5:04 "Of course being a rubber dome means you almost have to fully bottom out the key to get it to actuate" These are capacitive switches, they don't use the typical membranes that you get in most cheap rubber dome keyboards, in those you do have to pretty much bottom out to get them to actuate. These actuate halfway down, it might just feel like you have to bottom out due to the way the dome collapses as you apply pressure. You get used to that and naturally start to type a bit lighter given time. As they are essentially a kind of contactless switch which means they are not prone to failure by oxidation of electrical contacts as you get in MX style switches, and with the programmed hysteresis in the firmware they are immune from chattering. You will never get double presses like you can with electrical contact based switches, if you do it's user error. Contactless switches can also be much smoother than typical mechanical switches. Every standard mechanical switch board that I've tried will occasionally throw in double presses from chattering, capacitive switches like Topre are just superior in this regard. For me as someone who types quite lightly Topre work great, you get that responsive 'mechanical' feel of actuation, but with far greater tactility to something like Cherry MX Brown, which are scratchy and undefined in comparison. I'm not much of a fan of the HHKB layout, personally I much prefer the Leopold FC660C, dedicated arrow keys are a must. The FC660C also has a much sturdier build with a steel backplate which gives a more solid typing feel. The FC980C is also a great looking board, fullsize but still quite compact. With both the HHKB and FC660C you can swap the controller PCB for a 3rd party Hasu controller, which allows you to install QMK firmware and basically put whatever layout or macros you like on the thing. I've been using the FC660C for over two years now and it's just fantastic, I don't think I could go back to a Cherry style switch for a typing keyboard. I might look at optical or hall effect switch boards in the future though, as they also feature contactless actuation.

This is like when the verge made a video on how to build a PC but for keyboards.

Your description of how Topre keyboards work and the direct comparison to membrane keyboards is grossly inaccurate.

I wish I had the skill of speaking so confidently while being so wrong like you did in this video

A small note: When reviewing a product, review it thoroughly. For example, ask yourself why there is a spring under each rubber doom? For fun? The answer is NO! Topre is a CAPACITVE switch, thus contact less. This is a huge selling point that is missed in the review. What does its capacitive nature offer you? Two things: 1) Supper smooth feeling as there is no fraction between two parts, rubbing each other like 90% of other switches. 2) Analog switches (You need a bit of framework hacking to make it work though).

2:37 software keymap customisation is a feature on the hybrid and hybrid type S but going on the product's web page to check the features before doing a review is too difficult I guess

the Hybrid CAN get all the keys re-mapped by using PFU software from their hhkb website. and the re-map DOES get saved in-memory on the keyboard. so you CAN connect to any computer and it will keep the changes.

2:22 Hardware switches are always better than software customization because they work regardless of the OS. Most hardware manufacturers don't release their software for OSes other than Windows, which means users have to have a Windows machine to configure their hardware, even if they don't otherwise need or use Windows.

4:52 please improve your typing skill

The Ctrl is removed because it's one of the main button than causes carpal tunnel syndrome in long term. This is because using it It's require twisting your hand and pinky finger to unnatural degree. It's not a problem for non programmers, since they are either not use it as much, or don't type and have hands in touch typing position on keyboard most of the type. Also in its descriptions it says it has compete custom layout.

What an interesting take. This keyboard absolutely wasn’t made for someone like you. This and my Minila boards are my daily drivers.

I gave away my full size Topre RealForce kb, but the things you and I didn't like about it are also why Topre switches are prized by some typists. And although they do use rubber domes to provide resistance like membrane keyboards, the actual construction (using real springs in individual physical customizable switches, instead of single dodgy membrane for the whole deck) and switch technology (capacitive sensing, not contact) are nothing at all like typical cheap membrane boards, which is why they're so expensive. Because they are capacitive, they are actuated midstroke like mech switches and you don't need to bottom out to make contact like with cheap membrane or scissor switches. And Topres come in different resistances to accommodate preferred typing weight and feel. They are basically silent if you don't bottom out, and just a dull thud instead of mech's clack if you do. So typists can get a quiet, low fatigue, fast, dependable board if that's what they want. But not great for gamers, or artisans and keycap enthusiasts, or those that want a noisy or super tactile experience. I didn't like the Topre, but it found a good home with a friend, and I'm glad I had time with one to learn and refine my own preferences. Turns out my faves are Matthias/Alps.

you basically comparing a board that was released in 2006 and rereleased with BT upgrade in 2019 with one that was released in 2020 with all the modern tech. Good thing this guy knows how to do a proper comparison.

