[IC] POM Jelly keycaps

[ryou965]

Let's start with a photo!

We are Escape Keyboard https://esckeyboard.com/ , a new vendor in Australia. We are hoping to bring the POM keycaps back to the mechanical keyboard community with a wider selection of colors and configurations.

If you have ever stumbled across the GON NS NerD Crystal TKL (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=65501)at some point (if you haven’t, here is the video)

you probably wanted a set of these. I paid an absurd amount for my set more than half a decade ago and after using them everyday since, perhaps everyone should give them a go!

These unique looking translucent blank keycaps are made of POM, the same material as the holy panda switches stem and even the housing in their newest batch! 
(scroll down and see FAQ if you want to know more about this material).

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Apart from the existing Rainbow and white color sets, we have acquired samples for a range of colors:

Custard(or yellow), Matcha (light green), Strawberry (pink), Ramune (light blue), Lavender and Lime.  Here is the album showcasing all the colors against white caps.https://imgur.com/a/YcQJYn8

(Photos by WT.Studio.HK, check out his instagram!https://www.instagram.com/wt.studio.hk/)

At the moment we are aiming for a plain blank set with one color for the minimalistic look. 
P.S. If you are a fan of RGB these work great as POM is translucent and act like a diffuser for your LEDs.

Important details:

Material: POM (Acetal)
Profile: OEM
Rows: Top R4, R4, R3, R2, R1, R1 Bottom
BottomThickness: 1mm
Stem: Cherry MX compatible
Standard layout: ANSI (ISO will be supported if we hit MOQ)
Since these are blanks they are labelled on the underside regarding their rows.

 

Kit options:

Currently we plan on offering two kits,
First is a full kit that will do a standard 104 key keyboard with 65% conversion extras.
Second kit is a 60% kit with 1.75 shift included.

Goal of this IC
We would love to do kits that better suit your needs so we would love your input! Perhaps 2 tone sets? Please fill out the survey below!

Keep in mind that these are blanks so there are no dedicated keys really, you will be able to use keys from your numpad if you intend to create slightly different layouts.
If you are interested please fill out the this survery, all feedback is truly appreciated. It has around 15 questions and will take around 2 minutes to fill.
https://forms.gle/iMWb8uXDZ9yA4ayi8

Would keycaps made with POM interest you? Perhaps a different layout? Or a different profile? Do you want more color options e.g. White alphas with different colored mods? Or legends? Or just alpha/mod kits?


If you are not familiar with these keycaps, we’ve sent minterly, alexotos and Top Clack samples for some pictures and a review. They are not paid in anyway apart from getting to keep the set. Check out their instagram, blogs and streams to have a better look at these sets!

Streams:
TopClack (POM keycap stream Sunday 8th March 8pm UK time)https://www.twitch.tv/topclack
Minterly (POM keycaps stream Monday 9th March 6pm PST)https://www.twitch.tv/minterly
Alexotos (POM keycaps stream Saturday and Sunday  7th and 8th March 7:30pm EST)https://www.twitch.tv/alexotos_live

Reviews:
https://www.alexotos.com/   (next week!)
https://topclack.com/textclack  (coming soon)

youtube:
Minterly (sound test soon)https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdF23kSiKi8LnqeAusf6VMA


Estimated timeline

-Interest check (2 weeks)
-Ship out testers
-Time for testers to arrive
-Collect community feedback
-Groupbuy(Run for 4 weeks)
-Lead time around 3 months
-Shipping(might take around 4 to 6 weeks depend on quantity)


Torture test:
There are lots of claims on how ABS,PBT and POM differ from each other. We decided to put them to the test in terms of both abrasion and chemical resistance.

Bear in mind that we took these tests to the extreme. Your ABS or PBT caps will not disintegrate and are just as capable as POM in terms of daily use. We are talking about marginal gains here you most probably won’t spill acetone onto your GMKs. Please refer to the FAQ section for torture test results.

