Author Topic: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?  (Read 11376 times)

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Offline rf86u

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anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« on: Fri, 17 April 2020, 09:11:44 »
I have a 86u and 87u(upgraded from another 86u). Personally I think 86u is a better board
no left control key wobble
cleaner design
the numpad on 87u doesn't work on Mac anyway
one less annoying bubble window key
longer space key so right alt(my right cmd) is easier to access by right thumb
no annoying led

R2 owners do u have anything bad to say about it?

« Last Edit: Fri, 17 April 2020, 09:22:01 by rf86u »

Offline Hyde

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #1 on: Fri, 17 April 2020, 09:59:04 »
I also have a Realforce 104UW (Full Size 45g Uniform and Silence-X Rings) and later on picked up an R2S-US5-IV (Full Size 55g Stock Silent).

So everyone is super hyped up about 55g so I wanted to give it a try, also I really enjoyed the silent mod I did on the 104UW and I also hear the purple slider is the best silence method so I decided to go for it.

How do I put it............ basically huge disappointment.

55g feels nice but maybe a tiny touch too tactile?  It removes the Topre buttery typing experience a little bit, I think somewhere between 45g and 55g would be great, like Topre 50g or something.  Stock silent doesn't silence enough and sounds brittle and thin?  Also doesn't fills the gap completely so there's a tiny bit of wobble as oppose to using Silence-X on stock slider.

I've been trying to trying different silence rings on purple sliders without good results.

Keycaps also feels a little bit sharper around the edges, the version 1 keycaps feels smoother around the corners.  Also I don't know if I'm imagine things but version 1 also overall feels heavier and more sturdy?  Again I'm not saying R2 is bad, I do quite enjoy the more modern design and smaller bezels and finally the cord can come out from the back in the middle.  Also adjustable caps/num/scroll lock led colour and brightness!!!  Also likes the side where it's easier to grip so easier to reposition your keyboard.  Stock PBT spcaebar is nice too.

But I guess I'm comparing apples to oranges so might not be 100% accurate (45g silent mod vs 55g stock silent), but I think for typing experience I almost like the version 1 better.  Again this is nitpick since I own both, but this is kind of like 95% vs 90% kind of difference.  So if you've never own version 1 you might not notice it, but if you've own both it is a slight let down in some areas.

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Offline rf86u

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #2 on: Fri, 17 April 2020, 10:11:43 »
very interesting, we all know R2 is a big step up but that is not interesting to hear.

my 86u is about 10 years old. and the 87u much newer and for some reason I like typing on the 86u better.. both are lubed.

Offline ddrfraser1

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #3 on: Fri, 17 April 2020, 10:21:55 »
IMO, stock realforce is fine but not all realforce enthusiasts make it out to be. Drawbacks for me include, build quality/weight, tactility and smoothness. As far as tactility, I actually prefer BTC boards. In order to make it great I had to mod mine.

This is one distinct advantage custom MX style builds have, you can get extremely well build boards.

So in order to get the most out of my topre boards I lube the sliders and stabs, I swap in BKE redux domes, and I put stick-on tire balance wights in the case. I know it sounds silly but the added wight makes it feel better, makes it not slide around the desk and yes, even helps with the sound. Plus, heavy = psychological placebo good feels :)

Now that I've done all that, I consider my realfoce to be among my very best boards. I'll show you a pic purely for vanity sake  ;D


Offline Riverman

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #4 on: Fri, 17 April 2020, 12:10:31 »
Very nice!  Where did you get the white keycaps?  I can't say that I've ever had issues with one of those sliding around on my desk, though.  Even my Cherry G80-3000, which probably doesn't even weigh half of what a Realforce does, doesn't slide around.

Offline ddrfraser1

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 17 April 2020, 13:16:26 »
Very nice!  Where did you get the white keycaps?  I can't say that I've ever had issues with one of those sliding around on my desk, though.  Even my Cherry G80-3000, which probably doesn't even weigh half of what a Realforce does, doesn't slide around.

