Great to know that we are typing in the same layout. Cheers for that! Back to the topic, I do believe that any PBT can prevent the shiny surface after months of abuse. The only reason I went for thick PBT is for its surface feel which is supposedly much more superior than non-thick variant. With this being said, it does cost almost twice as much than the non-thick PBT. Sad that the items is still yet to arrive, otherwise I could have posted some pictures here already.

P/S: I don't like the feel of ABS from the moment I touch them. It felt so, well, plastic.

Haha, both also thermoplastics materials. You may called it both plastics.
Good things don't come cheap. At least double the thickness, double the price.

Mine normal pbt still on shipping. Hope to share out the key caps too once received.
I will try normal pbt and see how long will it last before trying to buy imsto.
If last shorter time, may think but some R2 keys to replace if the home rows get shining.
Is that your current occupation involve alot of typing?

Great to hear that you are ordering a set of PBT just as I do. Funny that we are both still waiting for it en route. Lets cross our finger and see whoever ones arrived first. I believed you are purchasing them from Taobao?

Well I'm not a clerk so typing for the whole day is never a case for me. However, I do type often for research paper, note taking and online articles. I'm really aiming to reach that 150 WPM average speed on Dvorak though XD. Still 50% more to go.

So you're either postgrad students or lecturer/prof .
You should set the target to next year. I think you are able to reach that level.
I'm targeting at 120wpm. 3 months reached averagely 70wpm since I started Dvorak. Hopefully end of next year will reach 120wpm.
If you are typing for other languages, preferable you to change to that language Dvorak.

In that case the shipping fee will be reduced greatly ? I think im on it too.

Guys, those who use dvorak layout, how do you guys play game? I agree that QWERTY mostly use my left hand.

games can remap keys mah...if not there's always autokey lol

hope plum will come out an alu case for this LOL
I know this is kind of impossible but if it really comes out, I am sure I will grab 1 as my daily keyboard

3 extra large mousepad from TB arrived

Potato pic

that is really really huge LOL!
how much? link?

http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a230r...&id=19850055955

超大号920*330*3mm

Sold out already I think, it was ¥75

That's not mouse pad but a cup, keyboard, mouse and a pair of hand pad. That's huge!

ABS plastic is very durable against chemicals including oils. I don't think it got corroded at all but got covered a little thick with oils. You just have to wipe it down with rubbing alcohol or make regular wipedowns with soap and water.
The problem with pbt for me is that the lettering have to be darker than the keycap colour so there will be no black keycaps except for blanks.

Alcohol is a no no. I rub my laptop, keyboard, mouse, headphone, laptop keypad with alcohol and they tend to destroy the plastic, depend on the material. Some keyboard casing will be "washed out" after cleaned with alcohol. Use polident to clean keycaps. Or if you lazy to remove the keycaps, just use plain water with clothe to clean the surface.

There's black dual shot pbt with white, blue and even rainbow legend as long vortex font doesn't poke your eyes out.

For thermoset polymeric like the case of keyboard probably you can use the rubbing alcohol.
But abs thermoplastic, definitely no no, will destroy the bonding of polymer.
abs is resist to a little bit corrosion, but definitely shine after a while.
every materials also susceptible to corrosion except gold with inert properties.
Just go ahead with your abs, be preferences of people.

Nope, our ultra acidic sweats from fingers never failed to made ABS keycaps to gone shiny after a few weeks/months of usage. Take a look at those typists/gamers around you, sure few keys on their keyboards are shiny and oily already.

No matter how you wipe it, the texture had already gone. If you are really cheapskate despo adventurous, you can try to use wet sand paper and sand it yourself, though till now, no much ppl actually succeed in creating back a suitable texture with sand paper on worn ABS keycaps.

If ABS is more durable, PBT or POM will not be having positions in market out there already.

Also, nope, PBT didn't really had the "lettering have to be darker than keycaps" rule (or you actually mean to say dye-sub?). Keycool grey pbt having no problem to laser white legends onto it.
https://www.google.com/search?q=keycool+gre...ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ

Somemore, swiss studio manage to dyesub lighter color on pbt keycaps while making the background black.
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=26787264995

In conclusion, PBT can do everything that ABS can do, even the doubleshot (ikbc just succeed to make doubleshot pbt recently), while ABS can't do certain thing such as dyeing, dyesub, better resistant to worn and so on due to their lower melting temperature and durability. Though, I do agree that pitch black pbt is extremely rare or almost extinct out there in the market (thats why there are imsto pitch black thick pbt bulk order ongoing now). But then, since you are looking for printed black keycaps, ikbc fit in your requirements just nice. IKBC do offer white on black doubleshot pbt, and if you are lucky, you may order even other color on black.

p/s: This post made me sounds like ABS hater... I still love ABS plastic, they are perfect for lego and keyboard case. But for things like keycaps, they lack in durability, which made them awkward to be used in long run.

This post has been edited by Human10: Dec 3 2013, 10:21 PM

to get doubleshot PBT only can get from iKBC keyboard?

You get ds pbt separately as well. DS PBT from ikbc (vortex) is around rmb249 iinm.

This post has been edited by hmwgbworld: Dec 3 2013, 10:53 PM

Massdrop last time had group buy on them.

It also start to available separately in taobao already.

Or may be if you dislike the fonts, you can wait for the "coming soon" one by Vortex, which having a better fonts.

ya just checked out can buy it seperately... for rmb249

the coming soon how soon will it be?
cause i've not tried any other keycaps quality other than Ducky's Keycaps... hand itchy