You clearly don't hangout at /r/mechanicalkeyboards

Programmers don't need stupid lights on keyboards. Programmers need a keyboard where they can type and enjoy.

I love the Topre switches and own a HHKB Pro 2 and a RealForce 87u, both type-s which has a rubber ring at the base to silence them. I enjoy the soft bottom and the way the keys follow your finger all through the stroke down and up. Cherry MXs I own just feel hollow after they trigger. Topres just feel responsive and really long sessions at a keyboard feel easier. I really love the big ctrl key vs caps lock I never use. I don't mind using this in any programming environment, but it's mainly for VIM as it is an editor that doesn't require a lot of special keys. I do miss the arrows on the HHKB but do love it.

I have the HHKB Hybrid S and use it every day for development and documentation. The only aspect of the board which was a challenge is the placement of the cursor keys. Strange location plus behind the Fn key made them a struggle to get used to. After a few weeks it gets easier. Overall, I don’t really think you did the board justice.

Some of these changes are quite popular in some circles. Caps-lock for instance is basically a waste of keyspace if you're in Shift gang. Although, no, I also don't get the murder of the Ctrl's, and much less so the diamond-shaped arrow keys. What is this, the 80's? As a 'gamer' I prefer Fn+WASD, so I don't need to take my hands off the home rows. That's the justification for a lot of Fn+stuff mods. You already use Shift and Control for many similar operations, don't you? Why not for arrow keys? Why move your hands in and out of "typing position" all the time? Yes, these changes are difficult to get used to, as you're basically fighting your muscle memory for control of your own actions, and you have to learn to use the keyboard and keyswitches correctly. With Topre, for instance, you're supposed to bottom out. I mean, what kind of weirdo wants that? Well, I guess it's the kind that is up for paying $200 buckerinos for high-end rubber dome switches. Still, you didn't learn to use the keyboard as it's supposed to be used, and some members of the mk community will say your review isn't fair because of that. The others will merely place a curse on you for having said that "genuine Cherry" is better than Topre, let alone "the clones". All that being said, give Planck a try for some two weeks, then make a review on it. That's the real programmers' keyboard. Trust me, it'll be fun :)

I guess they're trying to cater to the vim people, who don't use the arrow keys very much in favor of hjkl and things like that. Still, I'm not a fan of not having choice, especially if it doesn't even make my keyboard smaller

Hi there, I have bought a HHKB Hybrid with blank keys in charcoal. I am not a programmer, I am a writer. This means: I can touchtype very fast. And I type thousands of keystrokes a day. I use the HHKB with my Macbook Pro. The size of the board is slightly bigger than the keyboard of the Mac, so I can place it on top of the Mac Keyboard. I love the feel and typingsound of the board. And it's a fine piece of desgin art. Means: It looks brilliant. It`s just pure joy to type on it. Greets from Germany

Uh oh He's doing it again . . . .

Wild takes on this one lol

Thanks for the review, don't feel bad about the haters the world needs many viewpoints and everybody can make up their own minds. There are good reasons (some not obvious unless you've had those experiences) as to why the HHKB is designed the way it is and has lasted as long as it has in this form. The reason the dip-switches are there is because you need the keyboard to be adaptable to different systems you might need to connect with as a roving IT professional and having to install the software on each of these systems would be time-consuming and simply not allowed in a lot of cases.

Control above left shift is a classic terminal keyboard layout, most famously on Sun workstation keyboards. But the rest of it seems a bit cryptic and needlessly minimalistic.

Who is this for: Unix users, what tool do they primarily use: the Vi editor, Who is the HHKB's target audience? Those that use the Vi editor on Unix.

So, anyone who knows how legal the "Warranty Void if Removed" are in the EU. Not sure if this one is one though (even if it might suggest that it is).

If you dont use a modal text editor the keyboard won't make sense. It was made for UNIX developers...