Thanks! KBDfans had a 9009 set. They're basically the same quality as stock, just with different font. I did the same color scheme with my Leopold Fc660c and matching topre numpad. (ok, you twisted my arm, I'll post it. Sorry rf86u for monopolizing your thread  :rolleyes:)

I don't use desk pads so that plays a roll. My desk is pretty smooth. Besides, even without the slidyness, I just love the more solid feel of a heavy board. 


Offline rxc92

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 17 April 2020, 19:22:49 »
Directly comparing my silences 10th anniversary (JP) and LE R2 (ANSI) the build quality, sturdiness, and silencing are all better (quieter) on the R2. It also does not slide at all, even when placed on a slick laptop. It’s been my daily driver ever since I bought it and I don’t think that will change in the foreseeable future.

Offline rf86u

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #7 on: Fri, 17 April 2020, 21:28:00 »
Directly comparing my silences 10th anniversary (JP) and LE R2 (ANSI) the build quality, sturdiness, and silencing are all better (quieter) on the R2. It also does not slide at all, even when placed on a slick laptop. It’s been my daily driver ever since I bought it and I don’t think that will change in the foreseeable future.

R2 fixed many problems of 87u. so my next board will be R2.

Offline Polymer

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #8 on: Sat, 18 April 2020, 00:06:29 »
I have both the 87u and R2 and the difference between the two is minor.

I think the 87u build quality is great...at first I wasn't very iffy about it but after awhile I really started appreciating it.  I actually prefer the look over the R2. 

The R2 fixes the spacebar issue (its pbt) and the stabilizer noise..so that's one big plus.  The case is stiffer but that doesn't really matter either way. 

I think the R2 fixes a few of the tiny things people might not have liked about the 87u....but I'd be happy with either one.  I think for the same price I'd probably get the R2...I wouldn't pay a big premium for it over the 87u though...

Offline rf86u

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #9 on: Sat, 18 April 2020, 07:27:06 »
I have both the 87u and R2 and the difference between the two is minor.

I think the 87u build quality is great...at first I wasn't very iffy about it but after awhile I really started appreciating it.  I actually prefer the look over the R2. 

The R2 fixes the spacebar issue (its pbt) and the stabilizer noise..so that's one big plus.  The case is stiffer but that doesn't really matter either way. 

I think the R2 fixes a few of the tiny things people might not have liked about the 87u....but I'd be happy with either one.  I think for the same price I'd probably get the R2...I wouldn't pay a big premium for it over the 87u though...

Thanks for sharing, I've not seen a R2 in person, are R2 keycaps and 87u keycaps exactly the same? can you notice any differences? I know the bottom rows are different.

Offline typo

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #10 on: Sat, 18 April 2020, 08:51:09 »
Yeah, something very bad. i only have about 40 of them and i need at least 100!

Offline Hyde

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #11 on: Sat, 18 April 2020, 11:05:16 »
Very nice!  Where did you get the white keycaps?  I can't say that I've ever had issues with one of those sliding around on my desk, though.  Even my Cherry G80-3000, which probably doesn't even weigh half of what a Realforce does, doesn't slide around.

Thanks! KBDfans had a 9009 set. They're basically the same quality as stock, just with different font. I did the same color scheme with my Leopold Fc660c and matching topre numpad. (ok, you twisted my arm, I'll post it. Sorry rf86u for monopolizing your thread  :rolleyes:)

I don't use desk pads so that plays a roll. My desk is pretty smooth. Besides, even without the slidyness, I just love the more solid feel of a heavy board. 

Show Image


Your board looks great! With realforce numpad too haha! Though that being said I did own the same keycaps but I find it's not the same quality / shape.

The kbdfans keycaps are slightly taller and skinnier at the top also the mounting stem didn't fit exact so they exhibit a little bit more left / right wobble. Though aside from that they feel and sound great but the wobble made key bind more often on off center strike and that was a deal breaker for me unfortunately.

