Looking for some blue themed keycaps that are in-stock and aren’t too pricey? The Kinetic Labs Whale PBT keycaps could be a set that you will like. As the name suggests, the whale-themed keycaps feature mainly grey and blue colours that match really well together. Whale PBT keycaps retails for US$65.
Tech specs
| Manufacturer | PolyCaps |
| Material | PBT |
| PBT feel | Slightly textured |
| Legends | Double-shot |
| Profile | Cherry |
| Compatibility | ANSI support for 60%, 65%, 75%, and 100% (full size), including WKL. Support for conventional Alice and split shifts. No dedicated support for ISO, 40% or ortho. |
Unboxing
Kinetic LabsWhale PBT keycaps come in packed in a really nice art styled box that features a whale graphic. In the box you’ll find 3 trays of keycaps and a basic keycap puller.
Keyboard layout support
Kinetic Labs Whale PBT only has one option of an “all-in-one” kit, which will fit conventional keyboard layouts (60%-100%) that use a standard bottom row. If you’re using a WKL that requires 7u spacebar, 1.5u Ctrl and Alt, and 1u Win on the bottom row, it is supported as well. You can refer to the below image made by Kinetic Labs to check if this keycap set is compatible with your current keyboard.
As it also comes with a 2.25u and 2.75u space bar, it can support an Alice layout too.
Keycaps quality and legends
The keycaps are made from PBT plastic, which is more durable when it comes to shine when compared to ABS plastic. The PBT plastic also provides some texture which I personally find to be satisfying to type on.
The PBT plastic from PolyCaps are largely good in quality, and I did not encounter any of the spacebar warping. However, I do find that the plastic seems to be a little prone to leaving scuffs and marks from keycaps pullers especially those wire ends one. I’d recommend using your hands to remove those large keycaps.
As for legends, Whale PBT uses double-shot instead of dye-sublimation. Double-shot is more expensive to manufacturer as two layers of plastic are used resulting in sharper legends. The legends are indeed crisp and the Modifier legends with long words have sharp wordings as well. Do note that the modifier keys are only offered in text legends and not icon.
Colourway & mounted on keyboards
Personally, I find the blue and grey colour used on the Kinetic Labs Whale PBT keycaps set to be largely versatile. It will go well with any black, white, silver and blue keyboard. And if you’re going for a particular blue theme, it looks nice on blue boards as well.
The above images show the Kinetic Labs Whale PBT keycaps mounted on the Navy Blue Keychron Q1. The blue on the modifiers blend in really well with the blue case, and the grey alphas complements the overall blue look nicely as well.
Even when mounting the Kinetic Labs Whale PBT keycaps on a Babypowder White OwLab Mr. Suit, it also looks rather clean. The white case gives the set more room for the colours pop. I especially like the bright light blue used on the Esc and Enter keys to bring out some contrast in a set that uses mainly dark colours.
If you don’t favour the light blue accent keys, the V3 version of the Whale PBT adds non-accent colours for the Esc, Enter, a few other keys so you can have a cleaner two-toned colour way. Featured above is the Poseidon60 in silver.
Where to buy
As of now, you can only purchase the Kinetic Labs Whale PBT keycaps directly from Kinetic Labs. The retail for US$65 which is a pretty good price but shipping out of US on their site is typically expensive. If you’re interested, I’d recommend collating orders in order to split the shipping cost. Alternatively, you can try using freight forwarding services such as EzShip to reduce the shipping cost.