Leopold fc980c vs Realforce 55g

[LouisHjelmslev]

I've been looking through some past posts mentioning the fc980c, with many comparisons to HHKB's, but found less comparing them to RF 55's. I did come across a thread mentioning keycap differences though.
Can anyone who has tried them both let me know your thoughts? REALLY, not looking for which one is better/worse (I'm sure they're both very fine boards), just want to know the differences, especially as my next purchase will definitely be my first capacitive. FWIW, my preferred cherries are clear+62g.

[kmba]

They're both very nice and similar feeling since they're constructed basically the same.. Nice build quality, solid feeling, thocky. Rf switches are a little heavier by about 5g. Leopold domes are more like 50g than 45g.  Caps are similar. The legends differ a bit but the base caps are essentially the same. Leo has detachable cable, and hasu controller is available for programmability. Rf has aftermarket cases available from norbauer.

[00]

In addition to what's already been mentioned:

-There are 6 aftermarket housings that I know of that have either already been produced or are in the pipeline for the 87U.
- It has much better compatibility with replacement keycaps due to its bottom row. Most colorways of Topre's ANSI keycap sets are still easily attainable from Japan. Of course, the stock keycaps on both are very nice.

- The 980C is much more easily available with Hangul sublegends. It's probably obvious, but the base color of the white version's caps is more of a cream than the off-white of the white Realforce. Font size is smaller too.
- I know you don't care for our preferences but I always felt that the stock 980C case was significantly more solid than that of the Realforce's. That said, the RF is still built to a very high standard. The 980C has probably the best build quality of any modern off-the-shelf keyboard I've ever used.

[Entropia]

I own two FC980Ms with blacks and I love them. I plan on purchasing a F980C when it's again available in Europe. The 1800 layout is fantastic, very comfortable, with good size and all the functions of a 100%. Of course, as it has been said hundreds of times, the quality and the finish of Leopolds is very very high.

[LouisHjelmslev]

In addition to what's already been mentioned:

-There are 6 aftermarket housings that I know of that have either already been produced or are in the pipeline for the 87U.
- It has much better compatibility with replacement keycaps due to its bottom row. Most colorways of Topre's ANSI keycap sets are still easily attainable from Japan. Of course, the stock keycaps on both are very nice.

- The 980C is much more easily available with Hangul sublegends. It's probably obvious, but the base color of the white version's caps is more of a cream than the off-white of the white Realforce. Font size is smaller too.
- I know you don't care for our preferences but I always felt that the stock 980C case was significantly more solid than that of the Realforce's. That said, the RF is still built to a very high standard. The 980C has probably the best build quality of any modern off-the-shelf keyboard I've ever used.

Thanks! And I DO want to hear your preferences! I just didn't want this to get into a "this is better than that" comparison - those threads typically leave out details and just jump to what's preferable overall.

[vulup]

The 87U 55 g is significantly heavier.

[Tactile]

I'm typing on a 55 gram Realforce right now. It's worth repeating that the cable does not detach from the Realforce. That can be very important to some people. I think there are kits available somewhere to modify these boards to a detachable cable.

Nowadays the colored Topre keycap sets for the Realforce can be very hard to find but at least they exist. I have two sets myself - blue & brilliant white - in addition to the stock black caps. AFAIK there are no alternative keycap sets available for the Leopold.

Some people find the embedded numeric keypad of the Realforce 87U to be awkward or confusing. The Leopold has a real numeric keypad and that might be important to you.

[hammerbrotha]

I'm typing on a 55 gram Realforce right now. It's worth repeating that the cable does not detach from the Realforce. That can be very important to some people. I think there are kits available somewhere to modify these boards to a detachable cable.

Nowadays the colored Topre keycap sets for the Realforce can be very hard to find but at least they exist. I have two sets myself - blue & brilliant white - in addition to the stock black caps. AFAIK there are no alternative keycap sets available for the Leopold.

Some people find the embedded numeric keypad of the Realforce 87U to be awkward or confusing. The Leopold has a real numeric keypad and that might be important to you.

KBD Fans offers a 9009 with FC980C compatability.

[LouisHjelmslev]

I know this comment is coming quite late, but for anyone interested in the same question... My two cents:
In terms of feeling, having used both, I find that the RF is a lot snappier, a lot 'crisper' if that makes any sense. Also the board felt a lot more solid. All in all a better feeling.
With that said, I went ahead with the fc980c, for a couple reasons: 1) While not as snappy, still a great and solid feeling 2)the layout intrigued me. took a bit getting used to it, along with remapping some keys, but now ok 3) was buying in Korea - the RF was just crazy expensive... there is such thing as too much $ for a board.