deskthority

Are there different levels of quality when it comes to PBT keycaps?

I've been led to believe that PBT keycaps won't yellow and are way more durable that ABS keycaps.

Back in August I bought a Keychron K8 Pro keyboard, which came with OSA profile PBT keycaps according to the website.

Well, 2 months into owning the keyboard, it reminded what a bad typist I am by having the backspace key get a nice shine on it.

So, what's deal with the shine on a PBT keycap after only 2 months of typing? I have ABS keycaps that didn't shine up this fast.

In my experience, PBT keycaps too get shiny, but just take longer than ABS.

In some PBT keycap sets, the space bar (and the space bar only) is actually ABS because it is more difficult to mould longer keys in PBT than in ABS. But I thought that applied mostly to vintage keyboards — and that new PBT sets use to be manufactured with better standards.

If you want to test if a keycaps is PBT or ABS:
- pull the keycap
- dip a q-tip in acetone or nail-polish remover. (and don't spill anywhere!)
- rub the q-tip on the inside of the keycap in a place where nobody sees, where it does not matter.
If the plastic smears, it is ABS; if the acetone just evaporates cleanly without leaving any sort of mark, it is PBT.

Just seems odd it got shiny so fast.

I have model Ms from the 80s who's keycaps look perfect.,

Sounds like they hoodwinked you. I shine ABS nightmarishly fast, and yet the PBT caps on my primary keyboard are only showing a gentle shine now after the best part of a decade and many millions of words typed.

Every other PBT keyboard I have is still to begin to shine. It really is at least an order of magnitude difference in wear rate between ABS and PBT.

In my experience it really depends between different types of keycaps.
The ones on my IBM keyboards still have their texture, even after 38 years in the case of my Model F.
But, the keycaps on my Apple Extended Keyboard (which I'm actually typing this on) are almost completely smooth.
I still don't have any shined or yellowed PBT caps, but they definitely vary in how they wear.

Weren't AEK caps manufactured with a smooth finish in the first place? I've never noticed texture on them as I remember.

The good thing about dyesub is that as it's PBT exclusive, dyesub caps only wear very slowly. The sublimation dye isn't as deep as doubleshot legends, but it does penetrate the surface plenty enough that I've never seen dyesub caps with the legends visibly worn. Even doubleshots can "bloom" with extreme ABS wear, as the underlying infill is exposed when enough surface plastic is worn off.

Muirium wrote: ↑

21 Mar 2023, 11:47

Weren't AEK caps manufactured with a smooth finish in the first place? I've never noticed texture on them as I remember.

I've also got a couple of M0116 and M0118s. Some caps are smooth like the AEK, others have texture.
The texture is very fine, but it is there. Definitely not like IBM caps. I presume the AEK caps would've been the same originally.

I've still a couple of AEK IIs somewhere. One much more used than the other which is more or less still NIB. I'll scrutinise their caps in detail sometime.

Unlike yellowing, which can mash a whole board, wear accumulates differently on every key. You can usually spot several stages of its progress on any given keyboard.

What confuses me is they Keychron PBT keycaps are shining after just 2 months of use. I guarantee you that the Model Ms I own were used more than 2 months. My Matias Tactile Pro I've used for a few years. I have 2 AEK IIs. I believe those keycaps are PBT.

It could be that Keychron is lying.

I posted about this on reddit and some people think they're using pbt blended with ABS. Someone else suggested that perhaps they're ABS keycaps that are PBT coated.

It's not the end of the world.

Do the acetone test and verify what they are for yourself.

PBT absolutely does NOT wear like that.

I guess I'm going to buy some nail polish remover.

apastuszak wrote: ↑

23 Mar 2023, 14:45

buy some nail polish remover.

A liter of acetone at the hardware store costs about the same as a couple of ounces of nail polish remover in the cosmetic section, and it is the same thing.

Sure, but when are you going to use the other 999.9 ml? How big is your salon?

Muirium wrote: ↑

23 Mar 2023, 16:53

when are you going to use the other

It is an excellent cleaner when the usual stuff can't cut the mustard. Just be careful because it can damage paint and plastic.

https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/10-un ... ome-578723