Legit GMK Striker R2 (number row) vs clones copped on AmazonSubmitted by CatboyMac t3_yfw07z in MechanicalKeyboards
BitIndividual1510 t1_iu5h5m8 wrote
Jesus the sides of those clones are brutal
Ctrl-C-C-C-C t1_iu5jz70 wrote
It looks like it’s just dust and OP has used it for some time.
EDIT: Please read the comments below for proper explanation.
BitIndividual1510 t1_iu5k617 wrote
Nope, that's poor dye-sub on the sides. Dust is also there, but I was referring to the poor dyesub job.
Ctrl-C-C-C-C t1_iu5kqc3 wrote
What is poor about the dye-sub? The colour looks way off, sure. I only notice the sides have very, very minor chips from what I could distinguish from the amount of dust on the side of the keycaps.
EDIT: Please read the comments below for proper explanation.
BitIndividual1510 t1_iu5kuir wrote
I guess you've never seen a reverse dyesub job where the color underneath is coming through because of how thin the reverse dyesub job is, but that is what you are looking at (I have a set next to me with the same issue). It is not dust, but there is also dust on there.
Ctrl-C-C-C-C t1_iu5lsk6 wrote
I see. So it’s the lighter shade of blue on the front-side (facing the camera).
BitIndividual1510 t1_iu5m4he wrote
Yup. Whole keycap is the legend color, then reverse dyesub dyes the darker color on top of that. When it's cheaply done, the lighter color is visible through it, typically on the sides.
I've got a NicePBT Elderberry set with the same issue (pink color coming through dark purple) though it doesn't look quite this bad.
Ctrl-C-C-C-C t1_iu5mspj wrote
That’s why the general rule of thumb is to only purchase lighter colours like white and beige for dye-sub PBT keycaps.
Reverse/5-side dye-sub marketed themselves so well as if it’s the best thing, yet the quality is sub-par most of the time.
Blur_410 t1_iu82dgw wrote
And you met the requirements for a redemption arc.
M0ltz t1_iu8t06n wrote
Milkyway seems to be the only one who has a handle on it. PBT Atmosphere is flawless, outside of the caps being tight. It's the only reverse dyesub I've seen without issue. Maybe I got lucky, dunno, but all the other manus doing reverse dyesub seem to suffer from uneven dying and sloppy legends that aren't even, especially Kat. Kat Cyberspace is an outright embarrassment, hard to believe Kono is still trying to sell them they are so bad. Then again even Cannonkeys isn't above selling bad sets/boards at full price either, which is why the pre-order model is so ridiculous. The shops are all incentivized to hide imperfections once they get stock in to avoid taking losses when manufactures fuck up. Right above you a guy says NicePBT Elderberry is unacceptable. Cannonkeys still out there slinging em. Quality control? Never fucking heard of it.
CatboyMac OP t1_iu5kb5q wrote
It’s a bit dusty, but that gradient was always there. Even if it was a great dye-sub job, it would compare to doubleshot plastic.
Ctrl-C-C-C-C t1_iu5lnk8 wrote
My advice is to just get doubleshot ABS clones from aifei. If you don’t know how to buy from taobao through superbuy, then buy from sumgsn on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Keycaps-Double-Profile-Switches-Mechanical/dp/B09HXBVPRD
I would still recommend you to get from aifei through superbuy.
Blur_410 t1_iu83daj wrote
The correct answer is to support the companies that make quality products and treat their customers and employees correctly. Some clone manufacturers are notorious for making the wrong moves while a very small number are genuinely good.
Ctrl-C-C-C-C t1_iu8jk06 wrote
Aifei, shenpo, and xiami (or XMI or its main US vendor which is 21kb), are good people that try to bring good and affordable doubleshot ABS and dye-sub PBT to the hobby.
I only recommend buying from these people. Please don’t buy cheap dye-sub PBT clones from other people, especially HK Gaming. You’ll just get awful dye-sub quality like in this post or people that don’t care about this hobby.
Also, I have 2 of Keychron’s doubleshot PBT keycaps sets. It is fantastic. The legends may not look like GMK, but at least it’s consistent. Its compatibility is unrivalled. Largest kit for just 40 USD.
exeacc27938 t1_iu89797 wrote
Not everyone can afford nice GMK’s and wait like 3 years for them to arrive lmao
Mycroft2046 t1_iu8icg0 wrote
Then buy Nicepbt. Or NK's pbt sets . There are plenty of good keycap sets in the market right now. There's absolutely no excuse to buy clone sets anymore.
Ctrl-C-C-C-C t1_iu8j065 wrote
Honestly, morals alone cannot convince a lot of people to spend 80 USD for a keycap set.
Aifei new icons only modifier doubleshot ABS keycaps set is selling for 139 RMB which is like 19 USD and it has basically 2 sets in one. https://m.tb.cn/h.U4iAENr
Many SEA countries are third world countries. They don’t have the means to live like first world countries. Even US people struggle with minimum living wage with high rent prices. Morals being a concern for buying clones is very, very low in priority for most of these people and we should never bully them out of the hobby.
