ABS feels a ton better than PBT

[Binge]

I am with The_Beast on this one.  I much prefer the cherry profile over most other profiles... They just feel best on MX switches imho.  Some of the best cherry profile switches are cherry DS abs.  I love them

[reiuorw]

I don't care PBT or ABS but I prefer thick to thin

[HongKongFui]

thick ABS 2shots number one by FAAAR

for me they don't change their feel or get sticky when they shine- I think that's psychological because it doesn't look good (when you get real close and look precise)  and when I think about it... getting shiny means the surface gets plain. and then they start to be sticky? why and how should they?

It's a matter of taste, not more, not less-

and: I've seen PBT 2shots on our german trypad so they exist-

[davkol]

I've recently sanded some shiny ABS keycaps. 1000 sandpaper makes them shiny, but smooth—not sticky.

[fohat.digs]

I've recently sanded some shiny ABS keycaps. 1000 sandpaper makes them shiny, but smooth—not sticky.

Please keep us posted on the durability of this remedy.

Would you consider that your sanding pressure was "light" or "aggressive"?

[0100010]

[snip]
Here is my assessment:

PBT

It's the hardest plastic of the three, and you can feel it on your fingers, but it's also the most durable.  It therefore lasts the longest before becoming shiny or discolored.

Printing can only be by dye sublimation or laser etched.  Currently there is no known reliable method of making double-shot PBT's.  Which means that all PBT keycaps must have darker legends than the rest of the keycaps.  As such, black keycaps will always be otaku or near-otaku.  Also due to the way PBT plastic cools in a mold, space bars are a huge problem to make.  But PBT space bars are not impossible to make however, they just seem to be hard to make, and are probably expensive to make as well, so you don't see them very often.  PBT is of course great for a gaming keyboard, since the WASD cluster will take a very long time to shine.

[/snip]

You can pad print a lighter color legend on a darker color PBT - but it doesn't last.  There is an M13 up on clickykeyboards from 1997 with white pad printed legends on black PBT keys, some of the letters are starting to fade.

[Dianoda]

I put some cherry thick ABS doubleshots on my LZ over the weekend.  They looked great, felt completely wrong to type on.  It was distracting.  So I took some photos and switched back to the BSP thick PBT dye-subs + aluminum spacebar I was using previously.  It's a strange thing - in the past I've liked using the Dolch set on my Dolch PAC board (and I still do), but they just felt wrong on the LZ.  I think it comes down to the differences in texture/friction of the keys and which switches you are using them with - original Dolch keys have a rather coarse texture to them, more pronounced compared to the GMK ABS caps I've used, but the BSP PBT caps have a finer texture than either, and (imo) more pleasing levels of both static and kinetic friction - they just pair better with the lubed linear switches in my LZ.  I've kinda taken a liking to having a mostly A-profile bottom row, too (never thought I'd say that).

[Poom]

im all for ABS!! prefer the smoother feel, my finger tips tends to slip off PBT caps easier than ABS.

[esoomenona]

Cherry ABS doubleshots are the best you can get. Don't let the PBT crowd fool you. They want you to sell them your ABS caps and buy PBT so they can have them all. Also, you should take those ABS doubleshots from Cherry and match them with Cherry's greatest masterpiece to date: the G81 with MY switches. You can thank me later.

[Photoelectric]

I'm finally going to have thick PBT AND thin PBT to compare with ABS in the next few days.  So far, I've found a pretty wide range of how different ABS caps feel.  ABS SP doubleshots / thin WYSE doubleshots, vs. stock Filco caps (thin ABS), vs Ducky Shine caps (I think it's ABS, but I have a feeling they are some special softer kind of translucent ABS that's then coated in this rubbery color).  They all feel quite different, and I have certain preferences.  I have also tried thin PBT (OEM profile) and thick doubleshot ABS (new Cherry modifiers from EliteKeyboards).  I can't say that ABS feels better than PBT because of the aforementioned differences I've encountered even among ABS caps.

The proper thing to say would be "I prefer X keycaps that are made of Y material in Z profile, and P thickness on M switches", because all of those variables matter."

[Poom]

Cherry ABS doubleshots are the best you can get. Don't let the PBT crowd fool you. They want you to sell them your ABS caps and buy PBT so they can have them all. Also, you should take those ABS doubleshots from Cherry and match them with Cherry's greatest masterpiece to date: the G81 with MY switches. You can thank me later.

Moose, that is interesting, you mean the swiches are good, or the caps on them?

I can get them pretty easily where i am, and dirt cheap!

[esoomenona]

I think you should take a look at my profile, and make a decision for yourself. If you can get them cheap, what's to lose except never knowing the truth about mechanical keyboards?