There's been a lot of buzz online about a photo titled "Things Young People Can Never Touch," which includes items like mechanical keyboards and keycaps. Before I ever touched a mechanical keyboard, I couldn't imagine spending hundreds of dollars on one. But now, with so many high-quality mechanical keyboards available at reasonable prices, I find the value to be quite good. When I first started using a mechanical keyboard, someone suggested a 400 yuan sublimation keycap and a 200 yuan personalized one. At the time, I thought, "This costs more than the keyboard itself—how could I afford this?" But over time, I learned that there are premium keycaps from brands like GMK, SA, and JT, some of which are priceless or uniquely crafted. I ended up stepping into a "luxury" market I never thought I'd enter, yet I found it hard to part with them once I had them.
My first non-original keycap was a holo violet set. I bought it for a secondhand keyboard that had backlighting. The violet color was opaque, so I grabbed a set of 30 white PBT keycaps. Later, I realized these were actually ABS two-color keycaps, and I've been using them ever since.
I later switched to a Taihao ABS two-color cheese green set, which is a classic choice among keyboard enthusiasts.
Currently, I'm using a set of red police keycaps I received as a free gift from a friend.
Today, many mechanical keyboard keycaps are made of ABS-coated laser-printed materials. From a tactile perspective, ABS keycaps of similar price points are often more comfortable than PBT. However, they have a downside: their resistance to oiling is weaker. Some users, especially those who type a lot, may notice oil buildup in just a few days. In the domestic market, having PBT keycaps has become a selling point, and their durability definitely outperforms ABS. Because of this, there's a joke among keyboard enthusiasts: "PBT keycaps are the favorite of the poor silk." Ultimately, what you prefer depends on your habits and personal taste.
Reasons to Purchase
I still have confidence in the quality of Tokio's keycaps. Although they take time to break in, they show only slight oiling, and the ABS two-color process doesn’t look as greasy as coated ones. This time, I bought two sets mainly because of a big discount—the price was almost half of the usual rate, even cheaper than what I used to pay for second-hand ones. So I immediately got one set of PBT two-color hornet color and another of ABS two-color retro DOLCH. For the PBT keycap, I hesitated between Miami and Bumblebee, but eventually chose Hornet because it looked more timeless. For the ABS, I initially wanted raindrops, but after seeing other combinations (Red Alert, cheese green), I went with the retro DOLCH. I’m not sure why, but maybe that’s just the “eye margin†everyone talks about.
Two-color molding involves using molds to combine two different colors of plastic to create the font. The advantage is that the font looks vibrant, is durable, and doesn’t fade easily. If the manufacturing is good, the tactile feel can be excellent. The downside is that it's difficult to make complex text, the color options are limited, and the production cost is higher.
PBT Bumblebee Color Key Cap
It was surprising to learn that Phoor's PBT keycaps come in cardboard boxes, along with a complimentary 3800 keyboard.
There are 105 keycaps in total, divided into two layers.
This is the one that comes out. It's a silicone number 7.
The key puller comes in two types: a metallic copper plastic puller and a wire puller. Plastic pullers are easier to use but can damage the sides of the keycap, making it harder to reach tight spots like ESC. Wire pullers are better, and for high-end keycaps, steel pullers are recommended.
The complimentary 3800 keyboard enhancements include less common specifications.
The graininess of PBT keycaps is quite noticeable. Back in the day, people would judge whether a keycap was PBT based on its texture. However, some PBT keycaps are well-crafted, with a smooth surface that resembles ABS. Meanwhile, some ABS keycaps add particles to the surface to increase wear resistance.
The back of the keycap shows that it’s made using a two-color injection molding process. The material is directly PBT, which makes it harder and stiffer. Removing it feels a bit tight. Some manufacturers have improved their processes, using materials like PC or ABS, which make installation smoother. Also, the large return key support foot is unusually long. I’m not sure why—it might be for user customization. I hope someone can clarify this for me.
There’s an injection port on the side wall of the keycap, and the finish is okay, not too obvious.
The appearance of the keyboard, the color I like the most is more bearable. This is a keycap produced by Taihao a few years ago. At the time, the characters were completely closed, and it was quite a powerful technology. You can look at some domestic brand keyboards; their keycaps usually don’t have closed characters because the technical requirements are lower, the cost is cheaper, and the production speed is faster.
ABS Two-Color Retro DOLCH Color Key Cap
ABS two-color packaging is simpler, just a hard plastic box, and I’ve always thought it was neat. However, no matter the packaging, it clearly states "MADE IN TAIWAN." In the peripheral community, it's commonly believed that Taiwan's quality control is better than mainland China. I won't judge that, but at least Taiwanese production adds more transportation and tariff costs.
ABS two-color keycaps also include capital letters. I used to have them before, but this is the first time I've seen the new packaging from Taihao.
Taihao’s ABS two-color keycaps have some sanding treatment on the surface, but the graininess isn't as strong as PBT keycaps, and the feel is more delicate.
Looking at the injection port on the back and side of the keycap, I guess it uses the same mold but with different materials. However, when installed, the ABS two-color keycap feels much smoother than PBT.
The appearance of the keyboard, in fact, this retro keycap is also more suitable for dark-colored keyboards, such as black or dark blue. Most importantly, it looks great and is unlikely to cause aesthetic fatigue.
My four ABS two-color keycap collection from Taihao, from left to right: retro DOLCH, red police, violet, and cheese green.
silicone key cap
I bought these few silicone key caps just for fun. They’re affordable, and sometimes when I play CS:GO, the WASD feedback is clearer.
They're half-height, unlike the standard ones. Fortunately, the feel is still good.
The recognition is still pretty high. It feels more like e-sports, ha ha. But I think this kind of keycap is just a toy, not really practical.
In summary,
Simply put, the two-color keycaps in the country are reasonably priced and offer good value, especially during special promotions. However, some color variants are already sold out. Additionally, the closed-character design remains relatively popular. Choosing between ABS and PBT depends on personal preferences. The drawbacks for perfectionists might include visible injection ports and the slightly tighter fit of PBT keycaps, making installation a bit more challenging. High-end ABS keycaps are expensive, and it's hard not to be tempted by the good deals on keycaps. Still, it's important to buy according to your budget and needs.
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