CORSAIR Mint Green Keycaps

Alongside the K65 RGB MINI, CORSAIR released a new series of replacement PBT doubleshot keycap sets. It made sense to replace the earlier sets because of the new mold, but the company did one better by releasing a total of six different color options! We still get the white set, now named Arctic White, and the Onyx Black set, which is slightly different in tone to the stock keycaps. The other colors are named Elgato Blue and Origin Red for their acquired brands, and then there are the Rogue Pink and Mint Green sets. CORSAIR tells me the Mint Green color was chosen to differentiate the set from the harsher neon green keycaps more popular today. In contrast, the Rogue Pink goes the other way relative to the more pastel pink keycaps typically seen, as on the Ajazz K620T. CORSAIR sent me one of each set, but they arrived after the K65 RGB MINI embargo was up, so here we are now.


I decided to tackle one of these sets with each subsequent keyboard release from the company, and the K70 RGB TKL CHAMPION happens to be the first in line. The Mint Green also particularly appealed to me. Packaging is similar to the keyboard, with a plastic wrap, but then we see a predominantly black front that got me all excited until I turned things around and saw the same ugly yellow retained. It's growing on me, but in the same way a cyst would, and I want as little to do with it as possible. Oh, yes, these keycaps are officially the PRO versions to distinguish these from the previous set. Opening the box, we see the keycaps packed in separate plastic layers with paperwork on top.


The paperwork is barely needed, with the standard warranty policy and a summary of the keycaps included, which can serve as a guide for what goes where. More interesting is that the keycaps come in three plastic blister packs the stock keycaps may be put into for storage. This is a better solution than the vacuum-sealed plastic pouches that are single use only. As seen above, CORSAIR also throws in a baggie of silicone O-rings.


At this time, CORSAIR has the keycap sets in US ANSI and UK ISO layouts. I have the former here, with 104 keycaps—no extra novelty keycaps are included. What we do get bundled in, however, is a color-coordinated plastic ring-style keycap puller. While cute, I would much rather see a metal wire puller included instead, especially since the plastic pullers are thrown in with most CORSAIR mechanical keyboards anyway. We also get 104 silicone O-rings which can be added to the keycap slider for downstroke noise dampening. Note that O-rings will also cut down the travel distance. These look to be 40A thick with an average thickness of 2.5 mm, and are translucent to reduce blocking of light though the keycaps.


The two-tone keycaps make it much easier to see the doubleshot injection method used for the legends, similar to the stock keycaps on the K70 RGB TKL CHAMPION. The PBT composition also carries over, with an average wall thickness of 1.45 mm. These will hold up nicely over time, and of course are backlighting-compatible as expected. The mold for the legends is the same, so if you liked the stock keycaps, you can rest assured that these are fundamentally identical.


Using the included keycap puller works fine in a pinch, but I definitely do not like the risk of scratching the sides of these keycaps purchased purely for aesthetics. I quickly switched over to my metal wire puller, and also quickly tested an O-ring on a keycap to ensure it works. I personally do not like the typing experience with O-rings, which generally results in mushier feedback, and would rather have quieter switches with well-lubed stabilizers and good keycaps. Either way, once all the stock keycaps are removed, using these Mint Green keycaps is trivial. As seen above, going with a two-tone approach including the stock keycaps can also make for a more unique look.