Changing Keycaps is a great way to achieve an entirely different appearance and enhance the overall performance of your mechanical keyboard.
Choosing the right keycaps can take your keyboard experience to a next level.
As many economical mechanical keyboards come with low-quality keycaps which usually develop shiny texture and decrease performance with time.
There are various no. of keycaps available on the market, among them, some popular keycaps are HyperX keycaps, GMK Keycaps, Razer Keycaps, Hammerwork CRP Keycaps, and many more.
In this article, we are going to cover complete details about GMK Keycaps including their Pros and Cons, why GMKs are expensive, and Should you buy GMK Keycaps for your keyboard or not?
In the end, you can find the best mechanical keyboards having the GMK keycaps.
Before jumping into the details, let me give you an overview of GMK Keycaps with some significant questions and their answers.
Let’s get dive into the details!
Table of Contents
What is GMK Keycaps?
GMK keycaps was developed by three Germans Manfred Güntner, Jürgen Meinhardt, and Wolfgang Kredler and from their surnames GMK got its name.
GMK is known to develop premium and unique design keycaps for mechanical keyboards.
Their keycaps designs are elegant, very limited, and magnificent that’s the reason many keyboard professionals like GMK keycaps.
These keycaps are always high in demand due to their limited-edition designs and durability as well, so you have to book 6 months before to get them in real hands.
GMK is not only restricted to keyboard keycaps, in fact, it also constructs PCB (Printed Circuit Boards) as well as some other electronic equipment.
GMK keycaps are equipped with the following significant properties:
- GMK Keycaps are made in Cherry Keycap Profile.
- Made with high-quality ABS Plastic.
- Compatible with most the mechanical Keyboards.
Having the high-quality ABS plastic material, you may get a deep and premium sound while typing on these keycaps and they also look much better than some other conventional keycaps.
These keycaps are one of the highest-selling keycaps among many other keycaps manufacturers.
GMK manufacturer started selling keycaps in the year 2011, so it is well established and reliable keycaps brand on the market.
Let’s understand GMK Keycaps better through a video that I’m embedding:
Source: Kwerty Keyboards
Pros and Cons of GMK Keycaps
PROS | CONS |
Unique, premium and Limited-Edition Design | The main downside is that GMK keycaps are expensive. |
Manufactured with thick high-quality ABS. | Takes too long time to deliver. |
Cherry Profile Layout | |
GMK Produce bassy sound due to have less space to move inside being a Cherry profile. | |
Smooth and Durable |
Why Are GMK Keycaps so Expensive?
GMK Keycaps usually come at a price point of between $100-$200 for a set and there is no second thought to say GMK Keycaps are so expensive because $200 for keycaps is not affordable for everyone.
You can buy an entire mechanical keyboard of a very good brand for around $200, so spending a high amount of bucks on a set of keycaps is worth it or not we will talk later in detail.
But why GMK Keycaps are so expensive, why does GMK charge a high price for their keycaps?
Do you get everything that you pay for?
Let me explain every possible and practical reason that makes GMK keycaps so expensive, take a look at the following significant factors:
1. Premium ABS Plastic
The first and most important factor that makes GMK so expensive is the high-quality ABS plastic material.
To construct these keycaps company uses premium and high-quality components to deliver excellent durability and performance in front of the users.
High-quality ABS plastic gives enough strength to the keycaps so they are able to survive for long years without losing their quality and develop a shinier texture.
This factor gives a positives edge to the GMK over other keycaps
Apart from GMK, there is some other keycaps manufacturer that also use high-quality material to construct their keycaps but they can be purchased for under $100.
We can understand using such kind of component can increase the price of any product when they arrive on the market.
Apart from these factors, we have to look for some other factors to get the final conclusion.
2. Thick Cherry Profile
GMK Keycaps are constructed in the most dominant and loved keycap profiles ‘Cherry Profile’ as Cherry Profiles are considered the most standard layout in the mechanical keyboards community.
Cherry Profile is generally more expensive than other profiles like OEM, DSA, and SA.
Cherry Profile is slightly shorter and the front key row is much flattered compared with the OEM profile as the OEM profile is very close to Cherry.
GMK Keycaps structure is based on Cherry profile so they follow sculpted profile type while making.
Being a sculpted profile type GMK Keycaps are perfectly suited for beginners as they required less time to get used to it.
