(http://i.imgur.com/ep3pqtk.jpg) (http://i.imgur.com/UatNWKm.png) | Signature Plastics DSA Keycaps This is a review on the Signature Plastics DSA Keycaps available from their website (http://keycapsdirect.com/marketplace.php). These are PBT keys with a lower profile. The total cost of this investment for me was $18 for the standard keys, $19 for the modifiers, $9 for shipping. It took 9 days for it to arrive using economy shipping and I didn't have to pay anything extra for customs or duty. Shipping The packaging these keycaps came in was sufficient and the keys came in without any damage. You can see that even the spacebar is packaged on its own. Much like pencils in Asia. Installation Installation was fairly straight forward. There were a few issues.
Removal of the keys are no problem, but you must be careful as the keys have a tight fit. I used a wired keycap remover and just jiggled it gently to remove the keys. Typing Typing with DSA caps feels very weird. On my Filco, it is almost impossible to bottom out with them. This makes for a much quieter and dampened experience. My Filco is my main driver for gaming, so I will have to spend more time testing the DSA profile for gaming. The texture on the keys are amazing. In terms of texture, these are probably the best keycaps I have owned, but I will have to see how long that lasts. As well, that's not saying much as all I've owned are ABS OEM keycaps from Filco, DAS, Vortex PBT, and KBC PBT's. I generally prefer a more textured key as my fingers lack any sensitivity due to worn down finger tips from rock climbing. These are the first set of keys that I can actually sense. Build The general build quality is good. It is not as thick as the stock Poker 2 keys which are also my favourite build of key so far. It is much thicker than the replacement Poker 2 keycaps that I purchased from Qtan. I'm satisfied with the build quality and there is very little flex in the keys if I try to squish them. They also appear to be re-enforced. This may be standard with SP keys as this is my first set from them. Overall These are worth a try if you want to checkout how DSA keycaps feel. For the price, they're worth it.
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i have a ducky pbt set and i was wondering how the texture on these caps would compare. I would describe the ducky's as 'sandy' and 'moisture-absorbing' (this is a GOOD thing - i hate the feeling of greasy abs). is this more sandy?
Thanks for the review, was tempted to buy a set as the price is so low.
Still not sure how I would like a lower profile. Guess I'll just have to try it.
Are they as tough to pull as they claim?
Is the difference between the F And J buttons big, or do you not notice the difference? Do they have natural little bumps on the keys or is the only difference the changed size?
Mine finally arrived few days ago. Hmmmmmm I have to say first impression wise, I'm not sold yet since I think my imsto set isstill better. But I might give it a few more days to decide.
Like everyone else said, the texture is one of the better ones I've felt ever. Though the stems are very inconsistent, some are looser and some are really tight. And there are edge warping like people pointed out too.
Typing feel wise it's really weird now. Not only since it's flat profile so it feels like the 1, 2, 3, 4 and F1, F2, F3, F4 are are really far away now. I find I also keep striking the edge of the key since it feels like it might have a smaller top surface area.
However in terms of profile height, I think it's a good balance between Cherry height and OEM height. Since Cherry tend to feel really short in terms of bottom out distance, and OEM being really high. This set feels like it sits in the middle.
I guess I'll give a bit more time and update you guys on it later. :PIs the difference between the F And J buttons big, or do you not notice the difference? Do they have natural little bumps on the keys or is the only difference the changed size?
There are no dots or dash on the keys. It just have slightly different curvature. I think it's more "domed" compare to the rest of the keys, but it's definitely enough for you to notice the difference. However I still prefer the dash better.
question(s):
1) For those of us with no imagination could you show some pictures of how you utilized the saran wrap?
2) I'm assuming these would go on perfectly with boards with cherry stabilizers?
Since I'm lazy so only potato picture for now, I'll post nicer pics with my DSLR later on the weekend.