It's easy to test you can swap some back to original keycaps and compare.

I have both the 87u and R2 and the difference between the two is minor.

I think the 87u build quality is great...at first I wasn't very iffy about it but after awhile I really started appreciating it.  I actually prefer the look over the R2. 

The R2 fixes the spacebar issue (its pbt) and the stabilizer noise..so that's one big plus.  The case is stiffer but that doesn't really matter either way. 

I think the R2 fixes a few of the tiny things people might not have liked about the 87u....but I'd be happy with either one.  I think for the same price I'd probably get the R2...I wouldn't pay a big premium for it over the 87u though...

Thanks for sharing, I've not seen a R2 in person, are R2 keycaps and 87u keycaps exactly the same? can you notice any differences? I know the bottom rows are different.

The original realforce (let's just call it R1) and R2 have slightly different keycaps.

Aside from the obvious different bottom row and R2 has PBT spacebar as oppose to R1's abs spacebar. The keycap it's self on R1 has a smoother edges and a R2 has sharper edges. Texture and font is pretty similar between the both. Personally I'm leaning on the R1 smoother edges slightly but for the most part it's close enough.

I've bought PBT spacebar from the first massdrop run so my R1 has PBT spacebar too now. I would say if you already own R1 then R2 might not be that big of a difference.

Also it wouldn't really be an "upgrade" it's more of a "sidegrade", there are aspects I like better on R1 and aspects I like better on R2.
« Last Edit: Sat, 18 April 2020, 11:10:02 by Hyde »

Archiss ProgresTouch Retro - Gateron Yellow  |  Topre Realforce 104UW - 45g Silent  |  Topre Type Heaven  |  Beige Filco Ninja 104 - MX Red  |  Das Keyboard - MX Brown  |  Poker II - MX Red  |  Race II - MX Brown  |  Matias Quiet Pro - Matias Dampened ALPS  |  Logitech K840 - Romer G  |  Cherry MX Board 2.0 - MX Red  |  Cherry G84-4100 - ML  |  IBM Model M
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Offline DarwinOSX

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #12 on: Sat, 18 April 2020, 12:12:11 »
I returned an R2 because it wobbled.  I have seen other Amazon purchasers say the same.  Also the USB cable is permanently attached which I don't like and requires an adapter if you want to plug it into USB-C.  I ended up ordering the HHKB Professional for work and the HHKB Type-s bluetooth for home.

Offline Polymer

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #13 on: Sun, 19 April 2020, 03:30:34 »

The original realforce (let's just call it R1) and R2 have slightly different keycaps.

Aside from the obvious different bottom row and R2 has PBT spacebar as oppose to R1's abs spacebar. The keycap it's self on R1 has a smoother edges and a R2 has sharper edges. Texture and font is pretty similar between the both. Personally I'm leaning on the R1 smoother edges slightly but for the most part it's close enough.

I've bought PBT spacebar from the first massdrop run so my R1 has PBT spacebar too now. I would say if you already own R1 then R2 might not be that big of a difference.

Also it wouldn't really be an "upgrade" it's more of a "sidegrade", there are aspects I like better on R1 and aspects I like better on R2.

I'm looking at new R1 keycaps vs R2 and they seem identical to me....My normal R1 board the keycaps (which some of these are from but just never used) feel slightly smoother but that's probably more from use.  The brand new R1 Keycaps have a sharper edge so I don't think they're any different.

I'm with you though...It is more of a sideways move than an upgrade.  Both are great boards. 

Offline Hyde

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #14 on: Mon, 20 April 2020, 21:43:57 »
I returned an R2 because it wobbled.  I have seen other Amazon purchasers say the same.  Also the USB cable is permanently attached which I don't like and requires an adapter if you want to plug it into USB-C.  I ended up ordering the HHKB Professional for work and the HHKB Type-s bluetooth for home.