You will get excellent comfort during typing on GMK as well as your fingers work smoothly without any fatigue and pain even after typing for long hours.
GMK purchase the original tooling from Cherry to create their keycaps, this is the most affecting factor that definitely increases GMK keycaps price drastically.
3. Manufacturing Process
The manufacturing process of GMK Keycaps is different and expensive because of the hard-pressed method while producing them.
If you have used any other keycaps you can notice color reproduction method is done with absolute perfection as well as precise accuracy for every key set, the difference can be observed at a first glance.
The smoothness can be felt during touch and typing on these keycaps.
You know GMK Keycaps produce keycaps that are limited-edition and have a very unique design with depth details, you will not find this kind of craftsmanship in other brands’ keycaps.
This unique manufacturing process boosts the price of GMK keycaps, this is one of the broadest factors these keycaps are sold at a higher price point.
A keyboard professional generally does not think much and is convinced to pay slightly a higher price for mechanical keycaps.
4. Limited-Edition Keycaps
The limited-edition is the feature on which a user can spend usually more money as he will get keycaps that cant is found easily on the market.
GMK uniquely designed their keycaps that can only be exclusive to GMK officials.
Having limited edition products on the desk is always given a special feeling to a user.
As you know if you want to purchase GMK keycaps you have to give a pre-order and you have to wait for up to 6 months to get keycaps at your doorsteps. So when they release their keycaps, they can only be bought for a limited period of time.
If you missed the deal for that particular design then probably you cant be able to order those keycaps or you have to wait for a couple of months.
Overall, Limited-edition along with special design keycaps certainly enhances the price of any product, this is the same scenario with the GMK Keycaps too.
5. Limited Availability
GMK Keycaps are not that easily available on the keycap market due to the company’s manufacturing mechanism.
GMK’s manufacturing process is quite different as we have to participate in a group to know when their new stocks are coming on the market. When they exceed their MCQ after then new production takes place.
This is the reason you have to wait for months to get these keycaps in your hand.
But now gradually reliable vendors are increasing in the keyboard market and they promise to deliver these keycaps as soon as they can.
Check out this link to get the latest updates from the GMK community and for group buy.
This limited availability can be a reason for GMK Keycaps being expensive.
Are GMK Keycaps Worth it?
As we have discussed why do GMK keycaps cost you higher, a question is always surrounded in keyboard enthusiasts’ mind ‘is GMK keycaps worth their price?’
Should I buy these expensive keycaps for my mechanical keyboard?
To be very frank, budget is completely come down to an individual user as for some people $200 can be easily affordable whereas for some users spending $200 for keycaps is justiciable.
In my opinion, GMK Keycaps are fallen into the luxurious keycaps category, each keycap is unique as well as they are constructed in Cherry profile design which is already available on the market at a higher price point, so considering these factors I can say Yes GMK keycaps worth it.
Although due to their high demands, it proved that people are willing to buy GMK Keycaps even at an expensive price.
It is true that limited-edition and luxurious keycaps are quite popular among keyboard professionals so GMK justified their price.
You have an option to resell these keycaps on some c2c platforms if you don’t like them but I can’t deny that there is some risk associated with it because searching for buyers can be quite challenging.
I advise you to buy GMK keycaps from a reliable platform so you can easily return or replace them in case you face any kind of issues.
What are the best GMK keycaps?
There are hundreds of vendors associated with the GMK Keycaps who sell these keycaps on their platform.
Even if I tell you the best GMK Keycaps, probably you will not be able to get them in your hand because of their limited availability and uncertain release date on the market.
To get GMK you will need to be active most of the time in the community and get updates regularly from the platforms about their product launch.
Users hardly get GMK Keycaps due to multiple vendors and bulk orders from the customers, that’s the reason the company limits the vendors and orders so it can fulfill every user’s requirements.
Drop.com and Amazon is a very reliable and reputed platforms to get GMK keycaps, apart from GMK, you can buy various mechanical keyboards and their accessories on Drop.
Look, choosing keycaps for a keyboard is totally user-specific as there is a variety of colors available for a keycap so you can pick accordingly.
Here is the best GMK Keycaps list I have shorted for you:
1. DROP GMK Redsuns Blue Samurai
Priced at $150, DROP GMK Redsuns Blue Samurai achieved the top position on our list due to some specific reasons.
