Most people don't pay much attention to the keys on their keyboard. They are likely to be white with black text or black with white text. There are so many choices with mechanical keyboards. Germany's GMK manufactured the most sought-after key caps. When the mechanical keyboard hobby exploded in recent years, GMK couldn't keep up with the demand, and new sets took a year or longer to ship.
The company's recent manufacturing issues and delays have cost it goodwill in the community. EnjoyPBT and Drop are examples of high-quality keycap manufacturers that have been opened up by GMK. Drop also has a number of GMK-made sets in its store, but the company recently launched its DCX Keycaps, which are available in nine different versions.
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I have never been a big fan of Drop's default key caps. Some people like them, but they are too high for me. Drop says that the new DCX profile is similar to theCherry layout that you are used to. You may mistake these for Cherry-profile keycaps if you don't pay attention. If you're a Mac user, you'll probably want to spend the extra $25 for the MacOS-specific keys, since they're a bit cheaper.
It's easy to like these key caps. I received a sample of the set. The legends are crisp and there were no manufacturing defects. Drop's keycaps don't feel smooth, and while they'll likely show some shine after a few years of use, there's no sign of that yet. They are comparable to the GMK keycaps Drop, but not as thick. On the same board, the sound they make is just a little bit higher than that of a thicker PBT set, but that is barely noticeable, and in terms of sound, the switches, plates and everything else in your board will make far more of a difference anyways.
If you use an Alice-style keyboard, you'll need the space bar kit, too. It is standard in the industry to keep the price of the base kit low as only a small percentage of buyers will ever need it.
Drop sent me a pre-built keyboard to try out. The Drop + Oblotzky SA Oblivion Custom Keycap Set is included with the full stack version. Compared to the new DCX sets, it feels a bit cheap. I don't like how smooth the SA profile is, but I admit that it isn't for me.
The Drop CTRL with its aluminum frame and fun lighting effect is still a viable option despite being on the market for a while. At $150 for the bare bones version, it sits at the lower end of the custom keyboard market while offering a high-quality build. Drop hasn't released a new in-house design since last year, and some newer boards offer more features and options for a similar price, while Drop itself hasn't released a new in-house design in years.
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