Massdrop x MiTo SA Pulse Custom Keycap Set Discussions | Drop

Nov 1, 2018

So excited! I received my keycaps today!!! This is my first GB custom keycap set, the wait has been excruciating. Thank you @MiTo and your team :D Here is how they look on my Vortex race 3:

With that, I do have a couple questions. Firstly, as you can see from the image (sorry for the poor quality & lighting, I'm at work), the space bar seems to be a different finish than the rest of the keys in the set. It completely mat while the rest have a shine. Is this normal? Secondly, in the picture below, you can see the the font of the DELETE and ENTER keys I've used, seem to be thinner than the font of the rest of the legends.

Am I being nit-picky or is this a quality control issue? I have yet to sit and sort through the rest of the collection to see if there are similar keys, but I'm assuming these aren't the only ones. Over all I'm extremely happy with the keycaps, the profile feels great while tying. If my small gripes are indeed within the norm when it comes to these custom runs, I apologize for being a twit.

Nov 1, 2018

Nov 1, 2018

bigLeftThank you very much for supporting the project, I hope you are enjoying the keycaps! As for the DELETE and ENTER that is "normal" in the sense that the manufacturer' molds aren't exactly perfect and the legends aren't identical. But the spacebar looks odd, it's very hard to tell from your picture. It doesn't feel (to the touch) like the rest of the keycaps? Is the keycap completely matte and textured or it's simply new? Can you please look at these pictures and judge? https://mitormk.com/pulse-sa-r2/

Nov 1, 2018

Nov 1, 2018

MiToThanks for the quick reply @MiTo . I was thinking it might be a normal thing for legends. I looked at the pictures, and it seems like some of the images are the same as my space-bar. It doesn't feel to much different, just a different polish I'd say. Maybe this picture shows better what I mean:

It is hard to capture. Regardless, it is not a huge deal. I'm sure after use it will start to shine as the rest of the keys. Is there a method that is used in production to polish the caps? Maybe there is a way for me to buff it out a little? Thanks again for the fast response, and I'm definitely loving the set! Looking forward to sinking more $ into this new hobby I've found ;) I think I might need to dissemble and paint this case black ... hmm

Nov 1, 2018

Nov 2, 2018

bigLeftThank you very much for taking you time to make the post asking your questions! And the great picture of the space bar as well, from what I am being able to tell and see, the one you've got is apparently the correct/regular one that will soon look like the rest. These brand new keycaps have a pristine looking finish which is result of the smoothness of the surface of the physical plastic injection mold so other than regular use I don't think there's anything harmless that could be done to compensate for this finish. Perhaps using some type of wax, but I am afraid that chemicals could stain the plastic or even corrode it. Come to think about it I should probably get some blanks and rub different types of wax on them to see if they get shiny as a 80's piece of plastic would get.

Nov 2, 2018

LevelSteam

Nov 2, 2018

MiToYou can polish the ABS of SA caps pretty well with 99% isopropyl alcohol. You can also us this method to buff light scratches off of the keycap. I have a few chocolatier caps I've cleaned up this way. When I get home Ill take a comparison picture of them.

Nov 2, 2018

Nov 2, 2018

bigLeftI would not be ok with that delete and enter key. That is below the quality I am expecting of this set. Those keys should be remade.

Nov 2, 2018

Nov 2, 2018

mackenThanks for the input @macken . That was my initial thought as well. But as I said, this is my first group buy and first custom keyset, so I don't have anything to base a judgement on. I suppose the only thing for me to do is wait until more people receive their sets and see if others feel the same way. Did you get in on this drop?

Nov 2, 2018

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Nov 2, 2018

bigLeftYes, but I am in EU and had ordered the NorDe aswell and that is being remade now because of some issues with 1-2 caps so it got delayed. Think my set will ship sometime in the middle of november.

Nov 2, 2018

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Nov 2, 2018

mackenI understand the frustration @macken but let me chime in with more details so you can understand why there's not much that can be done in this situation. Our manufacturer, Signature Plastics, holds the one and only official library of molds and legends of tall spherical (known as SA) keycaps. These molds and legends are pretty darn old, a couple of decades in fact if I recall correctly. This library includes legends such as RETURN , BACKSPACE, CTRL, ALT, PG UP, PG DN and several other "classic" or "vintage" looking legends. What you see pictured by the fellow @bigLeft is a 1.5u wide DELETE and 2.25u ENTER which are in fact brand new legends. Those have been done very recently and are new additions to library. That said, theoretically speaking they are the "good ones" and stuff such as RETURN, CTRL, ALT is pretty old and worn at this point, and therefore they look kinda thick. So if there was something to get remade, it would have to be the whole "vintage" library that Signature Plastics has. This would result in all keycaps looking like the thin-ish DELETE and ENTER keycaps. CTRL, ALT, PG UP, PG DN, RETURN, ESC, all the legends would look like what you see on the DELETE and ENTER. The library is pretty big and this would cost several thousands of dollars if I'm not mistaken. Signature Plastics have a few inconsistencies when it comes to manufacturing that we've been trying to fix in the past couple of years, but we had no success so far. They are great and the keycaps are extraordinary nice looking pieces, but unfortunately not 100% perfect. I'm really sorry about your NorDe delay and the fact that you hoped slightly different DELETE and ENTER keycaps. I hope once the keycaps arrive you are still able to enjoy them, I hope these details won't detract from your experience and you can install them on you favorite keyboard and have fun with it!

