Put a gun to my head and force me to pick one and I'll pick the Leopold. I think part of it is the fact that for the MX brown variant, they come out to be around the same price and I can say with confidence I'd feel much more comfortable spending $120-130ish (with shipping) on the Leopold than I would on a Noppoo. Now if the Noppoo was cheaper to get, like it's supposed to be, as it is in it's native China/Hong Kong, then the Noppoo is a good deal worth looking. But looks like there's more of an "internet mark up" with those boards so price comes out similar to a Leopold from EK.
It is tough though. Like I've mention around the forum, I personally love my Noppoo board, especially the way the keycaps feel. But for around the same price, I rather get higher overall build quality over inventive key placement and better feeling keys, especially since you could end up replacing the keycaps eventually if you want later on.
The reason I got mine is because I wanted an MX black board and they were running much cheaper than the browns, around $89. That's not me saying get an MX black Noppoo though. It's clear you want browns and I would recommend you get browns if this is gonna be your first board. MX blacks are an acquired taste.
What I'd suggest is if you really want the Noppoo, and I don't blame you if you do, get a Leopold/Filco like I recommend first as your main board. Then maybe half a year from now, or a year from now, just save up a little money each month and get another MX switch like Blue or Black and make it a Noppoo. If you're like most of us on this forum, chances are you'll get your first board, love it, but get a hunger for another type of board. I mean look at my sig! To think I only started with one not that long ago! :smile: