Looking for Cherry MX OEM Dye-sub or Double-shot Keycaps

[ikonomov]

I have close to 20 links of websites that sell keycaps, and not one that sells the keycaps that I want.  They have to be:

1. OEM profile
2. thick PBT
3. Dye-sub or preferably Double-shot (if double-shot, both colors need to be PBT)
4. the keycaps need to have 4 struts on the inside that support the stem

4 struts:



Not 3 struts:


If you know any place where I can order 2 sets, please post the links below.  Also please let's limit this discussion to the 1-4 points above in order to hopefully find if such keycaps exist.

[Puddsy]

I have close to 20 links of websites that sell keycaps, and not one that sells the keycaps that I want.  They have to be:

1. OEM profile
2. thick PBT
3. Dye-sub or preferably Double-shot (if double-shot, both colors need to be PBT)
4. the keycaps need to have 4 struts on the inside that support the stem

4 struts:
(Attachment Link)

Not 3 struts:
(Attachment Link)

If you know any place where I can order 2 sets, please post the links below.

you may want to invest in a GMK set

[Kevadu]

4. the keycaps need to have 4 struts on the inside that support the stem

Genuinely curious why this would matter.  I mean my Signature Plastics keycaps have zero 'struts' but nobody would say they're low quality...

[ikonomov]

Signature Plastics don't have any struts.  I use o-rings, and on OEM profile keycaps they have a very small travel reduction.  There are other ways to dampen Cherry MX, but I hope outside the topic of this thread.  GMK are ABS.  I like the feel, durability and sound of thick PBT.

[Puddsy]

Signature Plastics don't have any struts.  I use o-rings, and on OEM profile keycaps they have a very small travel reduction.  There are other ways to dampen Cherry MX, but I hope outside the topic of this thread.  GMK are ABS.  I like the feel, durability and sound of thick PBT.

https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keycaps/products/enjoypbt-keycaps-dye-subbed-keycap-set-117keys

[ghostjuggernaut]

Signature Plastics don't have any struts.  I use o-rings, and on OEM profile keycaps they have a very small travel reduction.  There are other ways to dampen Cherry MX, but I hope outside the topic of this thread.  GMK are ABS.  I like the feel, durability and sound of thick PBT.

https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keycaps/products/enjoypbt-keycaps-dye-subbed-keycap-set-117keys

These are cherry profile though, not OEM like OP wants.

[Puddsy]

Signature Plastics don't have any struts.  I use o-rings, and on OEM profile keycaps they have a very small travel reduction.  There are other ways to dampen Cherry MX, but I hope outside the topic of this thread.  GMK are ABS.  I like the feel, durability and sound of thick PBT.

https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keycaps/products/enjoypbt-keycaps-dye-subbed-keycap-set-117keys

These are cherry profile though, not OEM like OP wants.

i'd argue that cherry is better to type on, and also that most OEM profile options are lower quality than their cherry counterparts

see: https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keycaps/products/pbt-double-shot-106keys or https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keycaps/products/caribbean-cherry-profile-pbt-dye-sub-keycaps

[Riverman]

What about Vortex or Ducky PBT keycaps?  I haven't seen a picture of the underside of them, but they should otherwise meet all of the OP's requirements.  Personally I think they're kind of ugly, though.  Tai-Hao PBT keycaps meet all of them except for being thick.  I think they're still good keycaps, and they look nice if they have a color combination you like.

[Hyde]

What about Vortex or Ducky PBT keycaps?  I haven't seen a picture of the underside of them, but they should otherwise meet all of the OP's requirements.  Personally I think they're kind of ugly, though.  Tai-Hao PBT keycaps meet all of them except for being thick.  I think they're still good keycaps, and they look nice if they have a color combination you like.

^ I agree with this.

I think all the new Ducky PBT are 3 struct.  However any dye-sub or laser printed keycaps from Vortex should be thick and have 4 structs, their double shot however only has 3 structs (I think it's meant to not block light for backlit version).