Blur_410 t1_iuc6ghr wrote
If I lived dollar to dollar, I likely wouldn’t care about keyboards as I likely couldn’t even afford a computer to use them with. That said, I wish those that absolutely cannot afford keyboards as a hobby all the best. A lot of people I have seen with the cheap keyboards and clone GMKs own multiple keyboards. They could clearly have invested in one good board but chose to chase a certain aesthetic or garner clout with some staggering number of keyboards. Supporting the clone manufacturers as a poor person merely promotes the poor management practices that create more poor people elsewhere. It’s why I buy keyboard stuff maybe once a month, then I can make a sound decision on what I want without compromise. Yeah I don’t build a keyboard a week like a lot of the newer people in the hobby but I am satisfied
Ctrl-C-C-C-C t1_iuck4m9 wrote
Not necessarily paycheck to paycheck that kind of poor. It's just that they are the kind of people that like mechanical keyboards as it is and don't need anything more than a plastic kit with keycaps that they don't need to spend above 50 USD.
It is just a different priority for them (house, family, kid's future education) and mechanical keyboards is just very low on the list. They are satisfied because they are able to customise a keyboard to their liking.
I do not encourage buying from companies like HK Gaming because they aren't enthusiast, just cash grabbers. Or to buy some poorly cloned dye-sub PBT keycaps with cloned novelties.
Please actually look at the sellers that I recommend. Aifei that sells clone sets do not copy novelties. In fact, he/she puts his/her own novelties in the set, such as Ai and Fei in Chinese characters.
Blur_410 t1_iuco5xr wrote
The people who don’t care about showing off their boards that much don’t really post a lot on this Reddit. Thus I see it as a non-issue. And I’m not a GMK absolutist. Some of my favorite keycaps sets are made by JTK and Domikey, who make Cherry double shot clones, triple shots, and an improved version of SA. I’m not even against the practice of clones, but buy things that are worth the money. Cheap PBT reverse dyesubs are clearly not worth the money.
Ctrl-C-C-C-C t1_iucy94t wrote
I think we are arguing for the same point.
Those sellers that I have mentioned do not sell reverse dye-sub. They sell doubleshot ABS or dye-sub PBT for beige or white keycaps.
If you have actually tried them then you have the right to judge them but don’t judge them to be poor quality when you have never bought keycaps from those 3 sellers that I have mentioned. Bonus mention is Keychron’s doubleshot PBT cherry profile keycaps.
Blur_410 t1_iudmaa7 wrote
I will be transparent, I actually don’t like PBT keycaps all that much. Not to say I don’t own quite a few, but I prefer ABS as a material for the feel. That said I have been to many meetups and have seen quite a few boards from average people. I would consider this as an acceptable alternative to buying all the cheap PBT caps ever(I have bought some). I wasn’t even trying to necessarily argue clones versus genuine, I was trying to argue quality per dollar.
Ctrl-C-C-C-C t1_iudq40e wrote
Yeah but did your meet-ups have beige, grey, or white dye-sub PBT keycaps from XMI or shenpo? XMI is on the pricier side ever since he stopped selling on xianyu and taobao. He was selling for 198 RMB ~ 27.3 USD. Now on 21kb is about 60 USD. Which is still cheaper than most beige sets out there.
For shenpo, it’s very cheap for large compatibility. https://m.tb.cn/h.UVzUxZM?tk=tkg9dZLc8ld This beige set with Hebrew sub legends is only 188 RMB which converts to 26 USD. The quality per dollar is insane compared to lousy clones with reverse dye-sub.
These dye-sub pbt have smooth texture. I’m not sure if you understand but I’ll try to explain. Some ABS sets have those texture like when you rub your finger against it slowly, it will skip little by little. When I type on it, it moves me finger ever so slightly after bottoming out that it throws me off and I hate it.
Aifei’s previous batches of doubleshot ABS have that same texture, but for that price (169 RMB ~ 23.3 USD), I really can’t complain. Their new icons only mod doubleshot ABS set have very smooth texture like dye-sub PBT. I managed to try it at a recent meet-up but I didn’t test this “skipping” texture. If you just move quickly over it, it feels very smooth. I just ordered one set to try out for myself.
Keychron’s doubleshot PBT cherry profile keycaps have smooth texture too but a little “skippy” which triggers me a little hahaha. I’ve touched some doubleshot PBT from Monokei as well and that has quite rough texture. So I guess it’s not about the material, but rather the moulds that they use. It’s quite difficult to judge a set’s texture before touching it yourself :/
Again, not arguing against poorly made dye-sub or 5-side dye-sub PBT keycaps. Just trying to show you that there are dye-sub PBT keycaps that are done well and well worth its 25-30 USD price tag
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