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Keycap profiles for newbies

Have you ever wondered what a keycap profiles? If you are a gamer or work on computer things, you might know what it is. However, if you are an amateur and just want to improve your experience with your laptop, you might need to understand some basic stuff about keycap profile before buying one. 

What are keycap profiles?

Basically, a keycap prolife is the shape of the keycaps on a row of a keyboard. These keycap profiles are made for mechanical keyboard with different shapes, heights, material, etc.

We can categorize them by shape, so we have uniform/ flat and sculpted keycap profile. From the names, you can see the differences between them. The first one has a flat surface while the second one is created with a little bit of curves. Then, we also can differentiate them by the height. According to lots of people, the high keycap profile is taller than others. And, it takes time for them to get used to it. We also have medium and low keycap profiles. The last group is spherical and cylindrical profiles. I can say that they are designed with sophistication because they shape your fingers when typing.

keycaps profile
There are many types of keycaps profile

Types of keycap profiles

We won’t go into something too professional because we are all beginners in this field. Therefore, let’s take a look at some common types of keycap profiles. 

OEM profile 

You might hear a lot about this profile because it’s probably the most common keycap profile. There are lots of manufacturers who commit to this keycap profile to be their keyboard such as Filco, IKBC, Ducky, etc. The OEM profile is short for original equipment manufacturer, which means everything will be furnished by the manufacturers 

The outstanding characteristic of this keycap profile is the high keycap with slight inclination. The surface will be quite curved to embrace your finger while typing. With this design, it’s very easy for us to get familiar with it. However, for me, this keycap profile has a quite boring look. If it can be improved in the future, I believe more and more people will love it. 

keycaps profile
OEM profile is very popular

SA profile 

Originally, this SA keycap profile was designed by the SP company. However, nowadays, you can buy one from numerous manufacturers, mostly from China. These keycaps are made from high-quality plastic, which improves the durability. The main features are high keycaps with nice arrangement of rows. The thing that might stop us from buying this profile is the price. You might need to spend around $90 to $100 for a keycap set. It’s worth the price, but if you are just looking for something to try, then it might not be the good idea. 

Besides SP company, you can get one from Maxkey. They offer you the same quality and multiple colors. You can buy directly from them instead of going through other groups.

DSA profile 

Another keycap profile from SP company is DSA profile. This profile is a uniform profile with low keycap and all the rows are equal. The surface of those keycaps is wide and concave in the center, the characters are located in the middle of the keycap. You also can choose double shot or dye-sublimated keycaps. These features make it easy to use and you will feel like you can type for hours without having any problems

Despite all the great features, not many people like the price. You might have to pay more than $100 for this profile. However, if you don’t care much about the quality guarantee or the insurance after buying, you can find some with affordable prices on Amazon from Chinese manufacturers or from YMDK.

keycaps profile
You can compare keycaps profile’s character right here

Cherry profile 

I can say this is the most popular keycap profile. Lots of people heard this name even though not all of them understand it. First of all, Cherry designs this profile for their own mechanical keyboard. The surface is flat with low height. The last rows have a large inclination.

According to users, Cherry profile gives a wonderful typing experience because these keycaps are cylindrical, which makes you feel that these keycaps are hugging your finger while using. Therefore, if you use your keyboard for typing mainly, you should consider this profile. 

You can find them with a keyboard from GMK and ePBT. They are used widely, so it’s not difficult for you to find one. Otherwise, you can find them on some group buy or aftermarkets. What makes this keycap profile outstanding is that they offer you with a nice price. You can easily find a quite good quality Cherry profile on some ecommerce platforms. 

In general, the work of keycap profiles is massive and open. There are lots of keycap profiles that are suitable for each of your using purposes. My advice is try some basic profiles first and decide which one is for you. 

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