A lot of different materials are used to make keycaps. These are some of the most common ones you can find in full keycap sets:
ABS: This is the most common material for a keyboard’s original keycaps to be made in. ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic is everywhere in your life, from LEGO sets to car interiors, and it comes in countless different finishes, textures, and levels of quality. While the thinner ABS plastic used in budget keyboards may not be high quality, some ABS keycaps, like those from GMK and Signature Plastics, are considered to be the best of any material. Regardless of quality, ABS plastic will almost inevitably shine over time the more you type on it—some people avoid it for this, while others see having “shined” keycaps as a badge of honor. ABS is preferred for its bright and vibrant colors, durability, and smooth feel when typing. ABS also creates a higher-pitched sound when typing compared to other keycap materials.
PBT: A large percentage of aftermarket “custom” keycaps are made from PBT (polybutylene terephthalate). This material is often a higher-end plastic that focuses on thickness and rigidity while having a more textured top when compared to ABS. Colors on PBT keycaps are often not as vibrant, although the difference between ABS and PBT today is much less significant than it used to be. One of the largest upsides of PBT is that it doesn’t easily shine over time, even after decades of use in point-of-sale systems, meaning your keycaps will always look as good as the day you got them. PBT typically creates a deeper typing signature than ABS.
Ceramic: Ceramic keycaps are one of the most recent developments in the keycap world. They are primarily made by Cerakey, a relatively new brand from China. These keycaps provide a deeper typing sound some people describe as marbly. When I used ceramic keycaps previously, I found them to break easily because of their brittle ceramic stems. However, modern ceramic keycaps use a plastic stem to avoid this issue. The largest benefits of a keycap like this are the typing feel and sound: The keycaps themselves are smooth and slick to type on, and they create a deeper and more resonant typing sound compared to plastic keycaps.
Metal: While individual metal keycaps have been around for a long time, full metal keycap sets only became popular in recent years as interest in custom mechanical keyboards increased. A full set of metal keycaps will typically cost upwards of $200, and installing them may require some supporting upgrades to your keyboard such as a heavier switch underneath the spacebar or additional sound dampening to reduce metal pinging when typing.
In writing this article, I tested two sets of metal keycaps: One from NovelKeys, and the other from Awekeys. I had minor issues with fit and finish in both kits, although the NovelKeys set was generally clean and free of manufacturing errors on visible surfaces. On the other hand, the Awekeys set had multiple keys with visible pitting and surface imperfections.
My largest issue with both was one that seemed to be unavoidable: Due to the extreme precision required to manufacture metal keycaps and the relatively lenient manufacturing tolerances of plastic switches, some keycaps in both sets had trouble fitting onto switches, either being too tight or too loose. With the Awekeys set, some were so loose that I could flip the keyboard over or release a key after pressing it down and they would come off. The company recommended using an included tool to bend the keycap stem back into place, which was successful but somewhat nerve-wracking, especially on such an expensive set of keycaps. In my experience, the stems were stiff enough that it was necessary to use a hammer in conjunction with the tool to adjust the stems properly.
Metal keycaps will feel more substantial than plastic keycaps, but will also create a higher-pitched typing sound than most other keycaps, especially in a keyboard with a metal plate. I found one of the main appeals of these keycaps, the cold and metallic feel when typing, quickly dissipates as the keycaps absorb heat from your fingers, and after a few minutes of typing, they are hard to differentiate from smooth plastic. However, their density can make a keypress feel slightly more crisp and immediate compared to a standard keycap, especially on a lighter tactile switch.
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