SP - SA Sublimated - Ice Cap - Industrial!

[KHAANNN]

So, on Pimp My Keyboard's latest email, which I received an hour ago, they promote a new keyset called "SA Ice Cap" - releasing on their shop on September 1st

They say it's sublimated, it's black on white, it seems like a boring keyset other than this "sublimation"

They don't specify the material, but I wonder whether it's PBT

Edit: http://pimpmykeyboard.com/sa-industrial-keyset/ - this is pretty impressive

[nubbinator]

Well, you're not going to dyesub ABS or POM...

[KHAANNN]

If that is the case, would be nice to see 2-tone keysets roll out in the future, I wonder why they wen't with a super-white base, even a 1-tone beige could make the keyset uniquely appealing

Anyway, on the topic of material, indeed dye-sublimation indicates PBT, assuming, they didn't make a wordplay around "sublimate", since the keyset's name is "Ice Cap" - it seems likely

[potatobot]

I hope they wont be as thin as granite. Are those gonna be the first PBT SA profile caps?


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[KHAANNN]

I've heard they had some on the shop, blanks

[zslane]

I suspect that the reason they will be all row 3 is because that is the only mold they can reliably fill with PBT in quantity.

Personally, I don't really see the point of these. They are just a taller DSA cap. Why bother with SA if you aren't going to do sculptured rows?

[xtrafrood]

I think the clear SA keycaps are Polycarbonate so I guess they already know they can inject materials other than ABS for SA. Maybe the R3 has to do with their sublimation process? Do they have any sculpted keysets with dye-sublimated legends? I'm definitely interested in what this might mean for sculpted sets in the future.

[zslane]

If I have to give up double-shot legends, I'd rather at least get a better cap shape as compensation. That's why I'm more enthusiastic about M3 than these "new" PBT SA caps.

[chuckdee]

I suspect that the reason they will be all row 3 is because that is the only mold they can reliably fill with PBT in quantity.

Personally, I don't really see the point of these. They are just a taller DSA cap. Why bother with SA if you aren't going to do sculptured rows?

As someone who tried to get modern selectric to fit a JD45, I can say that I like uniform for the versatility.  And it feels good on Danger Zone. It will take a lot for me to get a sculpted set from now on.

[zslane]

I suspect that the reason they will be all row 3 is because that is the only mold they can reliably fill with PBT in quantity.

Personally, I don't really see the point of these. They are just a taller DSA cap. Why bother with SA if you aren't going to do sculptured rows?

As someone who tried to get modern selectric to fit a JD45, I can say that I like uniform for the versatility.  And it feels good on Danger Zone. It will take a lot for me to get a sculpted set from now on.

I hear you.

But if you just want uniform spherical dyesub PBT keycaps, then why not just go with DSA? I'm not sure I see why SP would bother to push these "new" caps (or why anyone would get excited by them) when their only virtue is that they are a bit taller than DSA.

[unoab]

I hope they wont be as thin as granite. Are those gonna be the first PBT SA profile caps?

Well if they are as thick as the blanks they had in the shop before they are a bit thinner than on the normal ABS molds, so they do feel thinner and cheaper.  Here is a photo for reference (from left to right; ABS, PBT, PC relegendable shell, PC shell with ABS insert):


I would hope that since they had to make all new molds for most of the cap sizes (they only had 1u and 1.5u before), that they also remade the older molds to have thicker sidewalls.

[chuckdee]

I suspect that the reason they will be all row 3 is because that is the only mold they can reliably fill with PBT in quantity.

Personally, I don't really see the point of these. They are just a taller DSA cap. Why bother with SA if you aren't going to do sculptured rows?

As someone who tried to get modern selectric to fit a JD45, I can say that I like uniform for the versatility.  And it feels good on Danger Zone. It will take a lot for me to get a sculpted set from now on.

I hear you.

But if you just want uniform spherical dyesub PBT keycaps, then why not just go with DSA? I'm not sure I see why SP would bother to push these "new" caps (or why anyone would get excited by them) when their only virtue is that they are a bit taller than DSA.

Taller is a feature that some people go for.   I have DZ on one board,  and Deep Space on  another,  and prefer the feel of DZ.  And SA looks better on the board IMO.

