Hardware Cerakey Ceramic Keycaps Review

I've covered a good number of keyboards on GameParadise before, ranging from unique ergonomic offerings to stylish retro designs; I've also bought and built several of my own. I really just love a good keyboard, but what exactly goes into making the best keyboard? You have your frame, stabilizers, padding and foam, plates for various levels of rigidity in your typing. When all of that is out of the way you're just left with picking the perfect switch for how you want the keyboard to feel as you type, and the perfect set of keycaps to complete the look.

Keycaps are an insane market if you're new to the hobby. You can find sets as cheap as £20 on Amazon, and as expensive as £140 for a set like the Magical Girl inspired ones I picked up for the Ultimate Hacking Keyboard. Prices can vary due to keycaps being limited in quantity or simply higher in quality. There are a rare few keycaps however that are entirely unique in nature, and I really was excited when Cerakey contacted me to take a look at their ceramic keycaps last month. I will say I've been somewhat hesitant to review something like keycaps in the past since I see them as something that will probably look good or not good, and feel nice or not nice, and that's kind of it. These seemed unique and interesting to me to the point I felt them worth featuring, but I am always eager to hear thoughts. I do have one more unique keycap review on the horizon if this is something you find interesting though!


For those of you not in the keyboard space, keycaps are typically made of one of two plastics: ABS and PBT. ABS tend to be your cheaper keycaps with a smooth feel, while PBT are more expensive, with better durability and a bit of a rougher texture to them. There are finer details beyond that, but they aren't too important to discuss here. Both ABS and PBT keycaps are incredibly lightweight, and there's a colossal number of sets out there to perfectly customize a keyboard to your liking. So where do ceramics come into this?

Cerakey entered the keyboard space in 2022 via Kickstarter with the world's first set of ceramic keycaps. Boasting better durability than traditional plastic keycaps, better shine-through lighting, and a remarkably unique typing experience, keyboard enthusiasts flocked to get the project funded. Though Cerakey did deliver, the first wave got some fairly mixed reviews largely down to the decision to make the stems ceramic, this causing issues with tolerances and in some cases even damaging switches. Taking feedback into account, they've since released a revised V2 set that I have on hand today.


So preamble out of the way, let's talk about some keycaps. As mentioned Cerakey sent over their V2 keycaps in two different color schemes, green and white, and their more unique "crazed". Aesthetically speaking, the green and white keycaps just look stunning on my green Zoo65 keyboard, and the sound is more different than I was expecting when compared to the PBT keycaps I was previously using. The heavier ceramics give a much deeper sound, bringing the keyboard closer to that idyllic "thock" enthusiasts are forever chasing. With Momoka's linear "frog" switches in this keyboard, it's gone from what I would call an "airy" typing experience to something really quite impactful. I do understand such vague words are difficult to quantify though, so I've recorded a before and after video below for you to get an idea. Note the video only features the ceramic keycaps and not a comparison due to my original recording's audio breaking, and me since misplacing my original keycaps. There is a comparison later in the review!


There's probably a few interesting things you noticed in that video outside of the larger sound, and it's probably the pinging on the spacebar and other elongated keys. That one almost certainly isn't Cerakey's fault so much as it is mine for not lubricating the stabilizers. This was the first keyboard I put together and I honestly just never got around to dismantling it after the fact to make those keys smoother. I will say that I do actually like the pinging sound though. It's definitely something of personal taste, but to me it's a genuinely interesting contrast that makes using these extra keys feel really quite refreshing.

In terms of typing experience there's not much of anything to adjust to outside of the lack of homing bars for the F and J keys. I should mention that some plastic keycaps have also done away with them, but if you do rely on them it can genuinely be a deal-breaker. One key in particular may cause you problems however, and I'd be surprised if you couldn't guess it was the spacebar.


Cerakey have done a remarkably good job in keeping these keycaps light, and that's important in ensuring compatibility with existing switches. If the keys are too heavy, the switches will struggle to get back to a neutral position after all. Each 1U key weighs 4g, with longer keycaps like left shift and return coming in at around 8g. This is significantly more than the less than 1g 1U and just over 1g longer PBT keycaps I have, but I've had no issues with them regardless of the switches used; I can't say the same for the spacebar. And it makes sense why, it's a colossal key. Cerakey do provide a few switches with the keycaps for the purpose of better supporting the spacebar, but I've personally had mixed experiences with them. On the Zoo65 in particular, the spacebar doesn't feel quite as responsive as I'd like it to. It's a somewhat mushy feeling that I wasn't at all fond of at first. I will say I came around to it in terms of feel, but I do occasionally see double space inputs, which can be frustrating. What is more interesting though is how this isn't common across all of my keyboards, which does quite neatly bring me onto the other set that was sent over.


