What are Pudding Keycaps?

Mechanical keyboard with pudding keycaps.

Pudding keycaps stand out in the world of mechanical keyboards with their unique dual-layer design, combining translucent sidewalls and an opaque top. This design not only elevates the aesthetic appeal of your keyboard but also significantly enhances the RGB lighting effects. Each keystroke becomes a visually striking experience, showcasing a vibrant interplay of light and color.

Ideal for those who appreciate both style and functionality, pudding keycaps are a perfect choice for adding a personal flair to your gaming or typing setup. Their popularity stems from the ability to transform a standard keyboard into a visually captivating accessory.

As we dive deeper into the world of pudding keycaps, we’ll explore their benefits, materials, and more. This will help you understand why they might be the best bet for your next keyboard customization.

Benefits of Pudding Keycaps

Pudding keycaps serve a singular, yet impactful purpose: they significantly enhance the backlighting of your keyboard for aesthetic appeal. They allow you to take control of another aspect of your keyboard’s design, offering a blend of functionality and style.

Enhanced Lighting

The allure of lighting lies in its colors, and pudding keycaps are masterfully crafted to maximize RGB illumination. Their double-layer design, featuring translucent sides and an opaque top, allows for a stunning display of colors. With a myriad of color options at your disposal, you can customize your workspace to reflect your unique style.

Importantly, this enhancement in lighting does not compromise the keycaps’ readability. The clear visibility of each key remains intact, ensuring both functionality and style. 

Durability of Keycaps

Durability is a key strength of pudding keycaps. Made from high-quality thermoplastic PBT, these double-shot keycaps are built to withstand heavy usage. Their robust construction ensures consistent performance over time, making them a reliable choice for both avid typists and gamers.

Detailed Comparison: Pudding Keycaps vs Regular Keycaps

Pudding keycaps differ significantly from regular keycaps in both design and functionality. The most notable feature of pudding keycaps is that they allow for more vibrant and extensive RGB lighting effects. This contrasts with regular keycaps, which typically have a single, opaque layer that limits the spread and intensity of backlighting. 

Additionally, pudding keycaps often use a combination of materials, such as PBT for durability and a clear plastic for the translucent section, whereas regular keycaps might be made entirely of ABS or PBT. 

Materials and Construction

Pudding keycaps are distinguished by their unique material composition and construction method. Typically, these keycaps are made using a combination of two plastics: a durable thermoplastic such as PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate) for the top layer, and a translucent plastic for the lower layer. This dual-material approach is crucial for achieving the characteristic two-tone look of pudding keycaps, where the top remains opaque and the sides allow light to pass through. The use of PBT for the upper layer is particularly notable, as it offers superior durability and resistance to wear compared to ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), which is commonly used in regular keycaps. PBT’s resilience against shine and fading ensures that pudding keycaps maintain their aesthetic appeal over prolonged use.

The construction of pudding keycaps typically involves a double-shot molding process. In this method, two separate pieces of plastic are injection-molded to form a single keycap, ensuring that the legend (the letter or symbol on the keycap) and the keycap body are of different materials. This process not only enhances the durability of the legends, preventing them from fading or wearing off over time, but also allows for the distinct coloration and lighting effects that pudding keycaps are known for. 

Compatibility with Different Keyboards

Pudding keycaps are generally compatible with most mechanical keyboards, especially those equipped with Cherry MX switches or similar clones. This broad compatibility makes them a versatile choice for a wide range of keyboard models. 

However, it’s important to verify the keycap sizes and layout of your specific keyboard, as some models with non-standard layouts may not accommodate pudding keycaps perfectly. While these keycaps are particularly beneficial for keyboards with RGB or LED backlighting—enhancing the light diffusion and overall aesthetic—they can also be used on non-backlit keyboards, adding a unique visual appeal due to their distinctive two-tone design.

Which Pudding Keycaps are Best?

Determining the best pudding keycaps often comes down to personal preference and the specific requirements of your keyboard setup. Brands like HyperX, Corsair, and Razer are well-known for their high-quality pudding keycaps, offering a balance of aesthetic appeal and durability. 

