HK GAMING Custom Keycaps | Dye Sublimation PBT Keycap Set for Mechanical Keyboard | 139 Keys | Cherry Profile | ANSI US-Layout | Compatible with Cherry MX, Gateron, Kailh, Outemu | 9009

I’ve been on the lookout for a decent quality PBT keycap set for my filco TKL for a long time. Actually started looking well before December 2019 but then COVID-19 hit us and well everything went sideways in terms of stock, availability, delivery and manufacturing.A lot of keycap sets on Amazon cater for ANSI layout keyboards only as they are in reality the more popular layout. Some kits purport to be both ANSI and ISO but only provide partial support for ISO caps.The sets listed by HK Gaming fortunately provide full and proper support for ISO UK keyboards and include the double quotes, British pound, ampersand and large Enter keys.The keyboard originally was supplied with Filco ABS keys and I wore those down to a shine in about 4 years. They were replaced with a set of tao hoi dolch keycaps which were ok but again made of ABS and starting to shine.This is the first PBT set that I’ve had the pleasure of owning/using. Initial impressions are very good as they caps arrived within 24hrs of ordering and securely packaged in thick cardboard box. The caps themselves were enclosed in two plastic trays. The first tray contained the alpha and function caps and ANSI modifiers. The second tray contained the ISO caps, number pad and cursor key caps.The caps themselves are a lower profile than the tao hoi caps (oem vs cherry mx). The surface of the caps is smooth which is unusual for a PBT cap but reading the reviews for HK Gaming keycap sets is to be expected. I’d have preferred the more usual rough or stippled finish that you get with standard PBT caps but in reality for me it’s a minor complaint given the price.The caps were easy to replace on the keyboard and a key cap puller is included in the box if you don’t already have one. Swapping the caps over took about 10mins and the result is a cleaner fresher looking keyboard now with a slightly lower key profile.The legends on the keys are sharp and clear, only minor observation I’d make is that the spacing between some of the legends doesn’t match up. It’s very slight though and not something that would cause me to return them, you’ll have to judge that for yourself though. If you want perfection with a keycap set then be prepared to pay a lot more than £40.The difference in the type of plastic and thickness of the key caps has also altered the key sound of each key. It’s a little less high pitched now e.g. when you bottom out the key the tone is lower and deeper then with the ABS cap it has replaced.Overall, I like the 9009 set, it’s a little retro but with a splash of colour and it suits the Filco TKL to a tee. After all filco keyboards have no RGB lighting (well no lighting at all, apart from caps/scroll lock) or gimmicks that seem to be prevalent on gaming keyboards. These caps are good quality replacement caps for the money and I’d have no hesitation in recommending these to someone wanting to get a replacement/second set without breaking the bank.

Fantastic set of keycaps, solid and well made, feels great under the fingers. Couple of minor issues though. The UK 2 and 3 replacement keys are great to see, but the typeface they use is very slightly different to the rest of the keys - if you don't look too hard you might not notice it if you hadn't just read me type this, so, er, never mind. I also found the space bar had a warping issue, probably the usual cooling issue that many spacebars suffer from, and a little hot water fixed it quickly.

First set of caps that wasn't just in a plastic bag, and first set that's actually got UK layout as well as US. Goes to show, better to pay a little more for quality than cheap out. These caps aren't transparent but then again they not supposed to be. I love the retro feel, and the ability to add a little customisation with the various ESC and ENTER key colours. The thicker plastic also effects the sound of the key presses.

I missed the return window on these but I probably would have returned them had I not needed a keycap set for my new board. I'm only using these until I get my hands on an ideal set. Finding decent UK ISO caps in anything other than plain old white on black is kind of hard work, with a lot of sets that are both ANSI/ISO compatible missing some vital keys and good sets that do being expensive and often out of stock or on groups buys.With this set you do get the correct UK ISO keys and actually includes the 2 and 3 number keys as well as the '@ and #~ keys that are often missing or incomplete in other sets.The feel is rather smooth and almost slippery unlike the rough texture you might expect. This does mean they pick up a fair bit of shine from finger oils. The finish of the keys is quite rough around the edges which is quite obvious on the enter key shown in the picture.Legends are generally good but inconsistent font weight and spaces. Most obvious on the 2 & 3 keys which seem to be slightly different to the rest of the number row, however they fit more with the alphas which have a rather large design.There is a good selection of keys available, probably best for full size standard keyboards. For my GMMK Pro I couldn't find the exact layout I wanted. There are 2 x 1u Win keys but no 1u Alt or Ctrl. There are 2 Fn keys labelled Fn1 and Fn2, I decided to use one of these as an End key. There is a 1u End key in the set but it is designed for the 3rd row so would be out of place on row 1. Only R4 and R3 Del keys, only an R4 PrScr. Other weird things like an R4 and R2 PgUp with an R3 and R1 PgDn which is ok but if you wanted PgUp and PgDn on R3/R2 you are out of luck. Not really a big deal for most as this set will be fine with a standard KB layout Full size or TKL, but something to be aware of if you have a custom layout keyboard.The biggest complaint is the spacebar which keeps sticking. The key itself is straight and there is no obvious warping that you might expect from a PBT spacebar. However, it seems to be about 1mm too short which causes just enough friction to make it feel stiff and mushy all at once and for it to keep sticking. Its basically unusable so I swapped it out for a spacebar from another set. Had I not swapped the spacebar myself and gotten used to it, I would have returned these for this alone. Its just my sheer laziness that I missed the return window. Something to consider if you don't have a spare spacebar lying around, this does seem to be a common problem with the HK Gaming keycaps so I'm not sure how much luck you would have just exchanging it for another set from the same brand.All in for a PBT keycap set that is fully UK ISO compatible and in stock for a reasonable price with prime delivery its hard to totally write off this set. It gets the job done, for the most part. They look pretty decent as long as you don't look too closely. But just check the keys if you have a custom layout board and be mindful of the spacebar issues.

These are clones of popular designs of keycaps, which would be way more expensive if you got the original design. Other manufacturers need to pull their fingers out. HK Gaming can get you all the keycaps, including ISO keycaps, for £40 with quick delivery. For the original sets you're looking to pay around £150 and have wait times of up to a year. It really is a no-brainer. Quality is good and as they're made from PBT they will last much longer than keycaps made from ABS. Could not recommend enough.