The delight is in the details of Drop’s new DCX keycaps

Drop has a new lineup of DCX key caps. Rather than focusing on making flashy, colorful designs like most aftermarket keycaps, the first three sets to use the new DCX profile have simple black-and-white designs.

The focus here is on getting the smallest details right in the hopes that Drop's sets might be able to compete with GMK's, a German manufacturer commonly seen as the producer of some of the best quality key caps around. The overall shape of the keycaps is referred to as the "Cherry" profile by GMK. Drop's new black-on-white DCX keycaps were compared with a set of white-on-black keycaps produced by GMK. Drop sells both of them, with the DCX keycaps starting at $89 for a base kit, and the GMK keycaps starting at $110. You know what. Drop has more affordable key caps.

The two sets look alike. Both are made out of thick plastic, both are double shot, and both have a cylindrical design. The overall shape of the keycaps is square, but if you look at them from the front, you can see that they are not straight. Drop has some fit issues with north facing switches.

The smaller left shift and larger enter key are examples of extra keycaps that are not found on a US keyboard. When it comes to the size of the bottom-row keys, there are a couple of different options.

Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge and Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge

The differences begin to become clear when you look closer. Drop uses different words on its bottom row. Drop has gone with "Super" instead of "Code" in a nod to the keys traditionally found on Linux computers. GMK's lettering is bolder than Drop's, which is why the key caps are subtly different. I don't think either is better here, it's up to you to decide.

Drop's key caps have a slight edge in some areas. The size of the lettering and symbols is much more consistent across the key caps. The tilde and caret symbols have been reduced in size in order to be in line with the other symbols on their keys. The tabs have been adjusted. Everything seems to look a lot better.

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I have only been typing on these keycaps for a day or two, so it is hard to say how the plastic will look over time. As it smooths down with use, it is reasonable to assume that it will develop a shine as it matures. The GMK keycaps have been in continuous use for at least a year and a half, so the extra glossiness is due to that.

Some people will ask about how the keycaps sound, so I recorded a few typing tests. I have a Filco Majestouch 2 with Costar-style stabilizers, but I can barely tell the difference between it and the other one.

DCX doesn't offer a night-and-day improvement compared to what GMK offers. If you go down the GMK route you have more options for different color schemes. There is only a limited number of color schemes available for DCX. They might be high-quality, but they don't offer the colorfulness and fun of aftermarket key caps. It is fun to study the details of a black-and-white set of keycaps, but at $90 it is not a purchase I would recommend to anyone else.

If Drop can keep up this level of quality as it builds out its range of DCX keycaps, and if it can do so while keeping them more affordable and more readily available than GMK's sets, then they will become very easy to use.

Jon Porter is a photographer.