[potatobot]

Well if they are as thick as the blanks they had in the shop before they are a bit thinner than on the normal ABS molds, so they do feel thinner and cheaper.  Here is a photo for reference (from left to right; ABS, PBT, PC relegendable shell, PC shell with ABS insert):

Show Image

I would hope that since they had to make all new molds for most of the cap sizes (they only had 1u and 1.5u before), that they also remade the older molds to have thicker sidewalls.

I agree, side walls on granite are too thin and it just ruins the set.

The uniform r3 is also bummer for me. Meh


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[KHAANNN]

I don't like the flush stems of SA keycaps the most
As an extreme solution, one could sand the stem to shorten it, similarly, the inside of the keycap could be spray painted to be thicker - both are too cumbersome tho

If they are engaged in SA dye-sublimation, I think we might see sculptured dye-subs at one point

SA ABS's are pretty great with their heft etc., so, these thin SA PBT's would probably only server SP to cut costs - It would be great if they allowed us to customize legends, at least then it would have an edge

[keyladding]

They are indeed PBT.

[xtrafrood]

They are indeed PBT.

Huh?

[KHAANNN]

http://pimpmykeyboard.com/sa-ice-cap-keyset/

Looks pretty good, other than the base color choice

[keyladding]

They are indeed PBT.

Huh?

Question was asked in first post. 

http://pimpmykeyboard.com/sa-ice-cap-keyset/

[xtrafrood]

This could be very interesting. I'm surprised they didn't make a dyes-sub DCS keyset first to be completely honest. /shrug

[KHAANNN]

This could be very interesting. I'm surprised they didn't make a dyes-sub DCS keyset first to be completely honest. /shrug

Maybe they tried, but since DCS is so thin, it might have crumbled on touch

[tofgerl]

It's kind of tempting to get just because of the possibility of this being the first and only set

[Elrick]

Just bought some.

Picked the SA "Ice Cap" Keyset TKL (87 keys) with SKU-587F72DE

and added 

SA "Ice Cap" Keyset: Numpad (17 keys) with SKU-4F82281B


Down side, they wouldn't sell me any more than ONE set at a time  .  Sucks but I am curious with how they accomplished these new PBT sets since I'm always into new sets made by anyone today.

Always support your local manufacturer and I find their work is pretty much well made and if it isn't, Melissa sorts out everything for you in this regard.

[Elrick]

It's kind of tempting to get just because of the possibility of this being the first and only set

First to own an SA R3 profile, which would be the absolute FIRST time in the World today.

What's not to like here, PBT done right for your keyboard  .

[KHAANNN]

Just bought some.

Picked the SA "Ice Cap" Keyset TKL (87 keys) with SKU-587F72DE

and added 

SA "Ice Cap" Keyset: Numpad (17 keys) with SKU-4F82281B


Down side, they wouldn't sell me any more than ONE set at a time  >:D .  Sucks but I am curious with how they accomplished these new PBT sets since I'm always into new sets made by anyone today.

Always support your local manufacturer and I find their work is pretty much well made and if it isn't, Melissa sorts out everything for you in this regard.

I would probably not resist the temptation if I was in US, but outside, customs etc., keeps things in check

Would love to see a review from you, some close-up photos, comparisons etc. :)

[xtrafrood]

This could be very interesting. I'm surprised they didn't make a dyes-sub DCS keyset first to be completely honest. /shrug

Maybe they tried, but since DCS is so thin, it might have crumbled on touch

Oh lol, that makes sense

[tofgerl]

I simply can't afford a set right now. I've got far too much on my want-list and already have two SA sets, and two more in production...
But I really hope this works out, not least due to the possibilities for the Lego set. (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=74350.0)

[chuckdee]

Just bought some.

Picked the SA "Ice Cap" Keyset TKL (87 keys) with SKU-587F72DE

and added 

SA "Ice Cap" Keyset: Numpad (17 keys) with SKU-4F82281B


Down side, they wouldn't sell me any more than ONE set at a time  .  Sucks but I am curious with how they accomplished these new PBT sets since I'm always into new sets made by anyone today.

Always support your local manufacturer and I find their work is pretty much well made and if it isn't, Melissa sorts out everything for you in this regard.

So are these shipping now?  I'm assuming so, but just wanted to ask since you've already ordered.

