Mchose keycaps

Mchose keyboards predominantly ship with Cherry profile PBT keycaps, representing the brand's commitment to durability and long-term performance at accessible price points. The Cherry profile—a medium-height sculpted design at approximately 9.4mm—provides ergonomic typing comfort while the PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate) material resists shine and wear far better than ABS alternatives. Most Mchose keyboards feature doubleshot PBT keycaps, where legends are molded in a second color of plastic rather than printed, ensuring they will never fade even after years of heavy use.

The brand offers keycap variety across different models and price tiers. Premium models like the GX87, GX87S, K99, and G87 come standard with doubleshot PBT keycaps in Cherry profile, with some variants offering side-engraved legends for enhanced RGB lighting effects. The K99 uniquely provides customers a choice between two keycap profiles: MDA profile (medium-height with rounded corners) or Cherry profile with side-engraved lettering, both in dual-tone injection-molded PBT. Mid-tier keyboards like the G75 Pro and G87 feature OEM profile PBT keycaps as standard, while gaming-focused Ace series keyboards (Ace 60, Ace 68, Ace 68 Air, Ace 68 Turbo) include translucent PBT keycaps designed to maximize RGB backlighting visibility.

The keycap surface on Mchose PBT sets features a matte, slightly textured finish that provides superior grip during extended typing or gaming sessions while resisting the glossy "shining" effect that plagues ABS keycaps over time. Wall thickness on Mchose PBT keycaps contributes to the brand's signature deep, muted "thock" sound, particularly on gasket-mounted models with multi-layer sound dampening.

All Mchose keyboards use standard Cherry MX-compatible stems, meaning they accept the full range of aftermarket mechanical keyboard keycaps including Cherry, OEM, SA, DSA, XDA, MT3, KAT, and custom artisan keycaps. The brand ships keyboards with south-facing LED configurations on premium models (GX87, GX87S, Ace 68 Turbo), which prevents the keycap interference issues that can occur with Cherry profile caps on north-facing switches—a thoughtful compatibility detail for customers planning to swap keycaps.

Mchose does not currently sell standalone keycap replacement sets directly through their store, though third-party manufacturers produce compatible keycap sets specifically sized for popular Mchose models. Customers seeking to customize their Mchose keyboards beyond the stock options can use any standard MX-compatible keycap set, with the primary consideration being layout compatibility—ensuring the set includes necessary key sizes like the 1.75u right shift common on 65% and 75% boards, or the appropriate number of 1u keys for TKL and full-size layouts.

The brand's keycap specifications represent a notable value proposition: doubleshot PBT keycaps in Cherry or OEM profiles typically appear only on keyboards priced significantly higher than Mchose's sub-$100 target range for most models. This combination of durable material, fade-proof legends, and thoughtful profile selection positions Mchose keyboards as immediately usable straight from the box while remaining fully compatible with the enthusiast keycap customization ecosystem.

Mchose emerged from a team of young tech enthusiasts united by a specific mission: create mechanical keyboards and gaming peripherals that deliver enthusiast-grade features at prices accessible to students, remote workers, and entry-level custom keyboard builders. The brand's founding philosophy centered on rejecting the assumption that quality mechanical keyboards required premium pricing, instead focusing on value-driven designs with minimalist branding and straightforward functionality.

The brand's breakthrough moment arrived in August 2024 when Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy—one of the world's largest tech review channels with over 24 million subscribers—received a sample of the Mchose GX87 keyboard. His review video, in which he stated "this exceeded my expectations" while praising its soft, bouncy typing experience, generated over 5 million views across platforms and introduced Mchose to a global audience of mechanical keyboard enthusiasts. The response revealed both the product's strengths and an opportunity: viewers overwhelmingly praised the typing feel but noted that the audible keystroke sound could be distracting in quiet office environments.

Rather than simply addressing feedback, Mchose and Unbox Therapy formalized a collaboration to co-create a solution. The result was the UT98 Mechanical Keyboard, announced in June 2025 and launched on Kickstarter in July 2025. The UT98 retained the GX87's tactile excellence—gasket mount, hot-swappable switches, premium build quality—while integrating silent switches and extensive sound dampening to create what the partners described as a "library-friendly" typing experience. The keyboard featured keycap legends in the same typeface as the Unbox Therapy logo and shipped in two colorways: Classic Therapy (monochrome minimalism) and Retro Therapy (Unbox Therapy's signature orange). Matching co-branded wrist rests and mouse pads completed the ecosystem.

Mchose's product development strategy focuses on gasket-mount construction, multi-layer sound dampening (five to six layers of Poron foam, IXPE foam, PET film), hot-swappable switches, and tri-mode connectivity (USB-C, 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth) as baseline features even on budget-tier keyboards. The G-series keyboards emphasize typing comfort and acoustics for general use, while the Ace series targets competitive esports with Hall Effect magnetic switches offering adjustable actuation points (0.1mm to 3.4mm), 8kHz or 16kHz polling rates, and latency as low as 0.06ms—specifications typically found only on keyboards costing two to three times Mchose's $40-$140 price range.

The brand's international expansion accelerated through 2025. In October 2025, Mchose exhibited at the Global Sources Hong Kong Electronics Show with a 168-square-meter esports-themed booth featuring interactive demonstration zones for mechanical keyboards and gaming mice. The company made its first major North American appearance at CES 2026 in Las Vegas (January 6-9, 2026), showcasing the UT98, the Ace 68 Turbo Hall Effect keyboard, and the V9 Turbo magnetic wireless headset. The CES booth drew engagement from content creators, media representatives, and industry professionals, signaling Mchose's transition from regional brand to global player in the gaming peripherals space.

Mchose's current product catalog spans 60% compact boards (Ace 60) through 96%/98% layouts (K99, G98 series), with the 75% category (G75 Pro, X75, Z75 series) representing the brand's strongest segment aligned with broader market trends. The Ace 68 Turbo, featuring full CNC aluminum construction and 16kHz polling capability at approximately $140, exemplifies the brand's value proposition: delivering features comparable to $300+ enthusiast keyboards at less than half the price. Community reception has been notably positive, with Trustpilot reviews (4-star average as of February 2026) praising build quality, typing sound, and responsive customer support while occasionally noting software localization issues (the MCHOSE Hub configuration software launched primarily in Chinese with English translation still in progress).

As of early 2026, Mchose positions itself in the space between generic budget keyboards and premium enthusiast brands, targeting users who want customization, performance, and build quality without the $200-$400 price tags commanded by established names. The brand's continued emphasis on hot-swappable switches, gasket mounting, PBT keycaps, and QMK/VIA support (on select models) demonstrates an understanding of what mechanical keyboard enthusiasts value—and a commitment to delivering those features to customers at the start of their custom keyboard journey rather than requiring them to pay the enthusiast tax.