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Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

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Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#151

Post by hereforphone »

Lhiw wrote: post #97
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…

Silent reds are what I use after a long time on clears and browns. Can't go back, reds are good for gaming but also far less effort for typing. Never found the tactile bump to be all that useful.

I love brown after awhile of using blue. Blue feels great but is loud enough to wake up the neighbors.

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#152

Post by csdvrx »

godot wrote: post #130
clon wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

To you and the parent poster and the grandparent poster, I wonder if you've ever tried a mechanical keyboard with low profile keys and keycaps? I enjoy mechanical keyboards myself, and even so, I found myself liking the low profile ones a lot better. Like you said, I love the tactile feel, and I also find regular sized mechanical keyboards too high. I currently use two: The Keychron K1 "Ultra thin" for work and the H…

So many people seem to rant and rave about mechanical keyboard that I'm still willing to give them a try!

Could you recommend a model that's not too noisy and doesn't require too much force, but which also has the page up and page down keys on both sides of the up arrow?

This seems a rarity for mechanical keyboards, while it's quite standard on laptops. Since I spend most of my time on laptops, I'd like to at least match the general shape for the features I use the most- like shift-page up and shift-page down scrolling in consoles.

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#153

Post by nijaru »

germinalphrase wrote: post #26

Can anyone recommend an entry level mechanical keyboard specifically for extended typing (as opposed to gaming)? Or, at least, specific features/qualities to seek out.

Browns are recommended for typing over reds, etc. as they have the tactile 'bump' but aren't excessively noisy. Reds are supposed to be quieter along with some other less common switches.

I have a leopold with browns I bought used for $40 years ago plugged into my work laptop, and a cooler master with cherry browns and backlighting I use on my desktop that cost me a little over $100. I did get one keyboard with gateron switches because they're cheaper than cherry switches, but one of the keys was failing within months. I have stuck with cherry switches since.

I've been on the fence for a few years about buying a kinesis advantage 2. The layout does seem like it would make typing much more comfortable and ergonomic.

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#154

Post by epolanski »

jagger27 wrote: post #116
joeman1000 wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Meh, while it actuates the noise a bit it generally doesn't make a night and day difference.

For me coding during night was a no with my older MK even with the rings I would wake people in my house when typing.

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#155

Post by chana_masala »

anonymousiam wrote: post #52
germinalphrase wrote: post #26

Can anyone recommend an entry level mechanical keyboard specifically for extended typing (as opposed to gaming)? Or, at least, specific features/qualities to seek out.

Not sure what you mean by "entry level", but I've been using Unicomp keyboards for about 10 years (ever since my last Dell PS/2 keyboard died). It's loud, but worth the hundred bucks. https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/NEW_M

Buckling springs - that's neat to find a modern keyboard offering that for a reasonable price!

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#156

Post by foxfluff »

lmilcin wrote: post #72
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...

There are good mechanical switches that are silent. For example Cherry MX Silent Red. I also have a keyboard with Cherry MX Browns with o-rings to dampen them a little bit. There is no excuse, other than being totally obnoxious prick, for using a loud keyboard in an open office.

There is no excuse for an open office.

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#157

Post by fomine3 »

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…

Topre is very rock solid because of its origin is for professional inputter. I know many people use same RealForce/HHKB for 10 years (in Japan).

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#158

Post by PascLeRasc »

michaelmcdonald wrote: post #106
Bayart wrote: post #23

I paid through the nose for my Leopold FC660C because the specific one I wanted had to come from the US. Never regretted it ! I've added Hasu's board on it a few weeks ago and it's basically a perfect keyboard now.

Hasu controller is literally a game changer!!

What do you use yours for? I love my FC660C but I really wish I could store all my Karabiner mods on it. Like double shift for caps lock, or caps lock as escape when pressed alone but control as a modifier.

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#159

Post by Waterluvian »

I really enjoy my mechanical keyboard ever since I got quieter switches. But I have to say, this article reads like it is trying to produce value rather than explain it. That is, “let me tell you all the meaningless things that make this so expensive.”

Re: Why Are Topre Keyboards So Expensive?

#160

Post by simonblack »

csdvrx wrote: post #77
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…

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…

(why can't they make smaller mice??)

People do make smaller mice. But the downside is that they are generally cheapies, and not very robust. I have bought several over the years from supermarkets when I found I'd left my usual mouse behind.

When it comes to left-handed mice, it's often easier to obtain a symmetrical mouse, and change its handidness in software.

I use my mice so much that I have a problem with wireless mice forever running out of batteries. "Up to six months usage": bullshit. I'm lucky to get two weeks out of a set of batteries. So I stick to wired keyboards and mice.

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