If you’re looking for that genuine Topre experience, you don’t have that many options.
From Topre themselves, you have the cheaper Type Heaven, as well as the Realforce line.
At some point in the past, Cooler Master produced the Novatouch TKL, and Fujitsu makes the ever
so popular HHKB.
In the mix is a Korean manufacturer, Leopold, who produces the C line of keyboards.
This is one of them, the FC660C.
I just happened to have an HHKB, so I’ll be drawing some comparisons throughout the review.
The 660C is the only Topre keyboard offered in the 65% layout.
It follows the 660, or the 66-key layout that’s found in other Leopold keyboards.
As mentioned in videos about others of this layout, I’m a fan of how it looks.
That little bit of negative space really adds to the charm.
The overall design is very simple and understated.
Only the front side is perpendicular to the resting surface.
The left and right sides have the most slight angle inward, with the back being the most
aggressive, but still very conservative.
The bezels are about 5 millimeters thick, and the keyboard is high profile.
Topre keycaps have this extended perimeter on the bottom, and the bezels come up to just
cover the top of that.
On the back, there is a mini USB port that’s approximately three quarters of the way from
the left.
This doesn’t really bother me, but it just seems like an arbitrary position for the port.
On the front side of the board, there is a print of a capacitance equation.
This is a nod to the capacitive sensing used on Topre keyboards.
On the back, there are four rubber feet, as well as two rubber tipped flip-out feet.
I find the default angle to be good enough.
There are also these dip switches, whose functions I’ll get into later.
The one I have here, is the black model, which came with gray keycaps.
Within this generation, there was a white model, with white alphas and gray mods, which
I like a little more.
In the upcoming generation of this keyboard, there is a black case and black keycaps sku,
which is sort of like the HHKB, as well as a gray and blue color that Leopold has been
pushing recently.
I like the blackout one, but I’m really not a big fan of the blue and gray color scheme.
I just think that particular shade of blue looks cheap.
All in all, the 660C employs a very safe and simple design, and I’m a big fan.
As far as plastic stock keyboards go, this is built very well.
It weighs quite a bit for its size, especially when compared to the HHKB.
The grippy rubber feet ensures that there is zero sliding whatsoever, which sadly can’t
be said about the venerable HHKB.
The keycaps are standard fare for Topre boards.
They even have the same markings on the underside.
As such, they are dye sublimed PBT, that measures in at around 1 millimeter in thickness.
This printing method’s durability is second only to doubleshot ones, but I don’t think
that’s been done yet for Topre keyboards.
The font on this is quite a bit different from the ones found on the HHKB.
The alphas are a thin italicized font, and some of the mods, like the shift and tab keys
include more symbols than on the smaller board.
I don’t really have a preference for either, but it is good to see some variety.
You can disassemble the board by removing this one screw that resides under a do-not-remove
sticker.
And then, you have to go all around the edge to release the clips.
The clamshell design of the FC660C is more robust than that found on the HHKB.
Here, both the bottom and top pieces have walls that overlap, while the HHKB is more
of a discrete top and bottom.
As typical in Topre keyboards, the main sensing pcb is attached to a daughterboard.
This can be replaced with an aftermarket controller made by Hasu, which offers programmability.
Also typical in Topre keyboards, the main PCB is attached to the rest of the assembly
by no less than ten thousand screws, so if you mess up a mod, it’ll be a long time.
We can see here a main difference between this and the HHKB, the metal backplate.
This is the biggest contributor to the weight as well as the feel and sound of the board.
As mentioned in previous videos, Topre switches have a feel that doesn’t quite have an analogue
in MX Style switches.
The closest thing to it that I’ve personally felt are Jailhouse Blues, but even they are
distinct.
But when compared to other Topre keyboards, it’s mostly the same, which I guess makes
sense since they have the same 45g domes.
There are differences, but they’re going to be pretty minor in the grand scheme of
things, so the comparisons that follow are really nitpicks.
Compared to the HHKB, the bottom out feel is more solid.
This is due to the unyielding metal backplate as opposed to the plastic one in the HHKB.
Of the minor differences, this is the most noticeable.
It makes the typing feel more confident.
Actually so much so that I perceive the overall travel distance to be reduced on the Leopold.
This is mostly going to come down to preference, but I do prefer the additional solidness.
Next is the sound.
Of course, by having additional mass in the keyboard, the overall volume is reduced on
the 660C when compared to the HHKB.
When comparing bottom-out sound alone, the Leopold has a more dampened and deeper tone,
while the HHKB sounds a little more hollow.
The return noise for me makes the biggest improvement over the HHKB.
I’ve complained in the past that I think stock HHKBs sound like stabilizer rattle on
every single key.
I know that might make some of you mad, but I 100% stand by it.
On the other hand, the return noise on the Leopold is a lot more refined and soft.
It does still sound rattly, and I would be trying to explore silencing options if I kept
this board, but I do like this much better than the HHKB.
Coincidentally, the actual stabilizers on the 660C is a lot worse.
If you tap on any of the longer keys, you will hear some rattle, while there will be
none on the HHKB.
This of course can be easily fixed with some lube, but just a thing to note.
Have a listen yourself.
Anyway, when both boards are stock, in all aspects of typing, I prefer the Leopold over
the HHKB.
The biggest factor in this preference is the superior (to me) sound on the 660C.
Here’s a quick little test between the two.
Being a pretty compact keyboard, the layout is of interest.
I do think 65% boards are very attractive, especially in their aspect ratio, but you
may have some usability concerns.
Of course, this is going to be different for people and their use cases, but I wish there
were a couple different options on the 660C.
My first complaint is that the two auxiliary keys on the upper right corner is pretty much
useless to me.
I’m a programmer, and use home and end very frequently, and while I might use delete from
time to time, I pretty much never ever use insert.
I wish there were a couple dip switches that would allow you to configure what keys went
there.
I know home and end are accessible with function left and right arrow, or function k or comma,
but the placement of the function key is just kind of inconvenient to me.
I used it for two weeks at work, and I got used to it, but it’s not really something
I like.
You do have the option to switch control and capslock through the dip switches, but I had
a little trouble getting used to that because just the presence of that lower left corner
key compelled me to press it.
I think for me to get the most utility out of this layout, I would need to get that aftermarket
controller to place my function key on caps lock, and adding dedicated home and end.
However, compared to the HHKB, the layout is more readily adaptable to most people,
and my complaints aren’t really huge deal breakers for most use cases, including a lot
of other programmers.
So in my eyes, this keyboard is better than the HHKB in pretty much every category.
It doesn’t feel like a toy, it has proper rubber feet for all four corners, rather than
dumb hard plastic pimples, and overall, it’s just a vastly superior experience when compared
right out of the box.
I think this sentiment is often echoed in the community.
I think a lot of people agree that the HHKB needs a bit of work before it can live up
to all of that hype.
So if you like Topre, and maybe you’re coming from a Realforce or a Type Heaven, this is
going to be familiar territory.
If you’re coming from a HHKB, this is going to be kind of weird, and you might think it’s
too harsh.
But these are just two different styles of the same switch, and both have their merits.
To me, the most important distinction between this and the HHKB is the sound, and it’s
perfectly fine for you to like the hollowness on the PFU board, but I greatly prefer the
dampened sound on the metal plate.
I think this is my 4th or 5th HHKB, and I only bought it to compare it against the 660C,
and at least I can say that I’m consistent because I still don’t like it.
I’ll probably sell it again, but I might just keep the Leopold around.