Poll: Let's get to the bottom of the K3 Graphite letter fading issue!

[fairy_dreams]

Here are pictures so you can decide which keys you have:

http://newimages.fotopic.net/?iid=1f3mae&outx=600&noresize=1&nostamp=1 (clay)

http://www.mejuba.com/FilesD/258/669ea671-9c49-4338-a42d-9f2e730157ec.jpg (plastic)

Credit goes to robins and berfles for taking these great photos!

P.S. I made it so that you can change your vote in case you experience fading in the next couple of days/weeks. I just got mine two days ago, so no fading yet! (I have clay keys).

EDIT: Apparently I failed at poll making and you can't change your vote, sorry!

[tomatogirl]

Wow, it's really hard to tell from those pictures alone. They are super great pictures, it's just hard to compare... But looking at the 5-way, mine looks more like clay. I noticed fading on the 5-way after just 2 days of use. I tried cleaning it to no avail, so I think it is wear. Now I just want to rub the arrows off all together, rather than have faded ones...

[fairy_dreams]

I hope berfles doesn't mind me propagating the links to his/her photos again (I posted another one below) I agree that it's hard to tell, but if you look carefully, you can see differences in color and shine. I know mine definitely are of the "clay" type.

Here's another picture of the "plastic" keys.

http://www.mejuba.com/FilesD/258/dcfcbbed-4a34-45a0-b53e-a1b8d3ddfcfb.jpg

It looks a little different from the other "plastic" picture, but when you compare it to the "clay" picture, you can tell the difference.
http://newimages.fotopic.net/?iid=1f3mae&outx=600&noresize=1&nostamp=1 (clay, same as the one in the original post)

If anyone else has any photos of their keys (ones showing lettering wear would be great!), please post them

[berfles]

Also check the back for where it was made, I don't know if they were all made in China but if not, that could play a part too.  Things like this have happened before where different plants have different issues with the devices.

[Atunah]

Both of the ones I have, one "clay" one "plastic" said assembled in China. I didn't see anything different on the backs of the.

[Tom Diego]

How about "Don't know" or "Can't tell" and fading?

I honestly don't know which one I have, but the down arrow on my Graphite 3G is starting to get worn at the top left of the "V". 

Two different photos taken with two different cameras,  with different lighting and magnification could more than account for the difference in appearance between the two.  I don't even know what you mean by "clay", as all of the keys are "plastic".

[ranjoh]

Mine are what are being referred to as the "Clay".  No sheen whatsoever.  Definite fading.  My down arrow is mostly gone just as in the first photo.  Look at the "o" of Home.  Look at the "a" of Back.  Mine are even worse.  My "y" in Sym is shades darker than the "S" and "m".  I have a Graphite 3G shipped on September 3rd.

I talked to Kindle CS today.  Nice enough guy, but ultimately unhelpful.  He hadn't heard of the keyboard fading.  I have an additional issue in that mine has contrast problems in the lower left portion of the screen.  I'm halfway through my 30 days, and he indicated that if I requested a replacement, it would definitely be a refurb.  I asked him how they got refurbs done so quickly, and he didn't know.  I suspect they are just wiping the fingerprints off and mailing the returns out again.  It sounds like the only way to get a new replacement is to return the current one for a refund and place a new order.  I asked him several times why I would get a refurb if I was within my 30 days, and he said that is the way it is. I suspect that if I talked to a different rep, I'd get a different answer.  After this long with the upset over the keys, how can Amazon be unaware that customers have questions about them?

I predict lots of returns and reorders in Amazon's future as we all come to grips with the refurb reality.  I'll probably be one of them.

Randy

[berfles]

Mine are what are being referred to as the "Clay".  No sheen whatsoever.  Definite fading.  My down arrow is mostly gone just as in the first photo.  Look at the "o" of Home.  Look at the "a" of Back.  Mine are even worse.  My "y" in Sym is shades darker than the "S" and "m".  I have a Graphite 3G shipped on September 3rd.

I talked to Kindle CS today.  Nice enough guy, but ultimately unhelpful.  He hadn't heard of the keyboard fading.  I have an additional issue in that mine has contrast problems in the lower left portion of the screen.  I'm halfway through my 30 days, and he indicated that if I requested a replacement, it would definitely be a refurb.  I asked him how they got refurbs done so quickly, and he didn't know.  I suspect they are just wiping the fingerprints off and mailing the returns out again.  It sounds like the only way to get a new replacement is to return the current one for a refund and place a new order.  I asked him several times why I would get a refurb if I was within my 30 days, and he said that is the way it is. I suspect that if I talked to a different rep, I'd get a different answer.  After this long with the upset over the keys, how can Amazon be unaware that customers have questions about them?

I predict lots of returns and reorders in Amazon's future as we all come to grips with the refurb reality.  I'll probably be one of them.

Randy

That is why I despise having to return anything, I will not settle for a refurb.  I went through something similar with my brand new monitor and they tried to tell me that despite me contacting them a day after I got it, I'd be getting a refurb.  That didn't sit well with me and I demanded I get a new one.

I'd rather take the loss if I couldn't get a refund, or just sell it as is and re-order a brand new one than receive a refurb.  Can't stand using someone else's replacements, because very few people take care of things the way I do.

[fairy_dreams]

How about "Don't know" or "Can't tell" and fading?

I honestly don't know which one I have, but the down arrow on my Graphite 3G is starting to get worn at the top left of the "V".  

