Favorite source for keycaps?
-
zslane
- Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Main keyboard: RealForce RGB
- Main mouse: Basic Microsoft USB mouse
- Favorite switch: Topre
- DT Pro Member: -
Hmm. Smooth PBTs in SA profile with dual-color legends via tripleshot printing would seem like the holy grail of keycaps, at least for us SA/DSA-ophiles. Especially if available for both Cherry MX and Topre switches. In the hands of designers with taste...
-
Muirium
- µ
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Main keyboard: HHKB Type-S with Bluetooth by Hasu
- Main mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Favorite switch: Gotta Try 'Em All
- DT Pro Member: µ
No way. Beamspring caps feel ABS to me, and the white ones definitely yellow. I've a smiley Ü key on my 3276 that's smug to have a tan his brothers don't. Cheeky wee git that he is! The spacebars are very prone to shine, as well.Parak wrote: ↑AFAIK Beam springs used PBT, as I recall testing with some acetone a while back. Which would mean that IBM was doing PBT giant spacebars and tripleshots long before complaining about the inability to do them was (not) cool.Muirium wrote: ↑Aye. IBM's best caps were the glorious tall ABS doubleshots they put on beamsprings. So toothy! They knew how to do a good dyesub when they moved to PBT with buckling spring
If acetone really doesn't smear them, I'd say they may be coated in something tough. But I really doubt it.
-
Eszett
- Location: Germany
- Main keyboard: Filco Majestouch 2 TKL DE MX blue
- Main mouse: Logitech MX Master 2S
- DT Pro Member: -
Hm, ok, then I would not engage any further. Good communication is one of the essential criterias I check first before doing business and trusting someone.sethk wrote: ↑Not sure he hasn't replied to any of my messages yetEszett wrote:@sethk Can he dyesub customer-defined legends, too?
-
zslane
- Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Main keyboard: RealForce RGB
- Main mouse: Basic Microsoft USB mouse
- Favorite switch: Topre
- DT Pro Member: -
So I've figured out that "R5" is shorthand around here for keycaps purchased through the Round 5 group buy. Aside from "repair" sets for the previous Round 4 "Spherical" set, Round 5 appears to consist of four color combinations. Was it common for participants to buy all four?
In Muirium's video comparing RF-HHKB-CM, he refers to the CMs as having Round 5 caps, except that one of them has a full set of bright blue modifiers, which weren't part of Round 5. Were those from Round 4?
(I really am bummed out that I discovered this whole mechanical keyboard thing so late...I'm at least two years too late to the game, having missed out on five rounds of amazing designs, especially seeing as I'm hooked on the SA profile.
)
In Muirium's video comparing RF-HHKB-CM, he refers to the CMs as having Round 5 caps, except that one of them has a full set of bright blue modifiers, which weren't part of Round 5. Were those from Round 4?
(I really am bummed out that I discovered this whole mechanical keyboard thing so late...I'm at least two years too late to the game, having missed out on five rounds of amazing designs, especially seeing as I'm hooked on the SA profile.
)-
Muirium
- µ
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Main keyboard: HHKB Type-S with Bluetooth by Hasu
- Main mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Favorite switch: Gotta Try 'Em All
- DT Pro Member: µ
Actually, I'd say your timing is pretty good. Round 5a is yet to come:
http://deskthority.net/wiki/Round_5a
You're right about the blue mods I have on one of the NovaTouches. Those are from "Round 4 SPH", Round 5's direct predecessor. Round 4 was pretty crazy, offering more than one profile plus several colourways. It was 7bit's first run, I think, and he learned a lot. None of the previous rounds were for SA caps, so I understand. And Round 5a pretty much encompasses both Rounds 4 SPH and 5 along with some creamy additions.
One thing to bear in mind with 7bit: his group buys take years. He constantly bullshits everyone with "rolling deadlines" which are merely fake reminders to get people to pay up ahead of time. Round 5 started in autumn 2013, I ordered right at the start (order #0005) and my caps arrived summer 2015! Round 5a should ship next year, I reckon.
http://deskthority.net/wiki/Round_5a
You're right about the blue mods I have on one of the NovaTouches. Those are from "Round 4 SPH", Round 5's direct predecessor. Round 4 was pretty crazy, offering more than one profile plus several colourways. It was 7bit's first run, I think, and he learned a lot. None of the previous rounds were for SA caps, so I understand. And Round 5a pretty much encompasses both Rounds 4 SPH and 5 along with some creamy additions.
One thing to bear in mind with 7bit: his group buys take years. He constantly bullshits everyone with "rolling deadlines" which are merely fake reminders to get people to pay up ahead of time. Round 5 started in autumn 2013, I ordered right at the start (order #0005) and my caps arrived summer 2015! Round 5a should ship next year, I reckon.
-
zslane
- Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Main keyboard: RealForce RGB
- Main mouse: Basic Microsoft USB mouse
- Favorite switch: Topre
- DT Pro Member: -
Yeah, I realize my Round 5a Space Cadets are a long way away from my grubby paws. Something to look forward to (that's how I console my impatient self).
Still, I can't help but think that had I gotten into this back during Round 4 and 5, I'd have some lovely SAs already.
But I remain curious: was it common for participants to buy numerous Round 4/5 sets (in order to have lots of colors on hand)?
