Cooler Master‘s MasterKeys line has a new PBT keycap option as showcased at Computex. You can actually read this review here at eTeknix already, featuring the MasterKeys L PBT verison. This PBT option is available for both fullsize MasterKeys L and tenkeyless MasterKeys S keyboard.
ABS vs PBT Keycaps
ABS or “Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene” is the most commonly used keycap material as well as material for other peripherals. The most common drawback is that it is prone to yellowing upon exposure to UV light (basically sunlight). PBT or “polybutylene terephthalate” on the other hand is a lot more durable and more resistant than ABS. It is also more resistant to oil from fingers as well as UV. However, PBT is more difficult to manufacture, therefore it costs more.
Cooler Master’s PBT Keycaps are 1.5mm thick so they are extra durable. They are also providing extra backup keycaps for the gaming cluster, just in case. As usual, these use the standard Cherry MX mount so they are also compatible with other keyboards with the same layout. Cooler Master specifically uses the most common 1.25x bottom row key set for the MasterKeys line.
Availability and Pricing
Both the MasterKeys L and MasterKeys S keyboards PBT are actually available now in retail stores. The MasterKeys S PBT is priced at $79.99 while the MasterKeys L PBT costs $89.99.
