I’m reviewing a cult icon today, a legend in the mechanical keyboard world. It’s the HHKB Pro 2. Many know it as the most well-known Topre keyboard. Others know it as “That keyboard costs over $200?!” And yes, it does. In fact, the silent version can go for as much as $322. Over $300 for a keyboard! So what does this keyboard actually do that makes it worth that price?
That depends on who you ask. Some people are obsessed with the HHKB. Others don’t understand the obsession or just hate it altogether. For the latter group, the answer is simple, it’s not worth the price.
That brings me to my position. I would never buy one on my own. However, a friend of mine lent me his for a few days. I spent about a week typing on it when I could. Thing is, I just couldn’t stand typing on it for very long. Sorry, HHKB fanboys, but I just didn’t like it. But I loved trying it out and reviewing it, and I really like some parts of it, so I’ll share my experiences below.
In This Article:
Layout
The HHKB Pro 2 uses a unique layout, but is basically a 60% board. This means it has no arrow keys, home, page up/down, delete, or end keys. I was able to get past the fact that it didn’t have page navigation or a dedicated delete key, but I could not get past the lack of arrow keys. I use the arrow keys for everything from selecting text, moving around in my browser between tabs, and, obviously, coding and any other text editing. I’m using them constantly. With the HHKB, I’d have to press the function key and ”’ for right, ‘/’ for down, ‘;’ for left, and ‘[‘ for right. If you look down at your keyboard, you’ll see why this is a huge problem. These keys aren’t even in a traditional arrow key layout like the WASD keys or IJKL keys, all of which would have been better choices. The keyboard was made for coding, yet has a terrible layout for arrow keys that keep you fingers on the board!
This isn’t the only oddity. The layout moves the backspace key down to where the \ key usually is, on the same row as the QWERTY keys. There’s still a number row above it, so it’s not like a 40% keyboard in that way. Where the backspace key used to sit, you’ll now find two dedicated \ and ~ keys. I love it when a keyboard manufacturer works in a dedicated `~ key, because the ~ symbol is important in Terminal.
I hated the location of the backspace key at first, but I came to like it. It lead me to move my hand from the home row of the keyboard less, and got me using my pinkies while typing, just as my typing teacher always suggested. I started making typos on my other boards when I switched back after just a few minutes of use. This is an intuitive location for a backspace key.
However, the lack of arrow keys absolutely dooms this board. They could have gone with a smaller spacebar and put a single row of arrow keys on the bottom row. Anything would have been better than this.
Key Switches
Topre key switches are controversial. I know, if you don’t know much about keyboards, that’s got to sound insane. How could key switches be controversial? What is wrong with you keyboard fanatics? Did you not get enough hugs growing up or something?
And, to answer your question, can anyone really get enough hugs?
Unlike nearly all other mechanical keyswitch types, the Topre keyswitch does not need to make contact with anything to register a keypress. This makes it feel incredibly smooth, but also makes it easier to bottom out. The force holding the key up does not come from the spring. Instead, it comes from the rubber dome around the spring. When the spring is compressed, it increases the capacitance of the layer on the PCB board below it. This registers as a click. That’s why Topre switches are called capacitive switches.
They have a small lever on the housing that comes in contact with the plate the switch is mounted to. This creates the feeling of a tactile bump. It’s a bump created only for feeling, and has nothing to do with the actuation of the switch.
Wait, Rubber Dome?
The rubber dome makes it operate more like a standard membrane keyboard, not like a mechanical board. However, unlike the membrane keyboard, you don’t have to bottom out. This should reduce finger typing fatigue and repetitive stress injury in the way a standard mechanical keyboard does. But it doesn’t.
Because the dome doesn’t increase in force substantially as you push it down, the lightness of these switches, and the early tactility, you will almost certainly bottom out with these switches anyway. That means, to many people, this will feel like a membrane keyboard with a firm tactile bump in the beginning.
Love it or Hate it
Some people love the feeling of Topre switches. I am not one of them. These switches made my fingers feel fatigued. I felt like they were cramped into a small spot and the frequent bottoming out from the light switch with no graduated resistance really bothered me. At first type, I loved them. But as I used them more, I quickly realized why I can’t own one of these boards, even if I could get used to the lack of arrow keys.
