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A New Challenger Appears
Title: A New Challenger Appears
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Drop sent me these keycaps to review, the following opinions are my own. I was not paid for this review and my connections to them did not affect my review. Number of ABS sets that I own: GMK (6), JTK (1), DCX (1) Shown in the review: GMK Godspeed (cream, grey, and blue), JTK Night Sakura (grey, black, pink), GMK Finer Things (Tiffany blue), DCX WoB (white and black), GMK Laser (purple and blue) Legends: GMK > JTK >= DCX I would say that the legends on the alphas for all three sets is amazing. The ranking above is based on the modifier legends. The gap between the “f” and “t” of the shift key on the DCX set is a little bigger than the gaps between the letters. The distance from the edge is consistent and not too close to the edge. Comparing the super and control keys, for the DCX set, it looks like there is a different line thickness. The JTK set’s modifier legends are really close to the edge, the line thickness is uniform but kind of thin. For the GMK set, the alignment is great and the uniformity is spot on.
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Underside: DCX > JTK > GMK Even though the underside of the caps is hardly ever seen, I think it is worth mentioning. The doubleshot process on the DCX caps allows for the bottom to be super clean and uniform. The issue with GMK is that there is often burs, and in terms of the doubleshot, it isn’t uniform (vertical lines) but that doesn’t both me. The JTK caps are bur free and the doubleshot underside varies with the different caps.
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Spacebar / warp: DCX > JTK > GMK The longer modifiers from the three different manufacturers were all fine. The ranking above is for the spacebars. The spacebars of the DCX set are very straight. I put them on a flat surface and when the sides were pressed to cause a seesaw effect to see if the opposite side would rise up, there was not any noticeable warp or movement. The unevenness was the greatest in the various GMK spacebars that I looked at. There was a noticeable curve or warp at the edges. The JTK set was between the two. Sprue mark: The sprue marks of the DCX caps are on the underside. The sprue marks vary based on the key: injection through the stem, a clean mark (picture shown), or a slight sprue mark on the edge of the underside. The sprue mark for the GMK and JTK sets are on the back face (away from the user), but still noticeable since it isn’t hidden underneath the cap. Thickness: I used my calipers to measure the “S” keys of the three sets (GMK Godspeed, DCX WoB, JTK Night Sakura). I’m not going to measure a bunch of different keys from the sets to get a larger sample, aka a more scientifically accurate representation of the average. GMK – 1.4 mm, DCX – 1.4 mm, and JTK – 1.5 mm. The thickness of the DCX set seems to be the most uniform across the four edges. The range for the GMK set was the largest, and the JTK set was the thickest. Note this will probably be different based on the key you measure. Packaging: JTK > DCX > GMK I like the GMK box art but the packaging can easily be damaged and doesn’t really keep them in place (base kits fit within two biodegradable trays that stack and slip into the box art cover). The DCX caps are packaged like other Drop keycaps: clear plastic trays with foam and bubble wrap (three separate trays to contain all the base kit) and a cardboard box to house all of it. The JTK packaging is amazing. The base kit has a high quality, plastic tray with a hinged lid and sliding locks. Child kits are in plastic trays with a lid, similar to the Drop packaging, but the thickness of the plastic is definitely greater and the lids lock into place. I am all about being eco-friendly, and the view that packaging is just packaging, but the JTK trays screams premium.
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Pricing and wait time: DCX base ($79 early bird, $89 preorder), JTK Night Sakura base and included latin alphas ($115 GB), GMK base kits ($120 average). I don’t know the exact GB wait time for the JTK set, since I got it for a good price on the aftermarket (based on the zFrontier listing, it looks like it was about 1 year). There are some GMK sets that are in-stock, mostly through Drop or extras (typically marked up about $50) from other GMK GB vendors. But the wait time, pricing, and availability factors into most keycap customers decision. GMK GB times are getting quite long and I don’t know the state of the JTK queue. Final thoughts: I would like to see Drop start working with designers and making some new, original colorways. Novelties are always more expensive per key since the molds are new, but I think the community would be excited to see novelties for different sets. The kitting available through the base kit and spacebars kits is good, obviously there will always be someone that isn’t satisfied. It’s super hard to get a picture that is aligned and level, but the difference between cherry profile and DCX is minimal. The best comparison would be a side profile wireframe of the cherry profile and DCX CAD models. It’s neat to see some innovation in the doubleshot process and the uniformity of the keys (thickness and underside) is amazing. Considering the price, availability, spacebar quality, and execution of the doubleshot, I think this is a very solid keycap set. Rating: 5/5 Recommend: Y
(Edited)
Recommends this product? Yes
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