I find the tolerances on the R2 to be much tighter and, although plastic, the case is much more solid and less hollow than the creaky 86/87/88/89/91U cases. APC is also a good feature. Overall I'm very impressed with the R2. It may not have that vintage charm of an 11-year old design but there are clear and undisputable improvements to overall build quality. Aesthetically I prefer the rounder edges of the older design but I do like the new LED placement. Ironically the feature I used to hate, the huge forehead on the Realforce, is now so endearing to me that I prefer it. I've come full-circle. I don't think that newcomers to the hobby will appreciate that vintage forehead as much as us old timers. It was only there due to laziness or limitations of PCB design at the time when the 86U was originally conceived.. but now it is an almost timeless callback to classic big-forehead designs like OG Cherry and Model M. Newcomers will also appreciate that Topre has finally capitulated to implementing the Standard ANSI layout on the R2.
The Norbaforce most impresses because it looks both old and new at the same time. It is the juxtaposition of a classic but represents forward movement. It addresses what is weak about the classic Realforce, and the combination elevates the industrial design into art, somehow almost mid-century modern. The killer feature that Norbauer introduces here is the seamless front on his cases. It turns a keyboard into more of an industrial object, seamless in appearance. It was my biggest complaint about the digilog besides the ass-ugly feet which Norbauer also addressed.
The XRF series is going to be another contemporary expression of the timeless Realforce design with only an 18mm front which many will find more comfortable to type on, with some really innovative features coming for enthusiasts that are blowing my mind, including the promise of interchangeable parts which will help all Topre enthusiasts regardless of which keyboard you prefer. I'm also very excited to see how the TGR-Zooey turns out. Clappingcactus did some great work researching brass backplates for the Norbaforce and I'm excited to hear that Norbauer will be offering them, hopefully with a mirror polish and protective PVD coating for that HHKB HG throwback.
I suspect the Realforce RGB TKL when it is released will exceed the new Novatouch in design (the price and competition in the RGB market will likely never make it as popular) and Norbauer has position himself very well to capture the market that will demand metal cases for it, which I suspect will also be interchangeable with the R2 since the cases will be exactly the same specifications. Tolerances are tight, the RGB (non-TKL) has proven to have some of the smoothest MX stabilizer sliders available anywhere, and the combination of APC, per-key RGB, and genuine Topre switches mean that you have a zero-compromises board that you can still tweak to your hearts desire. In my mind the Norbaforce WKL demands the Tsangan layout of the 86U (at least in the US). The last problem we have to solve is how to get a stepped caps working to complete that vintage look, and Bro Caps has come through with center-stem Topre artisans that will fill that niche, although they are unfortunately unprinted due to their material and the colors don't match any of the Topre manufactured keycaps (although arguably the resin material is even nicer to touch than PBT). Also exciting is kbdfans announcing the very first aftermarket Topre keyset inspired by the 9009 colorway, although I don't think they understand that they need to support 6.25u spacebars for the R2 and 7u spacebars for the WKL 86u layouts - they only seem to be targeting the 87u/HHKB Market and missing some important enthusiast molds (a center-stem caps would seal the deal).
My hope is that Norbauer keeps his promise to not run the Norbaforce cases again because I want to see him move forward and continue to innovate rather than spend his time echoing back to his past work as a designer. I have no qualms, though, that he will still be wildly successful when he decides to do a run for the R2/RGB TKL (when announced), which I just see as inevitable given his position in the market. The XRF is also going to be a major contender if it comes out as well as I think it will, so for those folks who are sad that they missed out on a Norbaforce, keep your eyes open and set the XRF thread to watch/notify.
