) against 3.2 mm on the Kailh Choc V2 Red. Gateron and Kailh are both selling you linears here, so nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. Nothing here is decisive on its own, which is why the sound comparison matters more than usual on this pair.
What the table cannot tell you is how either one lands in a room. Played back to back, the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) is shallow, brighter clack; slim-board voice against shallow clack with a touch more body than V1 from the Kailh Choc V2 Red. One caveat we repeat wherever a player appears: no studio recording sits behind either of these. They are built from what each maker publishes and what the community reports.
Answer the use case and the switch follows. Games point at the Kailh Choc V2 Red, because this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. Writing points at the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33), since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. A shared room points at the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33), as it makes the least fuss of the pair in a shared space. Match the trims above, play both, and trust whichever one you keep replaying.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) 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 Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) or the Kailh Choc V2 Red?
We pick the Kailh Choc V2 Red for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Which is quieter, the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) or the Kailh Choc V2 Red?
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 Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) leans toward shallow, brighter clack; slim-board voice, while the Kailh Choc V2 Red is shallow clack with a touch more body than V1.
Which has the heavier spring, the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) or the Kailh Choc V2 Red?
The Kailh Choc V2 Red. Both brands publish at actuation, which makes 50 g against 45 g an honest 5 g rather than two numbers from different rulers.
Do the Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) and the Kailh Choc V2 Red need lubing?
The Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33) arrives lubed from the factory, so it is usable straight out of the bag. The Kailh Choc V2 Red does not, and on a full board that is an evening of work if you want it at its smoothest. Plenty of people run unlubed switches happily; it is a question of whether a slightly drier stroke bothers you.
More comparisons
More vs Gateron Low Profile Red (KS-33)
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.