Nov 2, 2018

Nov 2, 2018

LevelSteamI can't wait to see this, please let me know! Never heard of this before!

Nov 2, 2018

Nov 2, 2018

MiToThis explanation makes is much more clear to me. I did not realized the history and how production for something like this works. New keys, new molds = slight variations when compared to the older original library of molds. Thanks for the info!

Nov 2, 2018

Nov 2, 2018

MiToNo frustation here, but I think this issue should be adressed considering these nice looking keycaps cost quite a bit of money. Still looking forward to my set.

Nov 2, 2018

LevelSteam

Nov 3, 2018

MiToOk so I do apologize for the low quality pics. The only digital camera I have is my Galaxy S6 haha. Anyway, I found a fresh, unused but scuffed during shipping "left" keycap to use to show you how this removes scuffs. Before:

You can clearly see the scuffs down the right side on the satin finish. The second picture is more to show the surface finish than anything else. Now, I applied a little 99% isopropyl alcohol with a swab, then buffed it using a little pressure and a regular old paper towel and these are the results:

No more scuffs, and nice and polished. I actually prefer the look of this to SP's satin finish mainly because of how they tend to get scuffed up in shipping and it really bugs me, but neither the scuff nor the polishing is super noticeable unless you hit the keycap with light at just the right angle. More pictures, and in these the middle one/two caps have been polished using this method while the outer two have not:

Hope this is helpful :)

Nov 3, 2018

coffeeshopcoder

281

Nov 3, 2018

LevelSteamwhile some may frown at the shine, For SA (and perhaps spherical top keycaps) I really love this look !

Nov 3, 2018

LevelSteam

Nov 3, 2018

coffeeshopcoderI like it myself too! Over time the ABS will naturally develop shine with use anyway, so people can always use this method to give their caps a more uniform appearance as well. It does change the feel of the caps a bit, but not terribly. I don't think that this would work as well (if at all) on GMK or DSA caps though, due to their slightly textured surface.

Nov 3, 2018

coffeeshopcoder

281

Nov 3, 2018

LevelSteamI like the feel too. SP SA, to me at least, has always felt more smoother and slicker than MaxKey SA which I feel is more "matte". I like this. Most of my SP SA alphas and mods have this shine, and I might do this to the other keys that I don't use as much like the Function row. Nice tip !

Nov 3, 2018

LevelSteam

Nov 3, 2018

coffeeshopcoderGlad to help! :D Since this is just isopropyl I don't *think* it will discolor anything, but you might want to try it on a keycap that you don't really use first just to be sure. As far as Maxkey goes, originally they had the same satin type finish as SP's SA caps, but they encountered a lot of issues with inconsistency in said finish, so they switched to their current matte texture, which I also like.

Nov 3, 2018

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static.overdub

555

Nov 3, 2018

bigLeftfwiw, which is probably close to nothing, it looks like the images on the drop also feature the matte spacebar. of course it will all be moot once the pulse version of this drops: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/hammer-sa-carbon-artisan-spacebar

Nov 3, 2018

Nov 3, 2018

static.overdubWill have to get me one of those if when it drops

Nov 3, 2018

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Beekey

Nov 3, 2018

MiToNew or old molds, I think consistency is important for an expensive set like this.

Nov 3, 2018

MightyJabba

451

Nov 3, 2018

LevelSteamThis is very interesting. I have a Maxkey SA White on Black set that I like but it is quite a matte finish compared to what was shown in the product shots on KBDFans’ site. I wonder if this would help shine them up, since I really prefer that look (at least if it is uniform and not from wear)

Nov 3, 2018

Coolray

Nov 10, 2018

bigLeftMy 6U space bar also had a matte finish. I polished it with a microfiber cloth for a few seconds and the finish began to more closely match the other keys.

Nov 10, 2018

naverlands

144

Nov 22, 2018

LevelSteamI was not careful on my sa jukebox (cry) when pulling the caps, now I have a small scratch on the side of the cap (1.75u shift key). would your method work on removing it? i don't dare on attempting another try until I get home and use my good keycap puller. so sorry for the crap photo.

Nov 22, 2018

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