Keycaps

 

(Profiles, Materials & Why They Matter)

✨Keycaps are the part of the keyboard you touch the most, and they play a bigger role in comfort, sound, and overall feel than many people realize. Changing keycaps can noticeably change how a keyboard feels and sounds — even if nothing else changes ✨

Keycap Profiles

The profile refers to the shape and height of the keycaps.

🍒Cherry Profile

Cherry profile keycaps are slightly shorter and sculpted for a natural typing angle.

✋How they feel:

  • Comfortable and familiar
  • Lower height reduces finger strain
  • Easy to adapt to

🎯Best for:

  • Typing and productivity
  • Long work sessions
  • Users who want a balanced feel

✔️Cherry profile is one of the most popular profiles for everyday use.

🟢OEM Profile

OEM profile keycaps are a bit taller than Cherry and commonly found on prebuilt keyboards.

✋How they feel:

  • Slightly higher key height
  • Comfortable and versatile
  • Familiar to most users

🎯Best for:

  • General use
  • First-time mechanical keyboard users
  • Stock keyboard setups

🟣MOA Profile

MOA profile keycaps are taller, rounded, and softly sculpted, offering a unique and comfortable typing experience.

✋How they feel:

  • Smooth, rounded tops
  • Cushioned and gentle under the fingers
  • Slightly slower, more deliberate typing feel
  • Same height across the board

🔊How they sound:

  • Deeper and more muted than OEM or Cherry
  • Softer bottom-out tone

🎯Best for:

  • Comfort-focused typing
  • Aesthetic desk setups
  • Users who enjoy a softer, cozy typing experience

✔️MOA profile is popular for its comfort and playful, modern look.

🔵Taller / Specialty Profiles

Some keycaps are taller like the SA profile or more rounded, offering a very different typing experience.

✋How they feel:

  • More pronounced shape
  • Slower, deliberate typing feel
  • Distinct sound characteristics

🎯Best for:

  • Aesthetic-focused setups
  • Users who enjoy a unique feel
  • Typists who like deeper sound profiles


📌A Note on Other Profiles

There are many other keycap profiles available, each offering a different feel and sound. The profiles listed above are some of the most common and approachable options, especially for everyday use and beginners.

 

🧱Keycap Materials

🟣PBT Keycaps

PBT is a durable plastic commonly used in higher-quality keycaps.

👍Why people like PBT:

  • Resists shine over time
  • Textured feel
  • Produces a deeper, more muted sound

✔️PBT keycaps are favored for longevity and sound quality.

🟡ABS Keycaps

ABS is a smoother plastic often used on stock keyboards.

💡What to know:

  • Smoother surface
  • Can develop shine with use
  • Often brighter with RGB lighting

✔️ABS keycaps aren’t bad — they just wear differently over time.

🔤Legend Types

The legend is the symbol or letter printed on each key.

  • 🧩Double-shot: Legends are molded into the keycap and won’t fade
  • 🧪Dye-sublimated: Legends are dyed into the plastic for durability
  • 💡Shine-through: Legends allow light to pass through for RGB visibility

✔️Each method affects appearance and lighting differently.

🔊Keycaps & Sound

Keycaps influence sound more than many expect.

  • Thicker keycaps → deeper sound (Thocky)
  • Thinner keycaps → brighter sound (Creamy/Clacky)
  • PBT often sounds more muted than ABS 

💡Swapping keycaps is one of the easiest ways to adjust sound without changing switches.

✨Choosing the Right Keycaps

Ask yourself:

  • ✔️Do I type for long periods?
  • ✔️Do I want deeper or brighter sound?
  • ✔️Do I care more about durability or RGB brightness?

At SwitchSmiths, we do our best to label keycap profiles and materials so you can choose what fits your typing style and setup 💜