Let's talk about kbt pures.

[Ferdowsi]

So how is there build quality, the reason I am asking is because of the board they are selling on massdrop.

Also, would I be able to use the key's on the pure to put on another board (It seems this would be the cheapest way to get a pbt keycap set)

[inteli722]

So how is there build quality, the reason I am asking is because of the board they are selling on massdrop.

Also, would I be able to use the key's on the pure to put on another board (It seems this would be the cheapest way to get a pbt keycap set)

That's a Pure Pro, and it's not going to be highly recommended here. The layout designers were high/retarded. They actually thought it would be a good idea to put a Control key to the right of the arrow keys... They should have put the PN key there, and put the Control where the PN is.

[camelCase]

Agreed this keyboard has a funky layout and its the only reason I haven't ordered one yet. Still seems like a good deal though for the blank PBT keycaps and metal 60% case, which is attractive to a GH60 buyer. You'd only need to source a couple blank pbt modifier keys for a complete poker/pure pbt set.

edit: Nope looks like its a plastic case. Could still be useful for switches and keycaps.

[Harbec]

What I don't understand is why they felt they needed dedicated arrow keys as opposed to layering them on other keys.

[tp4tissue]

What I don't understand is why they felt they needed dedicated arrow keys as opposed to layering them on other keys.

dedi is always better, but i wouldn've picked arrow keys to spend it on...

[Ferdowsi]

But how is the build quality?

[tp4tissue]

BUILD quality wise.. I think i 'just mentioned this in another thread.. but

VORTEX will fvk you in the ass, if you're not careful..

Do your best to get it from a place that offers good service// RMA

very very much HIT or MISS... unpredictable quality...

[dmreeves]

I just bought a KBT pure, non pro, from Mechanicalkeyboards.com about 2 weeks ago.

The build quality is excellent IMO for what it is. I don't think that the switches are plate mounted, but instead PCB mounted. It's surprisingly light compared to what I expected, however it's very solid. I love the fact that it fits very comfortably under my hands and works well with my desk arrangemwents. Even though it's taken me a few weeks to get used to the fn access to keys like home, end and arrow keys, I don't miss having dedicated keys AT all and much prefer the smaller profile and more solid feel of the mechanical keyboard. There are several modes (like fn+space=switch 0 which turns rctrl,ralt,rshift,and rwin to arrow keys) that help me get by. I love everything about this board!

[mashby]

But how is the build quality?

The build quality to decent, but the quality control is not. In my experience it's a bit hit-or-miss, but this is based on their past performance.

The board that you're referring to is a new one and the first board with a plate from Vortex. New PCB, new layout, new plate and a 1.0 release makes me want to wait until I read a review or two or until they are in stock at MechanicalKeyboards.com

Most of the issues I've heard about have been related to backlighting, painting issues, or poor routing on the aluminum cases. This keyboard has none of those features, so perhaps it's not THAT big of a gamble. Although, if there IS an issue, such as a bad switch, who do you contact at Massdrop?

[cannedlemons]

I have been using my kbt pure for quite awhile now that I bought a month ago and it has been working fine for me. No dead switches or LEDs and I really enjoy the compact size and lightness. It does take a bit of time to get used to with the layout and the FN + key short cuts as well. I don't think it is a bad keyboard but it might be for others that have gotten defective ones.  The build quality for me has been very good nothing wrong, the only thing I would complain about is that the ABS keycaps that came with my pure attract oil from your fingers and I would suspect would get shiny quite quickly but the Pure Pro from massdrop has PBT keycaps so that shouldn't be an issue.

I think the pure pro is fully programmable as well so you can just change what keys you don't like to others like the stupid delete and backspace key they have designed on the board. I actually like the arrow keys since I use them a lot but besides that I don't think the layout is that bad as you can change the control key near the arrows to something else I think with the dip switches on the back.

For your last question I think most of the keycaps on the pure pro can be used for other keyboards except the strange sized ones like the space bar, right shift, backspace and delete..etc.