8hrs with Topre Thoughs

[HotRoderX]

I got my first Topre keyboard today and I figured I write up a quick review of my thoughts so far.

I went into this with subjective mind. I wasn't going to let hype are hate sway my opinion either way. I also refused to go in thinking it be superior or inferior to MX switches. I gotta say I think this thinking has paid off. I understand or least I feel I understand a lot more about how people feel about Topre.


I honestly think people who love Topre and feel its end game do so because there huge fans of Tactical switches. In that realm the Topre to my fingers is by far superior to Cherry. My favorite tactile switch up to this point was  Mod-M Tactical. The Mod-M's had a nice pronounced bump where fairly smooth. There down sides where simply stims where a bit small wobble and while fairly smooth they where not buttery smooth.

Topre on the other hand is buttery smooth. Offering a very nice Tactile bump that feels almost center of the key press. The bottom out has a nice Thock sound. The switch feels like it has nice weight and balance. It feels a bit heavier then its 45g. I would say closer to 50-55gr. Each switch feels the exact same as the others. its really nice how uniform they feel. I think this is why the Topre is far superior to some. I know its why I feel its far superior to cherry Tactical.

I don't think topre is for everyone and it does have some downsides.. cost being a major factor. Another factor is the fact its not a MX stim so finding key caps is extremely limited. Also there will be people who just prefer the way cherry Tactile feel over all. Thought I know its going to be extremely hard to go back to a cherry tactile switch period.

I do want to add I really like Topre so far but its not going to replace my Cherry boards.. it will become a valued edition and there is a good chance I buy another Topre are two! When it boils down to it Linear switches are still my favorites but if your a fan of Linear's then these are worth a try that is for sure.

The board I got was a Leopold FC 660C

[Duckyreddy]

Thank you for this, I'm going to pull the trigger on my first topre real soon.
lord help my wallet.

[HotRoderX]

Thank you for this, I'm going to pull the trigger on my first topre real soon.
lord help my wallet.

No Problem and glad my mini review helped.

I wonder if part of it is the fact that Topre is more natural tactile feedback sensation is what makes it more desirable to some. Its the rubber dome collapsing from what I can tell that gives you that tactile feedback. Where cherry's is more manufactured in by adding a bump into the switch at some point. I think when you add the bump thought your adding more points of variation and its a more artificial feel. I might be crazy but yea for sure can understand why some think Topre superior. Also that thock sound is so so nice! Its more pleasant to me then bottoming out my liners.

One more thing I add from what I can find if you don't like the Topre switches you can most likely make all if not most your money back selling. There limited risk to boot with the board's.

[Duckyreddy]

Thank you for this, I'm going to pull the trigger on my first topre real soon.
lord help my wallet.

No Problem and glad my mini review helped.

I wonder if part of it is the fact that Topre is more natural tactile feedback sensation is what makes it more desirable to some. Its the rubber dome collapsing from what I can tell that gives you that tactile feedback. Where cherry's is more manufactured in by adding a bump into the switch at some point. I think when you add the bump thought your adding more points of variation and its a more artificial feel. I might be crazy but yea for sure can understand why some think Topre superior. Also that thock sound is so so nice! Its more pleasant to me then bottoming out my liners.

One more thing I add from what I can find if you don't like the Topre switches you can most likely make all if not most your money back selling. There limited risk to boot with the board's.

I'm a big fan of linear my self too, I can see where you are coming from there talking about the "unnatural, artificial like" feel of the supposedly tactile Cherries, the sound of Topre is very delightful for sure,
I had a hard time choosing between the HHKB and the 660C a while back, The FC660C was a little larger then I liked and I didn't like the harshness of the backplate but these two are certainly beautiful in their own way, I am going for the HHKB which in my case, is actually $60 cheaper then a 660c...weird huh?

Thanks for the review again and enjoy the 660C! 

[Mainian]

My biggest complaint with topre. Is how the 45g switches feel different on every board. Also, I don't like gaming on them.

