Ultimate Guide to Custom Keycap Sets for Mechanical Keyboards | ABS vs PBT, GMK, Profiles, and more!
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- Опубликовано: 6 июн 2024
- ➡️ Beginner's Guide to Mechanical Keyboards:
• Beginner's Guide to Me...
This video will cover everything you need to know about custom keycap sets for mechanical keyboards.
✨Check out CannonKeys for your keyboard needs
cannonkeys.com?ref=12
0:00 Intro
0:33 Group Buys
1:26 GB Kits
08:41 Keycap Sizes
10:41 Keycap Materials (ABS vs PBT)
12:46 Keycap Profiles
16:51 Keycap Construction
19:21 Sound Tests
20:40 Keycap Terms
22:27 Conclusion
Learn about buying in-stock mechanical keyboard parts
• Guide to Buying In-Sto...
🖥️Stay up-to-date on group buys:
/ mechgroupbuys
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
keycaplendar.firebaseapp.com/
geekhack.org/index.php?board=...
🛍️Vendors of keycap group buys (but not limited to):
novelkeys.xyz/
cannonkeys.com/
us.txkeyboards.com/
drop.com/mechanical-keyboards...
thekey.company/
dixiemech.store/
en.zfrontier.com/
kono.store/
kbdfans.com/collections/group...
www.originativeco.com/
EU: mykeyboard.eu/
Oceania: dailyclack.com/
China: www.zfrontier.com/
Canada: www.deskhero.ca/, www.apexkeyboards.ca/
UK: prototypist.net/
SEA: ilumkb.com/
📹Videos on budget keycap sets:
• ABS vs PBT vs Rubber! ...
• 5 Budget PBT Keycap Se...
🛍️Places where you can buy in-stock keycap sets:
kbdfans.com/collections/keycaps
www.melgeek.com/collections/k...
mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/...
✍️Blog post on keycap profiles
thekeeblog.com/overview-of-di...
🎵BGM is from StreamBeats by Harris Heller
🧰Keyboard Tool Kit
kit.co/MadeByJimmy/keyboards
📷Content Creation Kit
kit.co/MadeByJimmy/content-cr...
📧For business inquiries: itsjimmybn@gmail.com 
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Great video for beginners and enthusiasts alike! I'll point people to this video whenever they have questions about different keycaps styles, profiles and materials.
Just one thing I think you left out (maybe because it is less common on top tier keycap sets you were aiming for in this video) is the fact that there are double-shot PBT keycaps out there as well (where you have two different colored plastics for the keys and for the legends), but it is more common with lower quality/price keycaps, since it is almost impossible to get high quality legends on PBT using this process.
Thank you! And for sure about double-shot PBT, chose to leave it out of this video but it's worth mentioning.
llllqlll1
This deserves a million views. Very thorough, briefly stated, and super organized.
I am just getting into this hobby and this was the most helpful video I’ve come across so far. Thanks so much for all the hard work on this!
Learned a lot from this video, looking forward to my first keycap set for my K6. 👌🏽
Great video! This is an absolutely wonderful resource for those just joining the community
Also love the keyboard shelves in the background
Thank you for clearing up my confusion on keycap profiles! The comparisons you included are really helpful :)
Glad I was able to help!
Good stuff! very detailed explanation of keycaps. looking forward to more videos
also love the lighting in the background
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. Appreciate this so much!
I've been in this hobby for a while now, and I can just tell you how much this would have help when I was a beginner, because this is one of, if not, the best video for beginners.
I'm a curious man, so I must say: I think this is the first time on my life that I search something on RUclips and solved all my doubts with a single video. Thank you man.
Very informative video for a newbie like me who's just found out mechanical keyboard have such a wide and passionate community. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and time with us!
Omg this was so helpful, thank you!! I see the effort and quality that was put into this, happy new subscriber here :)
Thank you, glad I was able to help!
Thanks so much for all the links dude. Although I haven't bought a mechanical keyboard yet your video explain so many things to me before I go ahead and make a purchase. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much for this awesome video! I started learning about mechs but haven't came across one on keycaps and this one helped me out a lot, hope to get a prebuilt one myself one day
really really helpful video. especially with the links in the description... i think ill find a lot of them useful. Thank you!!!
