BeNippon is a cool site

[xsphat]

I sent them an email asking if they could a get the Topre Realforce 101, and a couple days later they sent this reply:

Hello,

Thank you for your request.

It is here: http://benippon.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=12700

Best regards,
Mathieu - beNippon

Now the 'board is up on their site [it wasn't before], and the price looks pretty good too. So if you want something from Japan, I would suggest inquiring about it.

I've been looking into the Realforce lately and it looks like it the first choice of hardcore typists in Japan. There are three zones for the switches with different pressures according to the strength of the corresponding fingers. I know the Das II claims to have this but I've never heard a single person say they could tell the difference at all. Maybe Topre does it better than Cherry, who knows.

And I really like the looks of this board:



A lot of people would say it looks like any other keyboard, but to me it looks so professional, so high-quality. I might just have to forgive the numpad and pick one up, especially since they added it to their site at my request.

[Whiskey in the Jar-o]

A lot of people would say it looks like any other keyboard, but to me it looks so professional, so high-quality.

I bet if it were 10 bucks, you wouldn't say that.

[xsphat]

... no, I wouldn't ... But if you can find me one of these for ten bucks, you're my best bud. These are pretty nice, and they sound good too.

[Whiskey in the Jar-o]

It sure does sound good, but looks too plain IMHO.  I wouldn't mind the space-saver version (Japanese only, AFAIK) with the gold on black.  Too bad it's so darn expensive.

[xsphat]

Yeah it is. I am going to heed the other member's warning about the foreign layouts and stick with the US layout, which means I am stuck with damn number pads. I'm really leaning toward this board for several reasons. I get my money in about three weeks, so I have to decide what I'm going to buy before then, and then I plan to write my next novel on the new board, so it better be a good one. I'd like to find a way on Mac to swap the pipe and the BS keys so the layout is more like the HHKB, but that's the only thing I would change about this model.

[iMav]

Now the 'board is up on their site [it wasn't before], and the price looks pretty good too. So if you want something from Japan, I would suggest inquiring about it.

Good to know they are responsive like that.  Overall, I had a better experience with GeekStuff4U (as they communicated more AND shipped via a method that provided tracking information)...but to be fair to beNippon, they delivered the goods as promised.  

There are three zones for the switches with different pressures according to the strength of the corresponding fingers. I know the Das II claims to have this but I've never heard a single person say they could tell the difference at all. Maybe Topre does it better than Cherry, who knows.

The original Das keyboard claimed to have "weighted" keys, but did this with some craptastic dome/membrane switches.  The new Das 2 does not make this claim at all.  It uses identical blue Cherry keyswitches across the board.

A lot of people would say it looks like any other keyboard, but to me it looks so professional, so high-quality.

It best have a superior key feel.  Because with that layout and look, I can't imagine why someone would choose it over a Scorpius or a Customizer (both would give you additional meta keys).

Seriously, for me, those keys would have to be totally kick ass...an order of magnitude better than buckling springs.  As a standard Model M has the exact same layout and, IMHO, looks way cooler.

That being said, it is always exciting to have another keyboard in our members' hands.  Perhaps the "hardcore Japanese typists" will have the last laugh and typing on this keyboard will prove to be the equivalent to sex for your fingertips.  

[xsphat]

iMav, you actually like the way the Model M looks? Wow, I think it's Fugly. Each to their own on the looks thing, I guess.

The key feel is supposed to be similar to the HHKB Pro series, we all know why that is, but the "touch" is said to be lighter and most say they like the Realforce better than the HHKB Pro. We'll see. Another member just bought one of these, I can't wait until he comments on it ...

[puntium]

I was just about to say that the 101 doesn't have separately weighted keys, but then I checked the spec sheet, and apparently it does.. Only the Realforce "S" models have 30g weights throughout.

That being said, I totally don't notice it on my 101. I totally _do_ notice it on the Keytronic that I have, but maybe that's because it uses membrane switches? Overall the 101 felt lighter to me than the hhkb pro 2, .. but maybe that's because i'm noticing the 35g positions where as the hhkb pro 2 is 45g throughout?

[xsphat]

Listen to this translated review of the 101 from Topre's site:

"Touch the keyboard so I was never in this world, I did not know."

