I think the HHKB is a great layout for general purpose use, not just programming
I'll second this. I don't think the switches alone are worth the purchase in and of themselves. The HHKB layout kicks ass on it's own and makes the expenditure a little more worthwhile.
Ditto the key layout of the HHKB. I miss it when I am typing on a 'normal' keyboard.
I love how the Cntrl key is mapped along with escape and backspace. I am not a real programmer and don't understand why the HHKB is flagged as such. I think it is the ideal layout for general computer use.
If you need a gaming keyboard with discrete arrow keys or whatever, then get a gaming keyboard. No foul there. But for day to day typing the HHKB rules for me with its awesome layout.
Topre is definitely more tactile than the Browns.
I assume Topres have tactile bumps like rubber-dome keyboards? (You keep applying force and the key doesn't register until you apply enough that it collapses)
They actuate near the top of the travel, so in some senses they are like the opposite of a regular rubber dome keyboard.
No mushiness either.
They are certainly not a typical rubber dome, but they don't have the feel of a mechanical switch either; they're somewhere in the middle.
I have decided. The full size it is.
I figured since it'll hopefully be my main board for a while, I'd like to have a numpad.
...they come in white, guys! AWESOME.
My HHKB is my favorite keyboard, and I think the Topre switches in it are great, but I wouldn't spend that sort of money on a Topre keyboard with a regular layout... They're not that great.
That said, if I needed a full size and quiet keyboard for work...
I don't know, it still takes a lot to spend 250 dollars on a keyboard.. to me at least....
I find it funny that anyone would get excited about $15 off an older design RealForce.
I find it funny that anyone would get excited about $15 off an older design RealForce.
thats what i mean. i don't know why someone would nickle and dime when they are buying the best.
may i suggest you all get a aeron chair to go with that topre!
thats what i mean. i don't know why someone would nickle and dime when they are buying the best.
i am kind of biased liking blues cherries but i feel the mx boards are a bargain then. of course most folks probably think even $130 is absurd.
My Realforce 103U-UW just arrived and I'm typing on it right now. I think I'm in love. It's still a little awkward for me and I'm making a lot of typos, but I really like the feel. I'm also liking that it's not as loud as my Filco Cherry Brown though I do like the sound of the clacking sometimes. As patrickgeekhack mentioned, it actually sounds kinda musical.
I'll have to post a formal review of my impressions in a week or so after I get used to it, but my initial feelings are all positive. The feel of the keycaps is nice too. All the other positives are nice, but the most meaningful test will be how my hands feel after an extended day of coding and email.
The force is supposed to be about the same. If they're not then I may not like it as much later on. It doesn't feel heavier to me. The thing I notice the most is the shorter throw of the Topres.
Throw is the same. 4.0mm.
Well, "excited" isn't quite the right word. It was just a sweetener. I've been planning on getting it for a while, but would have been putting it off until a few more checks came in.
ItlnStln's review pushed me off the fence because it seems like he's got some similar preferences to switches that I do. I also needed a real keycap puller so that combined with the small discount was enough to move the purchase timeline up.
Money is money, man. Anyway, the thing is... I really don't know if it'll be "the best" for me until I try it. Until then, it's a possible $250 mistake.
Nuuuuuuuuuu-oooohh! Not an Aeron! I've owned one of those. It served me well, but uncomfortably for several years before I sold it. Anyone who is thinking of buying an Aeron should go someplace where they'll let you sit in it for two hours... then decide if you still like it. It's a very nice chair, but it's better for some body types and postures than others and it really becomes evident after a few hours.
Shoulda got the variable weight one. It kills the HHKB in terms of feel. Pressing on my Esc key, I can see where the 55g. might be a little heavy. Topres, IMO, are better the lighter they are. I would love an all-30g. in an ANSI layout. The only complaint I might have about the RF is that the spacebar is a little heavy, but it's an easy fix. After using it for awhile, I don't even notice anymore.
Hmm, maybe I should give a variable weight a try one day, the only reason I didn't get it in the first place was that I was going to be using it as an everyday keyboard (which includes gaming). But I have yet to get where I don't bottom out all the time like I am with my blues and browns
The 55g key on my Realforce 87U also feels like it has the tactile point at the top of the stroke. I just think you are just experiencing a more dramatic "cliff".Show Image(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=10478&stc=1&d=1275356653)
Kind of a personal thing, really.
Really, the variable weighting thing is very subtle. They all feel like 45g. on my 'board. The only way I can tell is pressing keys very slowly of differing weights. I wouldn't wait for an all-XXg. 'board, the difference is just too subtle.
It's rather ironic that at the end of the day, one of the best (2nd best IMHO) mechanical keyboards on the market has a key feel similar to that of a rubber dome... Some people react to this in horror, but to me it underscores the need to look for "good" keyboards as opposed to mechanical vs non-mechanical...
Hey guys, I just got my Topre Realforce 87U All 55g.. and it sucks.
:(
As much as I liked the Topre switches on my HHKB, the 55g just suck. The activation force of 55g is too high and key travel is very short, as compared to the 45g?
Build quality is top-notch and the best I have seen on any keyboard, the feeling of the keycaps are heaven.. but the key travel just feels short and weird for me.
It's like my keys take alot more force to push down the keys.. and when I do push it down.. it buckles very quickly, therefore making the key travel feel much more shorter as compared to the HHKB's 45g Topres.
:( :( :(
You might want to give it a week on your desk before you sell it off. I also found the 55g switches to buckle quicker than I initially considered healthy, and the extra force they required tired my fingers out (coming from a cherry brown), but after a week my fingers had begun to adjust and I found the unique snappiness of the 55g quite a bit of fun.