FAQ

Are these POM caps better than double shot ABS?
Durability wise, in theory, definitely! POM has a density of 1.41 g/cm3 and Abs and PBT has 1.1 and 1.3 g/cm3 respectively. This causes a different sound profile and touch due to the unique material. In terms of thickness, they are thinner than most of the premium ABS double shots out there. So it will be down to personal preference on both aesthetics and touch.

How do these keys feel and sound?
Although they do not have a gloss finish, due to the material they feel silky smooth. They also sound a bit like marbles, with a slightly deep “thocc”, possibly due to their density even though they are a bit thinner than most premium double shots.

Layout seems limited?
For the time being we are limited to 65% support  for full sets and 1.5u CTRL/ALT without 7u spacebar due to the low numbers of sets we initially ordered as samples. If we reach MOQ we WILL introduce better layouts (notably including 7u spacebars, ISO enter, 40s etc).


Torture test results:
Abrasion test: 100 passes on 120 grit sandpaper with 1500g of force.
Material loss:
ABS: 0.6mm
PBT: 0.5mm
POM: 0.3mm


Chemical resistance test:

Hydrogen peroxide 6% v/v (24 hr)
No visible difference. No deformation or cracks.

Ethyl Acetate (ester, 6 hr)
ABS completely deformed, soft and sponge like
PBT deformed around the bottom, soft to touch
POM no visible difference, no deformation of shape, did not soften.
Torture test

You can see the full result with photos here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m-z6VRVZxFi8dG04LsdTu-2WrWxrsRD1WXc9D5q8ZGA/edit?usp=sharing


Want more updates or photos? Follow us on:
Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/escape_keyboard/

If you have any questions, you can find us on
Discord https://discord.gg/HatQPNW
Website https://esckeyboard.com/
We also have an interesting artisan project so come and have a chat with us!

[Sycomore]

Lavender looking good, excited for the result of this IC

[Midori]

yoooooo, we out here for this

[LightningXI]

Any chance these can be reworked into Cherry profile instead of OEM?

[Zeelobby]

Actually a fan of oem, or literally any other profile than cherry, for this. Too many GMK options out there. Would prefer this to be something different, and no one really offers quality caps in OEM.

That said I'd try these in cherry too. Haha.

[KetchyKech]

desperately hoped that Feng would bring these back one day....but this works! Looks great!


edit: +1 for cherry profile

[SantiGo]

Can we have this cherry profile? And 1mm not very thin?

[dantambok]

prayin for the WKL support  and cherry profile

[Vigrith]

Any chance these can be reworked into Cherry profile instead of OEM?

This.

Additionally, 7u spacebar is absolutely necessary.

Other than that, lovely. Looking forward to GB.

[ttom]

7u spacebar and cherry profile and I'm definitely in

[wil]

i don't mind OEM, it would be interesting. would however be interested in a rainbow base kit like the header image in the OP. 7u would be nice as well.

[Sifo]

Did you fix the spacebar?

6.25 OEM spacing on the original sets is slightly off and will not work on cherry stabilizers.

Other than that, the originals also yellow quite easily, even my blue set.

Before disappearing Feng did source some cherry profile ones but they were only in white and rainbow.

Coincidentally I also used mine on a GON

[Zeelobby]

Ah. I'm fully on board with going cherry if that's the only way to fit modern layouts and cherry stabs

[MasterTi]

Will there be an option for side printed kits?

[bisoromi]

Cherry profile pls

[HoodrowThrillson]

Cherry profile pls

^

[forevermadrigal]

Pls do cherry profile.

[noawan]

+1 for Cherry profile and mx hhkb support

[CognacWine]

Hello! This is CognacWine from Escape Keyboards. Thanks for letting us know your concern. As a long time lurker I thought I really should register and start answering some questions!

Did you fix the spacebar?

6.25 OEM spacing on the original sets is slightly off and will not work on cherry stabilizers.

Other than that, the originals also yellow quite easily, even my blue set.

Show Image

You are 100% correct on both issues! 
We are well aware of the OG OEM spacebar problem as demonstrated here https://imgur.com/6EC19ms this is with a GMMK TKL with cloned cherry stabs i believe. You can see that since the stems are not fully aligned when you depress the key full it sort of pushes the stab stems outwards causing a jam between the housing and the stem of the stabs.

