Plum vs Realforce

[phinix]

I was wondering how the Plum EC keyboards feel like compared to Realforce.
Any Plum and Realfroce users here?
Anyone tried both and can share his thoughts on Plum? Are they basically same/similar or way different/worse?

[zslane]

My Plums feel like lower-quality imitations of a RealForce. They are still decent enough, and given that Topre doesn't make a 60% board I can use with my iPad, the Plum Nano 75 has been a perfectly usable substitute. Still, there's simply no comparison with genuine Topre, IMO. The overall build quality is lower; the switches don't sit at the same level, producing an effect where they keycaps aren't all quite level with each other. The domes sheet is weaker and not as tactile in my experience, and the bottom out thock not as satisfying, but is still better than your typical MX switch bottom out clack noise.

[phinix]

My Plums feel like lower-quality imitations of a RealForce. They are still decent enough, and given that Topre doesn't make a 60% board I can use with my iPad, the Plum Nano 75 has been a perfectly usable substitute. Still, there's simply no comparison with genuine Topre, IMO. The overall build quality is lower; the switches don't sit at the same level, producing an effect where they keycaps aren't all quite level with each other. The domes sheet is weaker and not as tactile in my experience, and the bottom out thock not as satisfying, but is still better than your typical MX switch bottom out clack noise.

Thanks zslane. I'm wondering if those Plum sliders would work with Realforce. They look good, but don't know how would they feel like inside Realforce housing. Could be good substitute for expensive Novatouch sliders or cheaper kbdfans sliders.

[Polymer]

Plum is a reasonably good replacement but doesn't feel the same.

I think part of that is the domes..part of that is the build...I do think it is fairly well made and pretty solid overall.. I don't think the keys are as stable but I think that has more to do with the MX adapter portion than the sliders...

Overall, not a bad way to go if you want a keyboard you don't want to worry about...but if you're trying to decide between the two..no contest..

[audiosl4ve]

I never used any Topre board but i can tell that i really like my Plum 87. It's really different than any mx styled switches and i really love sound of thocky switches. Switches are really really light at 35g but i really love them.

[Rob27shred]

My Plums feel like lower-quality imitations of a RealForce. They are still decent enough, and given that Topre doesn't make a 60% board I can use with my iPad, the Plum Nano 75 has been a perfectly usable substitute. Still, there's simply no comparison with genuine Topre, IMO. The overall build quality is lower; the switches don't sit at the same level, producing an effect where they keycaps aren't all quite level with each other. The domes sheet is weaker and not as tactile in my experience, and the bottom out thock not as satisfying, but is still better than your typical MX switch bottom out clack noise.

Thanks zslane. I'm wondering if those Plum sliders would work with Realforce. They look good, but don't know how would they feel like inside Realforce housing. Could be good substitute for expensive Novatouch sliders or cheaper kbdfans sliders.

Here is a good thread where Nebulant got some of the Niz sliders & used them to convert a Topre numpad to accept MX caps. He covers all the pros & cons of it pretty well. https://www.keebtalk.com/t/niz-mx-compatable-topre-sliders/5752

[opensecret]

I agree with both zslane and Polymer that the Plum is a good board, but not as solid or satisfying as a Realforce.  I'd also agree with audios14ve that the Plum 87 has a very light touch.  But, if you track down the software download, the keyboard remapping feature on the Plum is a nice bonus. 

[phinix]

Cool. It sounds like Plum sliders are no good for Realforce mod then. Sounds like they are too wobbly in Realforce housing as diameter is a bit smaller than RF slider's.

[tex_live_utility]

In addition to the comments above, Niz (formerly called Plum) comes in a wider variety of dome weights (35g, 45g, 55g, 65g) and the tactility is generally lower than Topre for the same dome weight.

[Riverman]

I've been curious what the Niz/Plum 35g keyboards feel like, but if they have less tactility than a 35g Topre switch, I don't think I'd like them one bit.  That was my big complaint about the two variable weight Realforce keyboards I've had.  The outer keys felt very mushy.  I much prefer the uniform 45g Type Heaven I currently have.

[zslane]

I've found that it takes a 55g NIZ dome to approximate the feel of a 45g Topre sheet, and even then I prefer the Topre.

[networkdrift]

Just checking in to say what others have said. The Plum is less tactile than the Realforce.If you're after tactility the Plum not be for you.

[mkkeyboardvigilante]

Compared to many other keyboards I've used, Niz Plum has been better for sure, but compared to my Realforce and HHKB boards, I think the build quality could use a bit of work. On the first Plum board I had, the spacebar broke, so I had to return it to Amazon in exchange for another one. The feel on the second one felt really scratchy, so I had to go ahead and lube it, and that helped. It also came with these annoying costar stabilizers on some of the keys where as I don't have to worry about any of that so much with the other electrocapacitive boards I use already all the time.

Also, Plum doesn't have those special angled keycaps that Topre has, but other than that, they are enjoyable to use in their own right, but I much prefer the quality and experience of typing on a Realforce for sure on both variable weight and 55g domes depending on what I feel like typing on for that day.

I tried modding my Niz Plum with BKE Redux Ultra Light domes, but that didn't work out for me, and there were whole areas that would not register a keystroke, so I had to reinstall the old stock dome sheet it had. I would definitely give selling it another go if I could so I can save up for a Leopold with numpad to try out next. I keep hearing those have some of the best stock Topre typing experience you can find out there.