I didn't know what to make of the "crazed" keycaps at a glance. The images made them look like weird ice cubes, which is apparently what they were going for, with the store page describing it more artistically as "ice cracks on a frozen lake". What is interesting about them is how the design is entirely unique for each keycap, with it being a result of the glazing and firing process. They're something you really can only get with this material, and that in itself makes them worth a look to me.

To contrast my somewhat hodgepodge unlubed Zoo65 keyboard I decided to stick these keycaps onto a keyboard I've covered recently on the site: NuPhy's Gem80. This keyboard features factory lubed switches, lubed stabilizers, and even silicon pads under the spacebar. I thought it sounded great out of the box, and I was genuinely surprised at just how much better it sounded with the crazed keycaps installed. You can see the before and after below:


In my eyes (and to my ears) it's night and day, though I do appreciate everybody has their own tastes and preferences with these things. Most notably here the spacebar acts completely fine, both with NuPhy's included spacebar switch and Cerakey's. I did also install both ceramic spacebars on other keyboards I have with no double inputs or mushy feel. It's difficult for me to point to exactly what the issue is, but it's worth mentioning that I've had it all the same. Outside of their appearance, the typing feel of the crazed keycaps is actually slightly different thanks to the especially thick glaze required for the design. I'd struggle to say one feels worse than the other, they're really just slightly different.


The real benefit of sticking the crazed keycaps onto the Gem80 in particular is that I can show off one of the coolest parts of the material: how light passes through them. These keycaps glow magnificently, and it's something I really just haven't see done well in plastic sets. In my keyboard reviews I quite frequently say that I'll leave RGB lighting turned off, but with these I may just be turning over a new leaf. I will mention that the Zoo65 doesn't have back lighting, so I sadly can't show it off on that model. It's seriously great though, even if the purple Gem80 doesn't quite suit them. Maybe it's time for me to pick up a blue one…


One area I really hadn't thought about when it comes to the ceramic material is how the typing experience may vary in different environments. More specifically when using them in a cold room; cold ceramics plus warm fingers gives you some pretty slippery keycaps. This is something I always notice when I start typing on the Zoo65 in particular, and giving the keycaps a wipe down does help a lot. Once I've gotten going it does somewhat fade to the back of my mind, but I can see this having a larger impact for some people, especially if you have particularly clammy hands. I will note here that the crazed keycaps do suffer less from this thanks to what I assume is the additional glazing. They can still get slightly slippery, but it's something I've noticed far less than their non-crazed counterparts.


Some aspects of the lighting also have me conflicted. The ceramic material really does look spectacular when lit up, but you really can see those plastic stems with each key having one to three dark spots. To be fair to Cerakey here, I do completely agree with the decision that was made. Slightly worse lighting is a worthy sacrifice for keycaps that don't eat up switches. Because of a combination of these dark spots and the fact the legends block light as opposed to letting it through, it's also worth noting that it can be a little more difficult to read the keys if you're not able to feel your way around a keyboard. With each of the sets coming both blank or with legends down to your preference, I can appreciate something like this turning you one way or the other. I'd be really interested if Cerakey did find some kind of solution to allow for more even lighting for perhaps a V3 run, though given the integral nature of the plastic stems, I'm less than hopeful.

I would also say these probably aren't the keycaps you want for gaming. While I do feel they're more satisfying than traditional plastic keycaps to press, something about them just feels slightly less responsive to me. Pair that with holding your fingers down on the same keys for extended periods of time and the slippery keys mentioned above, and it becomes not impossible, but definitely not ideal. I couldn't recommend them for somebody who wants one keyboard for every situation.


All things considered I really do think these are keycaps worth checking out if you're particularly enthusiastic about typing. While I don't think these are a one size fits all kind of keycap, they really do function marvelously as a part of a unique build, delivering a typing experience I've really not come across before. The extra thickness and unique design of the crazed set make them my personal pick, but based on the pictures I've seen I don't think they look all that great with legends. There's plenty to consider, but for the $126 to $144 these go for as full sets, I think they're both competitive and worth a look.