Just got my first Keychron keyboard!! I got the K4 Pro. What a difference typing on this vs the Magic Keyboard. I am a newbie at this keyboard, so I have some questions. The backlight doesn’t shine through the keys- I was aware of this. Can anyone recommend keycaps that are shine through? Would it look fine with the south facing backlight? Also, I’m looking for links that sell keycaps for this keyboard- shine through or not. I know I’m going down a rabbit hole, I want to see what’s out there. I came across on Keychron’s site a nice set of retro ones. Retro keycaps would be nice, I think. Thank you for your help.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Keychron keyboard discussion
- Thread starter maflynn
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
What keycaps are these? They are nice. I’m looking at the
Keychron OEM Profile PBT Retro Keycap Set for the K4 Pro.
Do you know of any places that sell keycaps for the K4? I’m interested in a retro look but also open to what’s out there.
You don’t need keycaps specifically for the K4 Pro. Virtually any “MX-style” set will work. Just make sure it has the proper 1u zero key for the numpad.
What you will have trouble finding, though, are keycaps with Mac F-row icons.
Look up on Google the differences in the various “profiles”, which specify shape and height of the keycaps. And this is a handy way of visualizing some of the differences: https://www.keycaps.info/stack
Thanks for your reply @xraydoc . After receiving the K4 Pro, I ordered up the K10 Pro to compare. It’s full size which I like. I received it today but haven’t opened it yet. Will do tomorrow.
I suspect I’ll have an easier time finding keycaps for the full size, am I correct? I really want to get retro keycaps. Any suggestions on where to look? I’ve looked at Drop, and WASD.
Thanks for your help!
I suspect I’ll have an easier time finding keycaps for the full size, am I correct? I really want to get retro keycaps. Any suggestions on where to look? I’ve looked at Drop, and WASD.
Thanks for your help!
A standard full 108 key keyboard layout might be a little easier in that virtually all sets will include the proper keys for each row. But there are still countless sets that have all the necessary standard keys for 65%, 75% and 96% layouts. I have a Q5 at work and a V5 at home, both of which have the same 95% layout as the K4 Pro. On one of them, I have a generic Chinese Amazon knockoff set of cherry profile keycaps. On the other, a set of PBTFans cherry profile.
As for keycaps, I personally really like PBTFans. They make cherry profile and the feel and quality of the keycaps is excellent. Even their ABS plastic ones are virtually indistinguishable from PBT. Their sets do come with macOS Option and Command keys, but they do not have macOS icons on the F-row keys. Just generic F1-F13 labels. They can be ordered from Divinikey.com (I believe based in California) or from KBDFans.com (based in either Hong Kong or mainland China, I think), and I'm sure some others. I've ordered products from both resellers without any issues. If you order a set of PBTFans keycaps, make sure you also order the numpad kit, which is optional.
Some of the Drop.com sets do have macOS F-row keys as an optional purchase, however, particularly a few of the ones in the MT3 profile (though the MT3 profile is pretty tall, just as an FYI). As with PBTFans, you'll have to also order numpad keys and sometimes novelties or media keycaps to get everything you want. Most of the higher-end keycaps come as different kits that you'll need to mix & match together to suit your specific keyboard. And yes, sometimes you'll need to order a whole optional set just to get one or two specific keycaps you want. Happens.
Thanks for this info @xraydoc. Another question I have..
I really like the Gateron Brown switches on the K4. The K10 uses K Brown switches. I think I may switch out the K Brown switches to the Gateron Brown switches. Can I use these on the K 10 Pro?
www.keychron.com
And the switcher tool that came in the box I’ve read isn’t great. Any recommendations for a better one?
And one last question for now… do you know what keycaps @maflynn used to used… see my post above…. I know he got better ones from Drop.
Again thanks for your help.
I really like the Gateron Brown switches on the K4. The K10 uses K Brown switches. I think I may switch out the K Brown switches to the Gateron Brown switches. Can I use these on the K 10 Pro?
Gateron G Pro Switch Set
We offer Gateron G Pro mechanical MX switches: Red, Blue, Brown, Yellow, White, Black, Green, Silver. All the Gateron G Pro Switches you want, the Gateron switches are one of the most sought mechanical keyboard switches renowned for their smooth and tactile typing experience. Gateron Red...
And the switcher tool that came in the box I’ve read isn’t great. Any recommendations for a better one?