Click baiting topre is pretty old tbf and being surprised by a 60% layout is pretty click bait too. But ok, I'll bite. The layout is super easy for good touch typists as you can get all the keys without moving your hands, it's super quick to type on as these key combos are standardised in the 60% layout. Even other enthusiast's keyboards offer the HHKB keyboard layout. You're also confusing rubber domes with membrane keyboards, not the same thing... The Topre switch is beloved by people who type a lot for a living; it's super smooth and the capacitive sensing it uses allows the key to actuate at the tactile event, something cheap mechanical switches like cherries can't do. Also that thock thock sound... :) If you are going to spend 8 hours a day typing, grab a good Topre board, that's the market it's aiming at. It's weird, my fave day to day driver is a F77, but, when I know I'll be typing for hours - I'll still break out my 45g norbaforce. PS. If you're going to review enthusiast kbs, might pay to provide the information the target market would need, force curves, build materials, flex etc etc... This review comes across like someone reviewing a two door convertible and going omg there's no room for the kiddies!!! Yeah, that's the point...

Honestly you really should just take this video down. You literally got everything wrong about the facts of this keyboard and then your opinions on the keyboard and failure to see how it could be beneficial to people just make you look ignorant and narrow-minded. I mean is it really that hard to imagine people having a need for a small form factor keyboard because of a lack of desk space and / or the portability of it? Do you really not understand how people could prefer moving the backspace down a row so that you can easily hit backspace without having to take your fingers off the home row? Do you really not see how some people may prefer to swap caps lock, a key that 98% of people almost never use, for a more commonly used key such as control and putting the caps lock key on a function layer? Just because it is different from what you are used to it doesn't mean its inherently bad like you seem to imply here. Topre switches are some of, if not the most beloved switches around and the fact that you could be so completely off about how they work and what they are like to use just makes you lose so much credibility IMO. Is it really that hard to do research on something before up publish a review on it? This keyboard has been around for nearly 30 years. Do you think if it had no place in the market or if it was just so poorly designed and laid out that everyone felt the way you do about it, that they would still continue to produce the keyboard every year with periodic updates to it as well? This video is such a bad look for you in so many ways. You're lucky it doesn't have very many views. I've never seen or heard of you before but I can tell you if I ever see a video of yours or any video that has you in it, I will close out of it immediately after now having seen you expose yourself with having bird brain syndrome in this video.

I use this keyboard (wired, not hybrid) for work (programming). Not sure I would want to change to anything else at this point. I touch type. The mouse is less of a reach because of the small size. I can access all the special keys including cursor keys without moving my fingers from the home position. The feel of they keys is perfect for me (I never cared much about trying not to bottom out, the point is I always know from feel whether I have hit a key right or not so there is never uncertainty). For gaming I have a Wooting keyboard and I do rather like their approach to key customisation (set it in software, program keyboard, don't need to run software again) and the HHKB hardware + Wooting software approach would be an improvement. The K2 looks nice. I would definitely consider it as long as I can program the cursor keys to work the same way as the HHKB does them.

First of all, Topre switches are really nothing like rubber domes. You don't have to bottom out and close a contact to actuate the switch like you do with rubber domes. Contacts in mechanical and dome switches get dirty and cause issues. A capacitive/electrostatic switch is detecting the capacitive reactance of the spring as you compress it. You don't have to fully press the key to make contact. It works more like a touchscreen or those lamps that come on when you touch them, except it uses a spring instead of your body for capacitance. The dome is just there for resistance and feedback, so there's a clear break point where you've pressed the key. Capacitive/electrostaic switches are arguably the most reliable commonly available switch you can get on a keyboard by a wide margin, but the electronics are more complicated, so there's a cost. I very much like the sound and feel of Topre switches, but that's just my opinion. I bought my first Happy Hacking Keyboard in 2006. It was the 'Lite,' an actual rubber dome board, because I was too poor to afford the Topre/Pro version at the time. I absolutely fell in love with the layout. It ruined me forever on all other keyboards. I now have 3 HHKB Pro 2's. One at work, one at home, and one for travel. I can use arrow keys just as quickly as on any other board. My pinky finds the function key and arrows, PgUp, PgDn, Home, End, printscreen, ins, and del all happen automatically without thinking. The Backspace, control, and escape key placement is what makes this board amazing for heavy keyboard users (Which vim/emacs users usually are). It takes some adjustment, but for a certain type of user, it REALLY works. That's why the layout is copied so often now in the 60% keyboard market. I'm sure that there are plenty of knockoffs that will give you more features for your money. When I bought my keyboards, most of these other options weren't available. I think you still have to respect the original design, even if you choose a newer revision. Especially when it's held its own this strong for 25 years.

