I just got the switch today. To me it feels like a rubber dome, but with more subtlety and finesse.
With the ordinary rubber dome keyboards I have, the keys resist movement until I press hard enough, and then they transition all at once to fully down. Essentially, the tactile bump encompasses the entire travel of the keys.
The Topre feels as if it's using much thinner rubber. The tactile bump is near the top, but it's a small part of the key travel. There is a noticeable amount of key travel with light resistance above and below it, and the transition in and out of the bump is very smooth. Bottoming out feels like hitting a thin, firm rubber layer, maybe like the soft-touch backing on some cell phones. It's not a sharp stop, but definitely not squishy. Plus, it's eerily quiet, even making the other rubber domes seem a little noisy.
It's definitely not as stiff or snappy as the Alps switches on my Omnikey.
I was planning to get a board with Cherry browns first, use it for a while, see how I like it, and then think about maybe paying the premium price for a Topre switch board. After trying this switch, I can see the appeal, but it doesn't make me want to rush out and buy a Realforce or HHKB. If anything, it reaffirms my plans. I get the feeling that there's another switch out there that I would like better.
The black on charcoal colors look pretty slick, although with the dim lighting I like to keep in my office it may as well be blank.
Many thanks to SirClickAlot for this sink-list. I'll try to get some pics and send the switch along in the next few days.