And one last question for now… do you know what keycaps @maflynn used to used… see my post above…. I know he got better ones from Drop.
Again thanks for your help.
As long as your K4 Pro has hot-swap switches, you can remove them and use them wherever you like.Thanks for this info @xraydoc. Another question I have..
I really like the Gateron Brown switches on the K4. The K10 uses K Brown switches. I think I may switch out the K Brown switches to the Gateron Brown switches. Can I use these on the K 10 Pro?
Gateron G Pro Switch Set
We offer Gateron G Pro mechanical MX switches: Red, Blue, Brown, Yellow, White, Black, Green, Silver. All the Gateron G Pro Switches you want, the Gateron switches are one of the most sought mechanical keyboard switches renowned for their smooth and tactile typing experience. Gateron Red...
And the switcher tool that came in the box I’ve read isn’t great. Any recommendations for a better one?
And one last question for now… do you know what keycaps @maflynn used to used… see my post above…. I know he got better ones from Drop.
Again thanks for your help.
Keychron's own house-brand switches are made by Gateron for them, just FYI. The only difference I'm aware of between the "K Pro Brown" and the standard Gateron Brown switches is the dust shield around the stem which may actually provide for a little less stem wobble as compared with Gateron's own offering. Otherwise they're virtually identical. But, nonetheless, you can absolutely reuse them in the K10 Pro (again, presuming you have a hot-swap model; hot-swap sockets is optional on some of the K Pro models).
A switch removal tool is basically a big pair of tweezers. I bought a better one off Amazon for like $5 or something. You don't really need to spend $50 on one of those fancy long rectangular mechanized removal tools. Each switch has little tabs at the top and bottom edges. Grab, squeeze and lift. The only reason why the one that comes in the Keychron box isn't great is because the legs are short, so your fingers have to be close to the switches and keys and you've got to hold it at an odd angle to get around the bulbous U-bend at the top. And since the legs are short, you're limited in the amount of torque you can create. But it does work in a pinch.
I think maflynn is using Susuwatari MT3 keycaps. I took a look and it doesn't look like this set has Mac F-row key legends (not even in the Extras set), if that's something important to you. This set https://drop.com/buy/drop-biip-mt3-extended-custom-keycap-set?defaultSelectionIds=969821 does have them available, however, in the Media Icons pack, though be aware that everything in this set looks to be a la carte... alphas, modifiers, colored modifiers, media icons, etc., so might get expensive, but there's tons of options.
Edit: and just FYI, if you like tall keycaps like the MT3 and SA profiles, you might very much like the Keychron KSA profile keycaps. They come stock on the Q Pro line but they're also available at retail. And they do have the macOS media icons on the F-row keys.
Last edited:
Thank you so much for the link @xraydoc I love the classic Apple keycaps! I do have the K10 Pro Hot Swap model.
Yea I think he is using those keycaps. It’s mentioned earlier in this thread.
A couple more questions… I’ve looked online and since I’m a newbie at this… I know this keyboard doesn’t have shine through keycaps- not a huge deal, however if I do want get shine through keycaps as well for this keyboard can you point me to some good shine through keycaps, please. Links would be great. Would love classic Apple keycaps if possible. If not no biggie. Also what material to look for.
Where do I look for the Keychron KSA Profiler keycaps?
Again thank you for your help. I’m having fun with this. And it’s a huge distraction since I’m going through chemotherapy for mesothelioma. I love geeking out on these types of things. Plus this keyboard is replacing my Apple keyboard. Need a change. This thread is a great resource.
Yea I think he is using those keycaps. It’s mentioned earlier in this thread.
A couple more questions… I’ve looked online and since I’m a newbie at this… I know this keyboard doesn’t have shine through keycaps- not a huge deal, however if I do want get shine through keycaps as well for this keyboard can you point me to some good shine through keycaps, please. Links would be great. Would love classic Apple keycaps if possible. If not no biggie. Also what material to look for.
Where do I look for the Keychron KSA Profiler keycaps?
Again thank you for your help. I’m having fun with this. And it’s a huge distraction since I’m going through chemotherapy for mesothelioma. I love geeking out on these types of things. Plus this keyboard is replacing my Apple keyboard. Need a change. This thread is a great resource.