I've owned a fc660c, three hhkbs, Realforce 87u 45g, and the Realforce rgb. I only really enjoyed typing on the fc660c and the 87u, but when I got the 87u I stopped using the fc660c. And I've bought and sold two hhkbs in that time and have kept the Realforce as a daily driver for work. Finally, I was extremely disappointed with the realforce rgb, build construction is a step down from other realforce boards and it did not feel like the my 87u, if this was my first experience with topre, I would have hated the switch.

So really, in the end. I feel the typing experience is different on almost each topre board. Hell, my girlfriend has an 87u, I purchased both on the same day, and it feels different from mine.

[MKULTRA]

you can get MX style stems for topre boards

[zslane]

The Realforce RGB has MX stems.

I can't live without MX stems, which is why the Realforce RGB is my daily driver and current end-game board.

[tp4tissue]

I got my first Topre keyboard today and I figured I write up a quick review of my thoughts so far.

I went into this with subjective mind. I wasn't going to let hype are hate sway my opinion either way. I also refused to go in thinking it be superior or inferior to MX switches. I gotta say I think this thinking has paid off. I understand or least I feel I understand a lot more about how people feel about Topre.

OP,  you mean OBJECTIVE, not Subjective

[tp4tissue]

I got my first Topre keyboard today and I figured I write up a quick review of my thoughts so far.

I went into this with subjective mind. I wasn't going to let hype are hate sway my opinion either way. I also refused to go in thinking it be superior or inferior to MX switches. I gotta say I think this thinking has paid off. I understand or least I feel I understand a lot more about how people feel about Topre.


I honestly think people who love Topre and feel its end game do so because there huge fans of Tactical switches. In that realm the Topre to my fingers is by far superior to Cherry. My favorite tactile switch up to this point was  Mod-M Tactical. The Mod-M's had a nice pronounced bump where fairly smooth. There down sides where simply stims where a bit small wobble and while fairly smooth they where not buttery smooth.

Topre on the other hand is buttery smooth. Offering a very nice Tactile bump that feels almost center of the key press. The bottom out has a nice Thock sound. The switch feels like it has nice weight and balance. It feels a bit heavier then its 45g. I would say closer to 50-55gr. Each switch feels the exact same as the others. its really nice how uniform they feel. I think this is why the Topre is far superior to some. I know its why I feel its far superior to cherry Tactical.

I don't think topre is for everyone and it does have some downsides.. cost being a major factor. Another factor is the fact its not a MX stim so finding key caps is extremely limited. Also there will be people who just prefer the way cherry Tactile feel over all. Thought I know its going to be extremely hard to go back to a cherry tactile switch period.

I do want to add I really like Topre so far but its not going to replace my Cherry boards.. it will become a valued edition and there is a good chance I buy another Topre are two! When it boils down to it Linear switches are still my favorites but if your a fan of Linear's then these are worth a try that is for sure.

The board I got was a Leopold FC 660C

Rerolled ur essay..

Yea, I'm that bored. !!



My first Topre Keyboard arrived today, the Leopold FC 660C.

Diving in Objectively, it was critical that I buttressed against hype. By following through with this attitude, I've acquired greater understanding of the Topre landscape and mindset.

Topre fans must love these switches due to its tactility. In that regard, Topre feels superior to Cherry. My previous favorite tactile switch was the mod-M tactile. Those switches have a pronounced bump and moderately smooth travel. The only downside is stem wobble.

Topre in comparison is smoother. It has a center-defined tactile bump. The bottom out produces a charming -thock- sound. The key resistance feels uniform throughout the keyboard; it is balanced and close to 50-55g.

Topre is imperfect and not for everyone. Cost is a barrier to entry and there are very limited aftermarket cap-sets available.

I've enjoyed Topre thus-far, but it will not replace my Cherry boards. Instead, it is a valuable addition to my keyboard collection. There are future plans to purchase more Topre keyboards.