I recently had an opportunity to handle a Bubs by KiddScull and wanted to share my impressions. The
debut Bubs sale happened on January 28th and the cap retailed for $35 (after being price adjusted down from $50).
I don't claim to be an "expert" in artisan keycaps but I do think I have a good perspective that allows me to speak about them. As a member of the community I've purchased and traded dozens of artisan keycaps and inspected dozens more at meetups. I also have been working towards contributing to the artisan scene and have intimate knowledge of what goes into making and selling artisan keycaps.
I was drawn to the Bubs sculpt because it has a grafitti aesthetic that isn't found in most artisans. The colorways are simple and take advantage of the sculpt's strengths. The Bubs in my possession is the Murderface colorway.
Upon close inspection of the cap, I was dismayed to find some issues that I'd like to talk about and hopefully start a discussion within the community about expectations when buying an artisan keycap. This review is not meant to be a hit piece aimed at the maker and is only my views on the subject of artisan keycaps and artisan making processes. I will try to keep this honest, short, and informative.
The first thing I noticed that was concerning is that
there are bubbles on the surface of the cap and on the stem. To me, unintentional bubbles in a "finished" product should be shown and disclaimed before a sale is made because it affects the look of the cap. Since most artisan keycaps center around form, having pockmarks on the surface is detrimental to the value as a piece of art. Another problem with bubbles forming in the resin is that it can cause structural issues. If a large enough bubble or group of bubbles gather in the stem, it can cause the stem to crack or even break off and that's a bummer. I also found red resin on the bottom of the cap which baffles me since there's no red resin on the outside of the cap towards the bottom.
When looking at the cap closely (as many over at r/ArtisanMacro might) you can see that there are
a lot of tool marks around the sides where the surface should either be smooth or deliberately textured. These marks detract from the work and clash with the pronounced graffiti style of the cap. The lower part of the sides also look like they were quickly shaved down as if it was an afterthought.
Inspecting the underside of the cap
I found a lot of dried resin dust from when the caps were sanded. This means that the caps were not thoroughly washed after sanding off any extra bits of resin. While this can be fixed by washing the cap myself, I think it speaks to the effort that the maker puts into their craft and is just as important as leaving unintended tool marks on the master. I took 30 seconds and rinsed the cap under running water and it
immediately looks a bit better.
I feel that had these sold at the original price of $50, people would have been disappointed with the quality control between the master sculpt and the bubbles in the finished product. Ultimately the community spoke up and the maker changed the price before launching the debut sale which I applaud. I think this community needs more makers that listen when people criticize their choices in a rational and reasonable manor.
Having said that, I'd like to offer some of the reoccurring events I've observed over the last few years since I joined this community. I've seen posts from people who are new to the community asking about artisan keycaps and want to understand why people will spend so much on a piece of plastic and no one goes into detail to answer. I've participated in debut sales for new makers that ended with me receiving caps of a lower-than-implied quality which feels bad after paying "premium" prices and seeing all the carefully staged photos in the sale menu. Some makers have the skill to produce beautiful sculpts and flawless copies in resin, and they charge more for that because ultimately artisanal keycaps fall on a quality scale where the care and effort that a maker puts in affects the value.
A common occurrence I've noticed is seeing posts from people who are new to the community asking about artisan keycaps and want to understand why anyone would spend so much on a piece of plastic. I think that many people in the community lack a complete understanding about the entire process of making artisan keycaps because we don't speak about it enough. There's a bare minimum that is required to produce an artisan keycap, and effort beyond that is noticed and encouraged, but not all artisans put in that effort.
If you become a buyer, be mindful of what you're paying for. Do some research and understand what it takes to produce these wonderful bits of plastic that some of us choose to adorn our keyboards with. Don't blindly accept that all artisan keycaps are made equal and have the same value. If you become a maker, be mindful of the work you put into your caps and come up with a value that reflects your level of effort, skill, and care.
I think we can make the community better for all our members, both new and existing, by examining our expectations to see if they are reasonable and if they're being met. I'm also hoping that makers will look at their work to set realistic pricing, disclose when they aren't working with generally accepted processes (like curing under pressure), and otherwise be as honest as possible when showing off their work.
Here is an album of all the macro shots I took of the cap.
