Realforce 104UG High-Profile (Black/Gray)

Let me start by saying that I thoroughly enjoy typing on this keyboard! To be 100% honest, I normally don't leave reviews, but I figured it gave me an excuse to type more! :-) I have always read about how awesome the Topre keyboards are and just had to give it a try. I am primarily an IBM model M (buckling spring) user.Below is my list of pros and cons for this keyboard.PROS:Smooth and quiet keys. It really is a joy to type on.Very high build quality. They keyboard weighs a LOT. The pictures don't necessarily make obvious the fantastic build quality of this keyboard. The fit and finish is spectacular.Keycaps are shaped differently on the home row to assist in keeping your fingers in the correct place. They are slightly more concave than the rest of the keys.CONS:There are no nubs on the F and J keys to indicate where your index fingers should sit on home row. This is my number one complaint and the reason I could not give it 5 stars across the board.There is no cable guide that allows you to run the cable straight out the back of the keyboard. (I am sure this was made this way so that there is no possibility of excessive strain on the cable where it enters the keyboard case.)Price is quite high (though the quality is also very high).

I bought this keyboard because I wanted to try a full-size keyboard with Topre 45g PBT keycaps, and this happened to be the only such model. Unfortunately this keyboard suffers from a fatal flaw: the keycaps are too high. Realforce markets the high keycaps as a "feature", claiming that "complement professional data-entry applications by preventing finger slips and reducing hand travel away from the home row." In my opinion, the opposite is true. Due to their high profile, the keycaps are very wobbly, increasing the number of finger slips, and also have a greater than normal amount of travel distance, which reduces speed and detracts from the feel of Topre switches. I normally type 130-150 wpm with 99% accuracy, and I found that this keyboard reduced both my speed and my accuracy. I returned it immediately (luckily Amazon has a wonderful return policy).If you want to try a full-size Topre keyboard, I recommend getting the Leopold FC980C. Note it only has 98 instead of 104 keys, but Leopold has done a good job designing it in a way that you pretty much have all the keys you'd need. It's the only other keyboard that ticks all the boxes I want (Topre 45g, non-silent, PBT keycaps, full-size) and I couldn't recommend it more highly.

I really wanted to love this keyboard but I don't. I ended up replacing it with the 104UB.Pros:The construction quality is excellent: the keyboard is heavy and very solid feeling. There's absolutely no flex in the case. The colour is really nice with the contrast between the light keys and dark case. It's nice that the label over the LEDs is dark to match the case, unlike the regular 104UB which has a black case and a light label which is really jarring.The PBT keys are very nicely made with a pleasant texture and a very solid feel. The curve of the keycaps isn't quite what I expected, but is very pleasant. Unlike SA keys there's a very distinct ridge on the edge of the keys which at first feels quite uncomfortable, but after a few days of use is hardly noticeable. The keys cup your fingertips in an extremely comfortable way that's hard to describe but really nice. The switches are excellent, incredibly smooth and nicely tactile. They have a somewhat higher pitched sound than the regular key Realforce boards. The weight on the keys is good, though some people may find it a little light.Cons:The high profile keys have a lot more wiggle than the regular profile keys of other Realforce boards. I assume it's because the stems are longer, but it's unfortunate. The key travel is still smooth and very precise feeling though.The ridged edge of the keys may be uncomfortable if you're used to hitting the key edge. You do adapt fairly quickly though.My main problem was that the high profile key made it difficult to accurately do key combinations that I use for various shortcuts. I have Ctrl-Alt-~ mapped to something I use frequently. I press control with my pinkie, alt with my thumb, and ~ with my ring finger. As a result my hand is stretched out and the angle I hit the ~ key with is quite shallow. On a regular keyboard that's fine, but on this keyboard it's very hard to not hit Tab at the same time. In fact, the whole first row is so shallow that I found this to be a problem with most key combinations.The high profile keys are intended to improve typing accuracy, but I found the opposite. My speed didn't improve but my accuracy went down slightly. Perhaps over time that would change.In the end I struggled to decide whether to keep going with it because the feel of those keys is so nice on the fingertips, or whether to abandon ship and get a normal key Realforce board. Ultimately I couldn't adapt and chose to switch. The keys are fantastic looking and get a lot of attention, they feel incredible on your fingers, and the board is very solid, but for me it just didn't work the way I needed it to.

This is a very high quality keyboard made from superior materials. The Topre switch is, in general, the best typist switch on the market...….However,The keys on this board are very stiff. Far more so than the advertised 45 gram sensitivity. I REALLY, REALLY wanted to like this keyboard. But I simply couldn't. The amount of effort required to tap away on this thing is equivalent to a ZUMBA workout for the fingers. and not in a good way. I'd say this board actuation felt like 80 grams. No exaggeration. How long does that stay comfortable for the average typist?If this is your thing - go for it. For me - it got old very fast.Something about these keycaps, the extended actuation point - just too much. The keycaps are like little puddles for your fingers - again - you will love or hate this. It just did not work for me.It cost more $$$ - but most people will be much happier with the REALFORCE R2 PFU Limited Edition. This one is just too many willful design flaws for most people to overcome.

I really regret buying this.Never buy you must regret it.