I: IntroThe Topre Realforce Taiwan edition is an interesting entry to the lineup of Topre boards, particularly with factory silencing. This board is distributed by Ducky in Taiwan (hence the "Taiwan" edition), but can be bought in the US from mechanicalkeyboards.com. As of this review, I was able to purchase this for $255 with free shipping. Considering most Topre boards are around the $200-230 range, this is a bit more expensive than most, but you do get some options not available on other Topre keyboards: White keycaps on a grey/black case, factory silencing and purple sliders, as well as a uniform 45g switch throughout the entire keyboard, including the number pad.
II: Unboxing and "very-first" impressionsThe box that this keyboard comes in is well designed, sturdy, and full of brand names. The picture below speaks for itself; In the upper left hand corner you'll see a big "Realforce" logo, with a stylish "Taiwan Edition" logo right underneath it. Beneath the Realforce logo is a quick checklist with the board's features: Silenced, Pure white and dye-subliminated PBT caps, and available in either 30 or 45g variants. To the bottom right you get the Ducky Channel logo (complete with duck) and the Topre corp logo once again. I like this packaging because it's easy to distinguish in a retail environment amongst other keyboards, and is a nice change of pace from the "standard" brown box I got with my Realforce 87u . Other than more Realforce logos on the side, the back of the box has a full comparison list between the 30 and 45g versions (other than weight...you guessed it), and a red sticker indicating which version it is (mine is 45g).
Opening the box, the keyboard is wrapped nice and securely, with the cable routed underneath the right-hand side of the keyboard, and tucked underneath a compartment that contains the rest of the USB cable, a set of red keycaps (for WASD and Esc) and a wired keypuller (thank goodness!). Seriously, Topre,
please stop shipping those hideous and damaging U-shaped keypullers with your other keyboards. There's also a small manual at the bottom of the box, but there's not much else to the packaging.
The Realforce 104U takes up about as much space as a traditional keyboard with a numpad. Coming from a tenkeyless keyboard, I was surprised at how much more room the right-hand numpad takes up on the desk, and didn't like how much farther my mouse and hands were from the keyboard. Like most Realforce boards, the overall design is clean, professional, and would easily blend in to an office environment. This Realforce's case isn't a true black like those on standard 104 and 86/87 key Realforces; rather, the case is a darker grey, and constrasts very nicely with the teeth-whitening bright keycaps. Had the keyboard case retained it's traditional black color, the contrast would be a bit too stark for my liking. As white as the keycaps are, they have a very nice texture that feel more like black Realforce keycaps and not like the off-white/beige caps on the white Realforce models.
III: The Typing ExperienceThe typing experience, what makes Topre so revered and why you are still reading this! Getting the keyboard set up with my PC was no hassle at all. After plugging the board in, I was typing away instantly. My primary Topre vessel has been a 55g Realforce for over a year now, and it has been nothing short of amazing. However, in my brief time using this particular Realforce, I have been nothing but impressed. Using the purple sliders, you get all of the tactility and "oneness with cup rubber" with only a fraction of the upstroke's "clankiness". This makes the keyboard sound much more refined, and keypresses feel clean and crisp. The board does feel a touch heavy for a 45g switch; I would weigh it as maybe ~48-50cn in actuation. For a long time 55g user though, I don't see this as much of a problem; but while the shorter stem keeps the tactility, this increases the throw of the switch a bit more than a Hypersphere silenced ring or even with stock sliders (I will cover this seprartely in another comparison review). You may find yourself bottoming out a bit harder (at least I do), but I think this better enhances the Topre typing experience as this switch is meant to be bottomed out anyways.
I didn't realize this initially, but worth noting is the 0 key on the numpad. It is unlike the rest of the keys and has a bit of a curvature to it, but is able to maintain a somewhat similar profile. This makes it easy to hit the key with your thumb. This is REALLY cool and I wish more keysets could do this - if you do a lot of data entry with zero's, this makes it that much more bearable.
IV: Conclusion and other thoughtsThis review is a bit brief, but I mean it when I say that Topre boards speak for themselves. You either love or hate Topre boards, but this particular Realforce brings that set of features that can't be found on most other boards. Sadly there are a couple of minor issues with this board:
* lack of a dip switch - I think this is a big one as I've become accustomed to swapping Caps Lock/Ctrl on the 87u
* black on black/white on white keyset - a personal preference of mine, however Ducky plans to distribute a white case/black keycap "Stormtrooper" version at some point in the future
* ABS Spacebar - you're not going to escape this issue, Topre, until you acquire the tooling for PBT spacebars! PBT spacebars greatly enhance the Topre experience.
* Still no removeable USB cable (though honestly, why would you want to transport a 104 key board that often?)
Despite these minor setbacks, I can't deny that this particular Realforce has captured my heart. I bought this to harvest the purple sliders into my Realforce, but going through the process, I might be a little sad that I'm doing so. This is a great board to type on and has been one of my favorite Topre experiences so far. If you can stomach the full-size numpad, I
highly recommend purchasing this board.
Verdict: 9/10
Other ResourcesTechnical Specifications- Model # XF01RS
- Label # 104UB-DK45S
- Switch type: 30 or 45g Uniform
- Factory silenced? YES
- Dye-subliminiated PBT keycaps w/black legends
- Price (as of 3/12/2016): $255 USD + free shipping from mechanicalkeyboards.com
