geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: primordial on Wed, 05 January 2022, 13:47:34
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I want to get a keyboard with Topre switches. But I am in the EU.
I do not want to pay the RealForce or HHKB price but I wouldn't mind something like a Leopold FC980/660C. Something in around the price range of 170£. It doesn't have to be the exact price but it is my base price point.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. This will be my first good keyboard, until now I've just been using the base corsair K55 ;D
Thank you for your time.
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Try eBay, Reddit Mechmarket, or the classifieds here. The only keyboards with real Topre switches are the ones you listed, and you're always going to pay a premium for those. You might also look at the Niz/Plum "Nopre" keyboards, too. They're cheaper than real Topres, but not by a huge amount. The one advantage to them is that they're all silenced and compatible with MX keycaps. To get that on a Topre, you'd need to buy a Realforce RGB and a set of silencing rings, which puts you close to $300.
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I have a Royal Kludge, electrocapacitive rather than branded Topre. As well as a Realforce. It feels almost nothing like Topre (it's smooth, though). From reading descriptions on here, the Niz is even less similar (they bump up the dome weighting simply by adding a 10g spring, which would detract from what Topre feels like.
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I've owned quite a few Topre keyboards, pretty much all bought used from eBay, but I'm seriously considering one of the 45g Niz X108 keyboards. The few reviews I've found online all seem to be good, even if they're not quite as good as a Topre. I still kick myself for getting rid of a factory silenced Topre 104UWS that I had a few years back. That was the best one I've owned, with the exception of a Realforce Mac model I have now. The Mac one needs to be disassembled so I can lube its stabilizers, though. The space bar is fairly noisy.
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Thanks for the replies, I'm going to wait a bit longer when I have more money or just get a real topre used.
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If you wait long enough, you're bound to be able to pick one up for $200 or less. There are plenty of people on eBay who think those keyboards are worth absolutely obscene amounts of money, but when one comes up for auction, they rarely go for more than $200.
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Thanks for the replies, I'm going to wait a bit longer when I have more money or just get a real topre used.
Yeah, I think that's the right decision. Otherwise if you settle for something halfway, you'll always be wondering "what if"
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If you search Harum.io I know they sell Topre, including Leopold FC660C.
They do ship abroad, however you would almost certainly have to pay import duties.
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I would echo the sentiment above to check for options on mechmarket. I have seen some posts there for hhkb pro classic or pro 2 revolving around $150 max.
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https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=4097
this website has a list of different switch types and them and some of them are even in stock, although the fc660c is only on pre-order rn
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I'm planning to buy HHKB, will be pulling one out on Amazon, check it there.