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Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

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Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#111

Post by some-guy »

basedbertram wrote: post #81
InternetPerson wrote: post #67

For me, one nice thing about working from home all the time now is that I don't have to listen to everyone's annoyingly loud mechanical keyboards. I kinda hope this fad dies before I have to work in an office again...

Oh wow, do people really bring mechanical keyboards to the office? I thought that was generally considered a no-no.

I thought so too, so I brought my 1989 Model M and asked everyone around me if they were okay with it, and that the first complaint I heard about it I would get rid of it.

Slowly after that, people started bringing in all kinds of mechanical keyboards.

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#112

Post by BoysenberryPi »

clon wrote: post #102
csdvrx wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree so much!! I've tried my best to like mechanical keyboards... but no, I hate them. The noise is distracting, they require too much strength on every key, and they are big and expansive! I thought I might have the wrong keytypes, so I even purchased key testers: the red keys are less noisy, but that doesn't solve the other problems. So I just can't find a reason to like them. My favorite keyboard is the Thinkpa…

Exactly the same sentiment. My yearlong experiment to try to love mechanical keyboards left me with a thousand euro hole in my wallet and physical problems spanning from fingers to upper body musculature. I loved the tactile feel, but hated what they did to my body. I think mechanical keyboards are just too high, with excessive travel. You sort of have to keep your hands floating in the air, which transfers stress to…

>Second issue, perhaps I'm a poor typist, but my fingertips frequently got stuck between the keys, causing mistakes by triggering adjacent keys.

This is a new one on me. I have never heard of this happening to anyone. My recommendation for you would get a low profile mechanical keyboard like the Keychron K3 or Logitech G915

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#113

Post by wanderingshi »

Shadonototra wrote: post #7

overpriced niche product that doesn't last long.. if one wants to look at mechanical keyboards, there are a wide range of better alternatives, look around they aren't that hard to find don't believe price = quality when it comes to keyboard, it is far from being the truth, we got the perfect example here...

i've had my realforce for 10+ years now and it still performs extremely well

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#114

Post by chana_masala »

cameroncooper wrote: post #60

The world of mechanical keyboards is really expansive, and actually a lot of fun. I'm currently driving a RAMA M60 which has the same HHKB layout, but uses Cherry MX key switches. It's also solid metal and weighs like 10 lbs. https://rama.works/#/m60-a/

Thank you for sharing. This looks exactly like what I've been wanting in a layout. I first went tenkeyless at 60% but now even that feels excessive

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#116

Post by jagger27 »

joeman1000 wrote: post #104
nicopappl wrote: post #49

I have the privilege of owning a Happy Hacking 2, it has topre keys. I used it for about a year. And I hated it! It's insanely noisy, to the point of distraction. It's so damn loud. But the dealbreaker for me is how heavy and deep the keys are. It's just too much energy and travel time for efficient typing IMO. After long sessions my fingertips felt sore from the blunt damage of pushing down the keys. But I'll recogn…

Ever try a Type-S? Mine is really quiet.

It’s also not very hard to modify non-silenced keyboards with aftermarket rings. I did that on my old HHKB and it worked great.

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#117

Post by nix23 »

gh02t wrote: post #56
nix23 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Topres are expensive because it's a luxury item and they get away with it. Because it's a high quality tool, long time ago the US firm IBM made some high quality keyboards too...long time ago. BTW: I can buy 6 HHKB for 1 Iphone (what is the luxury item here?)

IBM keyboards were also astronomically expensive, the Model M was around $250 in 1985 which is something like $600 in 2021 dollars. The modern Unicomp incarnations made on the same tooling are not as nice as the OG Model M's, but they're a reasonable approximation and still only $100. I have no doubt the pricing on the HHKB and other Topre boards provides a very comfortable profit margin. Which is fine, if people are…

>IBM keyboards were also astronomically expensive,

And that's exactly what i wanted to say, quality is expensive and has not much todo with luxury in the first place, it's a high quality tool...basta.

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#118

Post by manuelabeledo »

formerly_proven wrote: post #45

The notion that a capacitive switch is somehow expensive to manufacture because the PCB is allegedly "special" (doubt) seems odd to me. All other capacitive sensing stuff uses bog-standard PCBs with nothing special about them at all and it's not like the rubberdome is hard to manufacture either (considering that a more complex kind of rubberdome mat is the centerpiece in cheap rubberdome membrane keyboards). And then…

> And then of course the "Rigorous Japanese Quality Standards", because obviously QC is better if the factory is located in a country containing people of the Japanese ethnicity compared to other ethnicities.

This has nothing to do with ethnicity, but mostly work ethics and attention to detail. It is true that this may not apply to all Japanese products, but they are regarded as good manufacturers, akin to German products in Europe.

> Topres are expensive because it's a luxury item and they get away with it.

This is true, they are a luxury item. It is also true that they are inherently more durable than other keyboards based on rubber domes, and perhaps not as durable as many other high end mechanical keyboards.

A couple years ago, during one of my trips to Japan, I went to BICamera and tried some Topres. They are built like tanks, no doubt about it, and the feeling of the heavier switches was rather pleasant. I still like my mechanical keyboard better (have a thing for heavier switches), but I cannot deny it was a quite good product. Perhaps not worth $300, but I could see them in the $150 to $200 range.

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#119

Post by jagger27 »

BoorishBears wrote: post #19
gennarro wrote: post #3

Longtime topre user. They ruined me on all other keyboards. The best there is.

My HHKB Type S collects dust since the Boba U4 came out. It's a mechanical switch with a D shaped tactile bump. The end result is a bottom out that feels similar to a Topre, but a much crisper action up and down.

I agree. Those switches are amazing. I have them in a RAMA Kara.

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#120

Post by chana_masala »

mumblemumble wrote: post #44
TheRealDunkirk wrote: post #39

After about my 6th mech, I finally ordered one from Amazon to see what all the fuss was about. I put it back in the box after 2 minutes, and returned it. What can I say? I like blues. It just comes down to what you prefer.

Seems like that's not nearly enough time to really give a whole different kind of keyswitch? For me, at least, I need at least a few days with a new keyboard before my muscle memory is used to it; up until that point it's guaranteed to feel weird and uncomfortable no matter what.

Yeah but sometimes you just know you don't like something as soon as you try it.
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