geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: OnTheBrink on Thu, 08 May 2014, 13:09:09
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So I want to pick up a blue switch board. I also wanted this board to have white and grey keys with black legend.
I was wondering, what is the census on WASD's key quality. Are they doubleshot ABS worth? WASD boasts their UV coating is even harder than PBT?
Or should I just get a bare board and pick up some double shot PBTs?
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I think it would be better to post this in keycaps and not keyboards :)
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I think it would be better to post this in keycaps and not keyboards :)
I was torn since I am debating if I should buy the board with the caps or without.
However, you're probably right. I'll flag it for a move.
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I purchased a V2 in December. This was before the announcement of the new UV process, but I think the keycaps were made with the UV process, because they are SO much nicer than the laser-etched ones I had purchased a few months prior. I'm very pleased with the quality, feel, and finish on the new keys(*).
They have a PBT-like surface - the same "rough yet slippery" character of PBT - but less pronounced in both regards. I've been using them for over a month now, and they don't show any indication of wear or shine.
(*) One thing to note is that my new caps are black, while the older laser-etched ones are blue and gray. So there may be additional differences in terms of material, thickness, etc, and this may not be a fair comparison.
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I was wondering, what is the census on WASD's key quality. Are they doubleshot ABS worth? WASD boasts their UV coating is even harder than PBT?
Or should I just get a bare board and pick up some double shot PBTs?
It's really up to you. The keycaps themselves are the same OEM profile ABS so the sound and weightfeel is going to be just like any other thin OEM caps that you'd find.
The UV coating does give the caps a much more rugged texture. They feel somewhere between PBT and the Commando 23 SA set which was matte textured ABS. I had a blast typing on a WASD v2 for about a week before returning to another board and the only complaint I had about the keycaps is that on a warm sunny day the keys felt a little tacky due to moisture on my hand. The other piece of advice I received about them was that if the coating is cut or scratched it could start to flake so if you type with screwdrivers or with your fingernails that's something to consider.