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geekhack Community => Reviews => Topic started by: RobbieFresh on Sat, 28 April 2018, 21:15:39
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OMG. If you don't own one already, you need to buy a Leopold keyboard ASAP. They're hands-down, the best "out-of-the-box" keyboards you can buy right now. The build quality is simply amazing. The PBT keycaps are a work of art and feel amazing. They're everything you'd want from a minimalist, typing-focused keyboard. None of that RGB crap. No gimmicks.
I just got my FC900R PD with Cherry Blue switches a few days ago and I'm in love:
[attach=1]
Some general comments:
1) The sound damping pad eliminates the switch ping but does NOT eliminate the sound of bottoming out. I repeat, you will definitely still hear a clack on this keyboard if you bottom out a key. However, the keyboard overall is a bit quieter than others I've used, even for Blue switches. Just wanted to clear this up for people.
2) The "Step Sculpture" profile is very comfortable, though the key caps are noticeably shorter than my OEM profile Rosewill keyboard. IMHO though, I actually prefer typing on this profile over the OEM. My fingers feel a lot less fatigued and I feel like I can type a lot faster.
3) This specific model does not have dedicated indicator LEDs at the top right for for caps, num pad, etc. Instead, those keys have an LED on the switch that remains illuminated with the key is activated.
BTW, if you're wondering about o-rings, the key caps work perfectly with the 1.5 mm's (the WASD red version). I know another poster was mentioning that the o-rings don't work with these keycaps (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=93436.0) but I can assure you they do. No wobble at all. Do they shorten the travel distance a little bit on the already short keycaps? Yes. Is it that noticeable or uncomfortable? No, not at all. In fact, they make the keyboard super quite compared to other keyboards with Blue switches.
[attach=2]
Now here are the CONS:
1) The stabilized keys, especially the spacebar, can be very "clacky" and loud compared to the rest of the keys when you bottom out. So loud that it made me buy the o-rings to at least put on the spacebar to quiet it.
2) The detachable USB is a little difficult to connect and snap into place underneath.
3) I'm not really fond of their logo at the top right corner, and this particular model also says "High-End Mechanical Keyboard" on it which is kind of cheesy IMHO.
Also I'll save you the trouble of deciding, you should get this over the Filco Majestouch 2. Spec for spec, the Leopold is better. The only reason you'd get the Filco is for OEM profile ABS keys if that's your jam. I would know because I returned the Filco before buying this (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=95204.0).
Now go buy one already!
Overall rating: 9/10
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Don't have to tell me twice I've already got 6 of them. :eek:
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I've considered Leopold a few times but the problem I've had is I don't know where the lights are.
I see some with the LEDs in the corner (this is what I prefer)...
[attach=1]
I see some with windows in the keycaps so you can see that the LEDs are under the keycaps...
[attach=2]
And I see some where I can't tell where the LEDs might be...
[attach=3]
So... I've never ordered a Leopold keyboard 'cause I don't know when I take it out of the box where the LEDs are going to be.
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Don't have to tell me twice I've already got 6 of them. :eek:
:OOO Who are they, the Sextuplets?
That's a very interesting word lol
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I've considered Leopold a few times but the problem I've had is I don't know where the lights are.
I see some with the LEDs in the corner (this is what I prefer)...
(Attachment Link)
I see some with windows in the keycaps so you can see that the LEDs are under the keycaps...
(Attachment Link)
And I see some where I can't tell where the LEDs might be...
(Attachment Link)
So... I've never ordered a Leopold keyboard 'cause I don't know when I take it out of the box where the LEDs are going to be.
The version I have has the LEDs underneath the keys with no "holes" to see the light. It was exactly the same as what was shown in the picture when I ordered it so I would assume the same for what you're showing here. I agree though, Leopold seems to have a lot of slight variations in their keyboard line-up.
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The Leopold FC750R looks like a nice board. I think I have to go down the Kailh Box switch route though. That said, I hear Leopold QC is great so maybe the switches that come with them are pretty good too.
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I've considered Leopold a few times but the problem I've had is I don't know where the lights are.
I see some with the LEDs in the corner (this is what I prefer)...
(Attachment Link)
I see some with windows in the keycaps so you can see that the LEDs are under the keycaps...
(Attachment Link)
And I see some where I can't tell where the LEDs might be...
(Attachment Link)
So... I've never ordered a Leopold keyboard 'cause I don't know when I take it out of the box where the LEDs are going to be.
The second board IIRC has Lasered PBT and the third one is the PBT Double Shot version, that beige and green one specifically being the 2017 Limited Edition.
