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Keyboard enthusiasts rejoice!
The much-lauded Topre 'mechanical' keyboards are in-stock at PC Byte's ebay store and thus fall under the 20% discount offer. This makes for a bit of a bargain when it comes to Topre's - even compared to US/Amazon prices. Not to mention it's local stock!
Those buying a Topre aren't after any whizz-bang features like USB hubs, RGB LED lighting, macro functionality or even audio controls. They just want a damn fine keyboard.
For anyone needing a bit of background, a lot of people find themselves in the Topre camp after diving head-first in to mechanical keyboards using Cherry MX switches, but they never feel quite right… Topre keyboards are Japanese made, and renowned for their extremely high-quality switches which are a kind of hybrid mechanical-rubber dome switch. Many typists love these keyboards for their amazing tactile feedback, stable key presses and relatively quiet sound. They are often described as similar to a Cherry MX Brown or Clear switch, but much more refined in terms of feels. I won't go in to the exact feels people often describe, suffice it to say they are wonderful.
For more detail feel free to checkout some Topre Amazon reviews or for the particularly motivated, take a risk and comb through Reddit's Topre posts for excruciatingly detailed fanboy commentary.
There are a couple of variations on the Topre keyboards available.
Topre Type Heaven - $172 delivered
This is the 'affordable' Topre Type Heaven, as featured in the main post. It is the entry level, the only significant difference between this and the higher-priced models being the keycaps are made of 'lesser' quality ABS plastic. You can't really go wrong here, especially with the uniform 45g key-press weighting making it a great shout for both gaming and typing. Good review available here.
Topre Realforce 87U TenKeyLess Mechanical Keyboard (White, Variable Weight) - $236 delivered
This is the famous Realforce model, which comes with high quality PBT plastic keycaps (excluding spacebar) but ALSO features a variable weighting for key presses. This means that whilst most of the keys feature a 45g keypress to activate, if you are touch typing the keys that rest under your pinky and ring finger are weighted between 30-35g, thus needing less force to activate. This is highly sought after by career typists, although less ideal for gaming as particularly for the WASD keys you may find yourself in aaaaaaaaaaaa frustrating situation.
White also looks amazing, which is great because this is the only colour they have in stock for this combination of features.
Topre Realforce 104UB Mechanical Keyboard (Black, Variable Weight) - $252 delivered
This is the same keyboard as the model above, although with the numpad included and in a fetching black.
The white model can be found here.
There is also a silent model of this keyboard, which I believe includes o-rings for extra sound dampening.. Click here
Topre Realforce 104UG High Profile Mechanical Keyboard (45g Uniform) - $336
This is the most expensive in the line up, similar in appearance to the model above. The key difference here is high profile (i.e. raised) keys, and a uniform 45g weight much like the affordable Heaven model. Also has a pretty sweet set of PBT keycaps in a fetching charcoal on black. It's especially over the top price-wise of course.
Topre Realforce 87U TenKeyLess Mechanical Keyboard (White, 55g Uniform)
IMO the creme of the proverbial crop, this is the tenkeyless white model but with a higher 55g uniform actuation. So keen. It'll be with me shortly.
To see the full range of Topre keyboards available with the Ebay discount code click here.
Bon appetype
my biggest problem with keyboards: lettering coming off.