For some reason, my brain looked at those sets and thought, "Oh, there's the one (color pair) I would have ordered," never really considering the thought of getting them all...
Still, I can't help but think that had I gotten into this back during Round 4 and 5, I'd have some lovely SAs already.
But I remain curious: was it common for participants to buy numerous Round 4/5 sets (in order to have lots of colors on hand)?
For some reason, my brain looked at those sets and thought, "Oh, there's the one (color pair) I would have ordered," never really considering the thought of getting them all...
-
Muirium
- µ
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Main keyboard: HHKB Type-S with Bluetooth by Hasu
- Main mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Favorite switch: Gotta Try 'Em All
- DT Pro Member: µ
History time!
I was actually too late to order in Round 4. So I was in the same position as you, two years ago, seeing lots of tasty pictures and cursing my luck. Until Matteo listed his SPH set for sale:
http://deskthority.net/f-o-r-s-a-l-e-f5 ... t6382.html
Until a month or so ago they were the only SA caps I had. I knew I liked the profile a lot, and needed it in full row sculpting rather than flat row 3 or anything like that. So Round 5 was a natural winner, especially as 7bit chose to run it based on my Honeywell keyboard and let me match the colours:
http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/a-hon ... t6296.html
http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/round ... t6787.html
At first, I had the classic colour combo in mind. But here's where 7bit's style of GBs really works: I was in that thread for years! Your plans tend to grow in that time. Mine certainly did. And what started out as a GB for only one colour combination grew to take in red alphas, then greys and blacks, and so did my order. I'm sure most people didn't go as overboard as I did. But 7bit made it easy to overshoot. So here I am with the whole Pokedex!
Hmm. I'd long planned to sell some of these once they'd arrived and I picked my favourites. I should really get on with that…
I was actually too late to order in Round 4. So I was in the same position as you, two years ago, seeing lots of tasty pictures and cursing my luck. Until Matteo listed his SPH set for sale:
http://deskthority.net/f-o-r-s-a-l-e-f5 ... t6382.html
Until a month or so ago they were the only SA caps I had. I knew I liked the profile a lot, and needed it in full row sculpting rather than flat row 3 or anything like that. So Round 5 was a natural winner, especially as 7bit chose to run it based on my Honeywell keyboard and let me match the colours:
http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/a-hon ... t6296.html
http://deskthority.net/photos-f62/round ... t6787.html
At first, I had the classic colour combo in mind. But here's where 7bit's style of GBs really works: I was in that thread for years! Your plans tend to grow in that time. Mine certainly did. And what started out as a GB for only one colour combination grew to take in red alphas, then greys and blacks, and so did my order. I'm sure most people didn't go as overboard as I did. But 7bit made it easy to overshoot. So here I am with the whole Pokedex!
Hmm. I'd long planned to sell some of these once they'd arrived and I picked my favourites. I should really get on with that…
-
zslane
- Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Main keyboard: RealForce RGB
- Main mouse: Basic Microsoft USB mouse
- Favorite switch: Topre
- DT Pro Member: -
Ah, so that's what HONEY/HONEYB refers to...
And why am I not surprised to find you, Muirium, are the instigator of that set?
I'd like to point out, as you did in that past forum post, that terminal keycaps of that era were pretty glossy. Glossy no longer seems to be in vogue today, and so it seems impossible to get glossy SAs except by harvesting vintage keyboards (and even after all that expense and effort, you still don't have modifiers of the right size for an ANSI layout). Signature Plastics lists SA profile keycaps in gloss finish, but not in enough sizes to fill out a contemporary ANSI layout, and so nobody is about to design a group buy around them...
I'm also curious about the Signature Plastics colors. Their rep told me they don't know the CMYK values for their color chips, but I think that's a lie. Do you, by any chance, happen to know the CMYK values for that SPH blue (a close approximation would be good enough, I think)?
And why am I not surprised to find you, Muirium, are the instigator of that set?
I'd like to point out, as you did in that past forum post, that terminal keycaps of that era were pretty glossy. Glossy no longer seems to be in vogue today, and so it seems impossible to get glossy SAs except by harvesting vintage keyboards (and even after all that expense and effort, you still don't have modifiers of the right size for an ANSI layout). Signature Plastics lists SA profile keycaps in gloss finish, but not in enough sizes to fill out a contemporary ANSI layout, and so nobody is about to design a group buy around them...
I'm also curious about the Signature Plastics colors. Their rep told me they don't know the CMYK values for their color chips, but I think that's a lie. Do you, by any chance, happen to know the CMYK values for that SPH blue (a close approximation would be good enough, I think)?
-
zslane
- Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Main keyboard: RealForce RGB
- Main mouse: Basic Microsoft USB mouse
- Favorite switch: Topre
- DT Pro Member: -
D**n you, Muirium. Now I am seriously contemplating getting full R5a sets (including numpad keys, of course) in all the colors just so I can mix and match to my heart's content. Would have to take out a second mortgage first though...
-
klikkyklik
- Location: America
- Main keyboard: Northgate Omni Key/102 w/Blue Alps
- Favorite switch: Blue Alps
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
I'm tellin' ya, that guy is a bad influence!zslane wrote: ↑D**n you, Muirium. Now I am seriously contemplating getting full R5a sets (including numpad keys, of course) in all the colors just so I can mix and match to my heart's content. Would have to take out a second mortgage first though...
