Issue 1: R3/Enter needs the inserts to be clipped and fastened - clipping is similar to the requirements of the DSA Enter/Shift - easy to do - the other stabilised keys also benefit from fastening, this is the method I use: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=70296.0
Cause: The R3 is pretty short, the insert doesn't go all the way in

Issue 2: All the stabilised keys rub the wire, they need to be sanded, I would appreciate sanding advice at this point, otherwise I'm just going to go in there with some sandpaper, which seems like the logical thing to do at this point
Cause: The keycaps are thick, it might also have to do with the slider being closer than usual to the keycap in my case, but I'm guessing it should be a common problem

And before someone suggests me to use cherry stabs, I would rather stay with costars and go through all these :)

i don't know. for some reason, the wire doesn't "always" touch the key. i use masking tape for the inserts and when i use a sufficient enough piece of it, the key sits just right and doesn't grind on the wire. right now, i use 1 GMK set on my boards here (orange on charcoal) and IMSTO thick pbt set on my other board. do you want photos of the underside of the keys?

btw. i do have OCD when it comes to the stab wires grinding the keys, so i am pretty happy about it now :)

The usage of masking tape is a great idea, thanks for that one, I will certainly try it

I wouldn't want you to remove any keys for me

Since I'm going to use my current board for a short amount of time I didn't even apply the tightening method, only applied it to the Enter since I clipped the inserts too, and funnily the Enter is the worst

This board has stabiliser placement issues, so if there is a 0.1mm margin for the keycap to clear the wire, I'm probably over that margin a bit :)

I can hear the wire gently touch the keycap, I lubed that part, so the keys are usable, however I'm guessing I will have to sand the keycaps before my ocd sooths :)

Nice!!!  I find this has prevented me from using any thick keycap recently since I absolutely hate the feeling of keycap rubbing stabilizer wire.

Also I was trying to find a nondestructive approach but seems like this is the only way.

Maybe time for me to invest in a dremel lol.

The Shift and Enter seems to have it easier on the Cherry profile but the Spacebar and Backspace have a smaller margin as far as I observed, the DSA indeed clears well as it's thin and the stem is not recessed, similarly, I didn't notice any issues with SA either, as it's also not recessed and the bottom of the keycap is thin, I previously thought it was a shortcoming of the design, but it might as well be a design feature to support costar stabs, overall, SA keycaps are the best for costar stabs (as the inserts don't need to be clipped either) if you don't mind the extreme height of the profile (probably around 3x of cherry, since I keep my arms on the desk while typing, it wasn't for me) - With OEM's, I didn't experiment, however, with thin WASD's, I'm guessing the keycaps clear too (I remember a plastic sound that disturbed me on my first keyboard, a WASD V2 with reds, but I'm guessing it was the stabiliser insert issue that I linked before, didn't re-visit OEM's after these experiments)

I have a portable 8000* dremel and an 3000* set that came with this one: http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-225-01-Flex-Shaft-Attachment/dp/B0000302Y8/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1439213028&sr=1-4&keywords=dremel+3000 (the hobby 3000 kit as far as I remember) - If you're going to buy a dremel for this task, I suggest buying one that comes with this flex shaft, it eases engraving significantly, at the lowest speed, the grinding bit I linked earlier was pretty safe, It didn't heat/melt the keycap (ABS softens around 100C, so heat-wise it was pretty safe) - at the beginning I also slipped a couple of times, touched the top of a keycap once, but no damage was done, I also touched my hand a couple of times with the engraver, it seems ~safe too (it's a great grinding bit, it grinds heavily only when you push it, when you don't, it just sands slowly), but don't take my word for it :)

After doing this grinding a couple of times, it comes naturally now, at the beginning I was marking where to grind, but currently I just start with the stabiliser stem-holder area, grind the middle area well (the entire width of the bend should be cleared, not just the top of the bend), and grind the areas in-between so the wire clears without issues - it probably takes 3-4 minutes at most

(off topic) - as a comparison of profiles and stabs, SA+costar was the best combination I tried, GMK keycaps are thick too, comparatively the bottom of the SA keycaps are thin, but the sound characteristics of SA were more enjoyable, however, the SA profile is definitely not for everyone and it's very challenging on multiple levels (There are no R4 Shifts, the R4 and R1 are angles too extreme on opposite directions that limit the optimal usage significantly etc.), so GMK+costar was still the winner for me (those scoops tho ...)

One thing to keep note that SA has many arrangement  and variation.  Most of them are very sculpted and I don't really like it.

HOWEVER the Filco version of SA is 332222, so only the top 2 row have a very slight angle and the rest is flat.

I'm actually gonna pick one up when I go to Japan in 3 weeks.  But I feel like that should have a closer typing feel to OEM profile and should be more widely acceptable by most.

:thumb:

http://keypuller.com/high-profile-double-shot-by-filco/

Let's start a joint GB for a set instead, since we seem to agree on profile and no one else seems to put extreme thought on SA profile/usage (I mean 443211 with R3 shifts is just ... I never considered 332222 before) - a mono coloured white on GPA: http://www.pimpmykeyboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/absgray.jpg - with a diverse set of add-on's could be interesting

Even gathering 20 people would produce semi-satisfying costs with SP, I would probably buy 3 sets myself

Edit: Actually 333222 seems a bit better :)

One thing to keep note that SA has many arrangement  and variation.  Most of them are very sculpted and I don't really like it.

HOWEVER the Filco version of SA is 332222, so only the top 2 row have a very slight angle and the rest is flat.

I'm actually gonna pick one up when I go to Japan in 3 weeks.  But I feel like that should have a closer typing feel to OEM profile and should be more widely acceptable by most.



http://keypuller.com/high-profile-double-shot-by-filco/

i'm selling mine, since i don't really like the profile
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=61539.0

Filco doubleshot SA is 223333 iirc. SP goes Top to bottom with their numbers.