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Head to head · Prices checked Nov 10, 2026

Monsgeek M1W vs Varmilo Minilo VXT81

Get the Monsgeek M1W for knob and qmk.

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Quick verdict

Which one should you get?

Get the

Monsgeek M1W

Knob

Build quality in the top 10% of 75% boards under $150.

Rules this board out

  • South-facing LEDs. Shine-through legends stay dark, and some sculpted keycaps can clip the LED.
$105 at Mechkeys

Get the

Varmilo Minilo VXT81

Build quality in the bottom 25% of 75% boards under $100.

Rules this board out

  • No ISO layout. ISO-DE, UK, and other ISO variants are not offered.
$99 at MK

What actually differs

The differences that matter

Skip the 40-row spec sheet. These are the specs that change how each board feels, sounds, and fits your desk.

Monsgeek M1W

Varmilo Minilo VXT81

  • Case material

    Aluminum

    ABS, Plastic

  • Switch options

    Clicky, Linear, Tactile

    Clicky, Linear, Silent, Tactile

  • Mount style

    Gasket Mount, Plate Mount

    Plate Mount

  • Knob

    Yes

    No

  • QMK

    Yes

    No

    The deep option when you want to remap every key

KeebFinder scores

How we score
  • Monsgeek M1W
  • Varmilo Minilo VXT81
Performance
70
76
Build quality
85
53
Productivity
97
78
Customizability
96
70
Portability
92
78

What they share

  • Layout size: 75%
  • Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
  • Hot-swappable
  • Sound dampening
See every spec side by side

Full specs

Monsgeek M1W vs Varmilo Minilo VXT81 specs

Every tracked spec, side by side. Rows marked with a dot differ between the boards.

12 of 25 specs differ

Monsgeek M1W

Varmilo Minilo VXT81

Typing & switches

Switch options

Clicky, Linear, Tactile
Clicky, Linear, Silent, Tactile

Hot-swappable

Yes
Yes

Mount style

Gasket Mount, Plate Mount
Plate Mount

Sound dampening

Yes
Yes

Screw-in stabilizers

Yes
No

Layout

Layout size

75%
75%

Layout standard

ANSI, ISO
ANSI

Ergonomics

Standard
Standard

Knob

Yes
No

Display

None
None

Media keys

No
Yes

Connectivity & battery

Connection

Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired
Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, Wired

Battery

6,000 mAh
—

USB-C

Yes
Yes

Build & materials

Case material

Aluminum
ABS, Plastic

Plate material

Plastic, Polycarbonate
Plastic

Keycaps

PBT
ABS

Weight

2,200 g
—

Dimensions

33 x 146 x 333 mm
—

Backlight

RGB, south-facing
RGB

Firmware & software

QMK

Yes
No

VIA

Yes
No

N-key rollover

Yes
Yes

Mac & Windows

Yes
Yes

Extras

Released

2023
2023

For EU buyers

ISO layouts by store

Which stores sell ISO-DE, UK, and the other regional layouts.

Monsgeek M1W

  • WhatGeek

    ISO

    Out of stockShips to you

Varmilo Minilo VXT81

No ISO layout at the stores we track.

Where to buy

Compare prices

Live prices from the stores we track, cheapest in-stock offer first.

Prices in USD are converted to your currency and can change at any time. KeebFinder may earn a commission when you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Lowest price across stores, Amazon excluded.

Monsgeek M1W4 stores
Varmilo Minilo VXT812 stores

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