This was so helpful! Thank you!
This was really helpful! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Amazing video! The one main thing that I feel you should have definitely talked about was interference with cherry profile kepcaps and north facing switches, but I do understand that it can make the video complex where the intention is to be informative yet simple. Other than that, great video!
Wow this is so detailed and well researched!
Thanks for watching!
What an amazing breakdown and a guide! Thank you so much!
This is really helpful, thank you
Thank you for the comprehensive video
you posted this 3 years ago and it still helped a bunch tysm!
so much research and thought put into this video! I learned a lot 🥰
What a nice review. I learned a lot, thank you.
Good job with the video. Very informative!
heyy man, this video is very well detailed 💯 thanks a lot!
Thanks for watching, glad I was able to help!
great vid! been getting into keycaps so this is really helpful :)
Really helpful thank you so much!!
great video...and channel for people who are just getting into the custom mech kb community! Thanks for the info Jimmy! :)
Thanks for watching!
Amazing video!
Great video, definitely deserve way more than 1k subscribers
Great vid. 🙏
Fantastic video!
great video jimmy! the quality of these last few have been amazing, keep it up because I believe you will be huge soon!
Thanks for your support Charlie!
Damnnn Daniel... epic video on the topic!
I learned quite a bit, even after being a part of this cursed hobby for quite a while.
Switch and Click sent me here. Thanks for the video, very informative!
Awesome! Thanks for watching, glad I was able to help.
Excellent overview!
Thank you!
these are sound test round up so you can compare sounds side by side :D
19:31 cherry ABS doubleshot
19:41 cherry PBT dye-sub
19:51 tai-hao OEM PBT doubleshot
20:01 DSA PBT dye-sub
20:11 KAT PBT dye-sub
20:21 SA ABS doubleshot
best sounding for me is KAT profile :)
My best sounding is the oem
will cherry keycaps work with my gateron browns
@@RiZeLegiT yes. If it’s a north facing PCB it *might* have interference which will not feel the best
KAT and SA sound the best, but GMK looks best.
KAT & SA sounds best to me too. It seems higher keys generate "lower"-pitched sounds. But I was wondering if high profile also means more force of accumulated pressing (thus more fatigue) and longer actuation time?
bro fr ur so underrated lol like i just assumed u had like 500k subs or something and then i checked. Hope u blow up!!
great informative video.
Thank you, glad you found it helpful!
this is truly an ultimate guide
Greeeeeat video!
This was so well done and instructive that I found it as soothing as :3ildcat’s videos. And OMG that spreadsheet! Thank you so much!
You might be the reason why I end up committing for the Rama U-80 Seq 2 (yolk). I’ll need to find a keycap set that blends in with the color. Once again thank you!!
Glad I was able to help! I'm a fan of :3ildcat’s videos so I'll take that compliment!
GMK Serika Round 2 is launching in December if you want a yellow keycap set to match the yolk
www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/ix5d7v/gmk_serika_2_december_2020/
@@jimmynguyen973 Thank you!
you just earn a sub thanks for explaining.
Got into my first group buy. GMK Frostwitch. Also probably going to get GMK Bento Round2 in August if I like the profile. I have cherry pbt keycaps but I am also eyeing PBT Modern Hangul since I like Korean letters and minimal color but it's just in interest check phase. My wallet is done this summer.
This guy knows his stuff
I found you by searching for an aquarium reviewer with the same name. As a mechanical keyboard user, I am not disappointed. Thank you!
Hey there, this is an extremely informative and well paced video! The way you explained every section was easy to follow too! I have a question that is pulling from your own experience; if i want to have a THOCC sounding keyboard, what kind of keycaps would you recommend?
Glad you liked the video! If you want the THOCC, go for PBT keycaps. Taller-profile keycaps like SA will give more thocc, but I find PBT Cherry to be pretty good. But just the keycaps won't give you the thoc, the case & plate will play a bigger role, but I'm not sure of the combinations that'll give you thoccc. Lubing your switches also helps.
