price

Topre Realforce 104UB

Switches:

Topre 35 gram, Topre 45 gram, Topre 55 gram, Topre Silent

About:

The Topre Realforce series is Topre's premium line of keyboards. The 104U model is the full sized model in white, the 104UB is the same keyboard in black. It uses an ergonomic layout which mixes switches 35g for the inside keys, 45g for the outside keys, and the ESC is rated at 55g. Uses high profile (tall) key-caps which are spherical (think Think-Pad like) which some users did not find comfortable and fatiguing. The weird key-caps can be painful if you move your fingers in unconventional ways when typing. the “SDF” and “JKL” keys have a much deeper dish so one can feel out the home position very easily. Has a DIP switch. Plays nice with mac OS. A silent version also exists but is hard to find. The back is arced so the keyboard is never flat. The U series is white where as the UB series is black, the keyboards are the same other than that one difference.

Pros:

  • Ergonomic mix of switches
  • Has a silent version
  • Plays Nicely with mac software
  • Spherical key-caps

Cons:

  • Some users found it uncomfortable (keep in mind the comfort issues are probably due to the keyboard being very different from membrane keyboards or other mechanical keyboards, it might just take more time to accumulate to it.)

Additional Comments:

  • Here's what Topre means when they say their keyboards feature “variable weight” switches: keys that are supposed to be pressed with the pinkie/ring fingers, such as ‘1’, ‘Q’, ‘A’ and ‘Z’ on the left and ‘9’, ‘O’, ‘L’, ‘.’ on the right, require less force to actuate than the keys in-between. This is advertised as being a more ergonomic design intended to allow longer typing sessions without fatigue.
  • The key puller that comes with Topre keyboards is bad, it may scratch the keys, get a different one