The caps lock light is actually in the same place but only instead it doesn't shine through and is reflected onto the metal backplate, kinda odd but I do not use Capslock so it doesn't bother me a bit. :)
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Don't have to tell me twice I've already got 6 of them. :o
:OOO Who are they, the Sextuplets?
That's a very interesting word lol
FC900R w/ mx reds, black with black front printed pbt caps
FC980C w/45g topre, black with black front printed pbt caps (currently sporting other white on black topre alphas and some other keys)
2x FC980M w/ silent reds, black with black front print abs caps (one at home has some granite pbt cherry profile caps on it, one at work as the black front printed abs caps)
FC980M w/ mx blacks, black with black front printed abs caps
FC980M PD, w/ mx browns, black with white on black pbt doubleshots (just got this one, need to get it out and type on it)
And before I had any of these I had bought a set of the leopold black front printed pbt caps from widebasket on ebay.
I'm definitely a leopold fan. :thumb:
I pre-ordered the FC980M PD with mx clears in a white case with the black on white/beige pbt doubleshots but cancelled due to not concrete ETA. I'd kind of still like to get this.
I'd also like to get an FC980M with korean caps and one with mx silvers.
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Don't have to tell me twice I've already got 6 of them. :o
:OOO Who are they, the Sextuplets?
That's a very interesting word lol
FC900R w/ mx reds, black with black front printed pbt caps
FC980C w/45g topre, black with black front printed pbt caps (currently sporting other white on black topre alphas and some other keys)
2x FC980M w/ silent reds, black with black front print abs caps (one at home has some granite pbt cherry profile caps on it, one at work as the black front printed abs caps)
FC980M w/ mx blacks, black with black front printed abs caps
FC980M PD, w/ mx browns, black with white on black pbt doubleshots (just got this one, need to get it out and type on it)
And before I had any of these I had bought a set of the leopold black front printed pbt caps from widebasket on ebay.
I'm definitely a leopold fan. :thumb:
I pre-ordered the FC980M PD with mx clears in a white case with the black on white/beige pbt doubleshots but cancelled due to not concrete ETA. I'd kind of still like to get this.
I'd also like to get an FC980M with korean caps and one with mx silvers.
That is amazing, you really love that 980 layout don't you?!!
I'm definitely down for one later this year but have had no luck locating 980m with clears in Taiwan on my last trip, I will be happy picking up a MX Blue if I give up searching lol!
Maybe they'll become available by the end of the year or I might even go for a 980C for something a little different, mannnn I have some 200 something days to wait ughhhh :p
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How come no one talks about their 65%? Those are the best form factor. It's compact and comes with arrow keys AND two "display" switches to put your artisans.
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How come no one talks about their 65%? Those are the best form factor. It's compact and comes with arrow keys AND two "display" switches to put your artisans.
660 layout is babe
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Love my FC980M. It's far from stock now (custom PCBs on order) but it's been my "ol' reliable" for the past year or so.
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No worries we know that leopold is a great choice :)
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Isn't the spacebar still a big problem?
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Isn't the spacebar still a big problem?
I presume you are referring to the non standard stem spacing. All Leopold MX units have had standard spacebars since 2015.
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Isn't the spacebar still a big problem?
No it seems to be standard. The only issue I noted was that it's very loud bottoming out compared to the rest of the keys.
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Logitech make best flat Keeb..
Romer G all the way.. unparalleled engineering..
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Yes, I've heard of them.
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Does Leopold not include the windowed keycaps anymore for the lighted keys? I had an older FC900R with front printed legends, and it came with standard and windowed keycaps for caps, num, and scroll lock. I'm so glad that someone made white on black doubleshot PBT keycaps. I'm seriously considering buying one, not that I need more keyboards or anything... :rolleyes:
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I've considered Leopold a few times but the problem I've had is I don't know where the lights are.
I see some with the LEDs in the corner (this is what I prefer)...
(Attachment Link)
I see some with windows in the keycaps so you can see that the LEDs are under the keycaps...
(Attachment Link)
And I see some where I can't tell where the LEDs might be...
(Attachment Link)
So... I've never ordered a Leopold keyboard 'cause I don't know when I take it out of the box where the LEDs are going to be.
Most if not all of the PD series have an LED under the keycap, but no window. The CapsLock will have one as well as possibly NumbLock and PrntScrn, depending on the layout.
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Leopold PD (PBT double shot) units do not have windowed keycaps because that would imply a triple shot process. However the new PS (PBT dye-sublimated) units have them.
