Realforce R2 PFU Limited Edition 45g Uniform Review

[ghjim]

I'm new to the MK scene (a little over a month into this) and here's my review. I never thought I'd spend this much on a keyboard but I figure rather than slowly making my way through and waste time, I'll just get what is considered one of the best(given that this may be a preference thing). I believe $380 is relatively inexpensive for a professional tool.

For my use, I wanted to get a silent keyboard, I don't really care for the mechanical clicking sound.

Model: R2SA-US4-IV
Price: $380 with tax (Amazon)

The first impression of this keyboard:
- It looks like a very standard keyboard as expected from the product pictures.
- The weight is just right, not too heavy, not too light
- The keycap has a slight rough texture to it
- The keyboard sticks to the my wooden table just right

Pros:
- Typing feels great on this keyboard, with the Cherries, I tend to get "dddddddddd" or "llllllllllll" since they're linear. I definitely prefer topre over cherries now.
- The sound is just perfect, it has a thock high quality sound just like the youtube videos
- I'm not too particular on the legends it looks fine to me
- I feel like my typing speed and accuracy improved
- It's not mushy at all, feels sort of like a pencil eraser hitting a hard surface

Cons:
- Price
- USB cable isn't detachable

My ideal keyboard:
- Would like the keycaps to stay firmly in place, I can still wiggle them a bit, at this price, I would like precision (Though I know this isn't a common requirement for most)
- Would like the keycaps to be solid, I know this isn't common, but I think solid keycaps would give it an even more solid feel & sound.

Conclusion: This keyboard is definitely a keeper, the keys are perfectly light at 45g and the feel & sound is quite satisfying. I love the classic look on it. No one outside the community would know this keyboard's value which I like.

I still have the gigabyte cherry mx reds with qmx clip & o-ring for work (I needed a silent keyboard for work that's relatively inexpensive). The R2 will be for my home use.

4/5 Stars - If this keyboard had the wooden palm rest like the TKL version and a detachable USB, I would give this 5 stars.

[SBJ]

Man I need to at least try topre just once in my life.
Considering biting the bullet and just ordering a HHKB.

[LightningXI]

Man I need to at least try topre just once in my life.
Considering biting the bullet and just ordering a HHKB.

You will not regret it. Also, lube it before you make a full judgment.

[Polymer]

No need to lube....Just make sure if you try Topre it is more than for just a day or a week..

Pretty much you need to give it a good amount of time....a lot of people will think it feels just like normal rubber domes..and it does...because it is...but it is more than that.  Once you've used it awhile when you go back to Cherry you'll start to miss and appreciate Topre more..and then you're hooked.

For those that still don't, they'll just sell their Topre board and all is good..

[ghjim]

After doing some research on lubing, I'm not sure I'd want to lube either. It may be good short term, but long term, it seems like it's not worth it. Dirt may be collected, it's might be harder to clean, and just too much maintenance for me.

Uploaded some pictures btw.

[phinix]

Are the new R2 come in ISO as well?

[Hyde]

Nice review!

I've been eyeing it for a while but the dilemma is that I already owned the R1 Realforce then I silence mod it, so while I'm pretty sure the official one will be better but now I'm just like is it worth the money considering the difference might not be as huge as I think?

Hmmmmmm choices....