Some keycaps stand out because of their color scheme or the materials they are made from. The XVX Venom V2 takes a completely different approach. This set has a highly unusual futuristic design. The surface of the keycaps is covered in irregular, flowing shapes that make them look as if liquid metal has frozen over them. At the same time, there is something distinctly alien about them – a strange, organic aesthetic that feels impossible to associate with anything familiar, making the entire set look completely out of this world.It is definitely not a design that tries to blend into the background, and that is exactly what makes the Venom V2 so interesting. But how does this unusual design actually feel under your fingers? Let’s find out.
Packaging
The XVX Venom V2 featured in this review is the larger 120-keycap version in the Silver colorway. The keycaps come in a simple cardboard box, but inside you get a surprisingly nice three-tier tray. It is made from rigid plastic, and each row of keycaps is separated by dividers that keep everything neatly organized and prevent the caps from shifting around during shipping.
XVX also includes a basic keycap puller in the box, although I did not find it particularly well suited to these keycaps. In practice, I ended up using a regular wire keycap puller instead.
Overall, I was very happy with the tray. It feels sturdy, keeps the entire set well organized, and works just as well for long-term storage as it does for shipping. It is a simple detail, but a good storage tray makes a noticeable difference when you have a large keycap set that you may want to put away and reuse later.
Design Language
The Venom V2 has a very strong visual identity, and that is the first thing you notice about this keycap set. The irregular metallic-looking shapes are not just a small decorative element – they define the entire look of the keycaps. Combined with the dark base underneath, they create a very mechanical yet strangely organic appearance that immediately makes the set stand out.
Despite how unusual the design is, I think the Venom V2 can work with quite a wide range of keyboards. It can add a much more aggressive and futuristic character to an otherwise simple case, but it can also fit naturally into more elaborate builds with a stronger visual identity of their own. A good example would be the heavily skeletonized Holy60 case or XVX’s own Trooper63, which is the keyboard shown with this set in the photos.
Personally, I think the Silver Venom V2 looks best with silver or black cases, especially aluminum ones. A silver case keeps the whole build visually cohesive and reinforces the metallic character of the keycaps, while a black case gives them more contrast and makes their unusual shapes stand out even more.
It is also nice that XVX does not limit the Venom V2 to a single look. In addition to Silver, the set is available in Pink Venom and Blue Venom versions, so there is some room to choose a color that better suits a particular keyboard or setup. There is even a Silver Venom version without legends for those who prefer an even cleaner and more unusual appearance. I like having these options, since with many distinctive keycap sets you simply get one colorway and either it works for your build or it does not.
Another important part of the design is the dark translucent plastic used for the base of the keycaps. Its frosted finish diffuses the backlighting, creating a soft, even glow around the metallic-looking structures. This makes the irregular shapes stand out more and adds another layer to the overall look of the set. In my opinion, the Venom V2 looks noticeably more interesting with backlighting turned on, so this is definitely a set that should appeal to people who actually like using RGB rather than keeping it disabled.
This is why I chose to pair the Silver Venom with the Trooper63, as this keyboard has LEDs on both the north and south sides of the switches, providing more light around each keycap and making the effect even more pronounced. And it genuinely looks great. The diffused glow makes it feel almost as if there is some kind of light living inside each keycap, shining through the dark translucent base and between the irregular shapes. It adds even more to that strange, organic, alien character of the set and makes the whole keyboard feel almost alive.
Of course, this is not going to be a universally appealing design. The Venom V2 is loud, unusual, and very far from the clean look of traditional keycap sets. But if you are specifically looking for something futuristic, alien, and immediately recognizable, I honestly can’t think of another keycap set that looks quite like it.
Keycap Anatomy
The Venom V2 keycaps have a fairly unusual two-part construction. The main body is made from polycarbonate (PC), while the metallic-looking structures on top are actually ABS plastic with an electroplated finish. Electroplating gives these ABS elements their reflective, metal-like appearance, even though there is no actual metal involved in the construction.
The walls of the PC base are approximately 1.2 mm thick. It is worth noting that this measurement refers specifically to the dark frosted portion of the keycap. Because the irregular ABS structures extend across the outer surface and vary considerably in shape and thickness, there is no particularly meaningful way to measure the total wall thickness of the complete keycap.
The legends are positioned on the top surface and applied using UV printing. This is a modern printing method that is commonly used on transparent and translucent keycaps, where more traditional manufacturing methods can be difficult to implement. During the process, specially formulated ink is deposited onto the surface and then cured almost immediately under ultraviolet light, which hardens the printed layer. In theory, this should give the legends fairly good resistance to wear, and UV-printed legends generally hold up better than basic pad-printed or silk-screened ones.
The Venom V2 also uses a rather unusual profile that is difficult to compare directly with more conventional keycap profiles because of its distinctive surface design. The keycaps are approximately 12 mm tall, making them taller than Cherry-profile keycaps. More importantly, this is a uniform profile, meaning that every row uses the same overall shape and height rather than being sculpted differently from row to row.
