Keycaps are one of the most overlooked aspects of gaming keyboards. For years, enthusiasts have asked manufacturers to do better. Well, they finally are. Today, we’re reviewing the new pudding keycap set from HyperX. They’re white, double shot, made from high quality PBT, and will make your RGB look amazing. Let’s dive in.
Specifications
- Current Price: $24.99
- Layout: English US (104 Keys)
- Material: PBT
- Color: White + Translucent White
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Let’s start off with why this matters. For years, gaming keyboards virtually all came with the same kind of keycap: cheap, thin-walled ABS. And for years, many of us didn’t know any better. A keycap is a keycap, I used to think. Why would I ever pay more for some other kind of plastic? It wasn’t until I tried something better than my thinking finally turned around.
The type of plastic keyboard enthusiasts clamor for is called PBT. It’s a denser plastic and is much more durable. They don’t pick up oils from your fingers nearly so much and won’t wear down and shine over time like ABS will. If you’ve ever looked down at your keyboard and noticed the keys look, well, oily then you know what I’m talking about. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve had brand new keyboards look half gross simply because of the coating companies would use on their ABS - and I’m not an oily person at all!
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Likewise, they sound and feel different when typed on. It’s hard to describe. Typing sounds are deeper and feel more solid under the finger. It’s a case where feeling is believing.
Instead of relying on people somehow discovering PBT on their own, HyperX is presenting their own pudding style keycap to hopefully catch your eye then your finger. Pudding keycaps have completely translucent sides on top of the expected legends, turning your keyboard into a lightshow. On the other hand, the walls tend to stay the same or similar thickness as normal gaming keycaps to allow more light to shine through. That’s definitely the case here, so they don’t sound quite so thick but do feel better to type on.
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For this review, I installed the keycaps on my Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB to give it a little extra flair and try a white on black look. Installation was easy but time consuming. I like that HyperX packaged the keycaps in exactly the positions they would be on the keyboard. It kept me efficient but there’s no way around the drudgery of pulling off up to 104 keycap and sticking 104 back on.
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I did run into an issue here that’s going to be common to a lot of gaming keyboards. The Freestyle uses a non-standard bottom row, which means the CTRL/WIN/ALT keys aren’t all the same size. The HyperX caps are designed with a standard bottom row in mind, like most aftermarket caps, so I was left with the above. I didn’t stick with it.
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After everything was fit and I settled on a look I liked, I powered it on. The translucent sides create this beautiful glow around the keys. The legends are crisp and legible and the whole thing just looks fantastic.
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Typing on these keys also has a distinctly deeper sound than the ABS caps. I’m a firm believer that you should have a keyboard that feels good to use and this enhancement definitely took an already good keyboard to the next level.
Final Thoughts
The HyperX White Double Shot PBT keycaps are a solid upgrade for any keyboard. If you have a non-standard bottom row, you might want to plan ahead for how you’ll lay them out but even skipping only those keys, you can count on a major visual and tactile enhancement.
Pros
- Well packaged
- Easy to install
- Enhances the RGB lighting tremendously
- Compatible with all MX keycaps
Cons
- Tedious to install
- Thin-walled
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.
