RF 87u 55 gram Topre

Hordak · 16 Oct 2014, 14:05

Just received my 87u 55g and I love it. It's as good as I hoped. Best I can describe it is that it comes close to the feeling of one of my old IBM thinkpad models. Fresh out of the box, the 55gs seem a bit heavy, but still ok (brown and reds felt too light to me). I will report back when I have more typing experience. On another note, the sound is great! Far less obnoxious than my QFR brown and Filco red. Not silent, but very smooth.

Hypersphere · 16 Oct 2014, 18:42

Hordak wrote: ↑Just received my 87u 55g and I love it. It's as good as I hoped. Best I can describe it is that it comes close to the feeling of one of my old IBM thinkpad models. Fresh out of the box, the 55gs seem a bit heavy, but still ok (brown and reds felt too light to me). I will report back when I have more typing experience. On another note, the sound is great! Far less obnoxious than my QFR brown and Filco red. Not silent, but very smooth.

Glad to know you like your new RF 87u 55g. Did you get the black or white version? How would you compare the typing experience on the RF to your QFR brown and Filco red? Regarding your Cherry mx boards, do you use O-rings and/or non-stock keycaps?

Hordak · 18 Oct 2014, 12:20

It's too early for a conclusion, but here are a few impressions:

I think that because the tactile bump is so near at the top, the keys feel much more sturdy and ankered than the Cherry switches and that that contributes much to the quality typing feel you get from this keyboard.
My Imsto thick PBT keycaps feel a bit more robust. I suspect they'll have a longer life span, which is kind of a downer, considering the price of the Topre replacement caps.
The Realforce made me realise how much I dislike the Costar stabilizers, sound and feel wise. I definitly prefer that all the 87u's keys have basically the same feel to them.
Regarding the 55 grams, it's too early to tell, but I feel that this keyboard is bad for slow typing resp. that it is more geared toward touch typists, as when I type too slow, the stiffness and high-up tactile bump of the keys seems to lends itself too more errors (or I may just be a bad typist ). It's hard to describe.
Sound wise, I love it. it's deeper than the red/brown Cherry switches I know. The often mentioned "thock" is a fitting description.
I would rate the quality of the casing as just slightly better then a QFR. I can already see fingerprints after just one day, quite disappointing.
One bummer is that my 87u came without a red escape and blue WASD keys. Is that a EK exclusive thing (I bought mine from keyboardco)?

Finally, here are a few comparison shots I made with my Samsung, so excuse the crappy quality:

Hypersphere · 18 Oct 2014, 15:51

@Hordak: Thanks for the pics! Regarding the lifespan of Topre keycaps, they should stand the test of time at least as well as the Imsto thick PBT caps. Note that the thin PBT caps of the two-piece cap and stem keys on vintage IBM keyboards look new after decades of use.

Hordak · 18 Oct 2014, 16:46

Hmm, maybe I have to up my cleaning method then, because my Imstos don't feel like new after I treated them with Corega tabs and they've "just" seen 8 months of use thus far. Of course, they are still far better than ABS.

On another note, I've developed a little of buyers remorse because I didn't get the white version. The black casing is looking and feeling more and more cheap every minute, since one can spot even the smallest finger contact points.

Hypersphere · 18 Oct 2014, 17:27

Hordak wrote: ↑Hmm, maybe I have to up my cleaning method then, because my Imstos don't feel like new after I treated them with Corega tabs and they've "just" seen 8 months of use thus far. Of course, they are still far better than ABS.

On another note, I've developed a little of buyers remorse because I didn't get the white version. The black casing is looking and feeling more and more cheap every minute, since one can spot even the smallest finger contact points.

About cleaning keycaps, I don't know if the tablets you used can damage PBT, but I have seen no ill effects from soaking keycaps overnight in solutions of either dishwasher liquid or powdered laundry detergent.

Regarding the black case on an RF 87u, I have been using daily for several weeks, and I cannot see any fingerprints on the keycaps or case. I even tried purposefully leaving fingerprints on the case, and I still see nothing. My case has some texture to it -- does your case have some texture or is it completely flat? I know that some of the white RF 87u boards have a Leopold logo on the bottom sticker and others have only the Topre brand. I don't know if this means they were made in different factories and/or if they used different materials for the cases. In any event, both my white and black RF 87u have only the Topre brand on them and they do not show fingerprints.