Drop Mech Keys Meetup Recap - Thanks for Visiting!
As you may have seen, we just hosted our first meetup in quite a while here at Drop HQ (Corsair HQ, but they seem to like us enough :) )! It was a blast to get to meet so many enthusiasts local to the bay area—it had been 10 years since I was last hanging out with keyboard nerds in the bay, at KeyCon 2014. We had a great time hosting everyone at the offices, checking out all the very nice boards y'all brought, and sharing some of our own projects/spaces! I knew it would be fun to host in the Game Room when I first saw it in person, but seeing it come to fruition was still so cool. Alright, I'll stop blabbering on now. xD Picture time! (Oh, real quick - there will be more of these! Stay tuned for more info and to catch the next one!)
May 15, 2024
Sorry - I am NOT an expert on keyboards, but I am seriously considering this one... but can't figure out what makes it so super special.
What makes this keyboard super special? It uses electro capacitive switches, of which Realforce makes the highest quality version. Each key has a rubber dome that gives great tactile feedback compared to something like Cherry MX Brown switches.
The core of the name Mechanical Keyboards is that instead of the cheaper alternatives provided over the years ("membrane"), mechanical keyboards use individual switches of different types which trigger at an 'actuation point' rather than bottoming out a key to enter a letter. They are costlier to produce, but feel a lot nicer to type on, since you don't have to press every key down completely. Overall, much more comfortable and enjoyable to type on.
Cherry MX type switches are some of the more common, as there are a lot of variants to choose from, and users can easily build their own keyboards since switches are self-contained. Electro capacitive Topre switches use a rubber dome and a spring, and the PCB detects the keypress via capacitance (I can't really explain it well). Switches all have actuation points either high up or somewhere around the midpoint of the total key travel, some of which even have tuning, like the Realforce RGB.
Topre keyboards like this are costlier not only because of quality, but availability. Elitekeyboards.com is the only actual US distributor for Realforce boards, so acquiring them any other way requires other sites like this, or people selling direct from Japan for a premium (often around $250~$300USD).
I don't suppose this keyboard is ever made with the extra number pad over on the right side, is it? That wouldn't be a possibility, would it?
Thank you again.
There are definitely full size variants (with numpads)! I think you just missed the drop here for the Realforce 104U boards that ended right before this one started. For reference, the two industry standard sizes are a full size 104 key, or the tenkeyless (without numpad) 87 key variant you see here. The 'U' is unit typically. Most major manufacturers sell both of those variants. In fact, if you do a lot of number entry, I would definitely recommend searching for a full size instead of the keyboard here.
What to do, what to do.
Go for it! You won't regret owning a Realforce board (unless you're broke).