6 best keycaps for your mechanical keyboard
Keycaps are the primary component of a keyboard (custom USB cables second). Typically, they define your entire desk and board. In addition, they serve as the first impression for anyone who types on your keyboard. Before you even begin to interact with a keyboard’s switches, the texture and appearance of the keycaps have already left an impact. Why not therefore make a positive impression?
There are numerous types of keycaps, including Cherry, DSA profile, ABS, PBT, ceramic, and metal, as well as single-color blanks and sets with more than a handful of colors. Considering all of them can be intimidating, especially when dozens of websites claim to offer identical products at dramatically varying prices.
The GMK Keycap
According to innumerable keyboard fans, the greatest available keycap sets are all manufactured by the German company GMK. These double-shot keycaps include clear legends, sturdy ABS plastic, and some of today’s finest hues. The only disadvantage of ABS keycaps is that they may begin to gleam after less than a year of use. While the majority of GMK sets require costly group buys and significant wait times (often as long as two years to ship), GMK Keycaps Website has many in-stock and ready-to-ship sets, including Sparta, Laser, Hennessey, and WoB. In addition, sites like as Novelkeys frequently advertise extras from GMK group buys for sale after the primary sets have been dispatched.
ABS tripleshot
If you adore the ABS, Cherry-profile design of GMK and ePBT, but desire a bit more color, Domikey’s products can fulfill your desires. The typefaces, legends, and general quality of these keycaps are comparable to those of GMK and ePBT, but they offer something unique: triple-shot keycaps. This allows these keycaps to have distinct colors for English and Japanese characters without requiring UV printing (like GMK does with sets like Cyrillic). While Domikey’s selection is limited, sets such as Semiconductor and Vintage, as well as their own versions of Miami Nights and GMK Laser (named Pumper Cyber Punk), provide a range comparable to that of ePBT and GMK’s sets.
EnjoyPBT Miami Nights
If GMK keycap sets are out of your pricing range or don’t come in the colors you desire, EnjoyPBT offers a comparable selection of doubleshot ABS keycaps. While these keycaps are slightly thinner, this simply impacts the typing sound, which can be advantageous if you like a keyboard with a higher pitch. ePBT offers hues such as Miami Nights, Dolch, and their own Orange Creamsicle for around half the price of comparable GMK sets, and all of them are constantly stocked by at least one of their retailers.
YMDK Retro DSA Keycaps
The YMDK DSA Retro keycaps are a modernized spin on the traditional keyboard design. The keycaps are similar of the IBM model M keyboard, but with a somewhat more unique design with color customization possibilities, such as a green space bar, a red enter key, and a red escape key. If you really want a throwback feel in a keycap set, but on a budget, the YMDK keycaps are for you. These keycaps can make typing enjoyable and fulfilling, and they come with enough keycaps for a full-sized keyboard.
HyperX Pudding PBT Doubleshot Keycaps
The Hyperx pudding keycaps are an inexpensive alternative for those seeking to upgrade their keyboard’s RGB lighting and take it to the next level. The pudding keycaps allow light to shine through the sides, highlighting the lighting effects of your keyboard. In addition to their pudding design, these keycaps are manufactured from PBT, making them more durable than the conventional ABS keycaps on your keyboard. The HyperX pudding keycaps are available in either Black or White, providing a variety of possibilities. If you’re looking for a first keycap set on a budget, we recommend these.
Hammerworks CRP Round 3 Keycaps
A set of beige keycaps with a tinge of red that was produced by HammerWorks. With a thickness of 1.4 mm, there is no need to worry about the keycaps breaking or wearing out over time. Depending on your preference, the keycaps have a vintage, classic appearance with either Russian or Japanese characters on an English background. The Cherry profile is highly sought after in the mechanical keyboard community because it maximizes typing comfort.
