ranking keycaps

[roaming pear]

So I had a question about how good certain keycaps are...

Am I correct to assume that the follow order would be correct from worst to best in terms of feel:

abs
thin pbt
thick pbt


Are there any other types in the mx cherry department?

I know there are a lot more customizations available in non thick pbt keys, but apperently thick pbt are the best feeling ones, right?

Also, when pressing the keys, when will I feel the awesomeness of the thick pbt keys the most? Is it mainly with normal letter keys and number, or will I feel  a difference  in abs and pbt modifier keys too? This might seem like a silly question, but I was interested in knowing what everyone thought about that..

[Pacifist]

its all personal preference

[Pacifist]

also there's POM, and thick ABS, in addition to your short list

[Pacifist]

Also, when pressing the keys, when will I feel the awesomeness of the thick pbt keys the most? Is it mainly with normal letter keys and number, or will I feel  a difference  in abs and pbt modifier keys too? This might seem like a silly question, but I was interested in knowing what everyone thought about that..

IMO Thick PBT, in particular OG PBT, has a great texture. The keycaps feel smooth yet grab your fingers, and the feeling is good throughout

[Melvang]

And polycarb now

But yeah its all personal preference.  I actually like the DCS keys from SP.  They are light enough to retain most of the features of the MX stems I am currently using instead of the mass of the cap masking the feel of the stem.  Though I have not tried thick abs or POM yet.

[tbc]

profile, thickness/weight, and texture generally matter more than material.

difference between the materials is: abs commonly comes in double shot, whereas pbt comes in dyesub.  double shot allows the legend to be ANY combination of colors, including translucent.  dyesub keys can only have darker legends; there's no such thing as white dyesub legends because white is darker than nothing.

there ARE doubleshot pbt keysets, but they are relatively rare.

as well, pbt spacebars are harder to find because the material bends as it cools and this is very obvious on such a long key.

also, pbt is harder to shine.  there are people who say that isn't true, but that
s horse**** as far as i'm concerned.

this list is NOT exhaustive.

[Pacifist]

profile, thickness/weight, and texture generally matter more than material.

difference between the materials is: abs commonly comes in double shot, whereas pbt comes in dyesub.  double shot allows the legend to be ANY combination of colors, including translucent.  dyesub keys can only have darker legends; there's no such thing as white dyesub legends because white is darker than nothing.

there ARE doubleshot pbt keysets, but they are relatively rare.

as well, pbt spacebars are harder to find because the material bends as it cools and this is very obvious on such a long key.

also, pbt is harder to shine.  there are people who say that isn't true, but that
s horse**** as far as i'm concerned.

+1

Only doubleshot PBTs I'm aware of is a few SP made ones (stopped because quality was ****) and the two vortex sets (both have the same bleed problems SP had)

I find that 7x PBT spacebars aren't too hard to find but 6.25x (in cherry profile) is hard. Hell, I have a A profile and a B profile cherry PBT 7x bar that doesn't have any boards to live on right now.

PBT is pretty much impossible to shine. The only one that I have seen is jonathanyu's set from taobao, and that was probally used long past the switches broke.

[roaming pear]

Thank you everyone for the replies? Very informative. 


What is this bleed problem that vortex keys have?

Is this also shown on the stock keys of the poker 2 keyboard?  I think poker 2 is by vortex, right?

[Pacifist]

Thank you everyone for the replies? Very informative. 


What is this bleed problem that vortex keys have?

Is this also shown on the stock keys of the poker 2 keyboard?  I think poker 2 is by vortex, right?

poker 2 is lasered or dyesub, forget which one.

Bleed problem is when the PBT sort of melts around during doubleshot process and cools wrongly resulting in a cap where the legends are all smooth and wonky looking