This was an amazing, thorough, and organized video. Solid content. I have been trying to find out my own preferences and like the feel of pbt and am not a fan of the worn, slick abs feel. But I am also wanting to achieve the thocky-est, bassy-est tone that I can with keycaps. Something I think I've read in forums and other guides and such is that ABS is a softer plastic, and therefore absorbs more sound and can be more thocky, whereas PBT is much harder and even brittle so it bounces sound around and can have more high pitched sounds bouncing around. Do you find this to be the case? Is all of this negated by just having nice thick caps, even if PBT?
And would the size of the cap/profile result in more bass and thock? Based on the sound tests I think the SA profile showed that but just wanted to confirm that that is actually what is going on.
Currently waiting on a cheap, Chinese SA profile, PBT set that I'm hoping will accomplish the feel and sound I'm wanting to achieve.
Thanks for watching! I find PBT to have a deeper/thockier sound profile, and this is shown by the cherry ABS & cherry PBT sound test in the video. I also find that the higher the profile, the more thock there is. Since SA is a very high keycap profile, it has a deeper sound. I think if the keycap set that you have coming in isn't too thin, it'll help with achieving that thocky sound. However, keycaps are just part of the equation. Other factors include sound dampeners, plate material (aluminum is higher pitch than polycarbonate for example), lube/film on switches, the switch housing material, and the case material/construction.
Max Keyboard and WASD have some custom cap set options that are fun to play with. Their sites have tools that let you visualize what you're looking for. Plus I can get my side print caps and know the font I'm getting.
Really liked the video! My question is what goes into designing keycaps? I would be really interested in seeing a video like that!
Thanks! I've never designed keycaps before so I can't comment much on that, but these articles may help:
uniqey.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360008759900-Designing-a-Custom-GMK-Keycap-Set-Guide-
drop.com/talk/475/what-goes-into-creating-a-custom-keycap-set
Cherry, Kay, Mt3, and SA all sound really good
OEM sounded cheaper than the rest for some reason
I really need to look into getting into an Infinikey or KAT gb soon...
Good video,a++++++
quality content, the heck were you when I was noobin...😒
Thanks for the video!! Pretty cool keycap sets! But I’d rather use my money elsewhere rather than spend almost 100$ on keycaps
Can you do a detail video on how to run a group buy?
Since I've never ran a group buy myself, I'm not qualified to make a video on that. Take a look at the interest checks on geekhack to see what people are expecting in terms of your ideas. geekhack.org/index.php?board=132.0
You then still have to secure vendors and do color sample tests after the group buy is over..and probably a bunch of more stuff I'm not aware of.
what are those keycaps on the pikachu board in the beginning of the video?
what about buying custome dye sublimation printouts from etsy for a couple bucks per sheet ? Then apply to blank pbt key caps ? :)
Another important consideration is if your keyboard has LEDs. Double-shot keycaps are compatible with backlit keyboards, whereas dye-sub is only for non-backlit. And whether you have north-facing or south-facing switches (i.e. which side the LED is located) is a factor to consider too, as cherry profile keycaps interfere with north-facing switches.
so im looking at getting a keycap set for a key pad and it is meant for gaming and has a half space bar you know any good 40% keycap sets that have half space bars
Which profile is best for typing?
What models are those split ergo keyboards!
I was wondering where you got that sushi keycap set? great video by the way very resourceful
Thank you! That's GMK Bento, a group buy that ran last year, but round 2 is coming in August! geekhack.org/index.php?topic=106271.0
Thanks so much
What are those blue black and white keycaps called?
Thoughts on novelkeys olivias GB? it’s not gmk and the layout is DSS.. I’m just wondering if it’s a good entry level since I want to get a keyboard 😩
The Olivia NK65 is fantastic. You get Olivia keycaps which can only be found in the aftermarket for a lot more, but I've never tried the DSS profile so I can't comment on that. The keycaps are made by Signature Plastic, so they should be high quality. You also get nice linear switches with the NK Silks that are already factory lubed with 205g0 so that saves a lot of time. The PCB offers both QMK and VIA support so you have complete flexibility on programming the keys. And it's hot swappable so that allows you to try out other switches if you want.
