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Keycap Manufacturer Review

It's been more than 2 years since I got into the mechanical keyboard hobby. Not surprisingly I've used keycap sets from different manufacturers. Here's a brief, non-comprehensive review.

GMK

GMK manufactures ABS double-shot keycap sets in Cherry profile.

Pros:

  • Quality is top-notch, e.g. the best selection of accurate colors.
  • Double-shot means legends will never fade.

Cons:

  • It often tend to be pricier than other options.
  • For group buys, turnaround time is very long (often more than 6 months).
  • ABS plastic will shine over the time (from my experience the shine can be noticeable with weeks of use).
  • GMK key trays always suck and become even worse with their recent switch to paper trays.

Verdict: GMK simply means the best quality and you cannot go wrong with it. However the ABS shine, the higher pricing and longer turnaround time have slowly turned me into a GMK set collector instead of user.

EnjoyPBT (ePBT)

EnjoyPBT manufactures PBT dye-sub keycap sets in Cherry profile.

Pros:

  • PBT plastic doesn't shine (at least far better than ABS).
  • Dye-sub will never fade too and offers better flexibility with legend design.
  • Cheaper than GMK sets.

Cons:

  • PBT plastic is harder to work with and space bar warp is a common problem.
  • Dye-sub legends are not as crisp as double-shot ones.
  • Quality control is subpar:
    • Example 1: in one set some caps produce high-pitched noise if fully inserted.
    • Example 2: in another set the cross sections of 2.25U and 2.75U space bars are too wide to fit Durock stabilier (not an issue with other options).

Verdit: I have bought 2 ePBT sets so far. I had issues with both of them. Although it's cheaprer I would definitely avoid this manufacturer in the future.

KeyCreative

KeyCreative manufactures ABS keycaps too but they are most famous for their own KAT/KAM profiles in dye-sub PBT. Here we focus on KAT.

Pros:

  • In terms of height, KAT is the middle ground between Cherry and SA which offers great balance.
  • Cheaper than GMK per key.
  • KAT is extra thick which offers arguably better acoustics.
  • Superb flexibility in terms of kit options since MOQ is based on number of keys instead of number of kits.
    • For example, KAT Explosion offers 22 kits (in comparison, a typical GMK set offers 2-5 kits).
  • Dye-sub doesn't fade.

Cons:

  • KAT is relatively new so there's still quality concern (e.g. no reverse dyb-sub sets have been verified by buyers). This is especially true after they decided to switch to double-shot PBT without informing vendors first.
  • Most custom cases are designed with Cherry profile in mind so there can be compatibility issues since KAT is thick.
    • Example: When I paired KAT Milkshake with Tofu 60 case, the keys in 4 corners scratch the case and sometimes get stuck and don't bounce back.
  • The turnaround time is abysmal: I have multiple sets still in manufacturing phase after >1 year of wait.

Verdict: I only have 1 KAT set so far. After trying it for some time I don't think I like this profile. Considering the super long GB timeline I will avoid KAT sets in the future.

Infinikey (IFK)

Infinikey manufactures PBT dye-sub keycap sets in Cherry profile. Among with NicePBT, it's also a cheaper option compared to GMK. So far this manu seems to have exclusively deal with TheKeyCompany.

Pros:

  • Quality is decent considering the lower pricing.
  • Track record of (comparatively) faster delivery.
  • Often comes in one unified set so no need to think about which kits to buy.
  • The Infinikey key tray may be the best at the moment and far superior to GMK paper trays.

Cons:

Verdict: Despite the minor issues I think Infinikey sets are great for the price.