[Slash Emperor]

Yeah, I ordered a full set as soon as preorders opened and got an email yesterday saying they've shipped.

[chuckdee]

FYI -  they're sold out. I was on the fence about getting them,  and they solved it for me

[Elrick]

FYI -  they're sold out. I was on the fence about getting them,  and they solved it for me

That is how SP is selling key-sets these days.  The days of making millions of key-caps are now over.

They will only make lots of key-caps for MassDrop hence it makes sense to avoid wasting plastic in making lots of keys for in house orders, that might not move off their shelves.

Suspect they now no longer have any spare keys in stock except those other key-sets, already trying to sell in the store.  That is why when they send you a notice about an upcoming sale JUMP ON IT as soon possible.  Nothing worse than being another loser missing out on a rare key-set, that was available for a very short time.

Just hate they will only sell you ONE lousy key-set, instead of 3 or 4 sets.  Very miserly and completely depressing  .

[zslane]

I think this is mostly a result of SP's inability to predict demand accurately. This is a problem Oobly has been harping on for a long time. SP's "solution" seems to be this notion of cycling through different colors, possibly repeating colors after a while, so that on any given month there is a set available. If you don't like the color, just wait a month and maybe you'll like the next one.

I think there are some colors (or non-colors like black, white, gray) that will always sell, and so there's no good reason to limit production (or sales quantities) on those. But I don't know all the variables SP has to cope with, so what I think is of little value, really.

[chuckdee]

I think this is mostly a result of SP's inability to predict demand accurately. This is a problem Oobly has been harping on for a long time. SP's "solution" seems to be this notion of cycling through different colors, possibly repeating colors after a while, so that on any given month there is a set available. If you don't like the color, just wait a month and maybe you'll like the next one.

I think there are some colors (or non-colors like black, white, gray) that will always sell, and so there's no good reason to limit production (or sales quantities) on those. But I don't know all the variables SP has to cope with, so what I think is of little value, really.

I knew it was limited; I just wasn't excited enough to pull the trigger with all of the other sets that are dropping.

And this was a test run to see interest- and they were testing their new techniques.   Under those constraints,  the restrictions make sense. If they manufacture them without a check in hand from a GB,  they're taking a chance,  and taking time out of their capacity.   And we see how backed up they are on that.

[KHAANNN]

~First photos: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/50w20z/photos_ice_cap_sa_on_my_lzrv/

The keycaps seemed as thick as the ABS ones to me

[rowdy]

That set does look quite nice, and I like uniform R3 SA!

[zslane]

That set does look quite nice, and I like uniform R3 SA!

Heathen! 

[fax668]

They produced only a small amount of Ice Cap on purpose. This is what it says here:

"Ice Cap" is a prototype SA, all Row 3, PBT sublimated keyset. We will only produce around 100 of these keysets in order to evaluate process repeatability and to test market acceptance. If results are favorable we will expand our capability to full sculptured keysets in the future.

[rowdy]

That set does look quite nice, and I like uniform R3 SA!

Heathen! 

I'm yet to find a switch manly enough to properly support sculptured SA

[Elrick]

I'm yet to find a switch manly enough to properly support sculptured SA

DAMN Rowds, use Grey Tactiles sunshine and watch the weaklings here on GH Central, tremble at your manliness  .

[rowdy]

I'm yet to find a switch manly enough to properly support sculptured SA

DAMN Rowds, use Grey Tactiles sunshine and watch the weaklings here on GH Central, tremble at your manliness  .

Tempting, but where to find such a board?

[KHAANNN]

Forge it :]

[xtrafrood]

I'm yet to find a switch manly enough to properly support sculptured SA

DAMN Rowds, use Grey Tactiles sunshine and watch the weaklings here on GH Central, tremble at your manliness  .

Tempting, but where to find such a board?

I would so try some Grey Tactiles

[chuckdee]

That set does look quite nice, and I like uniform R3 SA!

I'm on your side with this one.  Us heathens should stick together!  )

[zslane]

I find that I kind of like uniform row3 on 60% boards like my Pok3rs. That's why I have Granite on one and Dolch on the other. I think that if I was going to give these PBT SA caps a try, I'd wait until enough colors came out to replicate the current colorway I have:



Unfortunately, I'd have to give up those sublime icon mods to do it.

