Where the Colors Come From

This isn't subtle reference work. The EVA 01 set commits to NERV's first child: alphas sit in that desaturated military olive that reads as "tactical" rather than "forest," while modifiers flip to an aged cream that suggests lab equipment left under fluorescent lights too long. The real personality lives in the accent distribution—violet purple claims the spacebar and both enters, acid green takes escape and the arrow cluster, and the two colors meet on the 6.25u spacebar with a hard geometric split. No gradients, no pastel washes. Just the three-color blocking that made the anime's mecha design instantly recognizable.

Dye-sublimation keeps these colors embedded in the PBT rather than sitting on top. The purple reads slightly darker than printed promotional images suggest—closer to eggplant than electric violet—which helps hide finger oils that would otherwise show immediately on lighter tones.

Profile Feel: Flat and Wide

XDA-like means every row shares identical height and sculpting. No front-to-back tilt, no staggered curves between number row and spacebar. The tops are slightly dished—enough to center a fingertip without the aggressive bowl of SA profile.

For users coming from Cherry or OEM, the adjustment is immediate: your fingers travel less vertically but more horizontally. The flat plane rewards a floating typing style and makes the set genuinely ambidextrous—no "wrong" angle for left-hand modifiers or right-side nav cluster. The 350g set weight distributes evenly across a full board, no rattling or resonance on Gateron Yellows or Kailh Box switches.

PBT here runs medium-coarse. Not the sandpaper texture of some budget dye-sub sets, not the polished smoothness of ABS. After two weeks of daily use, the matte finish shows minimal polish on the home row.

What Fits

• Stem: Cherry MX cross, compatible with Cherry MX, Gateron, Kailh, Akko, Outemu, and clones
• Layouts: 61/68/84/87/96/98/100/104/108 keys
• Kit contents: 134 keycaps, no keyboard, no stabilizers, no puller
• Spacebar options: 6.25u standard, 7u included for Tsangan/WKL bottom rows

The 96-key and 98-key compact coverage is worth noting—many budget sets skip the short right shift and compressed nav cluster that these layouts demand. The 134-key count includes alternate bottom rows, stepped caps lock, and split spacebar support (2.25u/2.75u/1.25u) for split ergonomic builds.

Is This Set Worth the $59.99 Sale Price?

At $59.99, the EVA 01 sits in the lower-middle of dye-sub PBT theming sets. You're paying roughly $0.45 per key for full layout coverage, which undercuts GMK clones and matches most Akko and Epomaker themed releases. The original $79.99 would have pushed it into competition with nicer doubleshot ABS sets—at the current price, the value proposition holds for anyone specifically wanting the Evangelion colorway rather than generic purple/green.

The dye-sub process limits legend crispness compared to doubleshot molding. Sublegends (if present) and icon mods show slight feathering under macro inspection, though at typing distance the legends read clean. PBT's resistance to shine matters more for a set this color-saturated—ABS in these tones would show wear patterns within months.

Quick Questions

How does XDA-like compare to Cherry profile for long typing sessions?

XDA-like removes the row-specific sculpting that Cherry uses to guide finger positioning. Some users report more wrist extension required to clear the flat plane; others find the uniform height reduces finger fatigue by eliminating the vertical travel between rows. The 350g PBT mass dampens switch sound more effectively than lighter ABS sets, which may matter more for acoustic comfort than profile geometry.

Will the purple and green match my black or white keyboard case?

The olive alphas bridge neutral cases effectively—neither warm enough to clash with cool greys nor cool enough to fight beige. The violet and green accents read as deliberate contrast against black anodized aluminum; against white or silver, the cream modifiers soften the transition rather than creating harsh boundaries. E-white cases pull too much attention from the green accents; navy or forest green cases compete with the olive alphas.

Does dye-sub mean the legends will fade?

Dye-sublimation drives pigment into the plastic surface rather than printing atop it. Physical abrasion can eventually wear the textured finish, but the color itself doesn't chip or flake. Compared to laser-etched or pad-printed legends on budget sets, dye-sub offers substantially longer legibility—though doubleshot molding (two physical plastic layers) remains the only method with truly permanent legends.