Doubt corrodes every worthwhile player. And it is that when it comes to depositing money in a device as important as a gaming keyboard, it is looked at at the minimum, mainly because the player has to do the keyboard and not the other way around, even if it looks different. Speed, precision and above all durability are increasingly valued, thus distinguishing between good keys and those that are not.
ABS vs PBT, which is more recommended for a gaming keyboard?
Before answering the question, let’s find out a bit more about the type of material we have on hand, mainly to understand the reasons for the answer. ABS stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, a material used for PC chassis, parts of AIOs, some mouse cases and of course for keys. It is a fairly weak material in terms of molecular structure, but it has the advantage of being wear resistant and impact resistant, which makes it somewhat difficult to break.
It is the most widely used material in the gaming keyboard industry, with the vast majority of them carrying this material in their Keycaps. On the other hand, the PBT or polybutylene tereflalate It is a material which compared to ABS is harder in terms of wear, but against it it leaves a grainy, gravel feel to the touch.
Another downside is that it is more fragile on impact or blow, and it is also more expensive to manufacture than ABS, so given its less clean and soft nature, as well as its higher price tag, they have leads the industry not to include it as a pre-built hardware on gaming keyboards.
Why is the industry choosing one in unison?
Mainly for the price, but for users it also has its logic. Most of us don’t know how to properly clean keys. Some use alcohol, others isopropyl and many more aggressive elements.
If the keys were in PBT, the results would be catastrophic: from warping to premature wear of each key. ABS, on the other hand, and although it is also subject to this degradation in some way, is surprisingly more resistant to chemicals and therefore enjoys a better reputation with manufacturers and the community.
Additionally, the ease of creating the keycap is also a factor to consider, as the degree of deformation and durability of the keycap are implicit in the shaping process. ABS has another obvious advantage here, since it is molded much simpler than PBT and as we mentioned much cheaper, which directly impacts the final price of the keyboard.
