AEK keycaps suck.

[abrahamstechnology]

Why does anyone like these? If you look at them they break. One cap broke off during shipping a board (despite being thickly bubble wrapped) another broke off during cleaning and I dropped some on the ground by accident and several more broke.

Of course I could glue them but that means several more might break off for the next person who gets the board.

These caps are stupid. Doubleshot ABS FTW!

[Chyros]

Alps caps are prone to breakage during shipping, this is by no means exclusive to these PBT ones.

That said, doubleshot ABS is still better than dyesub PBT, of course 8) .

[Findecanor]

PBT and ABS are like hardened steel vs. spring steel. PBT is harder, but more brittle and would in some cases crack when ABS would have bent.

I like the look of Apple's unique key profile, and I like PBT because keycaps don't shine in the way that ABS keycals would. If they don't crack, AEK PBT keycaps look practically the same now as the day the keyboard was new, regardless of how much the keyboard has been used.

[samuelcable]

never thought id agree with abraham, but aek caps are bad for many other reasons not including them breaking

[yuchipashe]

AEK caps are meh IMO, but I've never encountered the breaking part so far.

[4sStylZ]

I have 2 AEK 2 and never broke a stem but I have disassembled them often since they are my prototype boards.

The only keycaps that have cause me issue are from a Logickeyboard colored set that I found on a used AEK 2. While removing them I have litteraly explosed two housing switch who where soldered on my board.
Even if I wasn’t in full berserk mode.

[ppCircle]

Well, they are ugly af and unpleasant to touch but i never had chance to broke one

[lhutton]

I almost always prefer PBT keycaps just due durability. Never had an particular gripes with the AEK's outside of the usual Alps steam breakage issues here and there. But those are usually from boards I've found in dumps or recycling centers that have been tossed about. Never broken a cap or steam in regular use.

I've been through a few ABS keycap sets now and they all end up getting slick in a at most a few months of my typical use. Can't stand that slick keycap feeling. Even high end doubleshots get that way fairy quickly in day to day use. But also like the AEKII switches too so I acknowledge I'm a bit weird.

[ZedTheMan]

So, admittedly, I'm a weirdo who used to feel the same way about ABS caps as you, Ihutton. After a certain point I find it almost wraps around back to being good? What I mean is, the sticky slick texture is eventually replaced with a smoother one, at least, with GMK. I thought this would be gross and to be honest I think it would for some people, but it works out well for the keyboard I have a set of them on.

[Muirium]

Strong objection to the thread premise here. AEK caps are freaking sweet. I love their distinctive shape: the curvy chamfers, and the layout too. The function row is stupid, but then every function row is stupid! And dyesubs are the best legends, period. Even when they’re oddball italic vintage Apple.

I can see Zed’s point about ABS shining so hard it turns good. But I haven’t pushed any of my own sets that far yet. My 2003 PowerBook G4 12 inch is just about there, though. Legends wearing, yet still as springy as turn of the century scissor switch can be. Of course, no matter how many millions of keystrokes use, the spacebar is still original texture outside the patch under N and M where I press it. I suspect that would always be the case with any ABS keyboard for me, for as many years I used it. Inconsistent looks are my nightmare! No such worries ever with PBT. Besides, naturally, those wretched ABS spacebars!!

Re: reliability. I’ve had 2 Apple Extended Keyboards and 3 Apple Extended Keyboard IIs. Never a broken cap on any of them. And I’m not especially cautious how I handle them either. Several of the boards were heavily yellowed, too, which didn’t do the caps any harm, besides the already mentioned spacebars of ABS gloom. Love that solar invincibility so much about PBT.

[kshopper2084]

Can't comment on the apparent fragility incidents experienced by the OP, but the durability and feel of the PBT keycaps are far superior IMHO to ABS. ABS shine is terrible.

The 30 year old M0116 caps on my Ergo Pro washed up to as new with dish soap and feel fantastic. Whereas the ABS caps on start to wear out in a few months of use.

[Wazrach]

Can't comment on the apparent fragility incidents experienced by the OP, but the durability and feel of the PBT keycaps are far superior IMHO to ABS. ABS shine is terrible.

The 30 year old M0116 caps on my Ergo Pro washed up to as new with dish soap and feel fantastic. Whereas the ABS caps on start to wear out in a few months of use.

I think it's a matter of preference which you prefer, but I think slick, shiny ABS feels and looks nice.

[CountNoctua]

I think it's a matter of preference which you prefer, but I think slick, shiny ABS feels and looks nice.

I can maybe understand that preference, but the problem with ABS is inconsistent shine.

[Muirium]

Precisely. You'd have to polish the whole spacebar, and all the rest. Maddening!