[KHAANNN]

I loved DSA too, however, I always felt ~paranoid, wondering whether the lack of a sculpture was causing row-based mis-clicks, there was like 20-30 seconds each day that I thought about this, after switching to the Cherry profile, I've noticed that I don't experience these mis-clicks now - But, admittedly, DSA felt slightly better to type on, I miss the smoothness a bit (both sound and keypress)

I guess, If we had star trek style replicators, I would try a sculpted DSA (or DSS, to be exact) right now, with recessed stems, so it's even lower in profile, but with sculpture and varying height, and without the random warping of some SP keycaps

[zslane]

Totally understandable.

I only use DSA on my Pok3rs, I only use my Pok3rs with my iPad, and I really only type on my iPad to write forum posts. That means 99% of my keystrokes fall onto rows 2-4. The lack of a row sculpt goes unnoticed by me, which is why DSA has been ideal.

I once tried SA on one of my Pok3rs, and found it awkward for some reason.

[KHAANNN]

I found it unusable because of the height, as I type while my wrists rest on the bare wood desk. Not possible with SA, so I dismissed the idea of using SA

However, I realised I need some SA in my life later on, not as a daily driver but, maybe as a functional ornament - If they use a super-dark base color at one point, like a dark/cool pebble color, that would be a PBT set I wouldn't miss

[xtrafrood]

Say wha?

[jennb]

SA Ice Cap feel = soft, almost powdery soft and smooth. I was surprised by this. I sort of wish my DSA Granite felt as smooth. On the soft scale, they're almost better than HHKB keycaps. I've got them on a 35g Plum TKL now, but I'll be trying them out with MX Clear, MX Brown, MX Green, and Zealio boards, too.

Here's my take on feel of keycaps I've tried so far:

PMK SA Ice Cap/HHKB = soft, powdery
PMK DSA PBT = great, but textured, not as soft
GMK ABS = attractive, soft, oddly sticky
PMK DSA ABS = my least favorite, even more textured than DSA PBT

Feel of keycap material isn't a deal-breaker for me, but it probably is more important than colorway and slightly less important than profile.

[KHAANNN]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing - indeed GMK ABS is oddly sticky :)

[zslane]

Has anyone received their sets yet?

[KHAANNN]

Has anyone received their sets yet?

a lot of people: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/search?q=ice&sort=new&restrict_sr=on

[nilpt]

I cannot see any homing indicators on F & J, what's up with this?

[KHAANNN]

I cannot see any homing indicators on F & J, what's up with this?

They probably printed them all on the same R3 keycap, and not the scooped R3 one for F, J, I would speculate

[nilpt]

I would say they had some big overstock of SA PBT and decided to do a little cleaning...

[depreshun]

Just got mine today. Only a Numpad kit but it feels a lot like my hangul enjoy pbt.

[tofgerl]

I would say they had some big overstock of SA PBT and decided to do a little cleaning...

over 1000 caps overstock in the same exact color? Doubt it

[nilpt]

How do you explain no homing indicators on these sets? I remember the time when they published detailed stock documents, nowadays I cannot find  those.

[zslane]

I would explain it by pointing out that SP was deliberately keeping this set as simple as possible.

[KHAANNN]

They can't dye-sub scoops that easily (speculation), it should be hard to make it look good while the surface isn't as uniform as the regular ones

They could've added nipples tho

[zslane]

I would find that very surprising. Most vintage sphericals (even those with dyesub legends) have normal scoops that are like SA's deepdish scoops. SA's normal scooping is very shallow. I don't believe that is because of dyesubbing limitations but purely because that's what the molds were they inherited.

Look at Topre's Hi-Pro keycaps. They have deep scooping on all their keys and the dyesubbing works fine on those.

[KHAANNN]

I would find that very surprising. Most vintage sphericals (even those with dyesub legends) have normal scoops that are like SA's deepdish scoops. SA's normal scooping is very shallow. I don't believe that is because of dyesubbing limitations but purely because that's what the molds were they inherited.

Look at Topre's Hi-Pro keycaps. They have deep scooping on all their keys and the dyesubbing works fine on those.

I'm not saying it's not possible, I just think maybe they didn't add alternative homing because they didn't calibrate their PBT dye-subbing process with scoops in mind

Tho, it makes more sense that they didn't include scoops because of mold-related stuff

In any case, it seems like procrastination, they never go all the way

[zslane]

SP doesn't seem to have any trouble dyesubbing onto deepdish DSA caps.

