Note to all: I tried to post this in the Reviews Forum, but got a message saying that forum was not currently accepting new articles. Perhaps this post can be moved there once it's accepting articles. :smile:I've been typing on this keyboard for a couple of days now, so decided it's time to make a few comments about it.
First off, after removing the board from its packaging, I was surprised by the sturdiness and overall weight of the keyboard. The model 87UKB55 is a limited English/Korean version of the Topre Realforce 87U, and it has both, English and Korean characters on the keys. In addition, all the keys on this board require 55g of force, whereas the fully English version of this board has multi-weighted keying consisting of 35g, 45g, and 55g, as I understand it.
The key switches on this keyboard definitely feel a bit stiffer than the "all 45g" switches used on the HHKB Pro 2. In fact, I caught myself at first wondering if I had erred by getting the all 55g board, but after just a few hours of typing, it started to feel quite good, actually. Of course, the first time that I type again on the HHKB Pro 2, all the keys will probably be bottoming out with each and every key stroke.
In my opinion, the overall key layout of this board is not as good as that of the HHKB Pro 2 because on the HHKB, all keys are within finger range of the home row. On the 87U, your hands have to move around and away from the home row to some extent. Certainly some users will always prefer having dedicated navigation keys, and that's something the HHKB Pro 2 does not offer.
Individual key presses on the 87U have a bit of a dry feel to them, somewhat like black ALPS switches do. The keys are not sticking at all, but they feel like they could use a very light coat of oil on them, or at least that's the way they feel to me. Any key pressed travels hardly any distance at all before the character is committed to the screen, and there is a definite relief of pressure at that point that can't be missed, but there is no audible click. The only noises produced are from the key bottoming out, and/or returning to the top of its travel. Typing on this board is quieter than it is on the HHKB Pro 2, and the sound of any key bottoming out is not as well pronounced. I was happy to hear that the 87U spacebar is much quieter than it is on the HHKB Pro, as well.
Instead of having a row of LEDs (or lock lights) like most keyboards, the LEDs are embedded directly into the associated keycaps. It certainly looks cool, but I'm not sure just yet if I like this feature, or not. The LEDs themselves are a bright blue in color, but they are not as bright as the LEDs found on the Filco Majestouch keyboards.
The 87U has a very nice black matted texture on the top and bottom halves of the casing, and it doesn't appear that it would scratch easily, or show finger prints. The keycaps have a much finer matted finish that is more of a charcoal color and they don't seem to smudge or show fingers prints, either. The English and Korean lettering on the keys is barely visible to the naked eye, and it certainly shows up much better in photographs. It's almost like using a keyboard with all blank keys.
I'm not a fan of Windows keys at all, so don't care much for the glossy bubbly look of those Windows keys that come on this keyboard. They can be disabled through the use of DIP switches on the bottom of the board, but the ugly logos remain.
The USB cable is about 63" long and looks to be heavier duty than the USB cables on most modern keyboards. It can be positioned from the bottom of the keyboard to exit either end of the board, or from the center. Unfortunately, the USB cable is not detachable. Those of you that like built-in USB ports might be saddened to find that this board has none. It was no bother to me as never use them.
The four DIP switches on the bottom of the board can be used for setting Left Control/Caps Lock, Windows Key/Context Key, Numeric Keypad, and Firmware update mode. These switches are all in the off position by default.
Accessories that came with the keyboard include three keylocks, a keycap puller, one extra Escape keycap (red), one extra Capslock keycap, and one extra Control keycap (for switching their positions on the board if desired). The keyboard also came with a short instruction manual/guide, but it is written entirely in Korean. No special drivers were needed for me to use the board under Linux.
There is a very narrow gap that I've noticed between the top and bottom halves of the keyboard casing. When both halves on either end of the casing are squeezed with the fingers it makes that gap close up just a bit. I'm not sure if this is the intended behavior, or if it's a design flaw, but it is very rare that I sit around squeezing the ends of my keyboards.
Topre apparently uses the same outer and inner boxes for all their 87U keyboards, because although my board has all 55g keys, both boxes say that it has 30, 45g, and 55g keys?
For anyone interested in the size and weight of the board, it is approximately 14" wide x 6.5" deep x 1.25" tall (at back of board without feet extended), and it weighs in at 41 ounces according to my digital scales. The board was manufactured in Japan and was shipped out of Korea.
I'll need more time to determine what I really think of this keyboard, but given a couple of weeks, I feel pretty certain that I could fully settle in with it.
Is it really worth what it costs?
I suppose each person will need to determine that for him/herself.
Is it better overall than the HHKB Pro 2?
Again, a matter of personal preference and opinion. I've not managed to form my own opinion on this yet.