And Tai-Hao PBT basically like Riverman said should meet all requirement except being thick.

At this rate you might have to settle for Vortex charcoal PBT with either top print or front print.

https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1335
https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1336

[kgolden]

What about Vortex or Ducky PBT keycaps?  I haven't seen a picture of the underside of them, but they should otherwise meet all of the OP's requirements.  Personally I think they're kind of ugly, though.  Tai-Hao PBT keycaps meet all of them except for being thick.  I think they're still good keycaps, and they look nice if they have a color combination you like.

^ I agree with this.

I think all the new Ducky PBT are 3 struct.  However any dye-sub or laser printed keycaps from Vortex should be thick and have 4 structs, their double shot however only has 3 structs (I think it's meant to not block light for backlit version).

And Tai-Hao PBT basically like Riverman said should meet all requirement except being thick.

At this rate you might have to settle for Vortex charcoal PBT with either top print or front print.

https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1335
https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1336

I have this set with the top print and they are decent. My only complaint is on some keys you can see the "+" of the stem.

[ikonomov]

Tai-Hao PBT have their lettering color in ABS plastic https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/3b7glk/tai_hao_double_shot_pbts_are_not_100_pbt/.  They are also thin and have some coating according to reports.  I am currently using the old Ducky PBT, which had the 4 struts, but the dyesub lettering is wearing off https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=93436.0.  In this link I did a quick review of the Leopold double shot PBT with Cherry profile.  I didn't like the typing experience with their keycaps, even though the quality was the best I had ever seen.  Regardless I couldn't really use them with o-rings, as Cherry profile reduce travel too much.  It seems the market is moving towards Cherry profile or 3 strut OEM for backlighting.  All the talk about IMSTO was heard and now this is almost all that there is.  Hyde have you by chance a link where I can see a Dye-sub Vortex PBT.  I am really hoping to get a properly dye-sublimated or double shot keycaps if possible...

[KPrepublic]

HI,

I'm not sure if I put my shop link here break the rules or not.

Would you like to try this https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=94051.0 by any chances?

You may google kprepublic then take a look.

Thank you.

[ghostjuggernaut]

Signature Plastics don't have any struts.  I use o-rings, and on OEM profile keycaps they have a very small travel reduction.  There are other ways to dampen Cherry MX, but I hope outside the topic of this thread.  GMK are ABS.  I like the feel, durability and sound of thick PBT.

https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keycaps/products/enjoypbt-keycaps-dye-subbed-keycap-set-117keys

These are cherry profile though, not OEM like OP wants.

i'd argue that cherry is better to type on, and also that most OEM profile options are lower quality than their cherry counterparts

see: https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keycaps/products/pbt-double-shot-106keys or https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keycaps/products/caribbean-cherry-profile-pbt-dye-sub-keycaps

You don’t need to convince me. Just pointing out that he said oem.

[Deefenestrate]

I think some Originative keys are thick PBT dyesub.

[ikonomov]

KPrepublic thank you for the reply.  I hope you won't be breaking the rules by posting a link to your site, because this is exactly what I was hoping for when I posted this thread.  I found your website, and saw the photo of the keycaps, unfortunately the keycaps shown at the link you provided have the 3 strut construction as I have shown in my first post above.  Do all OEM PBT keycaps on your website have the same construction as the ones shown in the link you provided?  I would like to use o-rings and I have found that keycaps with 3 struts slightly wobble and tilt when bottoming out when used with o-rings.  Unlike our preference for keycaps profile I think people all over the place have expressed their opinion loud and clear on their lack of interest for backlighting, yet again and again this is exactly what most manufacturers keep making, and this 3-struts construction seems to be the unfortunate outcome of it.

Deefenestrate I just checked Originative website again, and you are right, some are indeed PBT, but unfortunately with Cherry profile.

[Hyde]

Hyde have you by chance a link where I can see a Dye-sub Vortex PBT.  I am really hoping to get a properly dye-sublimated or double shot keycaps if possible...

