I am in love.
I am using this set on MX Clears, and it feels like the perfect combination of profile and weight to me. Coming from a DSA set, this is a huge step up in terms of accuracy and typing speed after only 24 hours, I am finding I am hitting the center of the keys without trying because the scoop guides you to the right place. I am also loving the scooped F and J over the 'nipple' version, very easy to locate.
From an appearance point of view, these are a very attractive but understated set; the legends are clear and crisp, and there are zero alignment issues, so it would appear all the issues from R1 are fixed. The font is nice and bold, easy to read, and makes it stand out from the Gorton Modified I have gotten used to on other sets. I love the muted colorway, but wish I had purchased some of the brighter keys; I really wish the RGB or CMKY modifiers had an ISO enter.
The caps are very thick, with zero burrs or defects, and although they are snug on the stems I had no issues. I had to remove a few keys because I forgot to use my ISO kit, and had no problems getting them off with a bit of a wiggle, and that was on clear switches that had never been used. There is a very slight texture to them which is pleasant to the touch.
Overall these are an incredible set, and I can't wait to see it in other colorways!
https://massdrop-s3.imgix.net/img_comment/POIOlgBdR6O7iE6VQjnX_00000PORTRAIT00000BURST20180917165351031.jpg
This is easily the nicest set I own right now. Being made out of very thick PBT, these caps look, feel and sound extremely solid.
https://massdrop-s3.imgix.net/img_comment/ETdKdk2OQpDyRBSMkszP_titty.jpg
The legends are nice and crisp, though upon closer inspection you can still notice they're not perfectly aligned. I'd expect MD to get this fixed after the R1 fiasco, but I'm personally not that bothered, you can't really see it from typing distance and it's something that I learned to accept with dye-sub legends.
Regarding the profile, MT3 is not very easy to use from the get-go, the keycaps are very cuppy and punish inaccurate typing with their "sharp" edges. Conversely, they also reward accurate typing, so once you get used to them (about 2 days for me) they become extremely comfortable. The sculpt is perfect, not too aggressive and the flat bottom row makes it easy to use with your thumbs.
The texture of the keycaps is very pleasant as well, it is somewhat coarse and grippy (but not to the point of being obnoxious), which works well with the deep top.
The only issue I have is that my order has been shipped late despite multiple drop delays with poor communication on MD's side.
The two most popular kinds of plastic are currently used for keyboards are:
ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) - the most common keycap plastic used, tends to feel smooth, is durable, a tad cheaper and easier to manufacture than PBT
PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) - tends to have a “matte” texture, a bit stiffer than ABS, a bit more durable than ABS, and doesn’t develop a “glossy” look with use over time like ABS, harder and more expensive to manufacture than ABS
Sublimated dying infuses the ink with the plastic through a manufacturing process Elder Sage perfectly describes:
https://drop.com/talk/27150/what-does-it-mean-that-these-are-dye-sublimted-pbt/2582700
The ink sinks into the keycap just a bit so the font doesn't wear out even if the keycap gets worn down.
Hence “Dye-Subbed PBT”.
Sublimation is the process of turning a substance from a solid directly to a gasious state without passing through a liquid phase. During dye sublimation, the solid dye is exposed to high heat and turned into a gas. In the gas state it is able to permeate the crystaline structure of the PBT keycap. The end result is a legend that goes below the surface of the plastic thereby making it very durable.
Love how the keycaps feel and sound: thick PBT with firm deep thuds
I am not a fan of sebum getting accumulated and making the ABS slippery and shiny so this is really a lifesaver
Of coz the look is a gorgeous sight for sore eyes
Minimal misalignment is present but hardly noticeable, let alone ruin the overall picture
/dev/tty is not a very flashy kind of keyset but it definitely won't get boring. Easily the endgame set.
The triumph mod set adds a bit of spice to it
Anyways pictures speak a thousand words and here you go:
I am in love.
I am using this set on MX Clears, and it feels like the perfect combination of profile and weight to me. Coming from a DSA set, this is a huge step up in terms of accuracy and typing speed after only 24 hours, I am finding I am hitting the center of the keys without trying because the scoop guides you to the right place. I am also loving the scooped F and J over the 'nipple' version, very easy to locate.
From an appearance point of view, these are a very attractive but understated set; the legends are clear and crisp, and there are zero alignment issues, so it would appear all the issues from R1 are fixed. The font is nice and bold, easy to read, and makes it stand out from the Gorton Modified I have gotten used to on other sets. I love the muted colorway, but wish I had purchased some of the brighter keys; I really wish the RGB or CMKY modifiers had an ISO enter.
The caps are very thick, with zero burrs or defects, and although they are snug on the stems I had no issues. I had to remove a few keys because I forgot to use my ISO kit, and had no problems getting them off with a bit of a wiggle, and that was on clear switches that had never been used. There is a very slight texture to them which is pleasant to the touch.
Overall these are an incredible set, and I can't wait to see it in other colorways!
