ABS keycaps: do smooth tops feel better?

[msiegel]

Hi :) I've noticed many complaints (including my own) that ABS keycaps feel clammy, compared to PBT.

But I think I've only tried textured ABS keycaps! Do smooth ones feel different (better)?

[Stabilized]

Nope, they feel much worse (in my opinion). I bought some really shiny Cherry DS for my Novatouch and your fingers kind of slide off, and sometimes feel like they stick slightly.
Just comparing my GMK (ABS) to my Gaterons (PBT), I actually prefer the feel of the GMKs.

[andrewjoy]

I find shiny PBT worse ( yes it is possible)

[zslane]

I think it comes down to subconscious expectations. If you're expecting the sensation of textured tops, then smooth keycaps will just feel "wrong" to you, and vice versa.

I expect tall sphericals to be smooth and glossy because that's what they were like when I first typed on them in the late 70s and early 80s. A textured spherical just feels odd to me. However, that doesn't mean I don't like the feel of my Granite or Dolch keycaps. It's just that when faced with a high-profile, fully sculpted set of spherical keycaps, I expect them to be smooth and anything else just feels sorta unusual to me.

As in most things in life, YMMV.

[Chyros]

I prefer ABS, but I can see the appeal in PBT. Shiny ABS feels worse, but like many things I feel it's quite overdramatised.

[keycap]

Yeah, shiny PBT is very possible. My 122-key Model M actually has the most key shine out of my whole keyboard collection, and almost all of the keyboards have ABS keycaps.

[fohat]

I expect tall sphericals to be smooth and glossy because that's what they were like when I first typed on them in the late 70s

I hate the greasy feel of shiny ABS. Just plain gross.

[Muirium]

PBT takes a lot of effort to shine. Most of my keyboards have PBT caps, and none of those are thoroughly worn. In fact, they're mostly in great shape. IBM's PBT was on the thin, bland side though, to be honest. I prefer the caps on my NMB (vintage PBT spacebar!) and indeed my Topres.

DSA Granite is a spectacular, rough PBT set if you can get your hands on it. It has a gorgeous feel, if pumice-rough thick-ish PBT is your thing.

As for ABS, it definitely shines up pretty quick. I've worn a few boards just in my own time, let alone the vintage ones. I'd guess ABS is 10-100x faster to shine. Spacebars are the worst: because they shine only where they're touched, asymmetrically! And you can even find them visibly pitted from wear. Blech.

I don't loathe typing on ABS. Many of my best looking caps are that material. But I do give PBT the edge, and custom, multi-coloured dyesub legends are the icing on the cake. I'll take those over single colour, boring typeface doubleshots any day.

[zslane]

And while I share Muirium's affection for Granite and the feel of pumice-terephthalate, my general preferences are the opposite of his. I'll take double-shot ABS over dyesub PBT any day. In fact, if Granite is the only dyesub PBT set I ever invest in, that'll be just fine by me. However, I have a feeling I will have a sizeable collection of SA keycaps in the years to come.

[Muirium]

You're still to discover the joys of putting your own shine on SA. They may look and feel quite glossy when they're new, but the shine doesn't kick in until you've typed on them for a while.



Observe the two tones of grey: aka "the Facetsesame". The alphas are my Round 4 SPH. Very similar colour to Round 5's grey. But in person they're quite easy to tell apart, because of the super reflective finish!

That's a new spacebar, too. So far, my only shiny SA spacebar is blue. But they'll all end up with shiny patches in the end.

[zslane]

You (unsafely) assume that shiny patches bother me...

[msiegel]

I'm very impressed by those Round 4/5!

I wonder, is there a way of making ABS caps shine faster?

unrelated: http://imgur.com/UOXMc6X

[mr_a500]

I'm sure modern keycaps are best textured, but they seem to lose texture much faster than vintage keycaps and then you end up with shiny bits. For vintage sphericals, I have plenty of both, smooth and textured - even different kinds of textured. (fine & "frosty", bumpy, "rubbery" or "normal")

From what I've seen, there are different types of (vintage) ABS and some I prefer smooth, some textured. I like Micro Switch keycaps smooth. Key Tronic is also good smooth. SMK I prefer textured. SKCC ALPS I also prefer textured.

[kbdfr]

I wonder how you guys can even feel whether a cap is smooth or textured.
Do you rest your fingers on them?
I just hit the caps with the very tips of my fingers (at a 90° angle - I learnt typing on a heavy mechanical typewriter),
and at normal typing speed I can recognize whether caps are flat, cylindrical or spherical,
but certainly not their superficial texture.

This being said,

[…] I love shiny keycaps and the wonderful contrast they provide. […]

[meow a cat]

I prefer well-worn, shiny ABS over PBT, and shiny ABS over new and textured ABS. It just feels like home.

PBT is good though, I'd just rather have a well-worn GMK set. Also, complicated dye-subbing with lots of extra legends is beautiful.

[Muirium]

Indeed they are!


http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/novat ... t8488.html

I wonder how you guys can even feel whether a cap is smooth or textured.
Do you rest your fingers on them?

Nope! But I do tend to touch them when, you know, pressing keys.

I just hit the caps with the very tips of my fingers (at a 90° angle - I learnt typing on a heavy mechanical typewriter)

Ah, that's a major difference in our styles. I "hover" as well — no resting hands on the keyboard — but I come in from a much lower angle, more like 30º, and make contact with the caps with more of my "prime touch sensing real estate", so to speak.

Funnily enough, I also learned to type on a mechanical typewriter. (My mum's, from the 1960s.) But I got onto computers soon after that, and laptops in particular aren't the least bit "poke" friendly!

[richfiles]

I can't stop touching my shiny keys!

I can see I'm a right hand space bar user, though I still use the left hand just enough to leave a mark. My most heavily used key appears to be T, and to my surprise, I and O are more worn than E. I apparently have entered my own name enough for the keys to show shine, and apparently rest my finger on U enough to give it more shine than A, as I find I shift my whole arm a row up to type it, as every key in my last name resides in the top alpha row, and only three letters of my first are not top row. How interesting. A literally personalized keyboard!

I suspect when my Danger Zone keys show next year, I'll begin the hard work of "personalizing" their surfaces too!

[Muirium]

The A key is always the first to go for me. Which gives away the fact I'm not a by-the-book touch-typist. I hit that key with all four fingers, depending where my hand is when I need it!

[kbdfr]

[…] I hit that key with all four fingers, depending where my hand is when I need it!

[Muirium]

No. Too steep. I said 30º damn it!