Thoughts on NovelKeys PBT keycaps

I have three sets of NovelKeys Cherry profile keycaps that I’ve been using. I have the PBoW, Olivia, and Milkshake sets and have used the Olivia set the most. They clearly use the same molds between sets and then use a dye-sublimation process to print on them. It’s been interesting to use them for a while and to test them out for how they sound, feel, and look.

Firstly, the printing is uniform and even. They are crisp and well-defined and I don’t have any printing errors on any of my sets. The colors are also even and uniform across the keycaps. Small details in the legends are sharp and easily seen. I have the APL Olivia set with the pink sub-legends and those are all printed with the same quality as I see in the main legends. The unique shapes are well-designed and clear. All the colors are consistent between keycaps as well and match each other. As uniformity is so crucial to making good keycap sets, I am pleased with the uniformity of all these sets. Uniformity and a set level of quality were clearly goals they set out when producing these and I think they have that down very well.

For their construction, they are single-shot PBT keycaps. For solid colors that are lighter than the legend, they are solid of that color with the print sublimated into them. For solid colors that are darker than the legend, the caps are produced in the color of the color of the legend then the rest of the cap is colored via five-sided dye-sublimation, such as the black caps of the Olivia set. Those are made of the pink plastic then most of the cap is covered with black dye aside from the legends. This is typical of PBT dye-sublimated keycap sets and is done well. The caps themselves vary in wall thickness depending on which side you measure and which row the cap is from but from what I observed, the rear wall making the top side of the keycap is thickest at between 1.2-1.3mm while the other sides tend to range between 1.0-1.1mm thick. That makes these keycaps thinner than many double-shot keycap sets but on par with other PBT dye-sublimated Cherry profile keycap sets.

I find the texture they use to be pleasant to type on and to feel. They’re more textured than, say, Keychron’s double-shot PBT Cherry profile keycap set I have but less textured than GMK or my MT3 keycap sets are when they are new. Obviously, as the NovelKeys sets are PBT they won’t smooth and shine like GMK or MT3 double-shot ABS sets which means they will retain this texture for far longer. I find the texture a good balance of smooth while retaining a roughness necessary to feel grippier to my fingertips. I only have a few keycap sets that I don’t enjoy their texture and I’m happy to say NovelKeys’ texturing is part of the sets that I rather enjoy.

To the keycap sound, the thinner walls mean they don’t have quite the resonance of thicker caps. However, they still can be paired with the right kind of switches (such as full POM switches for instance) to bring out deeper resonance or go with something like Gateron Ink switches for a higher pitch sound that is far more clacky than thocky. It’s not my favorite sound when paired with my Ink Red switches on my Keychron Q7. It really emphasizes the aluminum case and the switches themselves as there’s just not as much resonance going on. The spacebar is better but the home row keycaps in particular, with them being shortest profile and least resonance, are the most clacky. Higher profile rows, like the number key row, go back to the more thocky sound that I have come to love. So, if you’re looking for that you’ll want to keep in mind what switches you are using more than with higher profile caps that let you experiment a bit more and are able to compensate for more housing types for switches.

My one complaint for these keycaps is their stems. The stems are well-made and uniform but they are ever so slightly tight on most of my switches. In particular, they are quite tight with NovelKeys’ own Silk switches that I’ve paired with them before. I find that particularly odd that they pair so tightly together. They were quite prone to pulling switches when I would remove the keycaps. I haven’t noticed any cracking or breaking from any of the caps but I’ll keep an eye out for it as time goes on. I don’t think it will be an issue, however I do think extra care should be given when using these keycaps on switches that they are tightly affixed to. I’ve not had other sets bind so much so this is a bit of a new experience for me and I am being more careful handling them.

Overall, I think these various NovelKeys Cherry profile sets are great for a quality set at frequent availability and a reasonable price. They’re especially nice in that they provide basic ISO support as well, something that is frequently missing in other budget-friendly keycap options. I think they’re especially tantalizing when they go on sale, such as the recent one that dropped some sets to $50 each. At that price they are an excellent deal for what you are getting. I think they’re also a great option for people that like some of the GMK designs, such as Olivia, but don’t like ABS keycaps. This is a good option that is still an official set and not a knockoff like most of the “Olivia” sets that are on Amazon for instance. They also have them in some unique sets such as their various Star Wars sets that are also a great deal for an official set. Most of the previous Star Wars keycap sets were nearly triple the price and if you’re a fan of mechanical keyboards and Star Wars having themed sets for under $100 is far easier to manage than a set for $250. For that, I really appreciate NovelKeys working together with these companies to produce quality sets for movies, television shows, GMK sets, and even their own unique designs. They have a quality option that I feel comfortable recommending to other people for their keyboards.