The Keycaps of Gateron Low Profile Key Switches and Kailh Choc v1 Key Switch

TOTEM Jun 6, 2023

In this post, it will showcase the keycaps that are designed to be compatible with 2 popular low profile key switches in the market, Gateron Low Profile v1/v2 and Kailh Choc v1.

It's important to note that the stem of Gateron Low Profile and Kailh Choc v1 key switches are different, which means that their keycaps cannot be interchanged.

The keycaps used in this showcases

Gateron Low Profile Key Switches

DSA - the one that is commonly used with MX key switches
XVX Skyline
SMOLO

Kailh Choc v1 Key Switches

Please note that this post only showcases a selection of keycaps compatible with low profile key switches. Other options such as the NUPHY nSA keycaps, Chicago Stenographer keycaps, and more also exist.

Different angle of views of the keycaps

Top Angle View of the Low Profile Keycaps

The surface of the keycaps

While all keycaps are made of PBT, the DSA, CFX, and MBK keycaps have a textured surface, while the XVX Skyline and SMOLO keycaps have a smoother finish.

The shape and size of the keycaps

The base of the XVX Skyline and SMOLO keycaps are noticeably larger than the top/typing area, whereas the CFX and MBK keycaps have a less pronounced size difference.

Base - XVX Skyline (around 18.0mm x 18.0mm) and SMOLO (around 18.4mm x 18.4mm)

Typing Surface - XVX Skyline (around 15.2mm x 15.2mm) and SMOLO (around 15.9mm x 15.9mm)

Compared to the XVX Skyline and SMOLO, the CFX and MBK keycaps are noticeably smaller in size, making them ideal for use in keyboards designed with Choc spacing.

CFX keycaps (around 16.6mm x 16.6mm)

MBK keycaps (16.5mm x 17.4mm)

A little bit about the size of the key switches

According the data sheet, both of Gateron Low Profile v2.0 and Kailh Choc v1 key switches are 15.0mm x 15.0mm in size. However, the overall housing of Gateron Low Profile key switch is taller than Kailh Choc v1 key switch.

Using SMOLO keycaps on Gateron Low Profile Key Switches and MBK keycaps on Kailh Choc v1 Key Switches

On a switch plate - the Gateron Low Profile v2.0 key switch is slightly taller than the Kailh Choc v1 key switch

Once the keycaps are installed, it becomes apparent that the overall height of the Gateron low profile key switch with keycaps is greater than that of the Kailh Choc v1 key switch with keycaps.