I believed that the problem is resolved with our new batchhttps://imgur.com/lY6cgG9 as demonstrated with the same keyboard.

We have asked about the possibility of adding more UV stabilizers into the plastic but have not gotten a definitive reply.
We've also done some testing on the effect of UV on the keys, I'll post a photo between the different of a UV exposed key, a chemically exposed key and a normal key when i get some better lighting this week.

I'm not sure if we can do anything more regarding on UV exposure as I suspect that that is tied to how the pellets are made and not something that you can just add into the injection process.

[Randalljai]

Cherry profile pls

^

^

[Sifo]

Hello! This is CognacWine from Escape Keyboards. Thanks for letting us know your concern. As a long time lurker I thought I really should register and start answering some questions!

Did you fix the spacebar?

6.25 OEM spacing on the original sets is slightly off and will not work on cherry stabilizers.

Other than that, the originals also yellow quite easily, even my blue set.

Show Image

You are 100% correct on both issues! 
We are well aware of the OG OEM spacebar problem as demonstrated here https://imgur.com/6EC19ms this is with a GMMK TKL with cloned cherry stabs i believe. You can see that since the stems are not fully aligned when you depress the key full it sort of pushes the stab stems outwards causing a jam between the housing and the stem of the stabs.

I believed that the problem is resolved with our new batchhttps://imgur.com/lY6cgG9 as demonstrated with the same keyboard.

We have asked about the possibility of adding more UV stabilizers into the plastic but have not gotten a definitive reply.
We've also done some testing on the effect of UV on the keys, I'll post a photo between the different of a UV exposed key, a chemically exposed key and a normal key when i get some better lighting this week.

I'm not sure if we can do anything more regarding on UV exposure as I suspect that that is tied to how the pellets are made and not something that you can just add into the injection process.

great, thanks for the response

[Yumelon]

im in

[dibkib]

Omg yes plz

[dakanya]

I'm interested

[jrs]

I wish we could get an option for darker colored keycaps, like gray or black keycaps, even if they weren't necessarily transparent.

[vegs]

Are these the same as the Taobao poms?

I'm interested regardless, especially if you offer ISO

[wencan008]

Also would like to see a dark gray or black set and I noted it in the IC. I think a blank set with different colors for alphas and mods would be nice if it's just a slightly darker shade for mods (personally would prefer a two light pastel greens). Definitely will get at least one set just for the sound. Will you be providing sound comparisons with other caps?

[rainb1ood]

In if its Cherry Profile but if it ended up as OEM, still in lol

[Vadurr]

Cherry profile + 7u spacebar are an absolute must in these modern keeb times.

[o3okevin]

definitely need cherry profile

[Loligagger]

Cherry profile would be nice, any chance for an ergodox kit though?

[konstantin]

7u spacebar and cherry profile and I'm in

[Sifo]

If they decide to go cherry profile I sure hope they still improve the molds because the cherry profile version is only like 1mm thick and sounds like ass lol

[pancake]

If they decide to go cherry profile I sure hope they still improve the molds because the cherry profile version is only like 1mm thick and sounds like ass lol

if the info in the op is accurate, the oem profile version is also 1mm thick lmao

[Sifo]

If they decide to go cherry profile I sure hope they still improve the molds because the cherry profile version is only like 1mm thick and sounds like ass lol

if the info in the op is accurate, the oem profile version is also 1mm thick lmao

yes the oem is also 1 mm ish i'm just saying it won't be much of an improvement just because it's cherry profile although i understand that people prefer the shape as well.

just saying these are beautiful looking keycaps that are garbage when it comes to practicality.

That said I'm not calling out the IC runner I am sure they are doing their best to improve them before taking orders. Just voicing my experience and concerns beforehand to help since it's IC.