First of all the keycaps looks stunning in themselves. The dark tone color, deep Blue, and the combination of dark grays and golden accents a very unique appearance to the keyboard.
These GMK Keycaps are sculpted in Cherry Profile. Inspired by General li Naomasa (founding father of the Samurai code) Blue Samurai gives a Japanese vibe as well as an excellent hold over the keycaps.
These keycaps come very soon in stock so do check out often. You can get DROP GMK Blue Samurai keycaps on DROP.com as well as on Amazon.
You can buy DROP GMK Samurai keycaps in Blue and Red Color varients.
2. DROP + MITO GMK LASER CUSTOM KEYCAP
The second best GMK Keycaps in our list are DROP + MITO GMK Laser.
Usually priced at $140, DROP MITO GMK Laser has everything that a decent keycap needs to have. These keycaps feature a combination of Dark colors, deep blue, dark shadow, and most important 80s feel which is surely loved by most of the users.
DROP MITO GMK Laser keycaps are designed with the special tooling of German Cherry Profile and constructed with thick Double-shot keycaps that provides excellent strength and durability.
Having all the specifications, DROP GMK Laser is a must-buy product for GMK Keycaps lovers.
You can get these keycaps directly on DROP.com and Amazon.
3. GMK Yoda 2 Limited Edition Keycap Set
If you are the kind of person who loves to have limited edition keycaps on your keyboard, then GMK Yoda 2 is the perfect keycaps you certainly want to go with.
As the name suggests, GMK Yoda 2 is a limited keycap set that is limited to 100 sets and has magnificent dark grey shades with orange printed words giving these keycaps a unique colorway set.
GMK Yoda 2 is constructed with high-quality ABS double shot plastic material and made by GMK in Germany.
Priced at a slightly higher price of $175, this keycap set certainly enhances your mechanical keyboard layout and makes it even better so this becomes a must-buy product for limited edition keycap lovers.
You can buy GMK Yoda 2 keycaps on the mechanicalkeyboards.com
4. Classic Retro Keycap Set (GMK)
The reason I have included Classic Retro Keycaps on my list is because of their Classic design layout combined with the dark black legends with a creamy beige color.
This keycaps set is the best suited for professionals and officials who want GMK keycaps with some decent design layout.
Coming to its specification, the Classic Retro GMK Keycaps set features high-quality plastic materials with a double shot molding process which provides excellent build quality and works seamlessly for many years.
Classic Retro keycaps are manufactured by GMK in Germany with the original Cherry equipment providing them good reliability as well as longevity.
The most lovable part of these keycaps is RGBY Pad-Printed Windows for this specific version as a tribute to the Windows 95 logo.
Classic Retro GMK keycaps cost you around $190 for a set which you can directly buy on mechanicalkeyboards.com
Conclusion
That’s all I have regarding GMK Keycaps which I’ve shared with you.
Now it’s time to conclude this post!
From Its limited edition, uniqueness to its performance and durability GMK keycaps are certainly exceptional keycaps that can make your mechanical keyboard premium looking and give a unique feel.
They are manufactured from a very high-quality ABS material with a Cherry profile layout which is considered the best layout in the mechanical keyboard segment.
That’s why people are ready to pay extra bucks for limited edition keycaps, and they can even wait for their favorite keycaps for a couple of months.
We have discussed above why they come at an expensive price so somehow their price is justified but with a condition how you can pick a perfect GMK set for your keyboard.
If you choose the perfect keycap set from our given list you will definitely come out to be happy and satisfied after using it.
GMK will certainly make your mechanical keyboard even better.
I hope this post was helpful and pleasant to read.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers!!
GMK Keycaps FAQs
Why do GMK keycaps take so long to arrive?
There are two major reasons GMK Keycaps late arrive at your doorstep if you are in a GMK group you will know GMK Production mechanism is slightly different as they move ahead only when they reached their MOQ, and the second reason can be covid restrictions. These are the reasons you will get your favorite GMK keycaps comparatively late.
Why is GMK keycaps so expensive?
GMK Keycaps are manufactured with high-quality thick ABS material along with a Cherry profile layout, each keycap set is unique as well as a limited edition for each group buy, these all factors make GMK Keycaps so expensive.
What does GMK keycaps stand for?
GMK got its name from the three German's surname who firstly developed GMK Keycaps, they are Manfred Güntner, Jürgen Meinhardt, and Wolfgang Kredler.