If you want an all-in-one package, its a great bundle. The biggest selling point are the colors of the case, Olivia keycaps, and special NK Silk switches in the Olivia colorway. If that's not something you're interested in, I think it would be better to wait for NK65 entry edition to be restocked, then buy the keycaps and switches separately.
Hello! Would you be able to link where you got the gradient keycap set at 16:18?
www.mechsupply.co.uk/product/sa-vilebloom
I am very new to the idea of custom keyboards, and I was wondering how long does it typically take for your item to arrive from the group buy?
Depends on the group buy, but for GMK keycap sets expect at least a year. GMK has a huge backlog, but they're working on increasing production I believe. For keyboard cases...can take anywhere from 3 months to as long as a year as well, depends on the GB runner.
Good day.. Greetings from the Philippines.. New subscriver here.. Really appreciate your effort for this video.. This is such an informative and detailed video.. This is a great help for me as i am planning to do a mechkeyboard someday.. Thanks much for this.. I learned a lot.. Keep it up and God bless.
Thank you for watching and subscribing! I'm glad I was able to help.
@@jimmynguyen973 You're welcome Sir.. Looking forward for your next videos..
Plz 🙏🏻 make a video compairing different keycap profiles OSA profile vs MDA profile vs KAT profile vs Mt3 profile vs MG profile vs DSS profile.
Which one is most suitable for gaming and typing.
Unless someone is willing to send me OSA, MDA, MG, and DSS profiles, I'm not looking to spend money on keycaps that I won't use or like (in terms of the design). Especially since I no longer believe there is a "best" profile for gaming or typing. Likewise, I don't believe there is a best switch for gaming. It really comes down to your own preference.
Perhaps if you're competing at the very top, in tournaments and whatnot, you can maybe argue that a shorter travel distance on switches, and flat profiles may give you an edge in faster key presses, but that's a very, very small minority of gamers.
To find a profile you will like, you need to try them out. And there's no cheap way to do this unless you have a friend you can borrow some keycaps from. Determine if you like a uniform profile or a sculpted profile, and if you prefer lower height profiles vs taller ones.
After using all of my keyboards with different profiles and switches for a while now, when I'm gaming I'm not paying attention to the keyboard, I'm paying attention to the game. As long as it's a profile that won't cause me to make more mistakes than usual, which can also depend on the game, it's all good. With a FPS game like Valorant, I'm not pressing that many keys so I can use whatever profile. For typing I can feel the difference for sure, which is why I prefer sculpted profiles vs uniform, but after a bit I get used to it.
Does it ever happen that a past group buy goes back on sale? I fell in love with the KAT Oasis keyset but missed the group buy by a few months.
it's really up to the GB runner and vendors. i dont actually know of any KAT profiles that got a second run, but there have been a bunch of GMK re-runs
Do keycaps fit most keyboads or i need a spesific keycap?
Great video, but I'm so confused by the typing sound tests - you never hit your spacebar during all that typing. Am I crazy?
So pbt still will get shiny ? But for how long?
Are you sure R2 at 22:03 doesn't refer to row 2? for Tai Hao I have seen rubber keycaps for specific rows
R2 can also mean row 2, but when it's used in a keycap set name, it means round 2
Jimmy, I was wondering what keycaps you had on on that 75% keyboard at 9:43? I really dig the all centered text, no symbols design but no amount of google-fu is coming up with options. I really like the Drop MT3 Susuwatari caps that are similar and they're in the perfect colorway, but really dislike the colored text on the modifiers. Something like that, but with text arrows, etc would be amazing if you had any ideas.
You were close! It's MT3 Serika. Sadly I don't know of keycaps with text arrows, this is my only set with them
@@jimmynguyen973 I've been digging deep and have seen a couple with all text options, no symbols, but not quite right with colors. This hobby can definitely be frustrating sometimes but if I can find something close to that option it'll be close enough! Thanks!
Where to buy nordic keycaps?
TNX FOR THE TIP, JUST ASKIN, IF I WANT KEYCAPS THAT REALLY SHINES RGB, SHOULD I GO FOR ABS OR PBT?
