What does SA profile mean?

When it comes to keyboard customization, the possibilities are endless. Users have various methods to fine-tune their setups, making them stand out and reflect their personalities. One common way of customizing is choosing a SA profile keycap set. Keycaps come in a variety of styles, otherwise known as keycap profiles.

A keycap profile is the shape of keycaps on any given keyboard. Profiles have the main goals of ergonomics, feel, and style in mind. SA keycaps provide users with an alternative to standard ones and can sometimes have a limited production, depending on the exclusivity of the profile and design. Quality SA profile keycaps can be tricky to find and knowing where to look is half the battle.

What are SA profile keycaps?

SA stands for spherical all. These keys feature a spherical design and have rounder, concave tops. In achieving a spherical-like design, SA profile keycaps stand taller than most other profiles, which gives the overall look of the keyboard a unique flow. Aesthetically speaking, SA keycaps are quite popular because of their larger legends and round design.

Even though the higher profile may be a bit more challenging to type on, SA keycaps provide a vintage look and a unique sound profile, with each click of a keycap sounding substantial. If you’re transitioning from a regular keycap set to an SA profile, it may take some time to get used to the overall feel of the layout.

Who makes SA profile keycaps?

The original manufacturer of SA profile keycaps is Signature Plastics, while Maxkey, ONECAP, and many more also produce SA keycaps. Signature Plastics is a US-based keycap manufacturer, popular for its production of DSA, SA, and DCS keycaps. Initially designed as a flat profile, SA was followed by the spherical sculptured SS profile, which was later retired. SA itself was later retooled for a sculpted profile and retained its original spherical all name.

Where can I buy SA profile keycaps?

If you’re keen on seeing if SA keycaps are suitable for you, it may require some digging because high-quality SA keycap sets aren’t always the easiest to come by.

Signature plastics is a solid first recommendation to check out because, as mentioned above, this is the original manufacturer’s website. Its build quality is top-notch; the keys feel robust, while many cheaper-built sets might feel flimsy. A few other spots to check out are originativeco.com and mechanicalkeyboards.com. Each of these websites carries a decent range of SA keysets along with many other keysets, like GMK and BSP.

Pros

• High-profile
• Aesthetic design
• Unique personalization
• Each keystroke feels solid

Cons

• Tall keycaps can cause discomfort
• No obvious practical use
• High-quality keycaps can be tricky to find

Whether SA profile keycaps are worth the investment is entirely up to the user. Some users may desire the idea of customized keycaps, and SA keycaps offer an unmatched level of aesthetics. However, SA keycaps’ tall profile and overall feel are subjective. It’s one of those scenarios where you don’t know if it’s for you until you try. Additionally, SA keycaps don’t necessarily provide any obvious practical advantage for typing and gaming, aside from each key feeling satisfying and solid to type on.