Good but not for me. I bought this set as an experiment to see how I'd like the feel and how they'd affect the action of Cherry Blue type switches on my keyboard. I got this set on sale to try before committing to a larger keycap replacement. I am glad I did, I don't like them.
This is NOT a knock on ThermalTake... they are what they are, and seem well made etc. This absolutely a personal preference, so my impression may not be your impression, but I wanted to note my observations to help others in deciding to buy or not.
Let's start with the likes;
Nice packaging, easy to install, seem really well made. No scratches on metal, free of blemishes. They really do seem well made.
Now what I didn't like (again, this is completely subjective and based on preferences, what I dislike might be something you'd love about them)
Weight. It impacts key travel more than I thought, easier to push down, but slower to spring back... it makes engaging the key a bit easier, but makes typing over all slower. The biggest issue for me is specific to Cherry Blues and the reason I like that switch style (Actually Outemu Blues, but similar enough to apply to the blue style writ large). The extra mass of the key deadens the 'click' at the point of key engagement... effectively it turns Blues to Browns. Oh, and they are noticeably LOUDER to type on.
So, if you like the click of Blue style switches I would say you probably want nothing to do with metal keycaps. This isn't thermaltake's fault, it's not a faulty product... it's simple physics and mass. It mutes the very reason to have Cherry Blues, and for me that means... 'nope'. And when I say 'mute', I mean the feel, not the sound. As for sound? These keycaps are noticibly LOUDER than plastic... on an already kinda loud clicky keyboard.. uh... bad combo.
If you are using non clicky mechanicals, these could be great.
Addittionally, if you do have backlighting on your keyboard, these are completely opaque, so all you'll see is a glow under the keys.
Lastly, just a preference for aesthetics and actual product vs. pictures I've seen.
In the pictures they look a much more dull grey that would match my aluminum keyboard deck better... what showed up are BRIGHT... one look at them and I hear Imortan Joe's voice 'you shall type eternal, shiny and chrome'. IMO, they are just too damned gaudy and the pics are not representative of what I got. Frankly, they look downright cheesy in person. The glossy chrome picks up fingerprints easily... and uh... the point of these things is to touch them, so that seems an odd choice to me actually... They are also so reflective that editing this review in a dark room revealed a new flaw... they reflect the white of the monitor so well, that they are BRIGHT, they actually overwhelm the keyboard backlighting by reflecting the monitor's mostly white screen as I type this.
I can't say I regret buying them because I bought this set SPECIFICALLY to see if I'd like metal key caps. I don't. They've done their job.
So my dislikes are 100% personal preference, nothing wrong with these keycaps. For someone that doesn't care about, or even LIKES what I'm calling a negative, dive in, buy 'em, you'll probably like them.
If you were like me and wondering how the feel would be affected... and don't like my description of what they do... skip these, and skip ALL metal caps. Look elsewhere for keycaps.
3 Star review because I sincerely don't know how to rate this... they are what they are, succeed in TT's intentions for them.... I just really don't like them and will be removing them. On personal preference I'd give 1 star, but that's not indicative of quality. I wanted to try them to see if I'd like them. Nope. I really don't.
So I'm not telling anyone to not buy them... but I am listing what I didn't like so that if you do have similar preferences or concerns like I did, perhaps this review will help make up your mind.
I am certain on some keyboard switches, and for some people, these keycaps are awesome and will improve your keyboard. But for some of us, these are a bad idea out of the box.
If they were bit lighter so as not to effectively kill the 'click' feel of cherry blues and slow down typing with the slower return... AND if they weren't so bling bling flashy chrome, and looked more dull grey as in the pictures... and were backlight friendly... I might like them. But that's a big stack of reasons to want to pull them off in my opinion....
| Brand | Tt eSPORTS |
|---|---|
| Item model number | EA-MTC-AKCSIL-WA |
| Hardware Platform | PC |
| Item Weight | 0.32 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 7.16 x 3.7 x 0.51 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 7.16 x 3.7 x 0.51 inches |
| Color | Silver metal |
| Manufacturer | Tt eSPORTS |
| ASIN | B00MY3TLNS |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | August 20, 2014 |