Yeah........ though now I'm not entirely sure if the wobble is from R2 or if it's just how purple sliders are.


The original realforce (let's just call it R1) and R2 have slightly different keycaps.

Aside from the obvious different bottom row and R2 has PBT spacebar as oppose to R1's abs spacebar. The keycap it's self on R1 has a smoother edges and a R2 has sharper edges. Texture and font is pretty similar between the both. Personally I'm leaning on the R1 smoother edges slightly but for the most part it's close enough.

I've bought PBT spacebar from the first massdrop run so my R1 has PBT spacebar too now. I would say if you already own R1 then R2 might not be that big of a difference.

Also it wouldn't really be an "upgrade" it's more of a "sidegrade", there are aspects I like better on R1 and aspects I like better on R2.

I'm looking at new R1 keycaps vs R2 and they seem identical to me....My normal R1 board the keycaps (which some of these are from but just never used) feel slightly smoother but that's probably more from use.  The brand new R1 Keycaps have a sharper edge so I don't think they're any different.

I'm with you though...It is more of a sideways move than an upgrade.  Both are great boards. 

Ahhhh ok then it might just be my R1 keycaps are more used.  That or maybe Topre changed their manufacturer at some point maybe.  My really old R1 board's keycaps definitely feels different though.

But either case they're both not bad just "different" lol.

Archiss ProgresTouch Retro - Gateron Yellow  |  Topre Realforce 104UW - 45g Silent  |  Topre Type Heaven  |  Beige Filco Ninja 104 - MX Red  |  Das Keyboard - MX Brown  |  Poker II - MX Red  |  Race II - MX Brown  |  Matias Quiet Pro - Matias Dampened ALPS  |  Logitech K840 - Romer G  |  Cherry MX Board 2.0 - MX Red  |  Cherry G84-4100 - ML  |  IBM Model M
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Offline DrJackman

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #15 on: Tue, 26 May 2020, 13:58:38 »
How does everyone have so much wobble with the purple sliders?  I've had an FC660C, and now two different RF silenced boards and they all feel incredibly solid stock.  My leopold 750 with browns and my custom with Zilent v2s (65g) had much more wobble than all of these topre silenced boards.

Offline Riverman

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #16 on: Tue, 26 May 2020, 15:39:14 »
Maybe compared to a non-silenced Realforce, but I'm not sure.  I have a factory silenced 104, a Type Heaven with KBDFans Silence-X rings, and a Realforce RGB.  I don't notice any of them wobbling any more than the others.  Any MX keyboard is going to have a lot more wobble, though.

Offline jamster

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #17 on: Tue, 26 May 2020, 21:28:55 »
IMO, stock realforce is fine but not all realforce enthusiasts make it out to be. Drawbacks for me include, build quality/weight, tactility and smoothness. As far as tactility, I actually prefer BTC boards. In order to make it great I had to mod mine.

This is one distinct advantage custom MX style builds have, you can get extremely well build boards.

So in order to get the most out of my topre boards I lube the sliders and stabs, I swap in BKE redux domes, and I put stick-on tire balance wights in the case. I know it sounds silly but the added wight makes it feel better, makes it not slide around the desk and yes, even helps with the sound. Plus, heavy = psychological placebo good feels :)

Now that I've done all that, I consider my realfoce to be among my very best boards. I'll show you a pic purely for vanity sake  ;D

Show Image


Huh, I have a stock 87u and am perfectly happy with it. I like having a board which I didn't need to change anything on for it to be great (okay, I did change the spacebar to PBT which I'd forgotten about until reading this thread).

The only two minor flaws I can identify on it are that the case creaks a little if I pick it up and squeeze it, and the left control key is a little wobbly. I don't pick up the case, and I don't use left control, so neither are problems for me.

My Royal Kludge electro capacitive has smoother key travel, but at the expense of heavily reduced tactility. And of course had to have the original caps replaced. My BTC is stiffer and feels slightly grittier.