I have to say the blue one look really nice, I had doubts when I first got the keycaps. The blue look a bit faded and wasn't my favorite type of blue, but somehow after you put everything together on the keyboard it's not too bad.
However I find the F and J sticks out too much compare to the rest of the keys. By sticking out I don't mean it's taller or anything, but it's too noticeably different than the rest I find it kind of distracting. I still stand true that I think the dash is still the best method for F and J.
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Oh and excuse the ghettoness in this one, they literally came out with the tenkey set 2 days after I bought mine, and I don't feel like paying shipping again until I've decide whether or not I'll stick to this set. So for now the number pad set is from imsto.
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In the mean time, strategic cropping always helps. ;P
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Since I'm lazy so only potato picture for now, I'll post nicer pics with my DSLR later on the weekend.
I have to say the blue one look really nice, I had doubts when I first got the keycaps. The blue look a bit faded and wasn't my favorite type of blue, but somehow after you put everything together on the keyboard it's not too bad.
However I find the F and J sticks out too much compare to the rest of the keys. By sticking out I don't mean it's taller or anything, but it's too noticeably different than the rest I find it kind of distracting. I still stand true that I think the dash is still the best method for F and J.
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Oh and excuse the ghettoness in this one, they literally came out with the tenkey set 2 days after I bought mine, and I don't feel like paying shipping again until I've decide whether or not I'll stick to this set. So for now the number pad set is from imsto.
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In the mean time, strategic cropping always helps. ;P
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I have to say the blue one look really nice, I had doubts when I first got the keycaps. The blue look a bit faded and wasn't my favorite type of blue, but somehow after you put everything together on the keyboard it's not too bad.
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I got my ones (104 keys, all black set) and I'm not satisfied with the quality of Signature Plastics. Stabilisers fall off and are really flaky, I needed to put tiny bits of tissues in keys to hold the stabs.
Also the texture is different on normal 1x keycaps and the larger ones which. Weirdly deep dish caps have the same texture as the longer keys.
I'm not a fan of the sandpapery texture of the keys. I much prefer the smoother texture of the dip dish caps and it would be great if all keys were like them.
I do like the profile though. I like lower keys more than the OEM Filco or the PBT caps from ebay. I also love the spherical tops - the look and feel just awesome.
I got my ones (104 keys, all black set) and I'm not satisfied with the quality of Signature Plastics. Stabilisers fall off and are really flaky, I needed to put tiny bits of tissues in keys to hold the stabs.
Also the texture is different on normal 1x keycaps and the larger ones which. Weirdly deep dish caps have the same texture as the longer keys.
I'm not a fan of the sandpapery texture of the keys. I much prefer the smoother texture of the dip dish caps and it would be great if all keys were like them.
I do like the profile though. I like lower keys more than the OEM Filco or the PBT caps from ebay. I also love the spherical tops - the look and feel just awesome.
I have these on my QFR w/ blues, white alphas with blue mods. They feel super clean to type on and the white doesn't get dirty easily. Love the colors. I'm really proud of my keyboard now.
got some of my DSA set installed today. pretty much everything except the base + spacebar.
keycap quality is DEFINITELY sketchy. I'm having trouble fitting my capslock key on, which is really freaking me out because i can't think of any other 1.75 key anywhere on the board.
travel distance is kinda weird. it feels like i have MORE than 4mm before bottoming out, somewhere closer to 6mm. in reality, i'm sure nothing has actually changed, but the feeling has definitely changed.
DSA is pretty much mandatory for people with non-standard keysets (not quite moogle or tsangan) unless you're okay with mixing and matching and spending the money for that.
got some of my DSA set installed today. pretty much everything except the base + spacebar.
keycap quality is DEFINITELY sketchy. I'm having trouble fitting my capslock key on, which is really freaking me out because i can't think of any other 1.75 key anywhere on the board.
travel distance is kinda weird. it feels like i have MORE than 4mm before bottoming out, somewhere closer to 6mm. in reality, i'm sure nothing has actually changed, but the feeling has definitely changed.
