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Author Topic: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?  (Read 2215 times)

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Offline UKKeycaps

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Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« on: Wed, 08 July 2015, 18:31:38 »
I need a load of 1x1 keycaps of any row/profile for a... thing

Where's the best place for buying a load of cherry mx keycaps at the lowest possible price? I don't mind if they're thin pad printed ABS.

Any ideas?

Thanks
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Offline wlhlm

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #1 on: Wed, 08 July 2015, 18:35:21 »
Beserkerfan was selling a ton of white blank PBTs a while back, maybe there are some left: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=71143 $.4/cap
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #2 on: Wed, 08 July 2015, 19:06:51 »
If this is an art project or something similar (please post the results!) you should go to the grubbiest 2nd-hand store in town and ask what they have in the dirty back corner. Around here (US), I could probably get a dozen keyboards at every 3rd or 4th thrift store for $1-$2 each which translates to a penny or 2 per cap.

But it would take a few hours of driving around, at least.
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Offline UKKeycaps

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #3 on: Wed, 08 July 2015, 19:35:16 »
Quote from: wlhlm on Wed, 08 July 2015, 18:35:21
Beserkerfan was selling a ton of white blank PBTs a while back, maybe there are some left: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=71143 $.4/cap

That's an amazing price for PBT but I'm still looking for something a little cheaper, around the £0.10 per key or less

Quote from: fohat.digs on Wed, 08 July 2015, 19:06:51
If this is an art project or something similar (please post the results!) you should go to the grubbiest 2nd-hand store in town and ask what they have in the dirty back corner. Around here (US), I could probably get a dozen keyboards at every 3rd or 4th thrift store for $1-$2 each which translates to a penny or 2 per cap.

But it would take a few hours of driving around, at least.

I don't think it's the same in the UK really, I could get some old boards on eBay I guess
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 08 July 2015, 22:51:38 »
Depending on how many you want, maybe someone has the contents of a PMK Crap Bag that they don't want.
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Offline UKKeycaps

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #5 on: Thu, 09 July 2015, 05:59:16 »
Yeah that might be the bet bet. Someine in the UK must have gotten one...
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Offline azhdar

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #6 on: Thu, 09 July 2015, 08:01:04 »
I'd say find old wyse keyboard with mx compatible keycaps. You can get some for like 10$ and you even end up with a metal plate and a bunch of switches.

Caps are **** though.
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Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #7 on: Thu, 09 July 2015, 08:25:24 »
New Tai-Hao doubleshot sets go for $15 ish in the Classifieds and Newegg.
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Offline UKKeycaps

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #8 on: Thu, 09 July 2015, 08:45:14 »
I appriciate the replies but they assume i'm in the US. I'm in the UK and I'm really aiming for something around £0.05 per key
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Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #9 on: Thu, 09 July 2015, 08:46:45 »
Quote from: UKKeycaps on Thu, 09 July 2015, 08:45:14
I appriciate the replies but they assume i'm in the US. I'm in the UK and I'm really aiming for something around £0.05 per key

Tai Hao is based out of China or Taiwan and they've made keycaps for various companies such as Pexon, Newegg, and GBs in the classifieds. I don't know if you'll be able to find caps for that price on the retail side but it couldn't hurt to do some research on Tai Hao and find a contact there so you can see what their prices are direct.
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Offline UKKeycaps

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #10 on: Thu, 09 July 2015, 08:54:12 »
I actually have a groupbuy running right now for Tai Hao PBT keycaps. Although their keycaps are cheap they're not crap bag cheap. As I said I'm looking to pay around £0.05 per key, I think finding someone in the UK who got a grabbag is my best option.
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #11 on: Thu, 09 July 2015, 17:29:11 »
I gather that you're not really looking for complete keycap sets, just lost and lost of 1x keycaps of any profiles.

So paying extra for complete sets is probably a waste of time.

The thing with crap bags is the postage cost to anywhere outside the US.  That's what kinda put me off last time.
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline Oobly

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Re: Cheapest keycaps that can be bought?
« Reply #12 on: Fri, 10 July 2015, 01:40:51 »
You could also post a WTB for unwanted stock caps in Classifieds. Most people would be willing to sell the stock caps off their boards that they've put aftermarket ones on for a pretty low price.
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Buying more keycaps,
it really hacks my wallet,
but I must have them.
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