The Sound
The sound this keyboard makes is subtle and pleasant. I love clicky keyboards. That loud clickity clack is exciting. At home I have Kailh Box Jade switches, the loudest switches I’ve ever used. They sound like someone aggressively clicking a pen, and I love that. Topre switches are not like that. These are on the opposite end of the spectrum. They’re soft and subtle. They’re nice to listen to. Though I didn’t like typing on this board, I did love recording the sound and listening to it later. That might sound strange, but I find the subdued sound somewhat relaxing.
It’s the polar opposite of the Tada68 with Box Jade switches I’m typing this on now. Yet I adore both of them. Sometimes that subtle, slightly muffled bump sound is perfect. Other times, you want a loud symphony of clicks.
Style
I grew up in a rural area, going to a small school district. Despite being ancient tech, even then, my second grade classroom had a state of the art Apple II. I grew up with computers (and keyboards) created before I was born. As a result, I’m nostalgic for computer hardware that’s older than me. The design of this board gave me that old-school vibe, and I love it.
The keycaps are a beige white color, with gray accents. The plastic case is slightly textured, just like those old boards. So much of this keyboard feels retro. If you’re into that style, and I am, you’re going to love the way this keyboard looks and feels. It’s as though someone preserved a keyboard from the late 80’s, just for your nostalgia. The fact that I love the way this board looks made it so much more difficult to criticize the typing experience, but we have to split these ratings out.
Would it be better with some even more retro-style keycaps, like SA profile? Perhaps. But, as I’ll get into below, that’s going to be a bit tricky.
Customization
This is not a board you get for customization. Unlike many enthusiast-focused mechanical keyboards, you cannot re-write the firmware. That means, if you don’t like where the arrow keys are, tough. You can use dip switches under a panel in the back for simple options, like switching to Mac mode or ensuring backspace functions as a backspace key instead of a forward delete key, but not much else. You’ll set this to a standard configuration and forget all about it.
You also will have difficulty customizing the keycaps. The most common keycaps use the Cherry style stems. That’s the little ‘+’ sign, from the top. Box switches can use these keycaps as well, despite putting a box around that ‘+’ shape. However, Topre keyboards cannot accept these kind of keycaps. You can get converters that will allow you to use them, but they will add a little height. There are a few companies making custom keycaps for Topre switches, but they’re far less common.
Any further customization, like sound dampening, will require taking the board apart. You can certainly do it, but, overall, customization with this board is either impossible or extremely difficult. For the most part, you get what you get.
Wrap-Up
Pros:
- If you’re a light typer, it feels nice
- The switches sound great
- Lightweight and portable
- Nice location for backspace, once you get used to it
- Love the retro look
Cons:
- Expensive
- Fingers bottom out uncomfortably as they would with a membrane keyboard
- Space bar is significantly louder than anything else
- Plastic construction, despite price
- Limited customization
- Poorly thought out arrow locations on the second layer
- Mostly feels like a membrane keyboard with added tactility
Overall, I liked testing this keyboard. Experiencing a new type of keyboard was fun and challenging. It’s actually got me using my pinky fingers when I type sometimes now. That may improve my typing speed in the long run!
I just couldn’t get over how cramped my fingers felt while typing on this though. Between bottoming out and not moving my fingers very much, I felt cramped or trapped. I just felt so uncomfortable using this keyboard. When I first got this board, I had hoped I’d grow to love it. I really wanted to like this plucky underdog board, the keyboard that other mechanical keyboard fans mocked.
I can’t recommend this board because I didn’t like it. However, that’s not to say you won’t. It sounds great to type on, it’s quiet. The HHKB is lightweight, portable, and, if you want to focus on traditional home-row touch typing, it can actually help a lot. But you’re giving up too much for this experience. Some people may love this board and these Topre switches, but, try as much as I did, I just couldn’t wrap my mind around why.
All photos © Danielle of Leaf and Core. Illustration artists unknown.