[chuckdee]

I would say they had some big overstock of SA PBT and decided to do a little cleaning...

over 1000 caps overstock in the same exact color? Doubt it

Exactly.  And they already stated that they were testing the market and the process. That's the reason that there are some imperfections in the walls of the caps.

[xtrafrood]

I would say they had some big overstock of SA PBT and decided to do a little cleaning...

over 1000 caps overstock in the same exact color? Doubt it

Exactly.  And they already stated that they were testing the market and the process. That's the reason that there are some imperfections in the walls of the caps.

I'm wondering if dye-subbing sculpted or deep dish caps would even be worth the cost of all that extra calibration.

[jennb]

Got the TKL set I ordered a little over a week ago. Others seem to have gotten theirs even earlier than I did.

[silaz]

Apologies for asking this question here, but there seems to be many knowledgeable folks watching this thread. I've noticed a lot of sets from SP don't have homing indicators. I was really interested in trying a DSA keyset but not sure how well I'd adapt without the homing indicators. Any insight?

[zslane]

I can only speculate, but part of the reason for a distinct lack of homing nubs on many sets is that spherical keycaps are sort of retro in nature, and vintage sphericals used deep dishing as homing indicators, not nubs.

[nilpt]

I can only speculate, but part of the reason for a distinct lack of homing nubs on many sets is that spherical keycaps are sort of retro in nature, and vintage sphericals used deep dishing as homing indicators, not nubs.

I was looking for any kind of homing indicators, but it looks there are none in the set.

[zslane]

I can only speculate, but part of the reason for a distinct lack of homing nubs on many sets is that spherical keycaps are sort of retro in nature, and vintage sphericals used deep dishing as homing indicators, not nubs.

I was looking for any kind of homing indicators, but it looks there are none in the set.

Again, a sacrifice made in this case to keep the set as simple as possible.

No doubt future sets will expand on this: other row profiles, deepdish homing keys, ISO layout, etc.

[KHAANNN]

The email for this just came up: http://pimpmykeyboard.com/sa-industrial-keyset/

If I was a SA user, I would definitely snatch one

[zslane]

I'm not sure what this means:

"As production time allows, both Industrial and Ice Cap sets will be made available in the KeyShop."

Ice Cap is still shown as Out of Stock, yet the statement above seems to suggest that both Industrial and Ice Cap will be available simultaneously (i.e., bringing Ice Cap back in stock).

[KHAANNN]

I'm not sure what this means:

"As production time allows, both Industrial and Ice Cap sets will be made available in the KeyShop."

Ice Cap is still shown as Out of Stock, yet the statement above seems to suggest that both Industrial and Ice Cap will be available simultaneously (i.e., bringing Ice Cap back in stock).

As far as I interpret, it's pretty simple, they might or might-not reproduce them depending on their production

I think it's probable

However, in the past, they made a lot of promises and didn't deliver, so production might not allow

They still don't have blanks in DSA Dolch colorway, makes me want to cry

[Elrick]

The email for this just came up: http://pimpmykeyboard.com/sa-industrial-keyset/

If I was a SA user, I would definitely snatch one

Already placed my Order just now  .

Also received the Ice Caps but they're still sitting in their two baggies, so when I have time I'll fit them into a keyboard to see how they are.

Couldn't pass up owning the INDUSTRIAL, really decent Colour-way and hope SP release even more PBT delights.  Unlike you lot here crying about what they should release I buy any thing they release, simply because no one else is actually making PBT key-sets on the American Mainland.

Plus their PBT is quite smooth, compared to the arse-tearing PBT caps coming out of China.  In fact you could file wood with their awful caps  .

[KHAANNN]

Indeed the colorway is impressive, vibe-wise, It's like Granite meets Carbon - as far as I see it, It's a first for SP if they came up with the colorway themselves

I would also go for it, yet the lack of alternative modifiers held me back, one of these days tho, they are going to get me too ... :)

I would've loved to have a SA keyboard with clicky switches, to use every now and then, for a couple of minutes

[pixelpusher]

Ordered!  Thanks for the heads-up.  This will be my uniform SA set and then I'll get Dasher in Sculpted!  Now, to buy some more keyboards to put these on... what is wrong with me?   