I don't think the actual material matters that much. If you want to show off RGB, look for shine-through keycaps, which are usually made with PBT.
What would the best Keycaps for hourly typing?
Thank you so much. Very informative video. 🙏🏻🙏🏻
No best, depends on what you like. I like cherry profile keycaps
@@jimmynguyen973 i think i need to explore more about this Keyboard profiles. Hehehe!! This hobby is cost alot. HAHA! Thank you by the way. ☺️🙏🏻
You get tired of typing on keycaps? Pretty sure it's the angle of the keyboard that should tire you out lol
@@chiizuu752 no worries, comfortable wrist pad got me. 👍🏻
What's your opinion on POM keycaps compared to abs/pbt?
I've never tried POM keycaps so unfortunately I can't compare
Where can I buy this ?
Hey, are there any keycap sets with the ISO-DE Layout? I can't find any keycap sets with Ä,Ü,Ö,ß and the ISO Enter + Shift Keys
Sadly I don't think so. ISO-DE is pretty rare, I'm not sure if I've seen any yet.
I think KAT profile keycaps look the best because they have a nice rounded aesthetic like XDA but still are sculpted. The thing is I'm still very new in this hobby. Any opinions?
It’s all personal preference, I like cherry best but can’t really explain why I just like typing on it. KAT wasn’t that special to me
What about backlit keycaps?
What is the best key cap profile for gaming and typing
there isn't one-personal preference. I like Cherry.
Yeah, and I'd buy some if ever they were available with UK layout
can you tell us something about your main 65% keyboard? it looks awsome!!
It's a polycarbonate Think6.5 v1 with T1s (clear bottom, cherry top, lubed w/ 3204) and GMK Bento!
@@jimmynguyen973 it looks great! nice combo also, clean but very unique
PBT + cherry mx profile is the best sounding and best fit form for typing....it's too bad it's not the main keycap style set
What are those things called on your wall that are holding your keyboards?
They're clear acrylic wall shelves I found on Amazon
What switches do you use? And what do you recommend?
I mostly use Linear switches. Any Linear switch made by JWK will be good (Mauve, Alpacas, Lilacs, etc.) Gateron Yellow switches are a good budget linear option. I do also have some keyboards with tactile switches (Boba U4, T1, and Holy Pandas)
How is shipping handled for group buys? For example, I'm looking at Gmk, based in Germany. Does that mean I can get relatively cheaper shipping and no tax if I am inside the EU?
you'll have to check if theres an EU vendor in the group buy for the best shipping rates. im unsure of how taxes work
This is so helpful for a beginner like me, but i have a question I am interested in buying a keeb soon but for the purpose of work i type all day so which keycaps is good for a typer? I know it's all about preference but i wanna know yours... Thanks
I prefer low-profile, sculpted keycaps, so Cherry profile
@@jimmynguyen973 wow..thank you so much for replying... This is very helpful..
Hi! This is a very detailed video. Im planning to get my first ever mechanical keyboard. So im really new into this. Ive decided to get the hot-swappable Keychron K2 V2 and I dont like the default color of the keycaps. I believe that keyboard is 75%. My question is that, lets say I want the GMK Sculpted profile (Cherry), does that mean the base set will cover the 75% layout? Thank you.
Glad you found the video helpful! Yup, the K2 is a 75% layout. Any GMK base kit should cover the 75% layout. The other GMK kits are usually for novelties, extra spacebars, or for less common layouts like 40%.
@@jimmynguyen973 Cool! Thanks again for the help.
Hi! Again, thank you for answering my question before. I hope you dont mind this follow up question. I was checking some keycaps from Amazon and something is really confusing me. For example the definition says "YMDK 96 84 ANSI ISO Keyset OEM Profile Thick PBT Keycap Set for Cherry MX Mechanical Keyboard YMD96 RS96 KBD75 YMD75 FC980M". It covers the number of keys for the keychron k2v2 which is 84, the layout which is ANSI, as well as the switch compatibility (Gateron). However, when choosing/selecting which specific set to buy, it shows 125 keys, 115 keys and those different ISO layouts. Obviously, K2 will only need those 84 keys but does that mean selecting either 125 or 115 keys will both fit? Im really confused on that part. Is the 125 or 115 keys the 'Base Set'? Hope you can answer this for me. Thank you.
