Let's start with a photo!
(https://i.imgur.com/wS1uNuV.jpg)
We are Escape Keyboard https://esckeyboard.com/ (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 (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 (https://imgur.com/a/YcQJYn8)
(Photos by WT.Studio.HK, check out his instagram!https://www.instagram.com/wt.studio.hk/ (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.
(https://i.imgur.com/fFs2eqo.jpg?1)
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.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZdA6nYWg.png)
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 (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 (https://www.twitch.tv/topclack)
Minterly (POM keycaps stream Monday 9th March 6pm PST)https://www.twitch.tv/minterly (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 (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 (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 (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/ (https://www.instagram.com/escape_keyboard/)
If you have any questions, you can find us on
Discord https://discord.gg/HatQPNW (https://discord.gg/HatQPNW)
Website https://esckeyboard.com/ (https://esckeyboard.com/)
We also have an interesting artisan project so come and have a chat with us!
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
(https://i.imgur.com/w94HBpV.jpg)
You are 100% correct on both issues!
We are well aware of the OG OEM spacebar problem as demonstrated here https://imgur.com/6EC19ms (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 (https://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.