DSA is pretty much mandatory for people with non-standard keysets (not quite moogle or tsangan) unless you're okay with mixing and matching and spending the money for that.
Is SP usually that bad quality?
(http://i.imgur.com/A84ZB7k.jpg)I have these on my QFR w/ blues, white alphas with blue mods. They feel super clean to type on and the white doesn't get dirty easily. Love the colors. I'm really proud of my keyboard now.
A little customisation makes a huge difference!
But where is the photo?
Nice clean setup :)Thanks, although now the PC is on my desk. I like keeping my stuff nice and tidy.
it's just one color. when ergodox kit has every single key. but for normal sets, they split the base and the mods.
it's just one color. when ergodox kit has every single key. but for normal sets, they split the base and the mods.
bummer :(
i got a set of these from a fellow geekhacker to test out the DSA profile and i have to say i freaking love it :)
i only installed the main cluster because i don't fancy blanks, so the whole board is gonna be changed up when i get a full DSA set (be it the macross, DSA Hyper Fuse or the Retro)
can't freakin wait :D
I recently installed a set of SP DSA caps on my QFR Red. The stems do indeed feel a little loose - I had to use saran wrap to get the stabilizer clips to stay in. Previously I had OEM caps with black landing pads - because these caps are so short the landing pads still work even though the caps have no crossbars. Since they are so short, however, the loss in travel distance is very noticeable and I decided to not used any dampeners. Turns out I don't really miss the dampeners because, as mentioned by others, this profile really reduces the rate of bottoming out while typing significantly.
All in all I prefer these caps for gaming, and OEM caps for typing. I've never tried cherry profile caps or SA profile caps (though that may change as certain GBs enter production :) ).
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I recently installed a set of SP DSA caps on my QFR Red. The stems do indeed feel a little loose - I had to use saran wrap to get the stabilizer clips to stay in. Previously I had OEM caps with black landing pads - because these caps are so short the landing pads still work even though the caps have no crossbars. Since they are so short, however, the loss in travel distance is very noticeable and I decided to not used any dampeners. Turns out I don't really miss the dampeners because, as mentioned by others, this profile really reduces the rate of bottoming out while typing significantly.
All in all I prefer these caps for gaming, and OEM caps for typing. I've never tried cherry profile caps or SA profile caps (though that may change as certain GBs enter production :) ).
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That's interesting that they were loose, because usually SP DSA keycaps are tight.
In fact SP have a specific FAQ entry about it.
I recently installed a set of SP DSA caps on my QFR Red. The stems do indeed feel a little loose - I had to use saran wrap to get the stabilizer clips to stay in. Previously I had OEM caps with black landing pads - because these caps are so short the landing pads still work even though the caps have no crossbars. Since they are so short, however, the loss in travel distance is very noticeable and I decided to not used any dampeners. Turns out I don't really miss the dampeners because, as mentioned by others, this profile really reduces the rate of bottoming out while typing significantly.
All in all I prefer these caps for gaming, and OEM caps for typing. I've never tried cherry profile caps or SA profile caps (though that may change as certain GBs enter production :) ).
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That's interesting that they were loose, because usually SP DSA keycaps are tight.
In fact SP have a specific FAQ entry about it.
Yes, I have read that FAQ entry. I had assumed I would never get the stabilizer clips out of the DSA keys once they went in since I have a hard enough time pulling them out of my WASD caps. Imagine my surprise when I found they were too loose!
Hopefully with clears they are snugNot necessarily. Some of them are still kinda loose. Just add a small piece of plastic wrap though, and they work fine.
I actually bought these a long time ago, but never got around to post proper pictures.
So here they are:
:)
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Sorry to bug you folks. I’m going to try to see if I can use Photoshop trickery to try to make relatively realistic mock-ups of keycap legends (e.g. Matt3o’s upcoming pbt dye-sub group buy).