www.amazon.com/YMDK-Keyset-Profile-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B07JCWX17G/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=84%2Bkeycaps&qid=1605640687&sr=8-1&th=1
Lastly, does it mean this one wont fit since it didnt cover 84 keys in the description?
www.amazon.com/RK-ROYAL-KLUDGE-Non-Backlit-Mechanical/dp/B08397XX5G
@@katarina8660 That's def confuisng, looks like that first listing is tryna hit all the keywords for SEO. Both the 125 or 115 will work, but with the little price difference, I would go for 125 just to have the extra keys.
The second listing will not fit because it's missing the shorter right shift. For the keychron k2, the main thing you wanna make sure a keycap set has is the shorter right shift. As long as it has that, good chance the set will fit. The second thing you wanna check are the mods to the right of the spacebar (1u mods)
@@jimmynguyen973 Thank you so much! I didnt notice that. Those are the 2 things that I will definitely check first. I guess that is the reason behind this video I just saw about Keychron K2.
ruclips.net/video/j_cwPY01zec/видео.html
i want to know, is all that keycap can fit to any keyboard? coz I still confuse to find which keycap can fit my keychon K4
Generally speaking, any keycap can fit to any keyboard. Unless you somehow manage to find keycaps for topre keyboards, then those only works for specific keyboards that uses Topre switches, instead of MX style switches (the ones with the cross stem)
With the keychron k4, make sure to find keycaps sets that have all the keys you need, especially the non-standard sized keys like the 1.75u right shift, 1u command, 1u fn, and 1u control, and 1u 0 on the numpad.
Great video. I have a Razer Ornata & I’m wondering if I can put on any key cap? Like, will they 100% fit? I don’t want to order some key caps for them not
to fit lol.
Looks like the Razer Ornata uses some sort of membrane type key, so you won't be able to use any keycaps sice most keycaps are for MX-style switches.
@@jimmynguyen973 I thought so, looks like I’m buying a new keyboard! lol - thanks bro.
@@jimmynguyen973 could you suggest a good base to start with? I’m thinking cherry switches, but I’m unsure what board to start with.
@@jimmynguyen973 I also would like RGB’s to show when I have cherry switches, I’m not sure if that’s possible, I’m sure it’s down to what keycaps I have though.
How durable is dye sub?? will it last few years of heavy use?
It's basically permanent, will last for a looong time.
For all the European viewers, a big limitation of most group buys is that they are designed for the ANSI keyboard layout. If you don't like typing like an American, then you can give most group buys a pass. If the group buy offers any ISO layout at all, then it's the UK ISO, and that is simply not good enough.
that's where KAT keycaps often makes the difference imho.
“_typing like an American_” ?? I’m French and for the last 20 years I’ve switched to QWERTY layouts (US, UK, JP) mostly because the French layout is so stupid when you’re a programmer. For the few cases when I need French accents, I use IME or just autocorrect when I proofread before sending.
14:11 , what are the name of dsa keycaps on the right?
DSA Milkshake
is there any information on where to reliably find english + other language keycaps other than WASD's shop? or do i just have to watch for group buys? (i'm looking for english + hangul but i've only ever seen them on WASD's shop)
I think your best bet is to wait for group buys with english + hangul keycaps. It's not common to have multiple languages in a keycap set. Hirigana is the most common, it's much harder to find hangul.
@@jimmynguyen973 thanks! also i was wondering why people don't recommend amazon kind of keycaps? like i understand that it would be of lower quality but how exactly would that affect the keyboard, and will it be so significant that i should avoid it? (i'm a beginner with a budget lol)
@@xfrozn there are some decent keycaps on amazon these days, check out the ones by HK gaming. cheap keycaps just wont look as nice or feel as nice. smile.amazon.com/HK-Gaming-Dye-Sublimation-Keycaps/dp/B08156NG7K/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=hk+gaming&qid=1610722364&sr=8-3
What key profile would be the best for fast typing
Largely comes down to personal preference.