[pancake]

If they decide to go cherry profile I sure hope they still improve the molds because the cherry profile version is only like 1mm thick and sounds like ass lol

if the info in the op is accurate, the oem profile version is also 1mm thick lmao

yes the oem is also 1 mm ish i'm just saying it won't be much of an improvement just because it's cherry profile although i understand that people prefer the shape as well.

just saying these are beautiful looking keycaps that are garbage when it comes to practicality.

That said I'm not calling out the IC runner I am sure they are doing their best to improve them before taking orders. Just voicing my experience and concerns beforehand to help since it's IC.

ah gotcha. i've only ever had aliexpress trash for pom so it would be nice if they made them thicker.

[1391401]

OEM profile ;_; 

POM feels amazing - I have a set of black cherry profile POM caps and I love them.  When ABS shines it feels weirdly tacky to me but POM is shiny from day one and just feels smooth.

[Peiweisgreat]

Been trying to throw a set of jelly poms on my Pearl ever since I've bought it, maybe now I won't have to wait anymore.

[Tarek]

OEM profile ;_; 

POM feels amazing - I have a set of black cherry profile POM caps and I love them.  When ABS shines it feels weirdly tacky to me but POM is shiny from day one and just feels smooth.

Maybe you mean because of LEDS but POM isn't shiny AFAIK. It's got a strange, almost waxy look to it.

[nmur]

Would definitely get a set if it were cherry profile and TKL

[CrispFunk]

Down for a 60% or hhkb set either to go on my AP2 or lattice.

[PotatoTM]

Definitely interested! Like others already said Cherry profile would be preferred, I also like that the kit is minimal.

[Kawsur]

I’m in.

[nathanchere]

Actually a fan of oem, or literally any other profile than cherry, for this. Too many GMK options out there.

Agreed. Too much GMK-everything. Plus it keeps the amount of new moulds needed to be made to a minimum and keeps turn-around time and costs down.

[CrispFunk]

Actually a fan of oem, or literally any other profile than cherry, for this. Too many GMK options out there.

Agreed. Too much GMK-everything. Plus it keeps the amount of new moulds needed to be made to a minimum and keeps turn-around time and costs down.

I do love my gmk profile, but yeah others would be great. Personally not a huge fan of SA. Maybe mt3, xda, or even dsa would be fun.

[Zeelobby]

Actually a fan of oem, or literally any other profile than cherry, for this. Too many GMK options out there.

Agreed. Too much GMK-everything. Plus it keeps the amount of new moulds needed to be made to a minimum and keeps turn-around time and costs down.

I do love my gmk profile, but yeah others would be great. Personally not a huge fan of SA. Maybe mt3, xda, or even dsa would be fun.

Haha. And here I was thinking KAT

[CrispFunk]

Actually a fan of oem, or literally any other profile than cherry, for this. Too many GMK options out there.

Agreed. Too much GMK-everything. Plus it keeps the amount of new moulds needed to be made to a minimum and keeps turn-around time and costs down.

I do love my gmk profile, but yeah others would be great. Personally not a huge fan of SA. Maybe mt3, xda, or even dsa would be fun.

Haha. And here I was thinking KAT

I wanna try a Kat set. Seems to fix what I don't like about SA

[nathanchere]

Actually a fan of oem, or literally any other profile than cherry, for this. Too many GMK options out there.

Agreed. Too much GMK-everything. Plus it keeps the amount of new moulds needed to be made to a minimum and keeps turn-around time and costs down.

I do love my gmk profile, but yeah others would be great. Personally not a huge fan of SA. Maybe mt3, xda, or even dsa would be fun.

Jely POM in MT3 would be the ultimate - breaking the (mass)drop monopoly would be worth buying into this even if I didn't particularly like the caps, and it is a MUCH more comfortable profile than SA. Speculating here but I imagine the cupped tops would bring a good balance to the naturally slippery feel of POM far better than just rough-texturing the tops.

[Yumelon]

If you can make a set of modifiers in different shapes like a shift 1.25 that'd be nice haha.

[HendyZone]

Good to see some manufacturer still produce POM caps

POM & Backlit is a stunning combination