I just received my order for a 104 set of Vortex PBT Double Shot keycaps from MechanicalKeyboards.com, so here are a few photos and my initial impression and observations of the product.
Since this was my first keycap upgrade, I was anxious to compare them to my Ducky OEM caps, so I used that comparison as the format for the review.
For starters, I ordered the black set, but there are several bi-colored sets available as well, white combined with blue, green, pink, orange, or red.
The first big difference was texture.
My ABS caps are smooth and shiny and they reflect a lot of glare from my desk lamp. The new Vortex caps are very well textured which reduces that glare considerably. Textured is definitely the way to go.
That, plus I just like the feel of the textured caps better.
You can see the texture on the single keycap photo.
The second big difference was build quality.
As soon as you look at the underside of these caps you instantly notice the thickness of the plastic compared to normal ABS caps. My Ducky’s are pretty decent caps for ABS, but against these PBT double shots there’s no comparison. I didn’t have the means of measuring, but the Vortex caps appear to be nearly twice as thick as my Ducky’s. You can see the difference in the two caps side by side in the attached photo.
The third big difference was sound
First I replaced a few of the caps on my keyboard with the new caps.
I’m using o-rings on my board, and I wanted to compare the two types both with and without o-rings.
After setting a few keys up both ways, I started tapping and typing. Right away you can clearly tell the difference in quality by the sound. Without the o-rings, the PBTs have a distinctly deeper sounding click when they bottom out, whereas the ABS produces a higher pitched sound.
Even with the o-rings, the difference was still there. The difference wasn’t as pronounced because the o-rings dampen the sound, but the thicker PBT’s still produce a deeper sound, and personally I prefer that over the higher pitched click of the thinner ABS caps.
All pros except for one con.
In the single keycap photo of the “J” key, look closely at the “J”.
It’s very slightly off center to the left. Of course the photo is larger than the real thing so it looks worse in the photo than it does on the keyboard. In fact, on the keyboard you almost have to be really looking for it to see it.
So upon closer inspection I found 3 keys like that, the Z, J, and L. The L is slightly to the right.
After seeing this, out of curiosity I started looking closely at my OEM Ducky keyboard and lo and behold, I found an “R” key that did the very same thing and I had never noticed it before, so obviously this slight error is not limited to Vortex. Nevertheless it would still be nice if Vortex corrected the problem for future production runs.
To me it’s so slight that it’s negligible, but if you’re particularly sensitive to the small details, you’ll have to make that call yourself.
Overall
I’m happy with the purchase, and I like this keycap set.
The black set cost $59 (bi-colored sets are $69). Delivery only cost me $4.50 for domestic 3 day delivery to Tx, and the order was handled and delivered promptly as expected.
All keys installed easily and the fit was perfect with no problems. After testing, I installed o-rings on all keys and it types like a dream.
I’m thoroughly pleased with my keycap upgrade.
