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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Harryboii on Sat, 23 March 2013, 12:55:15
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Hi, I am fairly new mechanical keyboards and have been wondering what the feel between ABS and PBT keycaps is. I have a razer blackwidow tournament edition at the moment and I really like the feel of the keys. Are they PBT or ABS?
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they are abs keycaps
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wow these keys feel amazing. can't wait to get my hands on pbt
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The Razer keycaps, well more like any back lit keycaps use a clear plastic then then coat it with black rubber. Then they laser out the area where you see the letters to reveal the clear plastic again.
I'm guessing the rubber coating probably make it thicker and result in a more solid thicker feel.
Though keep in mind the whole PBT vs ABS thing is preference though most seems to prefer PBT. I got a PBT keycaps recently but I'm still undecided on which I like better >____>
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The Razer keycaps, well more like any back lit keycaps use a clear plastic then then coat it with black rubber. Then they laser out the area where you see the letters to reveal the clear plastic again.
I'm guessing the rubber coating probably make it thicker and result in a more solid thicker feel.
Though keep in mind the whole PBT vs ABS thing is preference though most seems to prefer PBT. I got a PBT keycaps recently but I'm still undecided on which I like better >____>
the preference thing is true. but also pbt doesnt shine as fast as abs :)
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The tournament edition isn't backlit. So do they use the same material on the backlit and non-backlit versions? I have to imagine they use regular keys without the rubberish coating for the TE.
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The tournament edition isn't backlit. So do they use the same material on the backlit and non-backlit versions? I have to imagine they use regular keys without the rubberish coating for the TE.
i've used a blackwidow before and the keys were abs but with a coarse texture on them. it's just the way theyre molded
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What you are feeling now is the coating that they use. It does not have that much to do with the material the keys are made of. That is probably the same as what has been used in other keyboards you may have owned. Some people like these kinds of coatings, others do not. It is really hit or miss. One thing that concerns me is whether the coating is actually durable. I read complaints about razer keyboards where the coating come loose after intensive use. Has the coating been upgraded or does this remain a problem?
There is a difference between the feel of ABS and PBT, though it is hard to describe. Some people will tell you that PBT feels more grainy/rougher/ more textured, and while this is true for the keycaps currently available, this has more to do with the production process of the key than the actual material that is used according to a couple of manufacturers. The actual difference in feel is more subtle than just surface texture, and there is almost no point in trying to describe it. Generally however, when it comes to feel, coating and texture also makes a lot of difference, in addition to the materials used.
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I own a BlackWidow, plain model from 2012.
Original keycaps are made of thin ABS, no additional coating. I changed them to old, thick, double shot ABS, they look plain on modern keyboard, but the difference in sound and feel is huge.