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geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: 10centNickle on Tue, 16 March 2021, 23:56:33

Title: ABS vs PBT vs POM
Post by: 10centNickle on Tue, 16 March 2021, 23:56:33

What are the benefits of ABS, PBT and specifically POM plastic keycaps?  I know mostly about ABS and PBT, but not as much as POM.  Is color accuracy good?  Shine?  Texture?

Title: Re: ABS vs PBT vs POM
Post by: sasha on Wed, 17 March 2021, 02:10:53

I've never used POM, only ABS and PBT however, I'm presuming you're referring to POM Jelly keycaps which are OEM profile keycaps and according to Alexotos, they have a "very fine texture on the top of the keycap to reduce some of that waxy soap like feeling". Hope I could help.  :D

Title: Re: ABS vs PBT vs POM
Post by: yui on Wed, 17 March 2021, 02:24:37

i never had experience with pom keycap, so i can't comment on color accuracy but for the plastic itself i had a bit, and the waxy description seems rather adequate, it is not feeling as greasy as PTFE but definitely slicker than abs or pbt. and not as opaque, but i guess that can be dealt with using pigments.

Title: Re: ABS vs PBT vs POM
Post by: Riverman on Fri, 19 March 2021, 09:49:49

I have a Cherry G80-3000 with POM keycaps.  They have a nice deep sound, and their surface texture is just as durable as PBT, but they are slightly slick and have a slight shine to them.  I've never had issues with my fingers sliding off of them.  Cherry only makes theirs in black with foamed legends, which wear and get dark over time.  I don't have any experience with the jelly ones, which seem to be the only way to get POM keycaps in any kind of colors.  I'd love to see a set with better legends, because other than that, they're great keycaps.

Title: Re: ABS vs PBT vs POM
Post by: cthalupa on Sun, 21 March 2021, 02:01:38

I'm not a huge fan of the slick feel to them, but I haven't tried the Jelly caps. I could see the texture helping, but I'd personally want to verify before buying a set myself.

Title: Re: ABS vs PBT vs POM
Post by: dabeshu on Mon, 12 April 2021, 20:47:40

I agree with the other replies that pom is slick for lack of a better term, and for me it initially gave off a sort of "cheap" touch feeling to them. I've never used them for any extensive period

Title: Re: ABS vs PBT vs POM
Post by: MIGHTY CHICKEN on Thu, 22 April 2021, 11:09:25

The most readily available pom is jelly pom which color wise does what it wants to do, be rgb while still having a pastely light kinda color which isn't too bad. I liked the texture of it myself, although it always had a little bit of shine on it, but never shined anymore than that.