PBT vs ABS which is better

[Txe]

Im new to keycaps and to further customize my board I need to know which one is better

[nox_]

19 minutes ago, Txe said:

Im new to keycaps and to further customize my board I need to know which one is better

PBT, not a hard question to answer. Does your keyboard has lighting/rgb? If it does,make sure the caps are doubleshot.

[Txe]

16 minutes ago, noxdeouroboros said:

PBT, not a hard question to answer. Does your keyboard has lighting/rgb? 

well i am going to add it as it is something you can solder on but can you explain why PBT is better than ABS so i can understand both better?

[nox_]

17 minutes ago, Txe said:

well i am going to add it as it is something you can solder on but can you explain why PBT is better than ABS so i can understand both better?

Can you elaborate on what board you have?Well, ABS most of the time have less quality. They start to shine much, much faster than PBT. They're also more widely produced, which means most of them are thinner/lower quality than most PBT caps. PBT caps are thicker, higher quality, and I like that they most of the time,with some exceptions have a bit of a "grainy" feel to them, not slippery if that makes sense. Just make sure to get double shot ones if you plan to have lighting of some kind. Don't be afraid to buy from Aliexpress, there you can find good quality caps for a great price.

Read this if you like more info: https://mechanicalkeyboardinfo.com/abs-vs-pbt-vs-pom-keycap-plastic/

[Txe]

27 minutes ago, noxdeouroboros said:

Can you elaborate on what board you have?Well, ABS most of the time have less quality. They start to shine much, much faster than PBT. They're also more widely produced, which means most of them are thinner/lower quality than most PBT caps. PBT caps are thicker, higher quality, and I like that they most of the time,with some exceptions have a bit of a "grainy" feel to them, not slippery if that makes sense. Just make sure to get double shot ones if you plan to have lighting of some kind. Don't be afraid to buy from Aliexpress, there you can find good quality caps for a great price.

Read this if you like more info: https://mechanicalkeyboardinfo.com/abs-vs-pbt-vs-pom-keycap-plastic/

Akko 3068 also thanks

[b emoji]

There are 3 main types of keycap materials. ABS, PBT, and POM.

ABS is technically the inferior material as it yellows when exposed to UV, melts at a lower tempreture, and does not retain texture well.

POM is a very dense plastic, denser than even pbt, which allows for a bassy sound, however, it is quite slippery. 

PBT is arguably the best keycap material as it is relatively dense, and retains texture well. Also, POM and PBT won't yellow. 

However, keycap material isn't the end all for keycaps. There are many other factors like profiles and the legend method. 
Traditionally doubleshot injection was only possible with ABS, but now there are many producers of doubleshot pbt, however, these pbt doubleshots use POM for legends, however, some of revered keycap makes like GMK and SP use ABS. Dye sublimation with is also one of the superior methods of printing legends (But is inferior to doubleshot in terms of contrast), is only possible with PBT due to its higher melting temperature. 

[Settlerteo]

16 minutes ago, b emoji said:

PBT for the win.
P.S. PBT are also more expensive.

Couldn't analyze it better. Cheers!!

[MadmanRB]

Well on the flip side if your keyboard uses ABS then there is nothing directly wrong with this unless you spent a large amount of money on said keyboard.

Say if you got a standard membrane keyboard on the cheap and it comes with ABS keycaps... well you get what you paid for.

Same goes for a inexpensive mechanical keyboard, if you only paid say $30 for your mechanical keyboard and it only comes with ABS keycaps again this isnt a big deal.

Thing is that even with PBT there is still no guarantee they will be immune to the issues of ABS, they can still take a shine over time and depending on where they are made PBT doesnt always equal quality.

[b emoji]

32 minutes ago, MadmanRB said:

ABS then there is nothing directly wrong with this unless you spent a large amount of money on said keyboard.

I mean the most expensive keycap sets are all ABS.