[chuckdee]

Just got my shipping notice and tracking number!   

[zslane]

I might try these on a NovaTouch or one of XMIT's Hall Effect 60% boards.

But I really would like to see SP make these in a fully sculptured set.

[Niomosy]

XMIT's Hall Effect 60% boards.

Wait what?  I think I missed this.  Would you happen to have more on this?  I'd love to try one out.

[Vagabond]

The email for this just came up: http://pimpmykeyboard.com/sa-industrial-keyset/

If I was a SA user, I would definitely snatch one

Already placed my Order just now  .

Also received the Ice Caps but they're still sitting in their two baggies, so when I have time I'll fit them into a keyboard to see how they are.

Couldn't pass up owning the INDUSTRIAL, really decent Colour-way and hope SP release even more PBT delights.  Unlike you lot here crying about what they should release I buy any thing they release, simply because no one else is actually making PBT key-sets on the American Mainland.

Plus their PBT is quite smooth, compared to the arse-tearing PBT caps coming out of China.  In fact you could file wood with their awful caps  .

Is this set glossy smooth?

[zslane]

SP's dye-sub PBT keycaps are not glossy smooth, no. They are more like a very fine soft pumice texture.

[zslane]

XMIT's Hall Effect 60% boards.

Wait what?  I think I missed this.  Would you happen to have more on this?  I'd love to try one out.

There are threads both here and on DT about this. Look under "Chinese Hall Effect..."

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=84525.0

[Niomosy]

XMIT's Hall Effect 60% boards.

Wait what?  I think I missed this.  Would you happen to have more on this?  I'd love to try one out.

There are threads both here and on DT about this. Look under "Chinese Hall Effect..."

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=84525.0

Wonderful and thanks.  Found those via Google.  I'm definitely going to have pick one up.  Hall Effect switches are on my short list of things I'd love to try and a new board means no worrying about getting it to work on a PC.

[Elrick]

SP's dye-sub PBT keycaps are not glossy smooth, no. They are more like a very fine soft pumice texture.

Like that description, "very fine soft pumice texture"  .

This set (colour-way) and the traditional BSP dye-subs, which are the ONLY ones to own these days.

[chuckdee]

I received my Industrial set, but haven't had a chance to do anything with it yet.  Hopefully tonight...

[zslane]

I just put a set on my NovaTouch and they look pretty great. They feel exactly like regular SA keycaps (i.e., double-shot ABS) thanks to the semigloss finish, which I wasn't expecting. I was looking forward to something lightly textured like my Granite keycaps, so these are just a wee bit disappointing from that perspective. I don't like a uniform R3 profile on keyboards larger than 60%ers, but this NovaTouch isn't my main keyboard so it doesn't bother me that much. Still, I'd really like to see this set delivered in a fully sculptured 1-1-2-3-4-3 profile.

[KHAANNN]

Why no photos tho?

Found this one on Reddit: http://imgur.com/a/AWiFv

[zslane]

Because the lighting sucks in this room at night.

[KHAANNN]

Wow, are those scoops?

[potatobot]

WOAH I WANT MORE COLORS WITH THOSE UNIFORM R3!!!!

SA S-Frame 
 

[zslane]

Wow, are those scoops?

Yeah, these sets come with both regular and deep dish home keys. I like deep dish scooping, so I always put them on if they are available.

[pixelpusher]

Wow, are those scoops?

Yeah, these sets come with both regular and deep dish home keys. I like deep dish scooping, so I always put them on if they are available.

Thanks for the photo!  I should have mine tomorrow afternoon.  Can't wait.  This will be my first SA caps.  Of course DASHER will be #2...  /waitspatiently-notreally

[pixelpusher]

Got set on my Cherry Blues today.

Color
They're beautiful.  The color is just what it looked like in photos.  The orange is very bright, but not overly saturated.  Grays are pretty neutral.

Sound
SA sounds great on blues!  Man, it almost makes them as loud as my Matias Clicky keys. Quite a change from the GMKs that I was using on the same board.  I think it's because the stems sit flush with the bottom of the key, making more the switch exposed to open air.  The bottom of the key is up so high that I can actually see the top of the led in the switch when looking from the side.

