After sound modding my Keychron Q2, I decided that it is time for me to change its original keycaps too.
I did quite of a research trying to find which keycap profile has the deepest scoop, but I can’t reach a definite conclusion. Is Mt3 or MG the keycaps with the deepest scoop? To be honest, I gravitate towards MG because of their looks, but I type for a living, so I would like to get the keys that best suit my needs, rather than those that look better on my keyboard.
Does anyone have experience with these two profiles? Also, is there another profile that I should consider too?
P.S.: I live in Europe, so it would be a bonus if the keycaps you suggest can be sourced easily and cheaply.
I think MG, or AFSA for that matter, have the bigger scoop. AFSA you can get plenty off Aliexpress.
Personally, I use AFSA daily on one of my keyboards. I have an MT3 set, but did not like it at all because of lack of inclination on the top row and more reasons.
When I rest my fingers on the keys then MT3 feels the deepest, because it’s got a tiny keytop so the slope down to the bottom is pretty steep.
MG is probably about as deep, but it has a larger keytop so feels less deep.
I think if you have a very good typing style then you will like MT3 and it will feel like every key is a little cup for your fingertips.
But if you have a poorer style, like me, you’ll find the MT3 keytop too small and the sculpt too extreme - when I’m typing on MT3 all I feel is the edges cutting into my fingers.
MG has a cheaper sibling AFSA (or Aifei SA) which has an identical keytop and sculpt, but is a couple of mm shorter. These are all over AliExpress and Amazon for very cheap, and would be my choice.
What layout are you using? Most kits supports US Ansi out of the box. MG seems to only have ISO enter in the MG Salon kit, AFSA on the other hand has UK ISO support I think. If you need a international kit I think MT3 is the only one to have it
I can’t really tell much about my typing style. I type for a living, but I am not sure if my style is great or less great. I know I could definitely benefit from some proper courses, but it has worked so far, so I didn’t bother.
My main problems with choosing are:
My budget is tight, so I can’t really afford buying both keycaps and using the one that fits me best. Checking their prices on european online shops, they are both in the 120+ Euros region.
I prefer PBT to ABS, but only MT3 comes in PBT and again in a colour scheme that look too bland for me.
I really love the IBM Selectric type of keycaps, so I was looking for something similar both in style and in colour.
Ah, and I am using a US Ansi setup, but from what I 've seen so far there both MG and MT3 support it.
I am open to suggestions for other keycap styles too. As long as they are spherical/cylindrical and have a deep scoop they are great in my book.
MT3 was inspired by old spherical IBM keycaps, so they might be the most familiar to that experience. The 3277 colorway was also inspired by an old IBM keyboard, but I think they missed the mark on that particular one with the greys being much too light. All this time and WoB is still my fave.
I’m a big fan of MT3 myself but at least in that profile, I do prefer the ABS version for its deeper sound and less dry feel. (ABS MT3 has my favorite spacebar sound in general, especially among the high profiles) I will also say that the PBT version will show surface scratches, or possibly abrasion - my short pinky fingernail has left a small shiny spot on the left shift key. Not as shiny as the spacebar on my ABS ones, but something to know about.
If you aren’t in any hurry, Drop does put MT3 sets on deep sale from time to time. Most common sale price is $80, but I’ve seen them as low as $50 and even $35 once, for an unpopular color.
A bit of side track, do anyone know how JTK HSA scoop is?
The reason I am asking is that mkeu is selling the double kits for €50 so it could be an option for OP if the scoop was deep. I ordered wob/bow but they haven’t shipped yet
HSA does have a spherical scoop, but it’s fairly shallow - comparable to SP SA, I’d say.
I love the shiny look and feel of those caps but they do have some QC issues with the legends. Some sets are better than others. I can overlook wibbly fonts for the price, but I can say the typing experience won’t be much like any retro IBMs thanks to the glossy surface.
Yeah I’m pretty sure JTK literally made half height SP style SA caps for HSA too, so not much scoop there I’d imagine. Although I haven’t tried them myself yet so grain of salt & all that.
