I use modded mx black for pure typing.
they feel great.
makes me think again whether to put all my 100 mx grey on custom or not

The Topre Type Heaven is their first product that is downsized to be more affordable to the mech keyboard segment that normally get cherry mx switch keyboards because they are cheaper. So topre released this to compete in that market segment.

http://asia.cnet.com/topre-makes-affordabl...rd-62221533.htm


And here is the review
http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/index.php/2...en-full-review/



Personally i think, even though it's not the fabulous dye subbed keycaps, the quality is still pretty good, and keep in mind, the main factor of getting a topre is for their unique switch that is a hybrid between (capacitive/mechanical/rubber dome) which has the quiet factor but for a mechanical keyboard.

the price i think is pretty competitive with a cherry mx mech keyboard. You can't go wrong with either



This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Dec 10 2013, 03:44 PM

ah i see, guess i will try blue.

i see, thanks for the info.

hi there. well i'm a 4+ year cherry mx mech keyboard user. My previous keyboards before that were the originary rubber domes, and the Logitech G15 supposedly high end gamers rubber dome keyboard. I've been to a few of the official mechanical keyboard club gatherings and tested a range of mech keyboards from.....

- classic cherry mx black
- cherry mx red
- cherry mx black (modded spring aka an artificial cherry mx red clone sorta)
- cherry mx blue
- topre
- laser printed with fillings
- laser printed no fillings
- dye sublimated (different color variations.... one dye sub keycap may not necessary have the same look. Like the ones i own are white caps with black dye. The topre i tried was black caps with grey dye)
- double shots (also yet again, different quality and thickness, and different font types)

and i've seen many brands and aesthethics..... as well... from the purist bland classic look, to the more modern LED bling ...... metal chasis, aluminium chasis..... pcb mounted...... plate mounted......


Before mech keyboards my fingers hurt when i typed for a long period of time. But since i got the ducky cherry mx brown keyboard, my typing is hardly tiring on my fingers (i do type alot mind). Also the ducky leather hand rest has to me also made a difference in comfort, because my hand is elevated and on par with the keyboard height.....


I also suggest you read the other new comers with their brand new mech keyboards, to get an idea whether it's worth it or not. compare the experience of the newbies and other long time users. read the spoiler for their input.




PS: if you do get a cherry mx blue, be aware that it has a double tapping symptom some people will be prone to notice and subsequently be affected by it. Some gamers may find it very unpleasant especially if they have a double tapping tendency, that maybe some fps skills utilize.





some pro gamers may prefer linear switches that has no tactile feedback, for the fastest response time. this is usually a favourite for people that tend to bottom out when acuating their keycaps. if your a light typer that rarely bottom out, then a tactile switch may be more appropriate.



my recommendation.... cherry mx brown (tactile and comfortable) or red (very soft and linear, very responsive...).... or even the type heaven topre (if you must have the quietest mech keyboard). if budget is a problem, just get a good mkb with either of these switches, and with preferably a key roll over of 6 MININUM !!! especially if your are gamer. I use NKRO, which has no limitations of keys i can press simultaneously. Only games like O2Jam are very affected by the KRO factor.

so once you bought the keyboard you no need to buy anymore after that. Mkb last long, and if you do need to replace, you can swap out the switches for new ones. plate mounted need to desolder, but you can always ask the thread starter to help you. He runs a MKB modding service.




regarding durability there are a few things that wear out.
1. the key cap print. Like say the keycap has the letter "A". How many times you press on it before it fades away to a blank !!! silk screen print is the one that fades the fastest. Laser print is better. Then better than that is double shot and dye sub. Double shot may have a better contrast though, compared to a dye sub, although they are both very durable. Also dye sub cost 4 times a double shot keycap, according to signature plastic when people wanted to order in bulk from them.

2. how many times you press the keycap before it has a shine effect. The shine effect is due to sweat and friction, causing the keycap to have a shiny oily look. This can be distracting especially in a lighted room. Some people don't like this worm out look. A better quality plastic helps solves this issue somewhat. by rankings ABS < PBT < POM. Nothing wrong with ABS, it's still way better than the regular plastic you get from the mass produced rubber dome keyboards.

3. the switches wear out. Specifically the springs..... you know when it's worn out, when you actuate and it doesn't feel right when you press it, the spring feels crappy. But mech keyboards has individual switches, so some may be worn out than others. But this is not an issue, because you can replace the springs or switch. For a pcb mounted switch, you can manually pop open the switch to replace the spring. For plate mounted, you need to desolder it, to remove the switch to open and replace the spring. This isn't an issue as you can hire the modding services of the thread starter who can do it for you.


Overall, mkb keyboards can last a very long time. the switches aren't an issue. But if you invest in either double shot or dye sub, you need not worry about key prints fading off within a week, year or a decade.

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Dec 10 2013, 04:02 PM

You should try all the 4 mainstream cherry switches and topre switches and make you decision which to buy.

Personally, what MX blue good for typist because, when pressed down it sounds "clicky" when the key registered.
My fingers muscles responds to the sounds and I know whether the key is been pressed or not.
p/s: My typing style is touch typing, so never see the keyboard, sometime really no see screen too.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmxo7d4qbb707gs/2...%2011.51.35.jpg
This is my current MX blue keyboard.

For MX brown, i personally think is a very great switch, very very nice to type on. Never feel tired or reach fatigue if type on MX Brown.
Only 1 flaw, I'm not 100% sure whether I really type correctly, my fingers muscle not able to respond accurately due to non-clicky sounds on MX Brown.
Just my 2cents.