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leopold pd and ps series is very hard leopold type to get. i'm looking for silver grey front facing fc980m pd leopold but only available on leopold korean website
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Was in between a fc900r with blacks and a ducky one with clears, this pretty much made my mind up. Wish I could get one with clears without having to wait, but I'm still very excited. Thanks for the review!
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I’m about to buy a Topre version, but damn, now you make me want them all. Why is it so hard to order direct from them?
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I’m about to buy a Topre version, but damn, now you make me want them all. Why is it so hard to order direct from them?
Most keyboard companies don't sell direct to customers, you go through authorized resellers.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
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Ya Leopolds can't really be beat for pre-made ready to go MX boards, and the new keycaps are god tier quality. I've tried every maker there is over the years, and there's a reason I have over a dozen Leos now with two more on the way.
I'm kind of to the point where all that's left is to try custom boards with more exotic switches, because for Cherry or Topre there's nowhere left to go. The only thing that gets me to type on the other board brands I have now are custom keysets or oddball switches.
-Currently typing on Fc660m
[Not a paid endorsement]
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I just got the FC900R in White and Grey layout and i really love the keyboard. I started with silent reds and now using regular reds and it's hard for me to pick which i like better. I do agree that the logo on top is slightly tacky, i like the Ducky logo on the side. Overall I think this is one awesome keyboard. I like the "retro" look, gotten quite a few compliments. Still getting to the light key stroke of the reds :) Might have to get another one..or three
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I just got the FC900R in White and Grey layout and i really love the keyboard. I started with silent reds and now using regular reds and it's hard for me to pick which i like better. I do agree that the logo on top is slightly tacky, i like the Ducky logo on the side. Overall I think this is one awesome keyboard. I like the "retro" look, gotten quite a few compliments. Still getting to the light key stroke of the reds :) Might have to get another one..or three
Only the 900r has logo on the top, all the other sizes have it on the side at least.
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Just received my FC750R PD blue, fantastic board so I placed order for green keycaps and white case too :)
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Ya Leopolds can't really be beat for pre-made ready to go MX boards, and the new keycaps are god tier quality. I've tried every maker there is over the years, and there's a reason I have over a dozen Leos now with two more on the way.
I'm kind of to the point where all that's left is to try custom boards with more exotic switches, because for Cherry or Topre there's nowhere left to go. The only thing that gets me to type on the other board brands I have now are custom keysets or oddball switches.
-Currently typing on Fc660m
[Not a paid endorsement]
A question about the legends: I'm about to order the FC600C, the new all-black version, but it seems like the printing on the caps might be hard to see for me. I sort of have bad eyes and hate squinting or straining as I type: do you think I should just get the white and grey version instead? It's so difficult to tell from my monitor's colors, but since the Leopold isn't backlit and the Topre keycaps are near insane to get different versions, I thought I'd ask first. You seem to know a lot about Leopolds.
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I really like a lot of OEM keyboards, most likely because I prefer plastic cases. But it's hard for me to justify spending the money to buy a Leopold b/c I know I would have to replace the switches with something I prefer :(
Now, if they were to offer a DIY kit... that would be the bee's knees.
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Leopold's are the best value around. They're fantastic.
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I have three boards at work, but my Leopold FC980M is pretty much the only one I have been using as of late. It just feels fantastic, has a damn near perfect layout for work, and the caps are great, though I'll be replacing them with the EnjoyPBT 9009 when it comes in later this month. I may end up building an XD96 with box royals this year, and then I'll switch between that and my leopold, but I'll probably sell my other two work boards at that time, as they just don't see much use.
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Ya Leopolds can't really be beat for pre-made ready to go MX boards, and the new keycaps are god tier quality. I've tried every maker there is over the years, and there's a reason I have over a dozen Leos now with two more on the way.
I'm kind of to the point where all that's left is to try custom boards with more exotic switches, because for Cherry or Topre there's nowhere left to go. The only thing that gets me to type on the other board brands I have now are custom keysets or oddball switches.
-Currently typing on Fc660m
[Not a paid endorsement]
A question about the legends: I'm about to order the FC600C, the new all-black version, but it seems like the printing on the caps might be hard to see for me. I sort of have bad eyes and hate squinting or straining as I type: do you think I should just get the white and grey version instead? It's so difficult to tell from my monitor's colors, but since the Leopold isn't backlit and the Topre keycaps are near insane to get different versions, I thought I'd ask first. You seem to know a lot about Leopolds.