I've thought of replacing the caps on the 87U, but it's just so satisfying having a stock board that was so usable right out of the box.


------

Edit: Dammit, I shouldn't have come into this thread, now I've started thinking about the keyboard too much, and noticed that spacebar is a bit loud, and want to figure out how to reduce the sound.
« Last Edit: Tue, 26 May 2020, 21:49:50 by jamster »

Offline DrJackman

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #18 on: Tue, 26 May 2020, 23:27:47 »
^^ take out the spring.  if that doesn't help enough open 'er up and slap some lube or dialectic grease in the stabalizers. 

Offline typo

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #19 on: Wed, 27 May 2020, 05:06:58 »
Seriously, as a stock off the shelf board, other than being $350 I see nothing wrong with it. If it were $100 it would be absolute perfection IMO. I would however stay from a stock RGB. That was a fail.

Offline harahyuna

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #20 on: Sat, 25 July 2020, 22:28:28 »
Just bought the R2 PFU and pretty disappointed in the build quality.

Problem is similar to the video below but instead of the whole case wobbling on 1 side, the top frame wobbles up/down on the right side like it's not fixed together. Just lightly tapping on the empty area above arrows will make a loud clack noise even louder than my cheap membrane keyboards while it's quiet between ESC/F1 key. Tried many keyboards before and it's the first time coming across such issue yet also the most expensive one.


Another problem is the Backspace and Enter key is noticeably lighter to press. The sound on Backspace is also kinda different like spring noise or hollow airy sound? Not sure how to explain.

Offline jamster

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #21 on: Sat, 25 July 2020, 23:05:16 »
Just bought the R2 PFU and pretty disappointed in the build quality.

Problem is similar to the video below but instead of the whole case wobbling on 1 side, the top frame wobbles up/down on the right side like it's not fixed together. Just lightly tapping on the empty area above arrows will make a loud clack noise even louder than my cheap membrane keyboards while it's quiet between ESC/F1 key. Tried many keyboards before and it's the first time coming across such issue yet also the most expensive one.


Another problem is the Backspace and Enter key is noticeably lighter to press. The sound on Backspace is also kinda different like spring noise or hollow airy sound? Not sure how to explain.


Someone mentioned this on another thread. The two case halves are just clamshells together with latches, no screws. So the halves can move against each other. Sounds like you just need to torque the case around lengthwise a bit to resettle the halves against each other. I could be wrong, I have an R1 and have never encountered this issue anyway.

Offline harahyuna

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #22 on: Sat, 25 July 2020, 23:31:06 »
Someone mentioned this on another thread. The two case halves are just clamshells together with latches, no screws. So the halves can move against each other. Sounds like you just need to torque the case around lengthwise a bit to resettle the halves against each other. I could be wrong, I have an R1 and have never encountered this issue anyway.

Tried that but it didn't work. Seems like that method might only work if the issue is exactly like the video where the whole case wobbles on 1 side which is similar but different problem than just the top frame wobbling on 1 side. I had keyboards that are also clamshells without screws and none of them do this.
« Last Edit: Sat, 25 July 2020, 23:52:45 by harahyuna »

Offline jamster

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #23 on: Sat, 25 July 2020, 23:54:37 »
Just thinking out loud- if you pop the case apart, does the bottom half still sit on the table with a wobble? Should be a quick thing to check. It would suggest that the problem is either with the way the bottom case was moulded, or that the tension is being introduced in how the PCB is screwed into the case.

(Obviously, you've already looked at rubber or flip out feet being equal)

Offline harahyuna

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #24 on: Sun, 26 July 2020, 00:07:55 »
Just thinking out loud- if you pop the case apart, does the bottom half still sit on the table with a wobble? Should be a quick thing to check. It would suggest that the problem is either with the way the bottom case was moulded, or that the tension is being introduced in how the PCB is screwed into the case.