So I have a favor to ask.
Would someone mind taking a relatively high-resolution picture of an SP DSA keycap from directly above, i.e. with the camera looking straight down on a keycap centered underneath? Ideal would be a gray or white cap surrounded by other same-color caps (i.e. on a keyboard), but some other color (ideally not too dark) would also probably work (and if you know which SP color code, that would be amazing). The best lighting would be relatively diffuse (e.g. from a window facing away from the sun) from a high diagonal angle relative to the keycap. Don’t worry about post processing, I can handle that part.
Even awesomer would be to also get a similar picture of a DCS keycap. But that one’s not at all urgent.
Thanks so much!
This is keyboard porn. Now I want my new PBT DSA set, yes now!
My guess is that the general mass produced DSA have lower tolerance?
Seems like of all of the GB DSA, people don't have problems.
good to know, guess I'll be really careful if/when I pull them off. Does my key switches being plate mounted make it any more or less safe?
As for loose stems, I use plumber's tape and it seems to do the trick: http://kitchenbathroomfixtures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/teflon_tape.jpg .......
As for loose stems, I use plumber's tape and it seems to do the trick: http://kitchenbathroomfixtures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/teflon_tape.jpg .......
I can't speak from experience yet, but that Teflon tape sounds like a great idea! That should work good on a less than snug fit. :thumb:
As for loose stems, I use plumber's tape and it seems to do the trick: http://kitchenbathroomfixtures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/teflon_tape.jpg .......
I can't speak from experience yet, but that Teflon tape sounds like a great idea! That should work good on a less than snug fit. :thumb:
That is exactly what I used and it's been working great.
As for loose stems, I use plumber's tape and it seems to do the trick: http://kitchenbathroomfixtures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/teflon_tape.jpg .......
I can't speak from experience yet, but that Teflon tape sounds like a great idea! That should work good on a less than snug fit. :thumb:
That is exactly what I used and it's been working great.
Cool! How did you apply it, did you try and wrap the stem or just laid a piece over the top before inserting the key or ??
Quick question. Do these keycaps go anywhere on your board as long as the size is correct? Basically the row doesn't matter just the key sizes? I ordered a standard set and a modifier set for my poker so I just want to know before they ship considering they are blanks.
Okay thanks! And damn, those F and J keys seem to really bulge from the board. I suppose since I am using them on a poker I could probably just use two regular caps instead if I don't like them.Quick question. Do these keycaps go anywhere on your board as long as the size is correct? Basically the row doesn't matter just the key sizes? I ordered a standard set and a modifier set for my poker so I just want to know before they ship considering they are blanks.
That is correct.
So I actually received my bag of these keys from SP today and tried them out on my Das. Got the base/modifier/numpad sets in white/green.Wow that is horrible. I would contact them. Mine just shipped out today and if mine come in a similar condition I will definitely be contacting Signature Plastics...
Took the numpad keys out to put on my keyboard and was pretty unhappy to see lots of little pieces of plastic sticking off of the edges of all the keys, like you see in cheap plastic toys. Then I realized that the Enter, + and 0 keys were all different sizes. I was able to put the + and Enter keys on, but the 0 key would not fit at all.
So far, just going by the numpad keys I got (will inspect the rest when I get home) I am not very impressed
Edit:
The spacebar is severely bent and chipped along the edges. Seriously unhappy with the quality of these keys
Thinking about ordering these, but some questions:
- Given they're low profile, can I still fit o-rings?
- What does 'DSA' mean, doubleshot? I always thought DSA means 'Double Shot ABS', but it's PBT.
- How's the spacebar considering it's PBT? Is it ok?
- Does low profile keys mean it reduces travel a bit? Or is that completely dependent on the switch?
Regarding the spacebar: shape is very good. I was expecting much more warping on this key, but stabilisers are very loose with my one. Practically not usable without saran/when you don't hit it in the middle because it will get stuck on one side.