I had MT3 Serika with the Homing-row kit, it gave you some extra keys with deeper dish at least, shouldn’t be too hard to find for a reasonable price nowadays on the aftermarket.
Not really in the MX world. Like a Box Jade or Box Navy is the closet you’ll get to selectric. There was a switch called the silo switch someone was working on, which was supposed to be buckling spring feel in MX package, but that never materialized.
I love the MT3 homing row kits. Also available on the MT3 2048 kit (the white one) and it’s in stock at Drop. They did not extend it to the black set and I assume that was to uncomplicate the first dye sub set.
Though, I think Biip left it out of Operator as well so there might not be much of a future for 8-key homing sets. I will have to get a backup 2048 one.
Guys, I feel indebted for your help. Your comments are invaluable and educative.
May I ask if anyone of you has done full time typing work with Box Jade or Box Navy switches? Are they comfortable enough for 8-hours 5/7 job? Would you recommend it or is it a sure way to get tendonitis?
It depends on your hands, really - but I do think those switches are too heavy for extended use for a lot of folks. Some folks want even more.
At this point Kailh makes a lot of Box clicky variants. I haven’t tried them all, but some bullet points:
Thick-bar ones like Jades, Navies, and White Owls provide punchy tactility but do have the real possibility of fatigue
Box Whites and Box Jellyfish have light click-bars; very audible and crisp but not punchy in the feel
Box Pinks and some others like Box Summers are a middle-ground between the big-heavies and lights
Box Mute Jades have a special top that lowers the point of engagement for the click-bar and dampens its return; they also have a modified click-bar that’s shaped to make a bit less noise
Some versions have PC bottoms; these have a more loud and sharp sound, but the click feel is more or less the same
A few use the round-shroud stem instead of the square one; these are good for North-facing keebs thanks to extra clearance (Box Jellyfish clicky version)
Removing the click-bar from any current stock Box clicky will make it linear
All Box switches of both shapes and all generations can house a click-bar, and they can be swapped in and out (and between different switches) with tweezers
Not all Box stems have the foot that plucks the bar, but some switches not otherwise sold as clickies or including the bar do include that foot; these can be converted to clickies by adding a click-bar
Some of these are tactile >.> kind of rare, only example I’ve seen myself is a Box Winter; you can make an extra heavy tactile one with this kind of stem (Kailh, sell these plz - the bars too)
It is really difficult for me to say yes or no to full-time Box Jade use. I’m heavy handed enough and tend to “rest” my fingers on the keys (I can’t use light linears) so I like the extra resistance of the clickbar to keep me from accidental keypresses. Having been a daily user of Box Jades for about 2 years (3-4 hours a day) I love them as far as tactility and the sound go but I think if I had to spend any more time than I currently do typing daily, I would be inclined to go for the Box White or Box Pink. I love the racket of Jades and from what I understand Whites just don’t have the same oomph to their sound, so I’ve been eyeing the Pinks as sort of a compromise but I don’t know if that perspective holds up in the real world.
Echoing what @Deadeye and @huhsh wrote, it’s very subjective as to how heavy is too heavy of a switch. Additionally, I’ve found that “floating” my wrists over the keyboard with the help of some proper height armrests makes a huge difference for how my hands feel after typing all day.
That said, I’ve had no problems with using Box Jades all day (after a couple days to adjust), but have found switches over 72g to be pretty tiring for all day typing. If you are typing non-stop, you may want to go with the lighter switches that @Deadeye suggested above.
A switch tester/sample pack may be helpful for you to find the perfect weight for your switches. Don’t forget to see how that switch weight feels for your weaker fingers.
@Deadeye Thank you for taking the extra time to explain in detail the nature of Kailh switches.
I am currently using lubed Glorious Panda’s at 68g. I had no problem with them so far, and I am wondering if it wise to switch to something heavier and more tactile.
I was looking on the Serika Mt3, but I can’t find them anywhere but in Drop, which is not terrible (I live in EU, so there’s going to be some extra customs’ costs), BUT they do not sell the homing kit. Any ideas where I can get it? Cheers
it to the black set and I assume that was to uncomplicate the first dye sub set.