Manufacturing Quality
Overall, the manufacturing quality of the Venom V2 is very good. The plastic feels solid, and the set is consistent from keycap to keycap, with no noticeable differences in color or the appearance of the electroplated finish. I also did not find any visible injection marks, warping, or other obvious manufacturing defects.
The UV-printed legends are sharp, clean, and consistently aligned across the set. I did not notice any variation in print quality or positioning between individual keycaps.
Stem fit was also problem-free. The keycaps sit securely on switch stems without being excessively tight, and I did not notice any unusual wobble beyond what you would normally expect from the switches themselves.
Layout Compatibility & Keycap Coverage
The Venom V2 is available in two variants: a smaller 61-keycap set and a larger 120-keycap set.
The 61-keycap version is fairly straightforward and is designed for the standard ANSI 60% (61-key) layout. The larger 120-keycap version offers much broader coverage and supports the most common ANSI layouts, including 60%, 63%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80% (TKL), 96%, 98%, and full-size layouts. However, support does not extend to less common layouts such as Alice, split, and HHKB, and ISO layouts are not covered either.
As mentioned earlier, the Venom V2 uses a uniform profile, so the keycaps are not tied to specific rows. This gives you some practical flexibility. If you use an alternative layout such as Colemak or Dvorak, the keycaps can be rearranged without ending up with keys that have the wrong row shape. The same applies to the included novelty keycaps: since there are no row-specific profiles to worry about, you can place them wherever they make the most sense for your layout or aesthetic preference. With a sculpted profile, novelties and other keys are usually tied to a particular row, which makes this kind of customization more restrictive.
Hands-on Experience
The first thing I noticed when I started typing on the Venom V2 keycaps was their unusual surface. I could feel the metallic-looking elements under my fingertips, so at first they felt quite different from conventional keycaps. I expected it would take me some time to get used to them, but surprisingly, I adapted within just a few hours.
I think the shape of the top surface is one of the main reasons I adapted to these keycaps so quickly. The top of each keycap has a broad, shallow dish that naturally fits the pad of my fingertip. It feels very comfortable, and after only a short time my fingers naturally started landing there while typing. Once that happened, the metallic-looking structures around the surface stopped feeling unusual almost entirely.
The surface itself is fairly smooth and pleasant to the touch. Another thing I really like is the lack of sharp edges. Compared with more traditional profiles such as Cherry, the Venom V2 keycaps feel much softer around the edges, and this becomes particularly noticeable when your fingers move between neighboring keys. They glide across the surface very naturally without catching on pronounced corners. So despite how unconventional these keycaps look, their unusual construction does not come at the expense of typing comfort.
Interestingly, when my hands were simply resting on the keyboard, I occasionally caught myself running my fingertips over the irregular surface of the keycaps, almost unconsciously exploring the metallic-looking patterns.
The “V2” in the name is there for a reason, as the original Venom used a different legend design, while this version received a revised style. I have not tried the original version, but I have no complaints about the legends on the V2. They are sharp, easy to read, and their style fits the futuristic design of the Venom V2 really well without drawing too much attention away from the keycaps themselves.
As for sound, there are always plenty of variables involved. Switches, the keyboard case, mounting style, plate, internal damping, and several other factors all influence the final sound signature, but keycaps still make a difference. Polycarbonate keycaps are often associated with a somewhat higher-pitched sound signature, so I expected something similar here. Interestingly, the Venom V2 had almost the opposite effect on my keyboard: the sound became slightly more muted and less high-pitched. Given the unusual multi-material construction and unique profile of these keycaps, that result is not entirely surprising, but it was still different from what I initially expected – and in my opinion, that is a good thing.
Final Thoughts
The XVX Venom V2 is one of the most unique-looking keycap sets I’ve come across. Its design is bold, instantly recognizable, and unlike anything else on the market. At the same time, the unconventional look does not come at the expense of comfort, and the keycaps never feel like a case of style over usability.
The Venom V2 also benefits a lot from backlighting. The frosted finish diffuses the light nicely and gives the keycaps an even more unusual, almost otherworldly appearance. If you are someone who actually likes using RGB, this is one of those sets where the lighting really adds to the design rather than simply sitting in the background.
At $90 for the 120-keycap version ($60 for the 61-keycap version), the Venom V2 is not the cheapest keycap set, but it is also far from the most expensive. However, considering how unique these keycaps are and how unusual their construction is, I think the price is justified. If you are looking for something genuinely different from traditional keycap sets – something that will immediately catch the eye and make people stop and take a closer look at your keyboard – the Venom V2 is definitely worth considering.
You can get the Venom V2 keycap set from the official XVX store or on Amazon.
XVX Discount Code: HLPLANET
You can also use coupon code HLPLANET for 10% off your order at the official XVX Store.
Controller and mechanical keyboard enthusiast. Tech reviewer, regularly sharing thoughts about gadgets and computer peripherals.
