Author Topic: Key Cap Manufacturers & Vendors (Read 23744 times)

mashby · « **on:** Fri, 25 January 2013, 16:49:28 »

There are some great vendors in the Vendor Forums and I'm loving the Group Buy process thus far, but I became curious about where I could purchase full-sets of key caps. As is my usual fashion, I figured I'd start a list.

Manufacturers
Some of the vendors below also sell complete key sets as well as individual key caps direct to consumers
- Arkay Engravers, Inc. (US)
- GMK (Germany)
- QWERkeys (UK)
- Signature Plastics (US)
- Tai-Hao (CN)
- Unicomp (US)

Full-Set Vendors
The vendors below may also sell novelty key caps in addition to full key cap sets.
- Elite E-Sports Gaming Equipment (US)
- Elite Keyboards (US)
- Fentek Industries (US)
- Keyboard Co (UK)
- Mechanical Keyboards (US)
- Originative (US)
- QWERkeys (UK)
- TechKeys (US)
- WASDkeyboards (US)

Novelty Key Cap Vendors
- Gas Mask Key Cap (HK)
- Keyboard Story (US)
- KeyPop (US)

General Vendors
The following sites are known to sell key caps, but their selection is often varied and not consistent. In other words, they do not specialize in key caps.
- Amazon
- eBay
- New Egg

Please note, that my goal is to compile a list of vendors that have an online presence. For example, they should have more than just a Facebook page. If anyone could reply and help me fill in the blanks and make corrections, I would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

reaper · « **Reply #1 on:** Fri, 25 January 2013, 21:31:24 »

Thanks for the compilation.. you're good at this. lol Anyway, don't forget:

For novelty keycaps:

- KeyboardStory
- GasMask keycap
- Pimpmykeyboard.com (seems to be down atm)

SmallFry · « **Reply #2 on:** Fri, 25 January 2013, 21:34:10 »

So... wanna compile a list of every keyboard ever made? Or all the keyboards I want? Sometimes the lists look identical.

CPTBadAss · « **Reply #3 on:** Fri, 25 January 2013, 22:08:31 »

Mashby you're killing it with these lists.

Just FYI, TechKeys will sometimes sell fullsets (I'm not 100% on the frequency). I believe its the leftovers from GBs. I got my Valentine's set and number pad keys there...and then felt bad as I proceeded to get my keys faster than the people in the original GB.

razorsharpgears · « **Reply #4 on:** Fri, 25 January 2013, 22:11:01 »

Wow mashby is at it again, thanks for doing this bro! I know it helps all the newcomers, and if any of us regulars ever forget something, we know where to go ^_^

MissMurd3r84 · « **Reply #5 on:** Fri, 25 January 2013, 23:14:43 »

Not sure if there's some more you can find in this thread; http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=37192.0
Some keyboard ones here; http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=9621.0

mashby · « **Reply #6 on:** Sat, 26 January 2013, 09:21:18 »

Quote from: reaper on Fri, 25 January 2013, 21:31:24

Thanks for the compilation.. you're good at this. lol Anyway, don't forget:

For novelty keycaps:

- KeyboardStory
- GasMask keycap
- Pimpmykeyboard.com (seems to be down atm)

Added Gas Mask and Pimp, but isn't Keyboard Story now the Originative now?

Quote from: CPTBadAss on Fri, 25 January 2013, 22:08:31

Mashby you're killing it with these lists.

Just FYI, TechKeys will sometimes sell fullsets (I'm not 100% on the frequency). I believe its the leftovers from GBs. I got my Valentine's set and number pad keys there...and then felt bad as I proceeded to get my keys faster than the people in the original GB.

Totally forgot about that. Moved them up to the full-set vendors.

Quote from: MissMurd3r84 on Fri, 25 January 2013, 23:14:43

Not sure if there's some more you can find in this thread; http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=37192.0
Some keyboard ones here; http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=9621.0

Great resources there MissMurd3r84, thank you! Added a couple more obscure ones to the list.

BTW, I'm not compiling keyboards at the moment, but who knows, I'll probably start another list down the road.

reaper · « **Reply #7 on:** Sat, 26 January 2013, 10:47:25 »

Quote from: mashby on Sat, 26 January 2013, 09:21:18

Added Gas Mask and Pimp, but isn't Keyboard Story now the Originative now?

Yup but sherryton still keep that KS website. Also GasMask is based in Hong Kong so you can add that to the OP.

mashby · « **Reply #8 on:** Sat, 26 January 2013, 10:55:01 »

Quote from: reaper on Sat, 26 January 2013, 10:47:25

Yup but sherryton still keep that KS website. Also GasMask is based in Hong Kong so you can add that to the OP.