Off topic but will you be reviewing the Samsung G7 monitor? Also, good on you for standing up to MSI. I wont be buying from them in the future.

4:23 lmao think again bro

Can you make a review on the asus G14!!

Well done. Thanks.

For Unix-preferred programmers? Vlaims to be made with me in mind. Sad the navigational keys aren't programmed tap-sensitive to eliminate combos. I use Linux and OBSD 99% of my adult life...my fingers are already trained for speed without the help of HHKB. I dislike the Keychron series but at least the price makes sense with the technology adopted upon purchase. HHKB PRO 2 is essentially a decade+ old for some specific models.

qe aew legiom we donot fprgive expct us

Audio sync issue.

AS HHKB owner i would say your video is totally pointless , Keychron has tons of complaints from their users regarding their QC , about 20 - 30% of the Keychron didn't last long and always has wireless problem , which caused by using cheap electronic parts which has no rust-resist. They invested too much on cyber-hype strategic. I would say if i need to spent money for secondary keyboard i would go with Anne pro / Razer Huntsman rather than shady company like keychron , they has a warehouse but never had any factory. They hired random people to build the keyboard and some buyer even found their parts is missing upon arrival. More Ever , the HHKB Topre still incredible faster than Razer optical switches . Keychron cant even compared tenless keys gaming keyboard in every aspect. Feel free to buy them and get 0 customer services.

no offense, but at least I know it's not for you

this review is so bad lol. please do some research if you want to have an educated opinion about a product, instead of an ignorant review for some click bait and watch time.

you can't figure out who its for? it was designed and created for programmers. how the do you not know this.? ts literally the only reason the board exists.

this one's as bad as that keychron review by that guy who never bothered to read the manual

I worked in different fields, embedded, enterprise applications, web full-stack and I never really understood the obsession with things like VIM or the crazy keyboard militia. I can clearly see the thought that went into designing this keyboard and the changes are all sound and logical but it's just to expensive for what it is. There just isn't enough product to justify the price. It was always possible to just get any old keyboard that feels decent and has either built in key remapping or try to remap them inside the OS. Since I'm gaming exclusively on the Tartarus Pro these days, the only typing keyboard I would feel like spending big money on would be a full sized board with these kind of analogue switches with per key customizable actuation points(like the Tartarus ). Sadly Razer really, really, really, really dropped the ball on this one and only offers predefined actuation points on their Huntsman even though they have the same opto-mechanical switch. I've been eyeing the Wooting for quite a while now and It's just a shame there is no way to feel the switch before buying it. A Question for crazy keyboard purists out there: What exactly do you do when you have to work on the go? Do you carry another spare with you and awkwardly balance it on top of the notebooks own like some prime specimen hipster or do you just suck it up like the rest of us ?

this keyboards is not for newbs

Marketed towards programmers, no arrow keys... I see that a lot. The customization switch is sorta cool, but not $200+ cool.

All I've learned from this video is that you don't know how to use a HHKB keyboard...

first :))))))

Why.. Just why would they do that to the keys........ I too wonder who would buy it!

um yea I have been programming on a standard IBM PC layout ever since I upgraded from my Apple //e, and since I am in engineering numeric keypad is a need ... sooooooo even without the fails of the board, its fail before I even try it. Rubber dome switches with a spring HAHAH oh wait how much does it cost 26 bucks, oh no more than than 10x that LOL screw those guys that's garbage

It all comes down to novelty and elitism promotion and marketing. HHKB is but the Apple, Inc. of EC & Mech keyboards.

You are super wrong

Wow. There's a lot of BS in this video. You are doing a terrible job reviewing the thing because you don't even understand how capacitive switches work. Yikes. I'd remove this video as it's just full of misinformation.

thanks for saving me a $200+ mistake. appreciate it. Topher switches? are they joking on a $200 plus keyboard. its a cheap keyboard at a premium price for the "Hacker" brand name.

That keyboard could win the worst keyboard 2020 price.

This seems like such a pointless keyboard. As a programmer I am using backslash, function keys, home end etc and symbol characters a lot, I want a button to do this. Not press a button combination. Personally wouldn't give you £20 quid for it, let alone £300 to be honest. Not for me personally.

Worthless review. I don't like membrane-switch keyboard but its rubber dome is very different experience. I prefer it than MX switches.

260 bucks for that!! HaHaHa!! They must be on the same drugs Trump and Johnson are on!!

Overpriced trash is overpriced.