I'm sold!

[puntium]

Heh, what's the original link? perhaps I can provide a better translation.

[xsphat]

http://www.topre.co.jp/products/comp/key_voice.html

First bullet point under the 101.

[puntium]

Ah. Roughly:

"I had no idea a keyboard with such good "touch" existed in this world"

[xsphat]

Thanks, that makes more sense. How do you pronounce Topre? Is it To-prey, Top-Ray, topper?

[puntium]

In Japanese it sounds like toh (as in tofu) pu (as in poo) reh (as in rent), and if you divide the sound in two for equal time segments, the 'toh' takes up roughtly the first two, and the pu and reh will take one each of the last two.

The "r" is actually a sound that is not in english.. it kinda sounds like the spanish rolled r, but without repetition. Sometimes it can sound almost like a really soft d.

[xsphat]

Thank you, very good. I learned a little Japanese a few years ago, so I understand how the syllables work, but I thought only vowels and the letter n could be separate (not in pairs) so the p threw me off.

You are very helpful, thank you.

[puntium]

Yea, well 'Topre' isn't exactly a romaji. In romaji, you'ld have to say 'toupure'.. and whenever the company's name is written in japanese, you see 東プレ where the first character is tou in toukyou and then katakana for pu and re. I don't know why they came up with "Topre"

Wikipedia says they originally started making presses for automobiles (not sure what that means), and the original company name was Tokyo Press.. so I figure they probably did the standard Japanese four-character shortening of the name and took the first two syllables from each word.

[xsphat]

Nice, thanks.I'm planning to take Japanese in school after I transfer in a year [they don't it here].

[Whiskey in the Jar-o]

Nice, thanks.I'm planning to take Japanese in school after I transfer in a year [they don't it here].

Now that's dedication!

[xsphat]

Now that's dedication!

It is dedication, but not to keyboards and technology – it's to schoolgirls

[fkeidjn]

What kind and what color keyswitches?

[xsphat]

HHKB Pro and Pro 2 use capacitive switches made by Topre. AFAIK, they only come in black.

[fkeidjn]

HHKB Pro and Pro 2 use capacitive switches made by Topre. AFAIK, they only come in black.

I mean the Realforce.  Does the Realforce use the same thing?

[xyzzy]

Now the 'board is up on their site [it wasn't before], and the price looks pretty good too. So if you want something from Japan, I would suggest inquiring about it.

It looks like they're now selling also the Majestouch keyboard, english layout: http://benippon.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=12735

Is it supposed to be the brown Cherry MX version, right? The official manufacturer page that BeNippon points to states: "Cherry MX tactile feel" key swiches.

[xsphat]

I mean the Realforce.  Does the Realforce use the same thing?

Yes.                                    

I hate the minimum post length. I wish iMav would change it.

[xsphat]

It looks like they're now selling also the Majestouch keyboard, english layout: http://benippon.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=12735

Is it supposed to be the brown Cherry MX version, right? The official manufacturer page that BeNippon points to states: "Cherry MX tactile feel" key swiches.

Who knows. I give up on Cherry.

[xsphat]

Who knows. I give up on Cherry.

Sorry for the ****ty response, my kid was being a class A F@ckhead. It's supposed to have brown switches. When mr_sf_applet was still my buddy, he said in a PM that Filco boards with red LEDs have Cherry black switches, blue LEDs mean brown and green LEDs mean Cherry blues. If you look over the company's site, this does look to be consistent.

Now, what I find perplexing is the n-key rollover 'boards say the use "tea axis" switches while the non-n-key rollover 'boards that use the brown switches have all the same copy, but they call the switches "tactile feel."

I don't know if this is another marketing thing trying to hype up the new products or if there is an actual difference in the switches (which I doubt).

[puntium]

Heh, tea and brown are the same thing. tea is just a bad translation of brown. In Japanese, the characters for brown are literally "tea color"

[Nonmouse]

Heh, tea and brown are the same thing. tea is just a bad translation of brown. In Japanese, the characters for brown are literally "tea color"

AHHHHH!  That makes a lot of sense (finally).
Tea axis = brown stem.