Hype --> Disappointment --> True Love.
Just under a month with my HHKB and gone from excited, to feeling ripped off, and now really appreciating the beauty of the design behind this little kb.
I just installed Hasu's controller and lubed up the sliders - lubing really makes they key presses feel more refined and 'thockier'.
So the disappointment was stock?
No, stock is actually pretty great - it just takes a while to really appreciate.
The HHKB looks so amazing in photos and is loved by so many that when you first get it, there's a lot of things at face value that disappoint:
- It's light as a feather if you've coming from a board with a metal plate
- The case is creaky and feels like a toy
- The USB hub and port placement seem like an afterthought
- Lack of rubber feet in the back gives it a tendency to slide around
- Topre just feels like rubber dome
But after using it for about a month, the experience really grows on you and you start to discover the really small details that make this board a pleasure to use. I use the hhkb a lot with my laptop and as a result, I move it around a lot. Instead of feeling light and cheap, the weight is now a benefit. Topre switches like many have said, just take some time to get used too, but after, you'll wonder why you bothered typing on anything else. The PBT keycaps that come stock with the hhkb are also top notch in quality and feel - combined with the topre domes just makes it a pleasure to type with.
It's a really pretty amazing keyboard that really only shines after using it for a while. If it weren't for all the hype around it, I'm not sure how many people would buy an HHKB after just their first hands on impression.
tl;dr - fell in love with the hhkb, just have to get past the first date.