Recommendation: brown or blue or mx clear, if you are programmer/software developer/web/writer
If Engineer, cincai choose 1 (doesn't matter)

This post has been edited by quovadis123: Dec 10 2013, 04:04 PM

sorry bro, but there are too many terms here i don't understand, either i have weak vocabulary or too new to this whole thing, or both haha. by bottom out do you mean pressing the key all the way down or does it mean something else? and key roll over? my head is in a spin now haha.
but of course, thanks for your detailed explanation.

mx brown is NON clicky, but has tactile feedback.

It makes a clack sound when you bottom out (which i tend to do, because i'm that sort of a typer). But if you press lightly without bottoming out, the sound can come under control somewhat.

the only feedback to know you actuated a key, is either if you bottom out, or you feel the key push back (with a bump feedback) when you push down. So it's very hard to miss typing a key when pressing on it.

tactile is very beneficial especially for the soft typists that hardly bottom out.



well i got skype if you want to ask personally, i don't mind, just pm if you want to chat. I don't mind sharing tips and experience

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Dec 10 2013, 04:07 PM

gotcha, intended to try every switch i can find to begin with anyways. and i also do touch typing, eyes stuck on the screen when you have limited time but tons of code to type.

Somehow, my muscles listen to clicky sounds
Both of my keyboard is tactile (brown, blue), with addition blue is clicky.
I personally like brown because of its lighter switches.
If blue is lighter then is better.

yes bottom out, means pressing down all the way till you cannot press it down further.

KRO and NKRO mean.... key roll over.... and no key roll over. Simply put it means, how many keys can you press at the same time to register. Like... open your notepad, and try and press 4 Keys together at the same time. See how many of those keys registered. I personally have a NKRO, so i can press how many keys i want simultaneously and it will all register. But we have 10 fingers max, so we literally only need 10kro technically speaking.

so if you press 4, but only 2 showed in notepad, that means you have a 2KRO keyboard.

if press 8 but 6 show up, then you have a 6KRO keyboard.


99% of people are fine with a 6KRO. But some games like o2mania and o2jam require 7KRO for some specific songs. Look at this youtube, see how many keys they have... 7..... so when 7 bars come down, but your keyboard only has 6KRO, you are screwed





good info thx.

This post has been edited by Moogle Stiltzkin: Dec 10 2013, 04:16 PM

in the future, try to use text expander app or program to boost your productivity.
Remap your keyboard layout to your needs too will helps. i.e. qwerty/colemak/dvorak variants or other variants type of layout
example, I remapped my backspace to caplock, escape to backquote and many many more.
Looking for people with great keyboard layout can share with me, the optimum and best productivity layout.

oh so that's why when i played o2jam long time ago i managed only 6 keys at a time, and back then i thought ALL keyboards were like that haha. thanks for the info.

never heard of that, thus never thought of it, will try doing that too, thanks.

Text Expander example software. In fact, there are some program already adapt to this features.
Make your coding easier. Hope it will helps for your future too.
What language you normally code on?
objective-c? html? php? python?
edit: Text editor like sublime text have built-in text expander.

With the help of mechanical keyboard, I personally experienced that the productivity is boost as much as twice.
To me, mechanical keyboard is a must for people always type

This post has been edited by quovadis123: Dec 10 2013, 04:38 PM

COOOOOLLL!! i will have tons of shortcuts for all my syntax. thanks again!

Inshort, Costar, iOne and some China OEMS (Keycool, PLUM, HPE) made boards are using Costar stabiliser. Others mostly are plate mounted Cherry stabiliser.

For a beginner, I will say just go for Costar stabiliser board, there are nothing can go wrong with it, except a little extra hassle when changing keycaps (for beginners).

i will say don't be too serious with the rated 50M durability things. It can be just some marketing claim. B4 this, blue switch is actually rated at 20M, but as time progress or not sure what reason, they simply decide to call it 50M just like other switches did.

The main reason we gone mechanical are not necessary the durability (if you are unlucky, even just from store keyboard can have some faulty/failed switches). It is for the consistency in the typing feel in long term. Rubber dome tend to degrade within a few months of usage, while mechanical switches can easily last for few years (again, like I stated, some of the switches might die prematurely).

When a switch die, we have the option to DIY and repair it instead of send it to RMA or dump the whole board.

Great info. What you said is probably true.
Tactile is sure lower in the life cycle 20m whereas non-tactile is 50m.
From what I know, the switches will finally fail due to fatigue failure.
Few methods can fasten the process, that is, you always type (stress on it), seldom let the switches rest. So, it will failed prematurely.
If seldom type, will able to reach life cycle of 20m and above.

p/s: experience from my own fyp, "Finite Element Analysis and Fatigue Failure of steel"

edit: the beauty of mechanical keyboard is, we're able to change the switches individually if broken

This post has been edited by quovadis123: Dec 10 2013, 05:11 PM

And also fine tune them to our likings.

so informative but i am too blur and slow to absorb this much information hahahaha.

I'm pretty rich in MKB knowledge today
---
hooh888 I used to have same keyboard with you, AK300 joined this thread on oct2013 until Black Friday sales only grab my first MKB blue switches, I'm dota2&csgo player, and also a typing kaki, pretty comfort with blue switches (except noisy part ) GL on getting your MKB

This post has been edited by Powet: Dec 10 2013, 05:28 PM