These are dye-sub caps. Very good, but black on black will give you very little contrast. I love the look and I can see, but unfortunately you will not be able to tell until you get it. If you like the dark theme you could get the gray keys with the black legends and you will be able to see better. Or you can do what I often do is buy both and return 1 of them. IIRC they do charge like a 10% restocking fee, plus return shipping, so this does cost money.
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I have the same issue with my topre 108 black, leopold's black on black legends is likely hard to read as well.
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Hi there! Stumbled upon this thread as I was trying to look for some input on their doubleshot PBTs.
Long-time Leopold user, I've got an old FC500R (with that infuriating spacebar) as well as the older FC750R. I got into that whole pretty GMK/SA ABS phase and I decided to try out my Leopold PBTs one day and I fell in love with them again! Love the sound and feel. I suddenly want all of the PBTs. I had a couple of questions:
- Does their doubleshot PBT feel/sound different from their dyesub variant? How do their legends look compared to dyesub?
- Do their keyboards utilize retooled MX blacks?
Thanks! I really want to get my hands on those caps, but if they're using retooled blacks, I'd like to try those out as well.
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I'm not really sure because the one I have is Topre, and you're talking about Cherry-MX. But, to be fair, you're in far better standing: getting keycaps for yours is WAY easier.
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I'm not really sure because the one I have is Topre, and you're talking about Cherry-MX. But, to be fair, you're in far better standing: getting keycaps for yours is WAY easier.
Are the Topre caps dyesub?
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Yep. I think they all are now. The FC600C's definitely are though.
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Yep. I think they all are now. The FC600C's definitely are though.
Ahh I see. Thanks, hopefully someone with an MX PD variant of the keyboards can provide some more insight.
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The first generation of Mini C Leopolds had laser etched keycaps. The subsequent generations moved to dye-sublimation.
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I've always been a Leopold fanboy
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You know what’s greater than a Leopold? A Korean custom 65% with Shadovv’s PBT dyesub... that’s the best of all worlds :)
Sent from iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Interesting...I'm gonna look into these as well...
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Love my fc750r with clears, such a nice board!
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FC980C :p :p
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In the FC980C there's no ctrl/capslock reversed keycap but both of my 750R has them :(
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Super interested on FC980C as well... but my wallet is not agreeing with me :(
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i owned a Leopold FC900R, not so good :-X
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I'm still hoping to get my hands on a FC660C some day... ^-^
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Trying to find a 980m myself!
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It's so hard to decide because they just have so many good ones, but Leopold FC750R PD might be the one to go!!
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(https://i.imgur.com/xuwSXhE.png)
I use this FC 900R in Navy with browns. I absolutely love it. Definitely agree that it's an amazing out of the box keyboard.
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I'm still hoping to get my hands on a FC660C some day... ^-^
You won't regret it once you get one, that's for sure. I've been using mine at work everyday for the past several months and it's been amazing. The form factor is perfect, the steel plate is nice and sturdy, and the simple keycap design doesn't stand out at all at the office.
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My 660C is my work driver. They really are fantastic boards. Amazing build quality.
Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk
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How does the new fc660c compare to the old one? I've got a 2017 660c that i'm in love with already.
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Too new to make an assessment it seems. Some people are happy, others are reporting issues...
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Thats what i've heard. Supposedly the new keycaps are worse than the old ones
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How does the new fc660c compare to the old one? I've got a 2017 660c that i'm in love with already.
Are the new versions available in the West? What retailer has them?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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How does the new fc660c compare to the old one? I've got a 2017 660c that i'm in love with already.
I just bought one in May, from Widebasket on eBay, with the black on black legends. I'm not sure how they compare to the old ones, but I bought some KBDfans alphas and the thock is virtually the same.
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How does the new fc660c compare to the old one? I've got a 2017 660c that i'm in love with already.
I just bought one in May, from Widebasket on eBay, with the black on black legends. I'm not sure how they compare to the old ones, but I bought some KBDfans alphas and the thock is virtually the same.
:p
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I realize that this is an older topic, but I got a Leopold FC750 pd with Cherry silent reds. I noticed that it had more dampening felt under the spacebar and above the nav cluster. I also noticed that the stabs were already clipped. I am not sure if this is new from Leopold. I freaking love this thing. I just finished desoldering it and will be adding Durock T1s tonight.
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If the Leopold Star tactile switches are actually good, and they are actually fitted into Leopold keyboards that you can buy, then we really will have to buy Leopolds right now!
And no desoldering needed!