Realforce Silent (purple sliders) vs HHKB Type S

[TieuNgu]

Anyone knows the difference between these 2 boards in terms of feels? I saw some people swapped the type S sliders with purple sliders, does that make a big difference?

Also, what does lube do to topre switches in general?

 

[gh_pp]

I don't have a HHKB Type S as I cannot afford to learn a new layout.

When I first got the RF type S I didn't like it as much as I expected, the lack of tactile feedback compared to my weighted RF.

However it grew on me and I'm happy with both (as well as all my mx brown TKL)

Unless it's cost prohibitive, I suggest get the board to see for yourself. These things are personal and you might grow to like/hate it over time.

Sell it if it doesn't work out. Consider you rent the board for a year for a fraction of the purchase price.
(I've bought and sold every kind of mx-switches before I settled on mx-brown, and now I have 4 of them)

[xondat]

Purple sliders are longer so you get the standard 4mm travel like you would with an unsilenced board.

Lubing makes it feel super smooth and amazing to type on.

[jerue]

lubing the sliders will increase smoothness and because of this may quiet down the sound. If you have a BNIB Realforce I don't find this necessary, maybe after a few months or year would you really want to lube the sliders and regrease the stabilizers. I recommend Krytox mixes (103/205 if you can find it), I have used thick Geekhacker's V3 lube and it works wonderfully.

The Realforce with purple sliders feels pretty good, the purple sliders are designed with shorter slider "legs" to accomodate the silencing ring and provide the same amount of travel as a stock slider. The black sliders in the Type-S are meant to be the same but their legs are longer than a purple slider, with the silencing rings this will reduce key travel.

Personally I feel that PFU/Topre have the silencing backwards - IMO the purple sliders work best in a HHKB because the extra travel in those sliders enhances the feel of the switches being case mount; on the other hand, the slightly thicker silencers found in a Type-S work better on plate mount Topre boards for almost the same reason, to me the feel resonates better on the metal plate and feels more satisfying to type on.

[Macsmasher]

As xondat pointed out, the purple RF switch housings have extra space to accommodate the silencing material and maintain 4mm switch travel. The HHKB Type-S does not use a different housing than the standard and therefore has a 3.8mm switch travel. Standard HHKB is 4mm.