Bestseller No. 1
HyperX Pudding Keycaps - Double Shot PBT Keycap Set with Translucent Layer, for Mechanical Keyboards, Full 104 Key Set, OEM Profile, English (US) Layout - White
  • Translucent design: The dual-layer design of these keycaps is designed to let more light through, making your keyboard’s RGB lighting even more stunning.
  • Durable double shot PBT material: These PBT keycaps are made with thick walls and are resistant to wear, friction, and solvents.
  • Signature HyperX font: Our bold, wide font allows for more light to shine through, enhancing the visibility and legibility of the individual keys.
  • Stylish keycap removal tool included: Our keycap removal tool is specially-designed to precisely fit HyperX keycaps.
  • Compatibility: The full key set is compatible with HyperX and most mechanical gaming keyboards. They complement the exposed LED design of HyperX mechanical key switches.
Bestseller No. 2
Womier Pudding Keycaps, PBT Keycaps 165 Keys Set Custom Keycap Set, Shine Through Keycaps OEM Profile, Universal Compatiability for 100%, 75%, 65%, 60% Keyboard - Black
  • 【Ultra-Wide Compatibility with Standard and Non-Standard Keycap Kits】 The keyboard keycaps contain 141 Keys+24 keys, Fits most mechanical keyboard brands, for SteelSeries, Razer, Corsair, and almost all other MX stem mechanical keyboards. [Tip: If you're not sure if the keycaps fit you perfectly keyboard. You can message customer service at any time. We will answer for you! ]
  • 【Durable Doubleshot PBT】These PBT keycaps are made with thick walls and are resistant to wear. Textured finish for a premium look and feel. The letters on the keycap are closed and have no gaps. Exquisite workmanship.
  • 【Environmental Keycap Storage Box+keycap Pulle】This pudding keycap set comes with an eco-friendly, beautiful, and practical paper keycap storage box that can keep your keycaps from being messy, so you can safely store each keycap. (Tip: The canned box and the eco-friendly carton are delivered randomly, and both boxes are very practical.)
  • 【Perfect for PC Gaming】 Translucent layer unleashes more brilliant backlight effects out, upgrade your basic RGB keyboard illumination to another more dazzling and fancy outlook level.
  • 【Ergonomic Arrangement Shine Through Keycaps】OEM profile, R1 to R4 row height, keycap surface tilt, tilt direction are different, curvature to fit the fingers, more comfortable typing.
Bestseller No. 3
Womier Pudding Keycaps, PBT Keycaps 165 Keys Set Custom Keycap Set, Shine Through Keycaps OEM Profile, Universal Compatiability for 100%, 75%, 65%, 60% Keyboard - White
  • 【Durable Doubleshot PBT】These PBT keycaps are made with thick walls and are resistant to wear. Textured finish for a premium look and feel. The letters on the keycap are closed and have no gaps. Exquisite workmanship.
  • 【Ultra-Wide Compatibility with Standard and Non-Standard Keycap Kits】 The keyboard keycaps contain 141 Keys+24 keys, Fits most mechanical keyboard brands, for SteelSeries, Razer, Corsair, and almost all other MX stem mechanical keyboards. [Tip: If you're not sure if the keycaps fit you perfectly keyboard. You can message customer service at any time. We will answer for you! ]
  • 【Environmental Keycap Storage Box+keycap Pulle】This pudding keycap set comes with an eco-friendly, beautiful, and practical paper keycap storage box that can keep your keycaps from being messy, so you can safely store each keycap. (Tip: The canned box and the eco-friendly carton are delivered randomly, and both boxes are very practical.)
  • 【Perfect for PC Gaming】 Translucent layer unleashes more brilliant backlight effects out, upgrade your basic RGB keyboard illumination to another more dazzling and fancy outlook level.
  • 【Ergonomic Arrangement Shine Through Keycaps】OEM profile, R1 to R4 row height, keycap surface tilt, tilt direction are different, curvature to fit the fingers, more comfortable typing.

Final Thoughts

Pudding keycaps stand out in the mechanical keyboard world, offering a unique blend of aesthetics and functionality. Their dual-layer design, combining translucent and opaque materials, not only enhances the keyboard’s look but also amplifies RGB lighting effects. 

Ideal for gamers, typists, or anyone looking to add a personal touch to their workspace, pudding keycaps are a simple yet effective way to elevate your keyboard’s aesthetic and functional experience.

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