Kailh BOX Keyboard: Packaging and Accessories

This page is going to be a bit weird because Kailh did not ship the BOX keyboard as a fully assembled product with the intention being easy and direct access to the switches themselves. So I will be assembling the keyboard over the course of this page before we proceed and begin with the packaging of the kit itself, which is again a white cardboard box. This time, it doesn't even have Hexgears anywhere on the front, and even the Kailh logo or name is missing. That's quite bold if indeed a retail sample. All we see is "BOX KEYBOARD" and a few images at the bottom for the salient marketing features. On the right is also an embossed logo of the Hyeku brand (Hexgears in China). Not much more to see on the back or side, with a label confirming the use of the new Kailh BOX Hush switches. The box opens up top down from a long flap only to reveal a soft microfiber cloth to help clean things as needed.


As with the mouse, the contents of the BOX keyboard come inside a thick foam sheet with cutouts to host the keyboard as well as the accessories. A quick start guide in English and Mandarin greets us right away, and we then see a switch remover tool underneath to go with the Hexgears-branded metal wire-style keycap puller, as well as a matching USB Type-A to Type-C cable. This time, we do get a sleeved and braided cable, also in black as with the mouse cable. The connectors are gold-plated this time around for oxidation resistance, leaving no doubt that the keyboard is the more important of the two items.


The keyboard comes packed under a magnetic dust cover, which is translucent acrylic given a smoky finish with the BOX keyboard and Hyeku logo on top. It is at this point that we find out the keyboard comes without any keycaps installed, but also four missing switches! The four switches are found separately in this kit, inside a plastic jar that opens up to also reveal the current-gen BOX Red switch for further comparison, as well as a spare keycap and a housing to make a keychain out of one.


This gives us our first look at Kailh's new BOX Hush switch, which is part of the BOX Silence series that tends to go with a circular column around the stem rather than the squared one to minimize keycap wobble and add some dust and spill resistance. I have discussed the Kailh BOX Red here for those interested, so the photos above are more for a visual comparison of the exterior. The obvious differences also come in the form of the color scheme with a blue and purple housing and a dedicated diffuser for RGB lighting support. Both are 3-pin mechanical switches that are otherwise compatible with Cherry MX stem designs for keycap compatibility and support north-facing LED configurations to where the BOX Hush will be better for lower-profile keycap sets, too.


Here is the keyboard now assembled with all the switches, which contrast nicely against the black plate, yellow stabilizers, small sections of exposed green PCB, and the red case itself. Now, we just need to get the keycaps installed.


This is my first time working with a first-party set directly from a switch manufacturer; that is, with the exception of smaller outfits, such as Matias. As such, I was not expecting the keycaps to arrive separately when I first opened the shipment. These come in another white box, this time clearly branded Kailh. It also tells us there are PBT keycaps inside and has cutouts for a sneak peek at the keycap set of at least three colors inside. A finished render on the back confirms this is a set for a 65% keyboard, which the Kailh BOX keyboard seems to be, and opening the side flap provides access to the keycap set that comes in a foam-lined plastic blister with reinforced edges and corners. There is another Hexgears metal wire-style keycap puller, as well as a second metal switch remover tool. We also get four replacement keycaps for the arrow keys, this time in red, and the base kit below. Each item comes individually packed snugly in a foam cutout, which is nice for accessing and storing leftover keycaps after you are done.