Well, even though I missed the entry deadline, there is no time limit on my love of Topre, so I guess I will tell you all why I love Topre anyway.
There are so many reasons. But I will limit myself to just two.
First, the Technical Reason:
Topre’s electrostatic capacitance switching is superior technology to mechanical switching. An electrostatic capacitive switch does not use a physical metal part to make the electrical connection, instead the electrical connection is made by capacitance. Topre capacitive switches do not physically complete an electric circuit like most other keyboard technologies. Instead, electric current constantly flows through all parts of the key matrix. Each key is spring-loaded and has a tiny plate attached to the bottom of it. When you press a key, you do the work of moving the tiny top plate closer to the larger plate below it. As the gap between the two plates decreases, the capacitance increases, and the amount of current flowing through the matrix changes. The micro-processor in the keyboard detects the change in voltage and interprets it as a key press for that location.
Because there is no physical contact, capacitive switch keyboards have a longer life than any other mechanical keyboard. Also, capacitive switch keyboards do not have problems with signal bounce since the two surfaces never come into physical contact. Signal bounce is a real problem if you want an electronic circuit with fast response time. Contact bounce can produce very noticeable and undesired effects.
Second, the Spiritual Reason:
Well, once I was lost, but now am I am found. I was once rattled by the disturbing sound of a thousand lost keystrokes, first clicky, then gritty, then smooth but bottoming out unpleasantly. Finally, I found Topre. Now I am happy. Now I know what Epicurus meant when he shouted “ataraxia”* in his bathtub. (or was that Pythogoras who said “eureka”?) Well, w/e, I found atarxia, inner tranqulity and oneness with cup rubber. Topre is about spiritual awakening. About self discovery, raised consciousness, and ultimately, it’s about enlightenment.
* The aim of life is not the positive pursuit of pleasure but rather the absence of pain, a neutral state Epicurus called “ataraxia,” which is freedom from all worry, often translated simply as “inner tranquility.” The happiness of ataraxia is not a private affair: Epicurus taught that it can be more readily achieved in a society where like-minded individuals band together to help inspire one another’s pursuit of happiness and oneness of cup rubber.
