I didn't think mechanical keyboards could last for aeons — and then I tested the McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98

As someone whose bread and butter relies on typing, I need a reliable keyboard that helps me type speedily — and the McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 does just that. Sporting retro colors and lovely RGB lighting, it comes with a dedicated volume dial as well as a calculator button. Its linear switches are comfortable to type on and they’re extremely responsive too.

I also like that the UT98 is compatible web-based software for quick customization as you don’t need to download proprietary software. The creamy sound profile is a joy to listen to as well. Although there is some flex in the UT98’s body, that’s its only flaw.

Is this the best mechanical keyboard for you? Read my full McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 review to find out.

McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A mechanical keyboard with a 98% layout
• Who is it for? For hardcore typists and productivity enthusiasts
• How much does it cost? The McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 is available for $139 / £102
• What do we like? It looks and sounds great, it’s fantastic type on, it’s got long battery life, and comes with user-friendly companion software
• What don’t we like? There’s some flex in the body

McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 review: Specs

McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 review: The ups

From its retro colorways and massive battery to its great, responsive switches, the McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 is a fantastic mechanical keyboard.

Retro colorways

The McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 is available in two colorways: Classic Therapy and Retro Therapy. The colorways are named as such as the keyboard has been co-designed by Unbox Therapy, a Canadian YouTuber. Both colors look great — the first is a combination of black and white while the latter utilizes a combination of gray, light brown and black keycaps.

I tested the Retro Therapy variant and I liked it as soon as I took it out of its box. The spacebar has “McHose x Unbox Therapy” printed on it but if you don’t like that, there’s a spare blank spacebar in the box. Speaking of, the box also includes macOS-specific keycaps as the keyboard is compatible with both macOS and Windows, so you can match the key legends accordingly.

Adding to the UT98’s lovely design is an aluminum dial for volume control, located between the number pad and the main keys. A dedicated calculator button is also located above the volume dial which, when you’re using a Windows laptop, brings up the calculator. At the time of writing, this feature isn’t available on macOS.

You get fully customizable RGB lighting too, with 16.8 million colors and different modes that can be swapped either via companion software or hitting a key shortcut. Overall, the UT98’s design is great and I have no notes.

Fantastic to type on

The McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 is primarily a productivity keyboard, given its nearly full-size layout which includes a full row of function keys as well as a number pad and page navigation buttons. The keyboard is compatible with 3- and 5-pin mechanical switches and it’s fully hot-swappable, so you can change the switches as and when you like without de- and re-soldering them to the PCB.

As for stock switches, you can choose between two linear sets: Silent Peach V3 or Icy Creamsicle. I tested the Icy Creamsicles — the same ones I used in the McHose X75 V2 ($89) — and they’re downright fantastic to type on.

These switches are fairly lightweight, requiring just 42g of force, and they have a pre-travel distance of 1.3mm (total travel of 3.5mm) so it’s nice that I don’t have to press them all the way down for them to register my commands. I can type faster this way, which is exactly what I need as someone whose bread and butter relies on typing.

As I do with other keyboards I test, I put the UT98 through its paces by taking a typing test at 10fastfingers.com, and you can see how it compares to other mechanical decks I’ve tested above. I’m really pleased with both my typing speed and accuracy.

Pleasing sound profile

In addition to the McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 being a powerhouse for productivity, its typing sound profile is pleasing to the ears too. It isn’t as good as that of the Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro ($139), a keyboard designed for audiophiles, but it’s still amazing in its own right.

The Icy Creamsicles, when combined with the double-shot PBT keycaps, have a creamy, almost thocky sound profile. Five layers of sound dampening foam and the UT98’s gasket mount design absorbs any vibrations and metallic pings too, ensuring a non-distracting typing experience.

Massive battery

The McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 is fitted with a massive 10,000mAh battery. Yep, you read that right. It’s even bigger than the McHose X75 V2’s 8,000mAh and the Wobkey Rainy 75 Pro’s 7,000mAh batteries. This means that you don’t need to worry about running out of juice mid-task.

McHose says that on a single charge, the UT98 can last up to a whopping 909 hours. However, it doesn’t specify whether this is over a Bluetooth or 2.4GHz connection, but we can safely assume it’s with RGB lighting turned off. Now, I did the math, and it would take me a long time to kill the keyboard, especially as I work eight hours a day for five days a week. It would take the deck just over 22 weeks to run out of charge — that’s a long, long time.

Well, after a week of using the UT98 with RGB lighting turned off for three of those days, the battery dipped to 98% which is fantastic and not entirely unexpected.

User-friendly companion software

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If you want to customize the McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98, you can do so in one of two ways: either by downloading the McHose Hub driver onto your Windows laptop, or using the web-based hub on your Windows or macOS machine.

Regardless of the one you choose, both platforms are user-friendly and sport clean user interfaces. You can then customize the RGB lighting, remap keys, record macros, update firmware, etc. You can see what the web-based software looks like in the screenshots above.

McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 review: The downs

There isn’t much wrong with the McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98, but there is some flex in its body.

Some flex

The McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 is made entirely of ABS plastic which isn’t necessarily a bad thing — but something I can’t look past is the fact that its body has a bit of flex to it. If you hold the UT98 by its sides and twist it the keyboard does indeed twist, which is disappointing.

It’s also not the first time this has happened with a keyboard made entirely of plastic, as I’ve noticed this with the likes of the Epomaker EK68 ($89) and the Lemokey X3 ($49). This makes me question the UT98’s longevity but I guess it should be fine if the keyboard is staying put on your desk — still worth remembering that the keyboard has some flex, though.

If this is a major con for you, I’d recommend investing in another keyboard like the Royal Kludge S98 ($99) or the Keychron K10 V2 ($84). Even though both are cheaper than the UT98, their bodies don’t have as much flex.

A… typo?

One thing I noticed while testing the McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 was the number pad — not because it’s a number pad but because of what one of the keys says. Usually, the top left key on a numpad spells out NUM, which lets you wipe your calculator and return to zero.

On the UT98, however, this keycap spells out MUM. Strange, right? I suppose it could be because my mum can set everything right and give me a clean slate, so it makes sense in a roundabout way.

I’m only joking. My review unit was a pre-production one when the UT98 was on Kickstarter and looks like McHose has since fixed the misprint as I can tell by the product shots on the official product page. I reached out to a McHose representative to double-check, and she said, “Regarding the samples we sent you, they were demo units, and we did notice errors with the print on the NUM keycap and one of the character keycaps. We identified the issue and made corrections right away.”

This is also something I won’t be knocking off points for as it’s a simple error and it was rectified before the UT98 became available to the public. I just thought it was funny (and kinda sweet) and worth pointing out.

McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 review: Verdict

As mechanical keyboards go, the McHose x Unbox Therapy UT98 is a fantastic one. It’s comfortable to use for long hours and its linear switches are a joy to type on. I love the soft thocky sound profile which sounds a little like raindrops, and I appreciate the dedicated volume dial for quick control too.

Another massive advantage of using the UT98 is its long battery life, rated at 909 hours, so you don’t have to worry about running out of juice for a while. Web-based companion software makes customization easy while the retro colorways add a vintage aesthetic to your work space.

If you don’t mind that the UT98’s body twists slightly, I can’t recommend this keyboard enough. It’s a delight to use, a joy to listen to, and a treat to look at.