Texture
The texture is interesting and unlike any other caps I have.  It's similar to GMK ABS, believe it or not.  It's definitely NOT like the PBT dyesub keys that Pimpmykeyboard sells (which is a more grainy texture).

It's somewhere in between an eggshell and satin finish. At first this seems great, not too shiny, not too rough.  However, when you go to type on them it feels a bit sticky.  I can't explain it but it feels like the keys grip my fingers when I type more than my enjoy PBT keys.  Maybe it's the finish in combination with the spherical profile.  I don't like it, but then again, I didn't like the way their DSA keys felt either until I used them for a few days.  Now I love it.  So, time will tell.

The main issue with the finish is the subtle sheen on the keys.  Rub your thumbnail across the space bar and it scratches the finish. I tried to buff it, but I can still see where I scratched it.   I did the same thing on my EnjoyPBT set and no scratch showed up. I also see some scratches on a few keys after I type, and I don't have long fingernails.  Of course, you can't see this unless you look at it from an angle, but it makes me worry about the condition of these caps a few years down the road.

Profile
Yes, they are tall, but you knew that.  I honestly don't feel much difference with the added height when I'm typing.  However, I almost always hover above the keyboard, and I don't usually rest my palms on a rest or the desk.

I like this uniform profile but I've never tried the fully sculptured so I can't make a comparison.  I will say I think they are slightly easier for me to type on than DSA.  I'm probably still a bit more comfortable on cherry profile, but the SA profile certainly isn't going to hurt my WPM by more than a few digits.

That's my take, I'll keep using them over the weekend and I'll update if my opinion changes.

[zslane]

Sound
SA sounds great on blues!  Man, it almost makes them as loud as my Matias Clicky keys.

Loud is not a feature, bro. 

Texture
The texture is interesting and unlike any other caps I have.  It's similar to GMK ABS, believe it or not.  It's definitely NOT like the PBT dyesub keys that Pimpmykeyboard sells (which is a more grainy texture).

It is SP's standard semigloss finish for SA keycaps. This finish is consistent across the SA family regardless of the type of plastic employed.

Profile
Yes, they are tall, but you knew that.

I would call them "mostly tall" simply because they are all row 3, which is the shortest row in the SA family. They are significantly taller than DSA, but noticeably shorter than SA row 1. All in all, I am still of the firm opinion that any SA set is better off being sculptured than uniform row3, including this one.

[pixelpusher]

Sound
SA sounds great on blues!  Man, it almost makes them as loud as my Matias Clicky keys.

Loud is not a feature, bro. 

Hmm... maybe we could put mini speakers on them so that you could customize the sound key by key... I'm thinking variations on a bicycle horn or a fart soundboard are in order.

I'm eagerly awaiting Dasher to try out the full experience!

[xtrafrood]

Sound
SA sounds great on blues!  Man, it almost makes them as loud as my Matias Clicky keys.

Loud is not a feature, bro. 

Hmm... maybe we could put mini speakers on them and you could customize each sound key by key... Im thinking variations on a bicycle horn or a fart soundboard are in order.

I'm eagerly awaiting Dasher to try out the full experience!

Speakers you say?

[pixelpusher]

Sound
SA sounds great on blues!  Man, it almost makes them as loud as my Matias Clicky keys.

Loud is not a feature, bro. 

Hmm... maybe we could put mini speakers on them and you could customize each sound key by key... Im thinking variations on a bicycle horn or a fart soundboard are in order.

I'm eagerly awaiting Dasher to try out the full experience!

Speakers you say?

   I need one!

[pixelpusher]

Here are some photos that show the issue i have with the finish.  All I have done with these caps is put them on and type about 10-15 typing tests on keyhero.

I also included a photo to show that I don't have strangely long fingernails. These marks do not go away with buffing.

[DanB]

I think Ice Cap for alphas with industrial accents and modifiers looks like ghetto carbon, in a good way.

[KHAANNN]

I love seeing Industrial photos on Reddit, doesn't get old

For the stains, I recall DSA ones having them too, maybe even ABS SA/DSA ones, tho I'm not sure on the ABS - even if you scratch a spacebar gently by your nail, it leaves a minor scratch there

If GMK is 95% Perfect, 5% deduction being from the keycap to keycap scratches, I think SP keycaps are around 80%, 20% deduction mainly from shape imperfections, while these SA PBT's look like 90%+, I think some minor surface issues are to be expected from SP

[zslane]

I'm kind of wishing they had chosen a different color for the extra keys though. The orange they chose makes it look like I'm typing on a bowl of potatoes and carrots. I will probably replace them with the blue keys from PuLSE someday.

