Those are ABS. They'll get shiny as time goes on.
But the feeling of blank ABS is really nice and smooth.

ABS ok la, cheaper. heartache if my PBT get shiny.

Ah i see, so that's the difference. I think I would prefer the textured feel of PBT. Since my first (and only) mechanical keyboard came with PBT, already got used to them. Also, wouldnt blank white ABS get dirtier much faster compared to blank PBTs?

well i wont say it dirty, but it gets yellowish after some time if not taken care properly. no idea why it turns yellow tho

can someone tell me what is ABS or PBT keycap?
i cannot find the answer from google = =

this topic is shud b respected wit more mechanical keyboard pic.


i post some of mine.. wont b mine after this week though...lol.. classic SS 7G wit no keycaps MOD. hand rest been taken out as table too small to fit...

PBT vs ABS
here u go,PBT vs ABS keycaps...

cool, thanks for the link

Also, if I'm not mistaken PBTs tend to be more expensive than ABS.

double price

Hmm textured feel o.o, my old kb also have the feeling, but currently in love with the smooth surface

7G deserved better keycaps, go get some KBC PBT 104

i have white pbt keycaps here so i just some tried on the keycap, the key texture is good and smooth(abit more slippery feel if compare to ABS plastic).

Search PBT keycap or Polybutylene terephthalate .

PBT is resistant to solvents, shrinks very little during forming, is mechanically strong, heat-resistant up to 150°C (or 200°C with glass-fibre reinforcement) and can be treated with flame retardants to make it noncombustible. (Taken from Wiki)

they need UV protection i think, since what i read from moogle chat with those people in vr-zone.



This post has been edited by Cyclonechuah: May 15 2011, 07:02 PM

lol...wanna sell off d..

lol... not interested wit blue switches...

oddly enough, the geekhack bulk order; signature plastic said PBT and ABS is the same price .... hm....

so my keychain i got the pbt version.


for the keycaps however, i got the abs. Pbt would be nicer, but sadly the keycap molds they had were for abs or some other reason i forgot what exactly.

My SteelSeries 7G on loan to a friend of mine. Wont say I'll miss it.

hmmm... double shot caps with pbt?
pbt caps on my PLU has some sort of coating on the lettering, more durable i guess?

oh yeah. now i remember. the reason we didnt get the pbt version for caps was because double shots are not supported for pbt.

pbt dye sublimated is supporter but is 4 times the price compared to abs double shots.


at home i got 2 different sets of keycaps. one is abs double shots; and the other is dye sublimated pbt keycaps.


abs double shot
Pros: very high contrast, doesn't wear
Cons: abs material will yellow faster than pbt. can suffer from shine eventually after some usage.


dye sublimated
Pros: high contrast, but slightly lower compared to double shots. pbt doesn't shine or yellow as much as abs, thus they are much better preserved over a long period of time.
Cons: dye subs have good contrast if its black on white caps and vice versa, however if its dark with slightly darker colors like Topre keyboard keycaps; the contrast isn't as good. pbt may be more susceptible to yellowing under direct sunlight and UV; so be sure to put it in a shady place which shouldn't be a problem as people have their gear indoors anyway.

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: May 16 2011, 12:12 AM

they are most like UV coating against sunlight. yes, and more durable.

has the filco ninjas landed?