(Obviously, you've already looked at rubber or flip out feet being equal)

I didn't take it out apart but the bottom case sits still on the desk on both sides. Basically I'm doing what the guy did in the video by lightly using thumb and finger to move the top frame but instead of the bottom case going up and down on the right side like the video, it's just the top frame that goes up and down. The amount it wobbles is also about the same as the video where you can actually see it moving. The bottom of the case doesn't move when I did the wobble test. If I press the top frame down at the part where it wobbles, the clack sound above arrows is quieter but still sound quite different compared to the space between the ESC/F1 key.

Offline Polymer

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #25 on: Sun, 26 July 2020, 03:34:22 »
Mine does this as well (I just tried it) and really...so what?  I don't understand what the issue is.  Is it that the top part of the case has a slight bit a play? 

R1s had more play..I thought the R2s did not and they were more ridged which is neither better or worse..and then I can see there is a little bit of play...

But what does that change about the keyboard?   If you're unhappy with it, there are tons of people that will take it off your hands...people really have to get over their OCD...

Offline harahyuna

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #26 on: Sun, 26 July 2020, 06:04:02 »
Well it's not just a slight bit of play on the R2 I returned. On many keyboards with top frame over the bottom case, if you use some force to test, you may see it move a little or make a light creak noise but that's not the problem here.

On this R2 wobble issue, you can actually see the top frame move up and down by around 3mm+ on the arrows side just by using pinky finger without using any force and makes a loud clack noise when the top hits the bottom case while the left side is pretty much silent and barely move at all.

Due to this issue, the annoying loud clack noise is also apparent every time my hands slightly touch the empty area above arrows. This noise is much louder than cheap <$10 membrane keyboards. Unlike the uneven case wobble issue on the video above where you may fix it by twisting or placing rubber pads below, you can't fix the top frame wobble without taking it apart and voiding warranty. The wobble issue and noticeably lighter Backspace/Enter keys is why I find the build quality unacceptable for a $300+ premium keyboard.
« Last Edit: Sun, 26 July 2020, 06:11:48 by harahyuna »

Offline tp4tissue

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #27 on: Sun, 26 July 2020, 09:06:43 »
Topre is the most overhyped thing this side of 'Murica Weeb.

Cherry MX blue all the way. Smoother travel, ease of replacement parts, no hardening rubber domes.

Offline Polymer

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #28 on: Sun, 26 July 2020, 23:44:18 »
Well it's not just a slight bit of play on the R2 I returned. On many keyboards with top frame over the bottom case, if you use some force to test, you may see it move a little or make a light creak noise but that's not the problem here.

On this R2 wobble issue, you can actually see the top frame move up and down by around 3mm+ on the arrows side just by using pinky finger without using any force and makes a loud clack noise when the top hits the bottom case while the left side is pretty much silent and barely move at all.

Due to this issue, the annoying loud clack noise is also apparent every time my hands slightly touch the empty area above arrows. This noise is much louder than cheap <$10 membrane keyboards. Unlike the uneven case wobble issue on the video above where you may fix it by twisting or placing rubber pads below, you can't fix the top frame wobble without taking it apart and voiding warranty. The wobble issue and noticeably lighter Backspace/Enter keys is why I find the build quality unacceptable for a $300+ premium keyboard.


I don't have that type of wobble issue...nor do most people apparently but if yours is defective than it is defective.  Not sure how you end up touching the case area above the arrow keys but *shrug*.

The backspace and enter keys are not lighter than the other keys....but given the keycaps are slightly heavier and it is the same dome, I can see why you might feel it is ever so slightly lighter....not that it should matter given there is variance to the weight of each key anyways...but maybe you got a dud...

Offline Polymer

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Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #29 on: Sun, 26 July 2020, 23:44:59 »
Topre is the most overhyped thing this side of 'Murica Weeb.

Cherry MX blue all the way. Smoother travel, ease of replacement parts, no hardening rubber domes.