Ops turns out Vortex showed some examples of their dye-sub wayyyy back in the days but I think it never made it into production.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.812463295488049.1073741848.241720585895659&type=1

I found 2 more sites that might have something, you can take a look.

Not too sure what profile this is, you can e-mail the seller and ask:
https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keycaps/products/npkc-pbt-keycaps-104keys-side-print

This is OEM they also have more options on their site you can take a look:
http://www.geekkeys.com/white-dyesub-pbt-104-keyset-blue-fonts/
http://www.geekkeys.com/grey-side-printed-pbt-104-keyset/

No underside picture so you might have to e-mail to ask about struct, but typically if it's not double shot it's probably 4 struct (since it's not meant for backlit).

Good luck!

[ikonomov]

Thanks for the links Hyde.  The white dyesubs keycaps are 1.0mm thick, not really a thick PBT and he only has two varieties, white with blue or magenta legends.  I don't really like the legends, but maybe I could look past it if only they were thicker in a different color, say light gray with black legends, or white/gray with black legends (something like Model M).  I'd love to also get black with white legends double shot.  Still so far they are the closest to what I am hoping to get.

[ikonomov]

i'd argue that cherry is better to type on, and also that most OEM profile options are lower quality than their cherry counterparts

It would seem you are correct about the quality.  I think it is unfortunate that it is a deciding factor when buying a keycap set.  I think it should be typing experience alone.

I don't agree about any profile keycaps being "better to type on", it is a matter of personal preference, and the main reason I prefer specifically OEM to cherry is because they work better with o-rings.

[davkol]

O-ring is just the shape: there are o-rings with varying dimensions and hardness.

If you want them for damping, well, damping clips (esp. QMX) are much more efficient and work better with Cherry profile. They're not compatible with new Kailh housings, though… that makes me wonder, if o-rings actually work with, say, Kailh Box switches.

[ikonomov]

I did try a keyboard with Cherry profile, you can read about my experience with it here https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=93436.0.  I didn't like the typing experience with its keycaps even though their quality was the highest I had ever seen.  I found the 3rd row to already have travel reduction and a slight tilt/wobble backward on bottoming out without any damping.

Edit:  The reason I was experiencing this problem I found later was due to using the Leopold PBT keycaps on a Ducky keyboard.  It turns out Cherry profile keycaps have to be used with switches LED side facing south in order to bottom out properly.

This makes me think that no matter the kind of additional damping I put on them the travel will be reduced too much.  The way o-rings work on OEM keycaps is quite spectacular.  I've tried to see or feel a difference in travel reduction, but as far as I can tell there is almost none.  None that I can see of feel, yet they do completely dampen the sound and remove the harsh feel when bottoming out.  I got the 40A-L o-rings from wasdkeyboards, which they say have 0.2mm (1/127") travel reduction and based on my own experience it might be accurate.

[davkol]

Cherry keycaps don't reduce switch travel.

[Hyde]

I did try a keyboard with Cherry profile, you can read about my experience with it here https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=93436.0.  I didn't like the typing experience with its keycaps even though their quality was the highest I had ever seen.  I found the 3rd row to already have travel reduction and a slight tilt/wobble backward on bottoming out without any damping.  This makes me think that no matter the kind of additional damping I put on them the travel will be reduced too much.  The way o-rings work on OEM keycaps is quite spectacular.  I've tried to see or feel a difference in travel reduction, but as far as I can tell there is almost none.  None that I can see of feel, yet they do completely dampen the sound and remove the harsh feel when bottoming out.  I got the 40A-L o-rings from wasdkeyboards, which they say have 0.2mm (1/127") travel reduction and based on my own experience it might be accurate.

Cherry keycaps don't reduce switch travel.

Actually I have same experience, I know they all have same travel.  But the home row has the lowest keycap height somehow it gives the illusion of having less travel and it always bug me when using Cherry profile.

This is another reason why I stick to OEM profile they just feel a little more consistence across the different rows.

On top of it it's probably worse with o-rings in your case.

