This is my first keyboard (Filco TKL blue cherries) and my first set of replacement keycaps. I'm still not obsessed enough with this (my co-workers disagree; they just haven't seen geekhack) to spend time mentally working through the group buy sets/options, so I decided to just order "off-the-shelf" here:
http://keycapsdirect.com/marketplace.phpI bought one Base Set (White) and one Modifier Set (White) and it took all of a whole week to ship to Singapore. Have just replaced all the keys and here are some pictures. I'd like to write up some impressions and how they are different from the stock Filco caps too.
I first saw someone use these Signature Plastic DSA caps, which are shorter in height than standard keycaps, on a Poker or something similar looking. They bottom of the keycaps can be clearly seen as if they were floating above the keyboard because of the shorter height. I didn't want this effect on my keyboard but at that point I had already made the purchase. Luckily for me, these do not float on a Filco board.
However, I dislike the fact that some of these keycaps are not perfectly aligned, creating a jagged gap between keys (see the lines in red). I found two keycaps which are more spherical than the others, and that's how I imagined all of the keys would be. Nonetheless, I'm guessing these two more spherical ones are home keys? (F and J) That's how I use them anyway. (Please tell me if I'm doing it wrong, Internet.
LOL)
It would have been nice if the entire set had been the same degree of spherical-ness of the two home key ones.
In terms of tactility, the texture on top of the keycap rocks and even my non keyboard geek friends can feel the difference (and like it). I'm only hoping this will stay and not fade away or become glossy over time.
The keyboard itself feels bigger when I have to reach a bit further to press certain keys. This is an illusion I think caused by my habit of pressing down farther (from home row) keys on the edge as opposed to the center, which I am forced to do now with these new caps. They "taper" more so the top of the cap has a smaller area than stock keys.
The shorter keycaps do give a new, tighter feel to the switches when typing. It feels slightly more responsive as opposed to the Filco caps which are not as stable due to the taller keycaps (I'm guessing) and "feel" heavier/take longer to bounce back up after a key press. Of course, probably 70% of this is psychological.
Will return and post more comments if I have any new opinions.