Well everyone convinced me that I should be giving the Topre Realforce keyboard a shot. I ordered the fullsize multi-force model and just got it in last night. After actually using it for all of five minutes, here are my initial thoughts.
First, my assumption that the keyboard looked physically underengineered was completely wrong. The design might be … uh, retro … but the quality is 110% there. This is a very, very, solidly built keyboard. It's physically quite heavy (I'd guess 7-8 pounds), with zero flex.
Key layout is slightly non-standard, but in a way that I like. Specifically, the left windows key has been reduced to a standard sized keycap. It might even be a little less than standard size. It still has that stupid polished dome feature, though. The right Windows key is gone, and the menu key has also been reduced to standard size. To take up the relinquished space, it appears that the four Ctrl and Alt keys have has some of their pre-Windows-keys size restored, but, mostly, the spacebar is wider. There are no gaps on the bottom row, though, like in the pre-Windows-keys days. I don't see any other deviations from standard keyboard layout.
The scoop of the keys seems traditional and definitely isn't flat. Given that that was really my primary concern in ditching my old keyboard, I'm pleased with that, though I do seem to be having a little trouble relearning where my fingers go after months of keyboard torture.
I like the black-on-dark-gray aesthetic. Gives that blank keycap feel while still allowing for hunting-and-pecking, for when my fingers forget where the keys are. The inscriptions on the two groups of keys to the left seem to be made in that oddly distinct typeface and spacing traditional to a lot of East Asian printing of Western script, where letter width and line spacing are inconsistent. The LED surround isn't quite as out of place as it seems in photos, but it's still definitely out of place. (Could they not afford to make a separate run in gray?)
The LEDs are blue, and quite bright if you look directly at them, but from a normal angle, they're perfectly fine. (I'm actually basing this solely on the NumLock LED, as I have disabled CapsLock and remapped ScrollLock to something else.)
Onto the important part: the key feel. I have to say that I'm disappointed. The feel is better than a membrane keyboard, but only just, to me. In fact, it basically feels exactly like a membrane keyboard except with a more distinct feel between the keys, like each individual key is on its own set of rails. Given that that's basically what the Topre keyswitches are, I suppose that's not terribly surprising.
What I really wanted with a keyswitch was a distinct tactile feel, and that's almost totally missing from the Topre. It might be better than the average membrane keyboard, but I might also be being generous. To be specific, it's not a linear feel; it definitely gives way, but the force differential is minimal. What I want is an indication that I can stop pressing the key so that I don't need to bottom out, and I'm just not getting that feedback.
If this were a keyboard that I'd gotten from the computer vendor, I'd be quite pleased. As a keyboard that I paid over $200 for, I'm very much not. I suspect this keyboard will be going on sale quite soon. I'm going to go ahead and buy something else ASAP. It will obviously take a while to show up, so my opinion may change by the time I get a replacement, but I doubt it.
