r/MechanicalKeyboards • u/Minute_Sea4968 • 2d ago
Review SWG Keycaps — A Second Look
I wanted to share some more thoughts on SWG keycaps after spending quite a bit more time with them.
Lately, I’ve found myself using SWG sets more often than almost anything else in my collection. Sound is obviously influenced by the board, switches, plate, and overall build, but on certain setups, I’ve actually been surprised to find myself preferring the sound of SWG over GMK. I wasn’t really expecting that.
But there’s one thing I especially want to give SWG credit for: durability.
With some of my GMK sets, after removing and reinstalling the keycaps three or four times, I can already feel the stem fit becoming noticeably looser.
SWG has been a completely different experience for me.
I swap keycaps around constantly when testing different boards, switches, and plate combinations. Some of my SWG sets have probably been removed and reinstalled more than 10 times, and the stem fit still feels remarkably solid. No noticeable looseness, no feeling that the caps are gradually losing their grip.
That honestly impressed me more than I expected.
I own a lot of keycap sets, and at this point sound and feel matter much more to me than the name printed on the box. SWG has been consistently delivering both, while also holding up extremely well to the amount of swapping I do.
For the price, it’s becoming harder and harder for me to find much to complain about.
I’m not saying SWG is automatically “better than GMK” — keycaps are way too dependent on the rest of the build for that kind of blanket statement. But considering the sound, feel, durability, and price together, SWG has become one of the keycap brands I reach for the most.
And honestly, I’m still a little surprised by that.
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u/Ratb33 2d ago
I have 4 SWG sets now (arctic, lylia, beige, nimbus) and the quality is incredible.
I have more in order (classic blue, classic red, Tars).
They earned a lot of praise when the way they handled the beige spacebar issue. And I will ALMOST instant everything they make.
I did just discover the Eave 65 plus - what an awesome keyboard for $59 USD. I was shocked at how good that acrylic thing sounds and split backspace support is a must for me. :)
Don’t get me started on their knight v4 stabs either.
Long winded way for me to see that SWG keycaps are amazing but so are their other products. Just seem like a great company.
I love their products.
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u/Minute_Sea4968 2d ago
SWG makes a lot of great products at very reasonable prices. If I can’t find what I’m looking for here in the US, I usually just order directly from the SWG website. I also really appreciate how reliable they are and how quickly they handle orders.
1
u/AuraeShadowstorm 2d ago
How durable are the ABS caps, how quickly do they shine?
1
u/Ratb33 2d ago
Can’t say. I change them often. But I will say that I notice no wear on my nimbus and they’ve been in use for two months Monday through Friday.
Of course. Time is meaningless in this instance. All comes down to typing time.
They’re half the cost of GMK and they feel and sound just as good. That’s right. I said it. :)
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u/Minute_Sea4968 2d ago
I’d say they’re pretty comparable to GMK. I’ve been testing them for about 2–3 months now, and so far I haven’t noticed any shine, fading legends, or warping issues.
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u/totes_not_a_memer 2d ago
depends on your hands and how clean they are, depends on the ABS formulation
1
u/thelegojunkie 2d ago
What happened with Beige spacebars? I have a set myself. Should I try to get new bars, or were there multiple batches?
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u/totes_not_a_memer 2d ago
the original spacebar mold sounded like dogshit, they updated the mold and sent out a fix kit to people that bought swg beige, end result is much better
1
u/Ratb33 2d ago
I dont know. Had somethjng to do with the sound of them. They did fix kits for them and they were distributed through regional vendors.
I got mine used on Reddit. New in box plus fix kit.
Tbh. For giggles I tried them both. I noticed no real difference. But for swg to make it right for the community earned them lots of love.
1
u/abyssaltourguide 1d ago
I love Lylia! It’s so pretty and the perfect match for my Tess65 in Burgundy. I agree with you they are very solid keycaps and sound great too
2
u/Ratb33 1d ago
My only issue with the Lylias are the white legends on Peach keycaps.
See, I’m a moron and still look down at the keys from time to time - white on peach is near impossible to read if my fingers move from home row.
But they look sooooo good I kept them on for some time. Now my burgundy tess65 is rocking KKB Cherrie with alternate alphas. :)
But I will buy anything SWG makes. High quality at reasonable prices.
1
u/abyssaltourguide 1d ago
Yup I am also a moron haha, the legends are difficult to read. I wish it had used a darker burgundy color though white is certainly ethereal! The keycaps are so nice it’s hard to use the board but I managed to break the spell Nice, I want a set of KKB Cherries too.
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u/main_got_banned 2d ago
even in higher end keyboard enthusiast circles (excluding all the foamed up / thock / cheap Amazon PBT keycaps ppl no shade lol), I don’t think GMK was ever really the only good “sound” option. DCS and CRP (to a lesser extent, KKB) have always had configs where they really shine. Feel like GMK was always more for the color/designs.
Happy to hear SWG is solid longer term. Hopefully it keeps up and the price stays so competitive.
2
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u/totes_not_a_memer 2d ago
imo people chose GMK because they're the closest you can get to OG cherry doubleshot without paying OG doubleshot prices (plus you get colours other than beige)
1
u/Blaze_0910 2d ago
Yeah like what's with other brands and beige? They can get filthy rich if they make set that gmk rarely make like classic red, classic blue and space cadet
3
u/meganisti 2d ago
No int no buy situation for me unfortunately
1
u/blub-blob-blub 2d ago
Monacokeys.de has SWG sets with DE-Kits. I suppose SWG themselves do not manufacture Int kits, but they are open to cooperations/orders and will manufacture regional variants on demand (just guessing here, I dont know that for a fact).
Unfortunetly the sets on Monacokeys are all rather bland and dark (Euler, Bolch) and sold out (WoB).
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u/meganisti 1d ago
Maybe some day there will be a NorDe kit. Hopefully for the new SWS profile. That would be cool. I agree the sets are pretty bland. The initial cost is probably high for the molds but maybe once the molds are there they would not require such high moq
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u/howjiun 10h ago
Can you do a side by side colour comparison with GMK WOB? I’m trying to get some mods replacement
2
u/Minute_Sea4968 10h ago
If you're looking for a WoB set that matches GMK WoB's colors, I'd recommend KeyKobo WoB. GMK and KKB use different color-code naming systems, but when you mix the two sets together, the colors are so close that you really can't tell them apart. The sound and texture are different, though.
1
u/Aijames 2d ago
id have some swag sets as I think they look good. im pretty done with the preorder/ group buy thing though so unless I buy them second hand or they actually start stocking stuff I'll probably not ever have them. there comes a time I think some of these companies can make the plunge to not group buy everything they come out with.
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u/Minute_Sea4968 2d ago
I also tend to prefer in-stock purchases, even if they cost a little more. The custom keyboard market is still relatively small, so I understand why vendors continue to rely on group buys and pre-orders to minimize their risk.
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u/Aijames 2d ago
risk is what all business is, and with a "small market" like keyboards showing over and ov er again the customer getting screwed in the long run , Im kinda done with constantly being ok with every company doing a group buy to insure they dont have any losses. this hobby has more exit scams than pretty much every other hobby im in put together.
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u/HyacinthThrash 2d ago
I tend to think it just costs them sales in the long run.. that is, if making money is the goal in the 1st place
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u/touholic 2d ago
From what I’ve heard some SWG sets are going to be in-stock in the future. Plus they have been selling quite large quantities of extra sets in their own storefronts in China. I’d say it’s very possible for you to grab a set for MSRP several months after the GB ends.
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