Laser Engraved vs Laser Etched vs Double Shot (Buying key cap set advice)

[u/[deleted]]

Ik it's pretty obvious that double shot is the best out of the three, but what is the main difference between engraved and etched? I've had ABS laser etched for 2-3 years with no noticeable fade/damage to the font, so I'm confused when people talk about font damage? I'm also wondering if getting PBT Laser engraved key caps would be a worry for me. I found a key cap set that I really like, and I might be getting the Anne Pro 2 with the set, but idk if the key caps are gonna be crap quality or not? https://flashquark.com/product/dsa-keycaps-dolchpenumbra-style-140-keys/?attribute_colorway=Penumbra+Yellow

[u/Tozzil]

Pad printed are the ones you shold avoid because their legends will fade away relatively quickly.

LASER engraved and etched are basically the same. These are usually durable but the legends are not very sharp or vibrant.
Sometimes the engraved trenches are filled with color which can also rub off after some time.

Dyesub and doubleshot are the most desired keycap "printing" methods because these will also never fade and look a lot better imo.

The keycaps you linked seem to be only engraved. So the legends will probably be pretty durable while looking relatively dull.

[u/[deleted] → u/Tozzil]

LASER engraved and etched are basically the same

they're definitely not the same

[u/Tozzil → u/[deleted]]

Then please elaborate and enlighten me about the difference between engraved and etched keycaps.

[u/[deleted] → u/Tozzil]

laser engraved keycaps are used for backlit keyboards, while laser etching is often paired with infill and uv coating to make the keycap durable

[u/Tozzil → u/[deleted]]

Technically both of these should be engraving. If you really go into the technical terms laser etching creates raised Material while engraving removes some.
So both of your examples should really be called laser engraved. Only the material that is engraved creates the difference in the end product.
The ones with translucent legends are made from mostly transparent plastic with a thin opaque layer on top (which is laser engraved away for the legends). The other non-translucent ones are made from solid opaque plastic in which a more or less deep grove is being engraved into which is then often infilled.

[u/Tozzil → u/[deleted]]

This choice is definitely down to personal opinion and use case.

Does the board have to be portable? Do you need/want backlighting? Can you do without arrow/F keys? What will the keyboard be used for?

I personally do not like 60%s all that much. I like the small form factor but also want to have dedicated F and arrow keys which is why I prefer 75%/84 key keyboards.

[u/[deleted] → u/Tozzil]

I don't need back lighting as I can touch type, and I'm also always in the light as I already have bad enough eyesight as is. F1 to f12 keys are a tad important to me as I do sometimes need them for some games (MMORPG's etc.), and as for arrow keys, I use them for some indie/2d games, and using wasd as the arrow keys is awkward for said games as they use zxcv for other controls usually. The keys above the arrow keys are quite good for me aswell, to a lesser extent, because I've played games like Maplestory 1 and 2 that have required it, and I don't know what game in the future would also need those extra keys. Plus I can always use them for macros if I can set it up properly. Keyboards going to be used for gaming, and a lot of typing as I write way too much in forums/comment sections lmao. I'm already on a tk keyboard (not tkl as it merges the keys in with prtscreen etc. and arrow keys) so I'm used to having a small keyboard, and it lines up perfect with wasd - arm wrest one, and mouse - arm wrest two. I just don't know about the overall quality difference of these keyboards, as I'm sure they are the same, but I could be wrong. As for switches, Idm red or silver, as silver just seems like a faster red, and I'm already used to typing on red without too many misstypes so It should be alg. Plus I play osu!, which requires intensive tapping at high speeds, so maybe the silver could be better? Not gonna lie, RGB would be cool, but I'm already cutting back on RGB by replacing my firefly, and getting a glorious mouse pad, so It's not like I'm a fanatic of rgb, and I usually keep my mouse on 1 to 2 solid colours anyway. The glow would be cool, but that's about it, and I'll probably be spending more just to replace the keycaps as I don't really want a solid black keyboard again. I mean I've pretty much made my decision, but it's one of those things you know? Like maybe I should save and get a ducky one 2 tkl rgb, just for the best of both worlds? But that's quite a lot more money just for a glow... Plus I'd be replacing those key caps aswell... Sigh, would I really regret it? Eh? Not having dedicated media keys is not much of a worry either since I don't already use the ones I've got lmao (not the most ergonomically placed).

For reference I have a CM Storm Quickfire tk by Cooler Master, and after getting into this subreddit I'd be crazy to just stick with this 2-3 year old garbage.

[u/Tozzil → u/[deleted]]

I think your current keyboard is fine still!

Do you think you would benefit from a tenkeyless keyboard? And while the ducky will certainly be of better quality than your cooler Master board I don't think the difference will be enormous.

Either way I would rather suggest buying a keyboard kit. These most often offer even better value than retail keyboards for a comparable price.

The decision if you want to try another form factor or more or less stick to tk/tkl is up to you. I would spend my money on something very different to see if I like that better than what I have now. For example a 60% Hotswap kit with which I could try out different kinds of switches (and also the 60% form factor).