They are not standardized. the bars you just spent 30$ on might not even fit
it’s never stated what wiresize the 3U bars need when buying caps
there’s only one bar in mosts sets.
3U bars are a half nightmare and need to be standardized. I much prefer 2.25/2.75 for those reasons, although it looks like shyte compared to nice and symmetrical 3U.
Drop is one of the rare shops that don’t run group buys, but have in stock items instead. Mostly. No need for fomo unless stated otherwise on the product page.
Also, they have at least one buy-one-get-one-free sale per year. Because of that, you have a good chance of getting one second hand for less than a new one.
Regarding kitting you have to watch out for modifiers in the correct size for the correct row, but most keyboards are fairly standard with the exception being the bottom row. Check Shift, Ctrl, Alt, Space and Fn/Win for correct size.
If you get a barebones board with a hotwap PCB you have to screw in stabilizers for all keys larger than 2u (=2 keys) - Shift, Enter, Backspace and Space. Since you can’t be arsed, screw lubing them. Just screw them in, takes 3 minutes.
Then, place all the switches on Plate and PCB and since they’re hotswap you just press them in.
Then place like 8 gaskets or screws, drop on your PCB-Plate-Switch-Sandwitch, screw together top and bottom with 4 more screws.
When you’re done, mount the caps, also just pop them in place.
That’s it. I reckon it’s about as much work as a 10$ Lego set.
But going prebuilt is far easier of course: Unpack, plug in, done. If you get a hotswap you can change switches later on if you fancy.
Tbh, if not in IC projective GB or GB, waiting and browsing around is the best option. If you don’t look for something really specific there will be interesting projects popping up and the wait should increase budget.
PBT will also shine at some point. Whether it’s sooner or later depends on how you type and how greasy or sweaty your fingers are. PBT can’t do magic, it’s just a, usually softer, plastic.
If you’re looking for cheap caps, try aliexpress or taobao.