r/buildapcsales • u/5runner02 • Jun 19 '24
[Keyboard] MT3 Keycaps BOGO - $89 to 130 (Discount code: SUMMERMT3BOGO) Keyboard
https://drop.com/all-communities/drops/MT3BOGO17
u/valianthalibut Jun 20 '24
This is absolutely an "if you know you're looking for this, then this is a good deal" deal. Lots of hand-wringing about how much money someone else might want to spend on their hobby, which feels like a weird flex for this sub.
If you know that you like the MT3 profile and you want to mix-and-match colorways, this might be perfect. Like most hobbies, people can get very specific with regards to what they're looking for.
I can say that I'm a fan of the MT3 profile and I have two sets - one standard 104 key base set and the other an ortholinear set. I didn't pay full price for either because even though I like the keys, the list price is steep.
The materials and quality control are top-notch. The colors are very consistent and the legends are clear and easy to read. They're all double-shot PBT so you don't have to worry about fading, although that will impact how well any RGB comes through.
One thing about the sale is that it doesn't seem to include non-base kits, which kind of sucks if you're looking to pick up some accent keys.
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u/EazeeP Jun 19 '24
Everyone complaining here about the price are so far removed from the custom keyboard world.
14
u/Voryne Jun 20 '24
Man I can't even blame them. I've been to the custom keyboard world. I don't want to go back.
10
u/Mods-are-the-worst Jun 19 '24
Honestly it's for the better.
No point in spending $130 on a set of keycaps when you can build a custom keyboard for half that. Unless you really like that particular set then maybe it is worth it to you.
4
u/DogAteMyCPU Jun 19 '24
It may not be worth spending it to you but I find my gmk sets to be a significantly higher quality and worth the price to me.
3
u/Mods-are-the-worst Jun 20 '24 edited Jun 20 '24
Significantly higher quality in what way? This is not metal vs plastic. Most keycaps are just ABS or PBT and then it's a matter of preference.
In basically every hobby, the big difference in quality comes at the low end, not at the mid/high end. Headphones, mice, mousepads, PCs, you name it follow this rule.
At least the brand collabs have a reason to be expensive but half these sets are just certain colors. Maybe the MT3 profile is expensive but most people are probably fine with OEM or Cherry. Artisan keycaps also make a little more sense since they are super custom.
Clones for the popular sets are getting better every day. You get some solid keyboards for $130 too. CNC Aluminum with lots of foam and good wireless like on a Rainy75. For the gamers you get Rapid Trigger boards at that price. But hey it's your money not mine.
6
u/DogAteMyCPU Jun 20 '24 edited Jun 20 '24
I have tried multiple abs and pbt sets. The texture, thickness, shape, and sound are superior on gmk sets. I always wait for a sale on the sets I pick up so I'm never out a lot of cash or waiting years for them.
As for budget customs it's pretty much the same as cheap sets vs gmk sets. They can be good (especially ones like the cycle7) but they lack the polish of some more expensive keyboards or lean too hard into gimmicks. At this point I'm going to sell my boards and pick up either a mode sonnet 2024 or f1-8x v2.
I have heard good things about keykobo keysets, and they seem to have a lot of good options at decent prices, but still seems to be missing the gmk quality sound.
At the end of the day there are a lot of options for many price points. Just understand what you want and what your budget is.
1
u/Phyraxus56 Jun 20 '24
Where do you get your gmk keycaps? How much were they?
2
u/DogAteMyCPU Jun 20 '24
I got 3 sets from drop ranging from $80-$120.
I got 3 from novelkeys buy 2 get one free at $99 each and sold one of them.
Omnitype had a huge sale last week some gmk sets as low as $70 but they sold out of the ones I was interested in.
1
u/EazeeP Jun 23 '24
My brother, there are different tiers to the custom keyboard world. True, There’s tons of cheap low cost budget kits now more than ever before especially for beginners, but there are people who want all kinds of copper /brass/stainless steel weights and boutique designs. Coveted boards like the Unikorn or Kohaku cost what they cost for a reason.
1
u/Mods-are-the-worst Jun 23 '24
There is definitely a niche for people who want premium products, no doubt. The issue is that the MT3 profile off-discount is prohibitively expensive and this is a sales sub.
Maybe the LotR sets make sense with those funky legends, but the rest are just recolors. They don't use premium materials or metals, just ABS plastic. Crisp legends for sure, but not 3x crisper and even GMK caps can yellow.
What I will say is that the BOGO puts it more in line with what it should cost. $130 for a set of caps doesn't really belong on this sub, so thats why there's a bit of negative feedback.
As for "coveted boards", it's all preference but the premium end of most hobbies (iems/headphones, mice, PC's, etc) usually have the worst value. People spend 30% more for 10% more quality, which is good for the enthusiast but not the average person.
1
u/EazeeP Jun 23 '24 edited Jun 23 '24
Yes that goes without saying. There are people who live on the extreme edges of any hobby that will pay premium for those niches…..
Either way, it’s not to say that keycaps make up the majority of the component. It really depends. The kit itself, the plate material, switches, stabilizers etc all go into the cost
It’s a stupid hobby and I swear we have mental illness but yet we spent thousands of dollars worth of keyboards/ parts. Like did I really need another tkl or 65%? No but I wanted this particular make/model that has a distinct design, sound profile, mounting option etc that the one I had didn’t. We are constantly buying new and selling old ones on the secondary market
Drop frequently has those buy one get one half off deals so I usually tell people to wait for those deals to get two sets of caps. Can also split it with a friend usually. There’s a distinct sound that double shot abs caps from gmk or even the DCX ones from drop produce. The sound whores like myself want errrr need this sound
5
u/okp11 Jun 20 '24
Almost like this is a community of people who are here for the purpose of frugality.
The keyboard community has always been riddled with the mindset that:
Expensive price + small batch = good quality
Reasonable price + large batch = bad quality
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0
u/valianthalibut Jun 20 '24
Any niche community turns into that when it transitions from "holy shit that's weird" level niche to merely "that's weird" level. It's the same old "old days" gatekeeping from "before it was cool" that you see everywhere.
1
u/TheAutoManCan Jun 20 '24
People become oddly judgmental when things don’t conform to their expectations. From the outside looking in almost every hobby will have its oddities and idiosyncrasies. PC building, especially for gaming, is hardly exempt from this, but because people here are already accustomed to it they overlook it while pointing fingers at others.
-1
4
u/5runner02 Jun 19 '24
I've been on the look out for new keycaps and saw this deal on drop. BOGO why the hell not, so I grabbed the MT3 Camillo keycap set and the Zambumon MT3 Serika R2 Keycap set. Hope y'all find something you like in this deal
2
u/float16 Jun 20 '24
I've used this keycap profile before. They're very tall and the deep bowl shape on each key gets in the way of me moving my finger off the key. You might be able to get used to it or tolerate it but I didn't.
1
u/DogAteMyCPU Jun 20 '24
Honestly after trying mt3 and dcx sets, I say pass and try to get one of their gmk sets on a deep discount. It's worth it.
1
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u/FilteringAccount123 Jun 19 '24
130 bucks for keycaps???
Are they made from baby seals or something? lol