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geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: ander on Fri, 29 December 2017, 21:35:32
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V. cool, IMHO—even more retro-looking than most of the retro sets.
87/104 Keys SA PBT Dyeable Keycaps Perfect Arc Spherical for Cherry MX Switches (https://www.ebay.com/itm/87-104-Keys-SA-PBT-Dyeable-Keycaps-Perfect-Arc-Spherical-for-Cherry-MX-Switches/152818813556)
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/YVoAAOSwr6FaKURB/s-l1600.jpg)
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/a7MAAOSwEEBaKURT/s-l1600.jpg)
87-key set $43.22, 104-key set $45.98, plus $6.98 shipping
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Actually, this looks like the same set from a different seller (https://www.ebay.com/itm/104-108-ANIS-PBT-SA-Keycap-Set-For-MX-Keyboard-PBT-SA-Profile-Spherical-Key-Caps-/222746857143):
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/DSQAAOSwbtNaKTCs/s-l1600.jpg)
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/qgkAAOSwySlaKTC5/s-l1600.jpg)
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Mb4AAOSwJtdaKTDD/s-l1600.jpg)
...and it's an even better deal: $43.98 shipped (104 keys), and $2 more to include 4 blanks.
I just ran out of excuses not to get one. Now you guys won't have to listen to me moan anymore about not being able to afford SA keys. :?)
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Got a link for that second set? I want those extra keys!
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Well, I found these... look the same:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/104-108-ANIS-PBT-SA-Keycap-Set-For-MX-Keyboard-PBT-SA-Profile-Spherical-Key-Caps-/222746857143
$37.99 + $7.99 = $46 for 108.
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Got a link for that second set? I want those extra keys!
Oops, sorry—all I could think about was ordering some, and I forgot. I've added it.
Well, I found these... look the same:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/104-108-ANIS-PBT-SA-Keycap-Set-For-MX-Keyboard-PBT-SA-Profile-Spherical-Key-Caps-/222746857143
Yes, that's the 2nd seller I referred to.
$37.99 + $7.99 = $46 for 108.
Yes, that's what I said, wasn't it? $45.98, to be exact.
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Hi, Yes, I wasn't intending to contradict.
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Hi, Yes, I wasn't intending to contradict.
That's okay—I'm married, so I'm quite used to it! :?)
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Wow! Can't wait to see these mounted on a board. :thumb:
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Anyone pulled the trigger on these? They look quite nice, but having a review before buying would be wonderful.
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Anyone pulled the trigger on these? They look quite nice, but having a review before buying would be wonderful.
I did, but I'm still waiting for them. It's a good thing time isn't going backwards now, or by the time I received these, they'd probably be normal again.
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Still waiting, BTW... "Estimated delivery Mon, Jan 22 - Sun, Mar 11." :?|
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My keys arrived a couple of days ago, so the transit time from China to here in western Canada was right around 1 month.
The box was a tad crushed:
[attach=1]
But the keys were okay:
[attach=2]
They're thick PBT and feel quite solid. There were some casting flaws:
[attach=3]
...but very few were like that, and it was nothing some fine sandpaper wouldn't fix, if it bothered you (I don't care, personally).
No one would ever mistake these for double-shots (which would also cost a lot more). They're definitely dye-subbed, and the printing isn't particularly crisp:
[attach=4]
But it's not nearly as grainy as it looks here, where my phone's camera picked up every reflection from the PBT's texture—which, as you know, isn't glassy-smooth like ABS. Many people prefer it over ABS for that reason.
The overall effect is, well, retro-y. I don't find it unpleasant at all, just different. I like the unusually big text legends, too. They're an exaggerated version of usual SA legends, and wouldn't look out-of-place in a '50s sci-fi movie.
[attach=5]
I'd like to show you how they look on a board. Unfortunately, I don't have one available with a standard Cherry layout. (I'm still remodeling our place since we moved in, and most of my keebs are still packed up.) The closest I had was a Cherry MX 3000—which ironically wouldn't work because of its irregularly centered (stepped) Caps Lock. I realized this after I'd already swapped a dozen or so keys (sigh).
However, I did notice these keys fit quite well, and felt great. They were also considerably higher than the MX 3000 keys; they made the whole board seem more substantial.
Here's the profile:
[attach=6]
[attach=7]
[attach=8]
[attach=9]
As you can see, there's a curve at the top, but not the bottom. Also, though the vendor refers to them as "spherical", I always thought keys like these were more like what's considered "spherical":
[attach=10]
The set I have here seems more "two-way cylindrical"—curved like regular cylindrical keys, but horizontally as well as vertically. Anyone know about this?
To sum up, at only around $40 shipped, I'm glad I got them. They look even more "retro" to me than the sets modeled on actual vintage keys. If you want something really different, I recommend them.
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One more thing some peeps may find unusual... You get just one WIN key, and a Fn key—from the seller's photo:
[attachimg=1]
So if you don't have an actual Fn, that's what one of your Win keys is going to say.
One of these days I'll figure out how to get a real double-shot replica SA set without acquiring a divorce, too. Meanwhile, I'll get to feel what it's like to type on high, old-style keys, and one of my keebs will look at least 10 years more vintage-y than the rest. :?)
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The pictures make it look like they're laser etched. Thanks for posting your findings!
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The pictures make it look like they're laser etched. Thanks for posting your findings!
Ah, maybe so... The description says they're "dyeable", so maybe that's where I got the idea.
This 2nd seller I mentioned (https://www.ebay.com/itm/104-108-ANIS-PBT-SA-Keycap-Set-For-MX-Keyboard-PBT-SA-Profile-Spherical-Key-Caps-/222746857143) has dropped their price a couple of bucks; a 104-key set is now $43.98 shipped to U.S. (Shipping to various other countries available too.)
Again, my phone camera didn't do these justice; they're better-looking in person.