After a long wait, I finally received my keycaps today. Overall, I'm very pleased with these caps; I purchased the Base, Extra Mods, and Winkeyless sets. Because I'm placing these on a Tokyo60, I actually have a bunch of extra caps, if anyone is interested in buying some off of me.
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Let's start with the not-so-great:(1) I wish the beige 'Esc' and 'Return' caps came with the base set; (2) I use WinCompose on a regular basis, and I have it assigned to RALT, so it would've been nice to have an 'Alt Gr' keycap available; (3) the wait time for this was crazy and FedEx SmartPost zig-zagged all over the place before I got my order; (4) I'd love to see support for a center-mounted, stepped Control cap in CapsLock position. It might also have been cool for these caps to be glossy, like the old IBM sets, but I think I'm in the minority on this preference. That's everything I can think of off the top of my head. It's a pretty short list, and mostly inconsequential.
However, the general lack of communication with buyers throughout this process is why I've dinged a star off this review. Before the estimated shipping date, I appreciated the notification that these caps were going to be delayed, but as we all know, there were further delays. I received my caps only this afternoon. Most of us were told to expect our sets the first week of September, and we didn't get an update until Friday of that week. Then, we were told to expect shipment by 9/14, and when that date came and went, there was radio silence until the following Monday. Once I finally got notification of shipment, on 9/18, FedEx took my caps in a spiral shape, overshooting me first eastward and then southward. I contacted Massdrop Support, but they were no help, and I didn't get a real response from them until I had already received a tracking number. Don't even get me started on requesting or looking for official updates in the Discussion section of this drop!
I had seen that some other buyers received upside-down or misaligned legends on their caps. I've noticed minor misalignments on a couple of my caps—namely, my 'CONTROL' cap is ever-so-slightly slanted clockwise—but otherwise, everything is high quality and exactly what I ordered. I'm just glad nothing is bad enough to contact Support, because from the looks of the Discussion threads, people with issues aren't finding much assistance.
Let's finish up with the positive: this profile is exactly what I was looking for; Matt3o should be very proud! I'm using the scooped 'F' and 'J' caps, and although I expected to like the flat R5 caps more than the angled ones, it turns out that I very much prefer the angled R5 row. I don't really have a list for all the good points in /dev/tty's favor, it's just a general feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment. This set sounds great with BOX switches in my Tokyo60 'board, and I couldn't be happier with the perfect profile on the perfect keyboard layout.
Easier to type on than an SA profile in my opinion. Unexpectedly the bottom row options actually create a tactile indicator for the arrow keys that would otherwise be difficult on a 96 key board. I have quibbles but they're stylistic. It's also currently the best looking set I own.
This is easily the nicest set I own right now. Being made out of very thick PBT, these caps look, feel and sound extremely solid.
search
The legends are nice and crisp, though upon closer inspection you can still notice they're not perfectly aligned. I'd expect MD to get this fixed after the R1 fiasco, but I'm personally not that bothered, you can't really see it from typing distance and it's something that I learned to accept with dye-sub legends.
Regarding the profile, MT3 is not very easy to use from the get-go, the keycaps are very cuppy and punish inaccurate typing with their "sharp" edges. Conversely, they also reward accurate typing, so once you get used to them (about 2 days for me) they become extremely comfortable. The sculpt is perfect, not too aggressive and the flat bottom row makes it easy to use with your thumbs.
The texture of the keycaps is very pleasant as well, it is somewhat coarse and grippy (but not to the point of being obnoxious), which works well with the deep top.
The only issue I have is that my order has been shipped late despite multiple drop delays with poor communication on MD's side.
love the key-caps, personally it feels better than real force high pro keycaps but the sad thing is that i receive two J keycaps that are not-scooped did not receive scooped J keycap i have send a e-mail to support.
hope they could sent me scooped J keycap .
overall I love the keycaps
By far the best keycaps I've ever used. As another reviewer stated, I am in love. I thought there was no way that they could live up to the hype, but they are amazing. The weight, the profile, the textures, the alternate caps (like F and J with bump, or F and J with dimple, or F and J ordinary), and the text, I've looked very closely, and everything seems perfect. The best keycaps I've ever owned. I will be buying another set on the next buy.
Edit - Four Months Later: I work in software and do a lot of typing by way of programming, writing documentation , and emails. I've been using these keys for a solid four months now. I want to give an update and contrast these with the SA Retro set that I purchased and had been using up until these arrived. The SA Retro set was ABS plastic, and I estimate that within three months (maybe less), any matte texture had eroded on the keys. This left the top of the keys with a glossy look even after cleaning. I was OK with that, as I don't mind a completely glossy look to my keys.
However, I think I'm in love with the surface texture/matte finish of the /dev/tty keycap set. Furthermore, even after four months of use, I do not think that the texture has changed at all.
I'm typing on them now and I can see a slight bit of shine(perhaps from oil on the skin) building up on the T key, but that is all and I haven't tried to clean it. The build quality certainly is the best I have ever owned.