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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: phinix on Thu, 23 April 2026, 16:34:13
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What do you think, which topre keyboard is the best?
Typing, visual estetics, everything. But most important typing feel.
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After being in the rabbit hole for sometime, I came to a realisation that the best simply does not exist :D
My current fav is FC660C which I have just modded it with aftermarket mx sliders and housings.
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I have to say I don't notice much difference in typing feel between regular HHKB, HHKB Type-S, Realforce 105U, and Type Heaven. I think the HHKB is the best looking, though -- the others have a plain "office keyboard" feel, while a tiny wireless board looks cute. I think the white colour HHKB looks better than the black.
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I have never had a good stock topre experience. My personal favorite was always:
hhkb bt, lubed purple silent sliders, 55g RF Domes, I would put little pads under the spacebar to stop the horrible click sound.
I still have this board, but I switched to a normal layout for the sake of work travel and not having to carry it.
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The only Topre-Switch board I have ever used was the HHKB Pro 2.
The reason I got it was the form factor and the esthetics...
Back then there was no other 60% available.
As soon as MX based 60% boards became a thing (KBC Poker) the HHKB went into storage.
The type-feeling was okay'ish at best. Rubberdome Plop tactility + A somewhat sqeeky case.
It looked sexy, and it improved ergonomics because it was small, but that is all it did for me.
Still got that meme-wallpaper I made in 2013...
[attach=1]
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HHKB Hybrid the latest generation. The case is firm and not flimsy, and it feels nice with the soft bottom out. The sound is very nice, and the aesthetics are very nice. OEM wins 9/10 times with carrot or cheese domes its way better. It's probably one of the best-feeling keyboards. I moved away from your traditional keyboards to staggered ortho keyboards since they feel way more comfortable. If I didn't move away, then I would have stayed with the HHKB hybrid.
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The stock Topre experience on a Realforce RGB is decent, but you'll probably want to do upgrades. The advantage is MX keycap compatibility, so lots of options there. For the money you'll put into though, it's doubtful it's worth it for some. Personally, I love my modified Topre. I don't plan on using any MX style switches again (except maybe something more exotic like Clickiez).
I put BKE ultra-light domes in mine. It gives the Topre and fantastic tactile feel with a crisp, light snap. You will lose the more gradual actuation that's possible with the stock domes though. For me, it wasn't an issue but if you're a touch typist you may want to stay closer to stock style domes.
I use my Topre at work and a Model F at home. Both are 104 layouts which I need. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any 104 RGB layouts anymore from Realforce.