Topre Realforce RGB Keyboard (Seasonic) review - Features and Benefits

If we’re concerned about classification, though, the RGB is not a Realforce. It’s its own thing, the RGB. The RGB has several differences compared to other Realforces, which is important given the price of $260USD for the RGB. The first thing is the build quality. A normal Realforce is very solid, weighty, and extremely well put together. While not a light keyboard, the fullsize RGB isn’t much heavier than a Realforce 87U tenkeyless, and the RGB’s case is snapped together and held with a single screw. The case is something else for Topre, while smaller in its bezel and overall footprint, it just feels flimsy compared to the Realforce 87U that I use as a daily driver for work. The plastic bends, creaks, and is easily deformed. It doesn’t rattle, but it does feel cheap. Lastly, the highly regarded Topre dye-subbed PBT keycaps are substituted for ABS double-shot keycaps, which is a toss-up in terms of trade-offs, but isn’t as wear resistant as a PBT keycap.

What you do get with the Realforce RGB are the Topre electrostatic capacitive switches, which have many advantages over a traditional mechanical switch. The electrostatic capacitive switch eliminates bounce and chattering, a common issue with MX switches, and native n-key rollover built-in. Most rubber dome keyboards offer 2-key rollover. You also get the Actuation Point Changer, Cherry MX-compatible mounts, and the RGB backlight.

I’ll go further in depth, but that’s the basics to whet your appetite. Let’s take a look at the Realforce RGB.

Features and Benefits

Topre is known for their slogan, ‘good feeling of oneness with cup rubber’. Let’s see if they continue that trend with the RGB.

• Topre Switches – Premium tactile feel that conquers fatigue. Quieter and more comfortable
• RGB Backlighting – 16.8 million colors. Per-key lighting. Software control
• Actuation Point Changer – Control your accuracy with 25% faster key to key transitions
• Keycap Compatibility – Supports custom keycaps and padding (sold separately) for added comfort or style
• Made in Japan – 33 years of unsurpassed quality control. Manufactured in-house with the finest materials and electronic components
• 1 year limited warranty

Well, nope, not a single mention of cup rubber. On Topre’s garden variety Realfoce box, there’s a curious statement about the good feeling of oneness with cup rubber. I’ll mention it here, then, with a Topre keyboard you get the good feeling of oneness with cup rubber! Topre also sell Realforces with variable actuation weight, from 35g to 55g, as well as all-45g and all-55g. The Realforce RGB comes with an all-45g switch weighting.

The RGB backlight is provided by Avago SMD LEDs. Manufactured by Broadcom, they feature high reliability and high efficiency. It’s not particularly easy to disassemble the RGB to where you can get a good look at the LEDs, but judging by the quality of the light, I’d say the RGB has the best backlight on a keyboard I’ve seen.

The Topre switch, being a non-contact, electrostatic capacitive switch, allows for the actuation point to be arbitrarily defined. In the RGB, you can change the actuation point, a first in a consumer keyboard. The settings are 1.5mm, 2.2mm, or 3.0mm. I had read that Topre could determine 256 points, allowing almost analog accuracy, but chose these three for the RGB based on how people would actually use the keyboard.

We can also bless Topre for including MX compatible stems. This allows us to change the keycaps to any custom set we have on hand. This is a big thing, probably bigger than the APC. Standard Topre keyboards use a Topre-only stem, which limits your choices since most custom keycap sets are designed only with MX stems in mind.

Realforces have all been made in Japan. Topre’s lower end, but still mighty good Typeheaven, are built in Taiwan, which the RGB shares some resemblance. The keycaps are most definitely sourced from Ducky, a Taiwanese company that also makes very good keyboards and excellent keycaps. The RGB is made in Japan, alongside the vanilla Realforces.

Rounding out all the features are the inclusion of multimedia and other keys on the function layer. These are accessed by the Fn key, and are the usual calculator, email, web, and media keys. There are three special keys, a *, a lockout key, and a swap caps lock/left control. On Realforces, this is usually a DIP switch on the back. Now it’s a dedicated key. The lockout key is especially useful if you want to lockout a certain key or group of keys from accidental presses. The F9 * key didn’t appear to do anything when pressed, perhaps it will in a later firmware revision.

That’s a quick rundown of the features, let’s look at the specs:

• 108-Key US ANSI Layout, English
• 4mm travel Topre electrostatic capacitive switches, with APC technology
• All-45g keyswitch weighting
• Doubleshot ABS keycaps, backlight compatible
• 16.8 million color LED backlight, software configurable (Windows only)
• Dimensions: 460mm*140mm*43mm (18in*5.5in*1.7in)
• N-key rollover, USB 2.0 interface, 1000Hz polling rate
• Cable length: 1.5m (5.25ft)
• Weight: 1.26kg (2.78lbs)

Probably the most notable thing here is the doubleshot keycaps, which is a first for a Realforce. I could spend the next few pages talking about keycaps, but I’ll spare you. There are many pages devoted to the subject at geekhack, deskthority, and reddit/r/mk, if you’re curious. The basic idea is that you take two pieces of plastic (either ABS or PBT) and mold them together. One piece forms the keycap, and the other forms the legends. Doubleshot keycaps, especially for shine-through designs, are the most desirable type of keycap to have under your fingers because they’ll never wear down. 
 

 
When I started out in the mechanical keyboard hobby more than 10 years ago, doubleshot keycaps were very rare, and usually found on vintage keyboards. Today, doubleshots are quite easy to find, with good quality ones from Tai-Hao being particularly affordable. Of course, if you want quality, you’ll pay $200 or more for custom PMK or GMK sets. The doubleshots on the RGB are high quality, and if you can stand the font, should last a lifetime. Just clean them with denture cleaner once in a while. The RGB is a heavy keyboard at 1.3kg. While not in the IBM Model M category of heavyweight battleship keyboards, the RGB is still very solid.