I don't have any particular recommendations for shine-through keycaps, but because of the south-facing LEDs on the Keychron (suboptimal for lighting up legends towards the top of the key face), I'd recommend "pudding" style keycaps if you want good light transmission. There are also keycaps that have front side-lit legends. The tops of the keys are blank and the legends are on the front facing side of the keycap. They look pretty cool and will light well with the south-facing LEDs.
The Keychron KSA keycaps are here (various color patterns): https://www.keychron.com/products/double-shot-ksa-pbt-keycap-full-keycap-set
The shorter Keychron OSA keycaps, like the stock ones on your K10 Pro, are here (various color patterns): https://www.keychron.com/products/double-shot-pbt-osa-full-set-keycap-set
If you're looking for something else fun, consider buying a multi-switch tester from Amazon or somewhere similar. These will come with a plastic housing, some blank keycaps and a bunch of different switches for you to try out. Not quite the same as typing on a full set, of course, but will give you a feel for some of the other switch options out there. While Brown switches are ok, and I've used them myself for a few years, I've branched out into the big world of other varieties.
Chemotherapy sucks. I've been through it myself 20 years ago. Needed something to distract me as well, so I ended up building a PC from parts. This was way back when, but was still a fun distraction.
Last edited:
Yea it does suck. I loose my taste which is awful as I can’t eat much. And I’m tired a lot. I went through this 20 years ago, I had mesothelioma on both my lungs. No idea where I was exposed. It’s caused by exposure to asbestos. Now it’s in my abdominal area. Hope you’re doing better and recovered.
Thank you for the links and the help!
Are Dye Sub keycaps good? Like do they wear out or shine after a while? I’m looking at this set for my K10 Pro.
Keychron OEM Dye-Sub PBT Full Set Keycap Set (133 Keys) - Iceberg
OEM Dye-Sub PBT Keycap Set - Iceberg Full Set
www.amazon.com
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
So since I can never leave well-enough alone, I present to you my Q5 Pro...
Nice. I considered buying it when it was announced, but the K4 Pro works quite fine for me. I don't need another keyboard at the moment, no matter how much I want to keep tinkering. It's hard to practice self-control with this hobby. 😅
OMG!!! I LOVE these keycaps! I wish they made these for the K-10 Pro. That’s a nice looking keyboard. And yea, I’m finding it hard enough to not leave well-enough alone too. It’s another hobby for me. Always looking for keycaps. I’ve got 2 different keycaps now, but I have my eye on a few more. Christmas is coming… 😁
The keycaps are Keychron's OSA keycaps. I used a white set purchased at the same time I bought my keyboard along with black keycaps that I had pulled off older keyboards.
FiiO has just come out with a very interesting Mechanical keyboard. It comes with Gateron switches and incorporates a DAC /AMP. I have FiiO DAC/Amps a BTR5. and BTR7 I use them with my iPhones very good. It was just advertised yesterday (15th).
FiiO KB3 Keyboard.
FiiO KB3 Keyboard.
Last edited:
Totally honest question (I promise) - why does having a DAC in a keyboard help? Seems like a weird combination of two totally different devices.
I guess that it saves space on the desk and reduces the number of USB peripherals by one, assuming that it replaces a standalone DAC. More than anything though, it sets this keyboard apart from others and may attract people that otherwise might not bother with getting a separate DAC.
FiiO is very interesting company. This might be for gamers. This would also be a good keyboard for an iPad. As I said I have the BTR5, and the BTR7. BlueTooth/USB/DAC/Amp. They have completely changed how I listen with by iPhones. being able to use really good earphones, I use the Etymōtic ER4SR's and Shure SE425's. These devices also work with My Apple Watch. One thing that FiiO does is the are provisioned with all of the Bluetooth audio coding standards. For Apple it supports AAC, this is not the best audio Coding but most every other wireless earphone does not support AAC.
www.fiio.com
BTR7 Portable HiFi Bluetooth Earrator
Feiao portable HiFi Bluetooth earpiece solves the trouble that headphones and devices cannot be separated, allowing you to bid farewell to the shackles of wires and enter the era of wireless music.
www.fiio.com
One huge thing that FiiO brings to the table is true balanced head/earphone feeds. You have 2 kinds of head/earphone wiring. Balanced, this is where each audio channel has separate +/- wiring, Unbalanced were the left and right channels share a common ground. With true balance feed each channel has its own dedicated amplifier. This fantastically improves the sound.