Except it isn't..I wish it was..

Offline jamster

  • Posts: 1091
  • Location: Asia
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #30 on: Sun, 26 July 2020, 23:53:06 »
Even my clone Topre board is by far smoother than any MX board I've ever touched.

Offline harahyuna

  • Posts: 17
  • Location: Canada
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #31 on: Mon, 27 July 2020, 00:37:10 »
I don't have that type of wobble issue...nor do most people apparently but if yours is defective than it is defective.  Not sure how you end up touching the case area above the arrow keys but *shrug*.

The backspace and enter keys are not lighter than the other keys....but given the keycaps are slightly heavier and it is the same dome, I can see why you might feel it is ever so slightly lighter....not that it should matter given there is variance to the weight of each key anyways...but maybe you got a dud...

It's a TKL so sometimes when I want to use arrow keys and not looking at the keyboard, I might touch the frame just slightly. Like I said, just a light touch on the right side will produce a loud clack noise on that board.

The Backspace key is not slightly lighter on that too. I don't usually go around measuring keys but it felt noticeably lighter so I measured the backspace and some alphas and the difference is around 8g +/-. Yeah it still within the Realforce 15g +/- range but still disappointing.

Offline Polymer

  • Posts: 1587
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #32 on: Mon, 27 July 2020, 01:37:30 »
I don't have that type of wobble issue...nor do most people apparently but if yours is defective than it is defective.  Not sure how you end up touching the case area above the arrow keys but *shrug*.

The backspace and enter keys are not lighter than the other keys....but given the keycaps are slightly heavier and it is the same dome, I can see why you might feel it is ever so slightly lighter....not that it should matter given there is variance to the weight of each key anyways...but maybe you got a dud...

It's a TKL so sometimes when I want to use arrow keys and not looking at the keyboard, I might touch the frame just slightly. Like I said, just a light touch on the right side will produce a loud clack noise on that board.

The Backspace key is not slightly lighter on that too. I don't usually go around measuring keys but it felt noticeably lighter so I measured the backspace and some alphas and the difference is around 8g +/-. Yeah it still within the Realforce 15g +/- range but still disappointing.
It should be +/-5g not 15....+/-8 from 45g means you have some keys that are 53g and some that are 37g.  I don't think that's what you mean right?   
Most Topre I've seen fall in the 40-50g range for 45g...I don't know if I've seen too many that fall out but I suppose that's possible (I'm not considering variable in this because those are obviously going to be different). 

If by +/-8g you mean you have some keys that are 49g and your backspace is 41g..that's entirely possible but not what that means...

Offline Riverman

  • Posts: 430
  • Location: Seattle, WA
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #33 on: Mon, 27 July 2020, 11:25:25 »
My RGB had a pretty flimsy and noisy case.  I assume that the RGB and the R2 have almost identical cases.  If I tapped the case above the arrow keys or below the space bar, it would clack, and the entire top of the case could shift side to side.  I took it apart and put strips of electrical tape inside it, and that seems to have fixed it pretty well.  The clacking is gone, and almost all of the slop in the case halves is gone.  In comparison, my original (now sold) Realforce was much more solid, but strangely enough the Type Heaven is the most solid of them all.  The Type Heaven's case is solid as a rock compared to either Realforce.

Offline rxc92

  • Posts: 440
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #34 on: Mon, 27 July 2020, 17:41:38 »
My RGB had a pretty flimsy and noisy case.  I assume that the RGB and the R2 have almost identical cases.
No no no, the two cases are completely different. Even a cursory glance should reveal an entirely changed case, and obviously as it has no RGB components, the keyboard is more stable. I’ve compared it with a R1 and there is not a noticeable difference in quality. The only area where there is any real give is by the LED indicators.