As always, you are a fountain of information. Thank you.

OP updated.

mkawa · « **Reply #9 on:** Sun, 27 January 2013, 20:57:33 »

loving these lists mashby. thanks for your hard work!

alaricljs · « **Reply #10 on:** Sun, 27 January 2013, 21:00:13 »

Pimp My Keyboard is an SP store front.

kmiller8 · « **Reply #11 on:** Sun, 27 January 2013, 21:02:13 »

Quote from: alaricljs on Sun, 27 January 2013, 21:00:13

Pimp My Keyboard is an SP store front.

was... it seems it's been down for quite a while...

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #12 on:** Sun, 27 January 2013, 21:05:45 »

Looks like Arkay is just an SP reseller too. Also, there is another operating actual manufacturer in Asia making doubleshot still which is Tai-Hao.

phetto · « **Reply #13 on:** Sun, 27 January 2013, 21:08:41 »

Woah, nice work. Mashby, I pmd you about another list

kmiller8 · « **Reply #14 on:** Sun, 27 January 2013, 21:11:57 »

Quote from: lysol on Sun, 27 January 2013, 21:05:45

Looks like Arkay is just an SP reseller too. Also, there is another operating actual manufacturer in Asia making doubleshot still which is Tai-Hao.

what makes Arkay look like SP reseller? They claim to have their own machinery?

mashby · « **Reply #15 on:** Sun, 27 January 2013, 21:57:25 »

Quote from: kmiller8 on Sun, 27 January 2013, 21:02:13

Quote from: alaricljs on Sun, 27 January 2013, 21:00:13
Pimp My Keyboard is an SP store front.

was... it seems it's been down for quite a while...

So it is/was run by SP?

Quote from: lysol on Sun, 27 January 2013, 21:05:45

Looks like Arkay is just an SP reseller too. Also, there is another operating actual manufacturer in Asia making doubleshot still which is Tai-Hao.

Nice one Lysol, thank you!

mkawa · « **Reply #16 on:** Sun, 27 January 2013, 22:02:49 »

it IS SP. the site was a storefront run by SP for marketing their novelty caps. with the launch of the sleek, modern, super awesome SP marketplace, they're probably rethinking whether there's any benefit in having a second novelty cap storefront.

mashby · « **Reply #17 on:** Sun, 27 January 2013, 22:27:16 »

Quote from: mkawa on Sun, 27 January 2013, 22:02:49

it IS SP. the site was a storefront run by SP for marketing their novelty caps. with the launch of the sleek, modern, super awesome SP marketplace, they're probably rethinking whether there's any benefit in having a second novelty cap storefront.

Ah! OK, well, given that information and the fact that site is down for now, I removed them from the list.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #18 on:** Mon, 28 January 2013, 11:33:29 »

Just looking at the keycaps they have, and the fact that some of those exact keycaps were in peoples most recent SP crap bags, it's not hard to come to the conclusion. They might make some of thier other items but not the MX caps.

mashby · « **Reply #19 on:** Mon, 28 January 2013, 11:37:28 »

Quote from: lysol on Mon, 28 January 2013, 11:33:29

Just looking at the keycaps they have, and the fact that some of those exact keycaps were in peoples most recent SP crap bags, it's not hard to come to the conclusion. They might make some of thier other items but not the MX caps.

I was under the impression that they did custom etching, but didn't actually make the keycaps themselves. I'll drop them an e-mail just to be sure.

sth · « **Reply #20 on:** Wed, 30 January 2013, 21:35:29 »

Somebody get this man a wiki account, stat.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #21 on:** Wed, 30 January 2013, 21:44:12 »

I agree, all this stuff should be in the wiki so it doesn't eventually get buried.

sth · « **Reply #22 on:** Wed, 30 January 2013, 21:45:39 »

I am working on converting the Geek Hack keys article, more than willing to do others with permission until Mashby gets a wiki login.

Rafen · « **Reply #23 on:** Wed, 30 January 2013, 23:36:08 »

Thanks for making this list, its really awesome.

mashby · « **Reply #24 on:** Thu, 31 January 2013, 08:24:47 »

Quote from: mashby on Mon, 28 January 2013, 11:37:28

I was under the impression that they did custom etching, but didn't actually make the keycaps themselves. I'll drop them an e-mail just to be sure.

I heard back from Ken Kaplan over at Arkay Engravers

Quote

We purchase blanks, or our customers ship them to us.
We either pad-print or engrave.
Doing this since the early 70's.

So, I would think that we should still list them, but indicate that they are a "printer"?

Also, I received a Wiki account last night, so I'll move the list to there soon.

News:

Author Topic: Key Cap Manufacturers & Vendors (Read 23744 times)