Two different photos taken with two different cameras,  with different lighting and magnification could more than account for the difference in appearance between the two.  I don't even know what you mean by "clay", as all of the keys are "plastic".

Thanks for the suggestion. I followed it and added "Can't tell, but it's fading" and "Can't tell, but it's not fading", but then I went back and edited it since I decided that ultimately the relevant votes are the ones who know which keys they have. I agree that it's hard to tell by the pictures alone, but since I had a K2, I knew immediately that the material/texture of my keys were definitely different.

I used the terms "clay" and "plastic" because I thought it would be too confusing if I just designated them as "Key 1" and "Key 2" and everyone described the keys a with different adjectives (smooth, fuzzy, rubbery, etc). I'll just give some more descriptions to help you decide which keys you have. I have the "clay" keys and they look rubbery, but they feel like smooth clay. It's very very matte and smooth with no shine at all. The texture and color is different from the rest of the Kindle. The color is much lighter than the rest of the body (the "clay" picture represents the color pretty well).

I noticed this difference once I got my K3 because the texture is just so different from my K2. The keys on my K2 looked like the rest of the Kindle and it looked like plastic. These however, are very dull. It looks almost as if they missed the second finishing. I don't mind these keys at all, but I just don't want the lettering to fade...

[StarGazer]

Well, the picture with the "clay" buttons has absolutely no shine at all. They almost look like dull rubber keys. You can clearly see a light on the upper right of the picture  reflecting off the Kindle casing and yet no reflection of light is seen on the keys whatsoever.

The "plastic" keys clearly reflect light in those pictures.

[FSkornia]

I have the "clay" style and I've noticed slight fading on the down section of the 5-way which is probably because that's the one that gets hit the most often. I'm also guilty of using my thumbnail to hit it, since it offers a little better precision.  So far I'm not really worried, since it's unlikely I'll forget what the down section on the 5-way does.  All my other keys are fine.

[laurie_lu]

Those are really good photos.  I can easily tell the difference between the keys.  I'd want the hard plastic keys.

[fairy_dreams]

Greystorm posted some more pictures of the keyboards! You can clearly see that the "clay" keys don't reflect any light at all and are of a lighter color.

(plastic) http://img684.imageshack.us/i/img6629a.jpg/

(clay) http://img641.imageshack.us/i/img6630s.jpg/

(left is clay, right is plastic) http://img213.imageshack.us/i/img6633w.jpg/

[TrueBloodFanATL]

Do both versions of the K3 have the identical rubberized feel on the back?  I would assume the matte looking key-style is the same material that is on the backs of our graphite K3's.

I have not used my Kindle daily since I received it, and I don't use my fingernails to navigate but my "HOME" key is showing some fading already. I have what I consider the more "glossy" a.k.a. plastic feeling keys. BTW, I have the WiFi 3G model, received on Aug 30th.

[history_lover]

I think mine are plastic. I can tell the difference on the pictures shown but it's still hard to tell which one mine matches more. I haven't had any fading yet so I hadn't given it much examination.

[Linjeakel]

Well it took a flashlight and a magnifying glass to decide which type I had, but I'm pretty certain they're the 'plastic' ones. Even examining them really closely like that, I couldn't see any signs of fading or wear at all. I've had it since the day after release Aug 28^th (so 4 weeks today) and I'm in the UK if that makes a difference. The serial numbers on ours are different so they must be different batches. Mine says assembled in China, but there's no indication as to where the parts were actually made.

[StarGazer]

Yeah, they are all made in China (surprise). It may be a matter of a different factory or even just a different batch at the same factory. I do not believe there is going to be any possible way of knowing. Those having a problem trying to determine which keys they have should perhaps shine a flashlight down at an angle a foot or so away and see if the keys themselves reflect just as much light as the Kindle's casing does. I believe they should be pretty close if they have that eggshell type coating on them.

[Ann in Arlington]

I don't see a huge difference in the pictures posted -- I suppose the real difference is in how they feel. . . .

I have no idea which mine are.  And, I really don't care a whole bunch.  

All I know is the device works great and I'm 100% happy with it. . . .

[Omega Point]

I think I have the 'Clay' buttons and I cannot see any fading, yet.

One thing I have noticed is that you can make easily visible scratches on the keys by running a fingernail across them (works best on the spacebar). They rub off again very easily, almost no force is needed, but the main case of the Kindle does not act in the same way.

[bwbollom]

Just had a chance to look at the pics and at my K3...looks like I have the "clay" buttons and so far, no fading. I have been using it regularly since it arrived on the 8th. I wouldn't call it "heavy" use or anything...just regular reading when I have time.

[StarGazer]

I believe mine to be the plastic and I cannot make any visible scratches on the keys even with heavy scratching with my fingernail. So perhaps that is indeed the easiest way to tell what kind of keys you have.

[dimples]

plastic, no fading here

[LauraB]

I received mine on release day, it is a 3g+wifi, and the keys look and feel like they are made with the same material as the rest of the kindle. The only difference is they don't have glossy finish. So I guess that makes them plastic?

[vg]

I think mine are the plastic.  When I look at them in the sun under a magnifier I can see some sparkle to them and even though they are "grippier" than the outer casing they still feel pretty "plasticy".  Its a 3G/Wi, received on Aug 30 from the Sparks NV distribution point.  No fading at all.

[kisrita]

I have the clay type, but have only had it for a few days, so I don't think it's fair for me to vote "clay with no fading" just yet. How long should I wait?