Offline Riverman

  • Posts: 430
  • Location: Seattle, WA
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #35 on: Tue, 28 July 2020, 10:25:13 »
I've never seen an R2 in the flesh, but from the pictures, the models with the media keys and APC look identical to the RGB.  Internally, the RGB is the same as any other Realforce keyboard, just with transparent slider housings and LEDs added to the circuit board.

Offline Polymer

  • Posts: 1587
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #36 on: Tue, 28 July 2020, 22:33:11 »
that's what I think as well....outside of the poor sound as a result of the sliders, it looks similar to the R2 and pretty sure that was the basis for it...

There is nothing really wrong w/ the RGB except it sounds terrible and comes with junky keycaps...

Offline Riverman

  • Posts: 430
  • Location: Seattle, WA
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #37 on: Wed, 29 July 2020, 11:27:42 »
There is nothing really wrong w/ the RGB except it sounds terrible and comes with junky keycaps...
Fortunately those are both easily fixed.  After installing a set of Deskeys RGB silencing rings, my RGB has gone from my worst sounding keyboard to my best.  I was pretty amazed at the difference it made.  I do think that it's a shame that such an expensive keyboard has such an awful flaw out of the box, though.  I could live with the keycaps, but not the stock upstroke noise.  It would be nice if they used the same MX-compatible sliders in the regular R2 keyboards.  My guess is that a lot of the clacky sound comes from the type of plastic that the clear housings are made out of.  One of these days I would like to get an R2, just to compare it to the other Topre keyboards I've owned.

Offline Polymer

  • Posts: 1587
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #38 on: Wed, 29 July 2020, 18:14:49 »
There is nothing really wrong w/ the RGB except it sounds terrible and comes with junky keycaps...
Fortunately those are both easily fixed.  After installing a set of Deskeys RGB silencing rings, my RGB has gone from my worst sounding keyboard to my best.  I was pretty amazed at the difference it made.  I do think that it's a shame that such an expensive keyboard has such an awful flaw out of the box, though.  I could live with the keycaps, but not the stock upstroke noise.  It would be nice if they used the same MX-compatible sliders in the regular R2 keyboards.  My guess is that a lot of the clacky sound comes from the type of plastic that the clear housings are made out of.  One of these days I would like to get an R2, just to compare it to the other Topre keyboards I've owned.

I actually think it is the slider because most MX Topre Sliders seem to have the same sound issue.   

Agree though, that once you silence them and replace the keycaps, the keyboard is pretty decent....But then why not just go with an R2 to start? 

I do think that there is a bit of a gap in the MX Topre Slider market where they're not silenced....with the exceptions of the Chinese clones...Basically, I don't see why RF doesn't make a silenced R2 with MX Topre Sliders as another option if they were going to bother with the RGB....I'm sure it would do fairly well...tested and tuned to be more Topre like but with MX keycaps?  Sounds like a win win.

Offline amirhosein

  • Posts: 39
  • Location: Seattle
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #39 on: Wed, 29 July 2020, 18:37:18 »
I love my R2 as well, sounds a bit better than my RGB as well. Now the question is, how do they compare to the HHKB :D I've heard good things about the plastic plate.

Offline Polymer

  • Posts: 1587
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #40 on: Fri, 31 July 2020, 12:29:43 »
I love my R2 as well, sounds a bit better than my RGB as well. Now the question is, how do they compare to the HHKB :D I've heard good things about the plastic plate.

HHKB sounds the best IMO..the case/switch top integration gives it a really warm sound...Most thocky...little raindrops (non silenced)..it is just fun to use...

Offline w9gfo

  • Posts: 9
Re: anything bad to say about Realforce R2?
« Reply #41 on: Fri, 31 July 2020, 16:47:07 »
I have both r87u and R2 (pfu, limited edition), both all 45g. I like more the shape of r87u which has rounded edges, but the silenced purple switches on r2 feel better for me, very smooth. Of course it's subjective, I can see someone like the opposite.
« Last Edit: Sat, 01 August 2020, 23:23:29 by iamtootallforthis »