OCUK Cherry MX Keycaps and Rubber O-Ring Mod Review

Peter Donnell / 10 years ago

Final Thoughts

Price

The OCUK Tech Labs Noise Dampening O-Rings for Cherry MX keyboards are available from Overclockers.co.uk for £9.95 per set; each set contains 125 rings and are available in Black, Blue and Clear.

The ABS Double Shot ISO Full UK Layout Keycaps are available in red with white legends, blue with white legends and white with black legends from Overclockers.co.uk; each set costs just £24.95.

Overview

The ring mods do make a slight difference to the feel of the keyboard. The key feels physically dampened and you don’t get as much tactile clack as the key bottoms out; mostly because the key won’t bottom out. The key travels about 1mm less than it did before; I actually find rapid key strokes even easier than without the mods.

The new key caps are a big improvement over the stock Mionix ones, they feel lighter and more responsive to the touch and the contrasting black and white look of the keyboard also looks pretty cool. The only downside of the double-shot moulded keys vs laser etched is that LED lighting doesn’t shine through the keys, something worth keeping in mind. I have discovered that I still get a subtle under-glow to my keys with the lighting turned on, but it’s nowhere near as bright as it used to be. If you’re using lighting in your keyboard, then you’ll want to invest in the clear O-Ring mods as these are designed to let the light through, the solid black or the blue rings will not.

The clear O-Ring mods combined with the new key caps is certainly my favourite combination. They’re a little softer and thinner than the black and blue rings, so they don’t dampen too much of the typing sensation that I get from my keyboard. The rings do a great job of dampening the noise levels by a huge amount and that’s a big win for me and it’s an even bigger win for whoever is in the same room as me; my typing won’t be so loud as to drive them crazy.

These mods are a great investment, they’re cheap enough that you can take your chances on them and if you don’t like them, it’s not the end of the world. If you want a quieter keyboard, then I suggest you pick up a set of O-Ring mods for your mechanical keyboard; just to try them out.

As for the custom key caps, they’re a luxury extra. If you want to spruce up your current keyboard or just fancy having some premium quality keys under your finger tips, then these are a great addition to any mechanical keyboard; just keep in mind that this particular set doesn’t work well with LED lighting.

Pros

New key caps are a great way of bringing new life to an older keyboard
O-Ring mods significantly reduce noise levels
O-Rings and new key caps are affordable mods
New key caps are easy to install

Cons

O-Ring mods can be time-consuming to install
Double-shot moulded keys don’t allow LED lighting to shine through

“Custom keycaps and a set of o-ring mods are both great ways to add a little extra flair and customisation to your Cherry MX stem keyboard, without spending a huge amount of money. If you want a unique look or need to reduce the noise levels when you’re typing, it’s really just a small investment away.”