Author Topic: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?  (Read 6495 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline typo

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 1676
How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« on: Sat, 09 June 2018, 00:54:06 »
How they do this when apparently even GMK cannot? I am guessing the answer is that they are typical Chinese made junk?

Offline Bekind

  • Posts: 2
  • Location: Janpan
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 09 June 2018, 17:34:40 »
Money talk.they want to make more money .

I knew a keycap manufacture 's boss in Shenzhen,China.

He ever said to me : " I can make (produce) Artillery and plane if you have the order."   可以造飞机造大炮.
 

Offline typo

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 1676
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 09 June 2018, 18:23:08 »
That is pretty much what I thought. "China man make cheap, Not China man make quality". That being told to me once by a prominent Chinese businessman at dinner. They will job out anything, just as you point out. It is not exactly true though. There are some very high quality Chinese products made solely for their wealthy domestic market. So they can, but bottom line "Money talk". PBT DS keycaps simply are not going to be great quality, thin etc. Offset legends and all.

Offline LeoShi

  • Posts: 75
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #3 on: Sun, 10 June 2018, 11:54:01 »
As long as you pay enough money :))

Offline Riverman

  • Posts: 430
  • Location: Seattle, WA
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 12 June 2018, 11:58:59 »
Tai Hao's PBT doubleshot keycaps are great for what you pay.  I've had no issues with any of the sets I've bought except for a slightly warped space bar on the first set.  There's a thread over in the reviews section about Leopold's new keyboards with doubleshot PBT keycaps, and they're very good from the sound of it.  I wonder if the molds have to be slightly different for PBT vs. ABS.  GMK just uses old Cherry molds from what I understand.

Offline Kevadu

  • Posts: 382
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #5 on: Tue, 12 June 2018, 12:29:46 »
I think the better question is why are GMK and SP so expensive...

Offline zslane

  • Posts: 2297
  • Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 12 June 2018, 13:24:38 »
PBT has a different shrinkage profile during the injection mold process than ABS. It makes it difficult to get a good fusing of the two shots, leading to low yields and lots of unusable keycaps. These Chinese manufacturers who do two-shot PBT are probably throwing away lots of product and just eating the cost (or maybe selling some of it domestically to less discerning customers who prioritize low cost over quality).

GMK and SP are expensive, compared to Chinese product, because the manufacturing process is surprisingly labor-intensive, and western labor is very expensive compared to Chinese labor.

Offline DALExSNAIL

  • The User Formerly Known as 'Formerly DudeSnail'
  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 1500
  • Location: Port Wentworth, GA
  • 𝖋𝖚𝖈𝖐 𝖆𝖑𝖕𝖘
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #7 on: Tue, 12 June 2018, 13:31:18 »
The legends are pretty low quality on most of the PBT DS caps, but the feel is there. Not bad for the price imo, great for a beater board you dont wanna drop 150+ on for gmk or something.

Offline Hyde

  • Posts: 2643
  • Location: Toronto, Canada
  • White Tofu Extraordinaire
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #8 on: Tue, 12 June 2018, 16:14:15 »
The bigger question is, how does Leopold do it?

Leopold keyboard are made in Taiwan and their double shot PBT keycaps are 1.5 mm thick and are made in Japan.  On top of it Leopold keyboards are decently priced.

They're one of the best quality off the shelf keyboards you can get.

Archiss ProgresTouch Retro - Gateron Yellow  |  Topre Realforce 104UW - 45g Silent  |  Topre Type Heaven  |  Beige Filco Ninja 104 - MX Red  |  Das Keyboard - MX Brown  |  Poker II - MX Red  |  Race II - MX Brown  |  Matias Quiet Pro - Matias Dampened ALPS  |  Logitech K840 - Romer G  |  Cherry MX Board 2.0 - MX Red  |  Cherry G84-4100 - ML  |  IBM Model M
Roccat Kone Pure  |  Logitech G203  |  Logitech G303  |  Logitech G302  |  Razer Naga  |  CM Storm Xornet  |  Razer Goliathus Mobile Stealth  |  Razer Goliathus Control  |  Artisan Hien  |  Artisan Hayate  |  Artisan Shiden

Offline Giorgio

  • Posts: 1846
  • Location: Italy
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #9 on: Thu, 14 June 2018, 17:42:42 »
Links?

Offline romevi

  • Formerly romevi
  • * Exalted Elder
  • Posts: 8941
  • Location: The Windy City
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #10 on: Thu, 14 June 2018, 17:48:58 »

Offline Giorgio

  • Posts: 1846
  • Location: Italy
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #11 on: Thu, 14 June 2018, 18:15:12 »

Offline typo

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 1676
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #12 on: Fri, 15 June 2018, 01:47:02 »
I would imagine a Topre with GMK set on it is nicer than Leopold even though not MX. You are comparing a total of over $400 to well under half that. I am afraid even the "keepers" they get are just not fused as well as ABS. Look very closely at actual key, not screenshot. Look for gaps on base etc. Plus I dislike Dyesub PBT due to the fuzziness. I prefer slick/shiny anyways.

Offline Hyde

  • Posts: 2643
  • Location: Toronto, Canada
  • White Tofu Extraordinaire
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #13 on: Fri, 15 June 2018, 15:11:30 »
Links?

The new Smash has three.

I have no idea what this means LOL

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=95384.0

Hmmmmm maybe only their dye sub PBT are made in Japan and not the PBT double shot.

http://www.leopold.co.kr/?doc=cart/item.php&it_id=1523845614

Anyone here that can read Korean please explain to me what this page says lol.

As for the other comment, smash = smash brothers (game) and link = character from zelda.  So he was referring there are 3 link (characters) from smash (game).

:thumb:

Archiss ProgresTouch Retro - Gateron Yellow  |  Topre Realforce 104UW - 45g Silent  |  Topre Type Heaven  |  Beige Filco Ninja 104 - MX Red  |  Das Keyboard - MX Brown  |  Poker II - MX Red  |  Race II - MX Brown  |  Matias Quiet Pro - Matias Dampened ALPS  |  Logitech K840 - Romer G  |  Cherry MX Board 2.0 - MX Red  |  Cherry G84-4100 - ML  |  IBM Model M
Roccat Kone Pure  |  Logitech G203  |  Logitech G303  |  Logitech G302  |  Razer Naga  |  CM Storm Xornet  |  Razer Goliathus Mobile Stealth  |  Razer Goliathus Control  |  Artisan Hien  |  Artisan Hayate  |  Artisan Shiden

Offline typo

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 1676
Re: How do the Chinese manufacture PBT DS KeyCaps?
« Reply #14 on: Sat, 16 June 2018, 17:07:34 »
It has Char from Smash game? If so that shows it is a toy, not serious coding board. To each their own. I mean I got my Great Grandson a Fisher-Price board. Start 'em early. Maybe next generations of Code!

Seriously I doubt there are any First World PBT DS. Too expensive the waste. Plus as I said the few Okay ones are well.... Just Okay. A Board is literally my meal ticket even at this late age. I swear you are not comparing Chinese PBT DS to GMK/SP. PBT DYE is fine but I dislike the fuzzy and do like shiny.

No offense meant. I am just seriously questioning the quality of any. Since it is simply science. Can't do it with current technology.