[Puddsy]

I did try a keyboard with Cherry profile, you can read about my experience with it here https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=93436.0.  I didn't like the typing experience with its keycaps even though their quality was the highest I had ever seen.  I found the 3rd row to already have travel reduction and a slight tilt/wobble backward on bottoming out without any damping.  This makes me think that no matter the kind of additional damping I put on them the travel will be reduced too much.  The way o-rings work on OEM keycaps is quite spectacular.  I've tried to see or feel a difference in travel reduction, but as far as I can tell there is almost none.  None that I can see of feel, yet they do completely dampen the sound and remove the harsh feel when bottoming out.  I got the 40A-L o-rings from wasdkeyboards, which they say have 0.2mm (1/127") travel reduction and based on my own experience it might be accurate.

Cherry keycaps don't reduce switch travel.

Actually I have same experience, I know they all have same travel.  But the home row has the lowest keycap height somehow it gives the illusion of having less travel and it always bug me when using Cherry profile.

This is another reason why I stick to OEM profile they just feel a little more consistence across the different rows.

On top of it it's probably worse with o-rings in your case.

i have literally never noticed this in like 5+ years of using cherry profile

[ikonomov]

Actually I have same experience, I know they all have same travel.  But the home row has the lowest keycap height somehow it gives the illusion of having less travel and it always bug me when using Cherry profile.

The Leopold PBT doubleshot keycaps definitely did not have the same travel, sound or feel across the board.  The keys on row 3 are completely dampened, with a noticeably shorter travel and most pronounced wobble/tilt backwards, keys on row 1, 2 and 4 are dampened but with little to no travel reduction, while most keys on row 5 and 6 sound loud and crisp, same as if they have OEM profile.

Edit:  The reason I was experiencing this problem I found later was due to using the Leopold PBT keycaps on a Ducky keyboard.  It turns out Cherry profile keycaps have to be used with switches LED side facing south in order to bottom out properly.

i have literally never noticed this in like 5+ years of using cherry profile

I'm curious to try another set of Cherry keycaps, they have been praised here on the forum for years, so I think the ones I tried simply had something weird going on in their construction.  What kind of keycaps are you using Puddsy?

[Hyde]

Actually I have same experience, I know they all have same travel.  But the home row has the lowest keycap height somehow it gives the illusion of having less travel and it always bug me when using Cherry profile.

The Leopold PBT doubleshot keycaps definitely did not have the same travel, sound or feel across the board.  The keys on row 3 are completely dampened, with a noticeably shorter travel and most pronounced wobble/tilt backwards, keys on row 1, 2 and 4 are dampened but with little to no travel reduction, while most keys on row 5 and 6 sound loud and crisp, same as if they have OEM profile.

i have literally never noticed this in like 5+ years of using cherry profile

I'm curious to try another set of Cherry keycaps, they have been praised here on the forum for years, so I think the ones I tried simply had something weird going on in their construction.  What kind of keycaps are you using Puddsy?

I think biggest deciding point is o-ring, most people use Cherry profile keycaps without o-ring.  In your case since you want o-ring it might not work that well.

[pomk]

Cherry profile caps need south facing leds (or no leds, but the switch needs to be oriented so that the led would be in the south side) in order to bottom out properly on row 3. Maybe that has been the reason why you thought that they were no good? Time to switch keyboards to something that is built to (cherry) spec.

[ikonomov]

pomk thank you so much for this information.  You are absolutely correct, and it is something that I did not think about when I was writing my short review and testing of the Leopold FC900R keyboard.  I did in fact test its keycaps on a Ducky keyboard, and my observations of the keycaps were while using the Ducky.  I did try the FC900R, but since it was only available in red switches my intention was to simply use its keycaps on my Ducky.  I just saw a youtube video with blue switches on a FC900R, and clearly the keycaps don't have the problem that I was experiencing.  I'll add an edit to all my posts since then related to this so people don't get wrong information.  It is unfortunate that this still doesn't solve my problem of wanting to use o-rings.