RF87U - Black/White Keycaps are Different

[Altis]

I've finally acquired a Realforce 87U in 45g uniform. I found the 87U in 55g is a little too heavy for extended periods.

I thought it would be simple. I got my 55g in white/light grey since it looks great. I got the 45g in black keycaps with black font on black case because that's all they offered. I didn't particularly like the look so I planned on switching cases/keycaps, selling the 55g, and calling it a day.

However, nothing is that simple around here. Turns out that the black keycaps actually look very nice in person. Here's where it gets tricky though... They sound and feel different from the white/light grey keycaps.

On both keyboards, the black keys sound a little higher pitch on the upstroke. It's almost like they sound like a "click" versus the white keys "clack" on upstroke. I pulled the keycaps to have a look underneath and found that the thicknesses aren't exactly the same on all sides or on the cross-joints under the top of the cap.

In addition to that, the black keycaps feel more rough on top, which I actually like. They have a little bit of a gritty feeling that is really nice. I thought maybe it was just because my white keys had been worn in, but it's true of the rarely used keys (and I didn't use my 55g board much anyhow).

Then there's the next problem... I switched the keycaps between the boards, as I really wanted the light keycaps with the black case and red escape key. It looks absolutely divine... but as it turns out, the off-white case with the black keycaps with black legends looks fantastic, as well. I was expecting a stormtrooper look but the case is too far from white to look that way. This keyboard looks great in all four colour combinations you can make from the keycaps and cases.

Now I don't even know what to do. I know for sure that the 45g is perfect for me, but I can't decide on which keycaps or even which case to use now. I really wasn't expecting the caps to feel different, and naturally it's the black caps that sound and feel nicer to me while the light caps look nicer, IMO.

Anyways, I thought it was interesting that there was a difference. Here are some potato-quality photos to give you an idea of how they look now. Mind the mess... in between homes.

[xrayos]

Trade you black for white/gray keycaps? I have a black 55g and always wanted the white so that I can see them better. I hear what you're saying, as I'm typing this. The texture on the black keycaps is particularly nice.

[Bucake]

crap.
i wanted to get the white-grey 55g one (i prefer the white-grey look over the black look), but if you say the black caps feel different/nicer..
the red LEDs do go awesomely with the black scheme, though
but yeah.. now i'm having trouble choosing

if only there was a legend-less white-grey 55g version, with caps that feel like those of the black model!

i have the variable silent one myself, but want to get a 55g one. (just not digging the variable thing too much.)

[Altis]

crap.
i wanted to get the white-grey 55g one (i prefer the white-grey look over the black look), but if you say the black caps feel different/nicer..
the red LEDs do go awesomely with the black scheme, though
but yeah.. now i'm having trouble choosing

if only there was a legend-less white-grey 55g version, with caps that feel like those of the black model!

i have the variable silent one myself, but want to get a 55g one. (just not digging the variable thing too much.)

I know what you mean. I didn't expect there to be a difference in the keycaps, and thought maybe it was the board. Having swapped the 45g/55g keycaps though I've found it's the caps that sound and feel different.

The difference isn't massive, but it's enough that I immediately and consistently noticed it. I think there are some thickness differences, namely two sides of the black caps are a little thinner and the cross-joints seem different under the top of the cap. The material is likely a bit different as well due to the colours. The edges of the tops of the keycaps feel softer on the black keycaps as well, whereas the light caps feel like the side edges of the caps are sharper.

Bear in mind this is entirely subjective and you might prefer the feel and sound of the light keycaps.

I like the 55g board that I have for when I'm not doing serious typing but just miscellaneous inputs (typing in logins, small forum posts, keyboard shortcuts, etc), but for any kind of longer typing session I far prefer the 45g due to my wrist/hand comfort. I can completely see why so many prefer the 55g, though.

Trade you black for white/gray keycaps? I have a black 55g and always wanted the white so that I can see them better. I hear what you're saying, as I'm typing this. The texture on the black keycaps is particularly nice.

I do have a set of each already. I had planned on keeping the white/grey keycaps as I love the look (especially since the mods are light grey) and selling the board with 55g black keys and light grey case, but now I'm not sure what to do. I just wish they sounded and felt like the black keycaps, and to make it more difficult, the black keys/light case looks really nice too.

[Hypersphere]

EK told me that the keycaps for the EK edition all-45g keyboard were refined somewhat over those on the other RF models, at least with respect to the legends (a bit odd, considering that the legends are nearly invisible on the black models). However, I didn't know that the differences extended to the texture of the keycaps. Interesting.

[CaplockJack]

Have you asked EK about this?

[Altis]

Have you asked EK about this?

Nope. Not sure what I'd ask. The caps are different. It isn't a night-and-day difference, but using them back to back it's noticeable (at least to keyboard nutcases such as myself)!

[Bucake]

EK told me that the keycaps for the EK edition all-45g keyboard were refined somewhat over those on the other RF models, at least with respect to the legends (a bit odd, considering that the legends are nearly invisible on the black models). However, I didn't know that the differences extended to the texture of the keycaps. Interesting.

didn't even know about the legends..
I've taken a look, and they do look way better than the weird, inconsistent legends of the original boards.

maybe if the EK version came with 55g domes, i would've been able to make up my mind..
because the one 55g key (Esc) of my board feels better than all other keys. Topre-45g just feel too light to me (even though i'm used to cherry reds).
on the other hand, i can imagine why people feel that 55g uniform is fatiguing..
i would probably want something around 52g-53g for that perfect feel, though
right now I'm having a hard time choosing which realforce board i want. each has pros and cons relative to the other choices.

but man, i wish there was more stuff available to mod/customize topre boards..
where do people even get blank (legend-less) topre sets for a realforce 87U..? importing from japan?