[pixelpusher]

I'm kind of wishing they had chosen a different color for the extra keys though. The orange they chose makes it look like I'm typing on a bowl of potatoes and carrots. I will probably replace them with the blue keys from PuLSE someday.

It is the color of a fresh carrot, you're right!  I like it but I do agree that blue would look nice. In fact, I think almost any color would look nice.  A plus for the set I suppose.

[KHAANNN]

I think reach them + urge them to add blue PBT Esc+Enter's as a separate kit

I'm extremely surprised why they don't have such kits for DSA/SA already, maybe they know better, instead of paying $40 for an Esc+Enter pack, people could be paying $500's chasing a dream colorscheme bit by bit (I did that with DSA's )

[zslane]

I think reach them + urge them to add blue PBT Esc+Enter's as a separate kit

I don't mind using the double-shot ABS keys from PuLSE. At least the legends are black like these PBT keys. I can also use the original PuLSE R3 Shift keys that I don't use anymore now that I have the R4 Shift keys from the PuLSE "fix it" kit.

[pixelpusher]

I think reach them + urge them to add blue PBT Esc+Enter's as a separate kit

I don't mind using the double-shot ABS keys from PuLSE. At least the legends are black like these PBT keys. I can also use the original PuLSE R3 Shift keys that I don't use anymore now that I have the R4 Shift keys from the PuLSE "fix it" kit.

Sadly I don't have any other SA sets to mix and match with, but I guess that's all the more incentive to pick up some Grab Bags the next time they become available!  Always need a good rationalization for shelling out all of my money on plastic bits.

[zslane]

I put Industrial on my Pok3r and used two PuLSE keys to mark where the FN keys are (I used the DIP switches to make the capslock key into another FN key):

[KHAANNN]

Looks awesome

[Hyde]

lol sorry to necro the thread but I was looking at them again today, so I added them to my cart just to see how much it would cost.

Ice Cap
Tenkeyless ($95) + Number pad ($34) + Shipping to Canada ($16.73) = $145.73 USD

$145.73 USD is quite a lot for just keycaps, but they're unique in its own way as to there are not that many Row 3 SA available so I kind of see why.

So for the owners out there would you say it was worth the high premium?

I might have some extra cash coming in so I was debating to treat myself to either this or FC980C ($259 + shipping $30.90) during Christmas (2 months away).

What do you guys think?

I guess the keycap would be half the price but the other is full keyboard + Topre switch.

[zslane]

There aren't very many pure BoW sets in SA out there. Round 5/6 sets are the only other ones I know of, though they are fully sculptured double-shot ABS instead of uniform R3 dyesub PBT. So, really, if you are looking for full coverage BoW in SA, Ice Cap is your only option. That alone might make it worth the cost. But the fact that it is PBT might also push it into the win column for you, even though they don't have the typical matte texture you usually expect from PBT keycaps.

[Hyde]

Yeah funny thing about me is that I already had the Filco Doubleshot (SA 2 2 3 3 3 3) and I find the Row 2 actually bugs me.  That's when I know I prefer all Row 3.

As you mentioned there aren't many BoW sets in SA.  To be honest I think most of the all Row 3 SA sets all have weird colour scheme, nothing that looks clean and classy like this one.  >____>

I also tried PBT DSA and I find it too rough, so knowing that this is more matte is actually a huge plus for me (I didn't mind the glossy ABS SA).

I guess Christmas is still 2 months away so I have some time to think about it. 

[zslane]

SP's PBT SA keycaps are not matte. They are the same semi-matte (they should be called semi-gloss if you ask me) as their ABS SA keycaps. In fact, they are virtually indistinguishable from each other apart from the fact that the PBT won't become glossy (the way ABS will) for a rather long time.

[Hyde]

lol okay that's good for me then, I prefer the glossy side.

Now the biggest question will be FC980C or Ice Cap.  HMMMMMM the dilemma lol.

I know those are 2 very different things but it's the last 2 things I want to try.