Way before mechanical keyboard makers started packing layers of sound dampening foam into their boards, Japanese firms Topre and PFU were building expensive, whisper-quiet keyboards using a unique electro-capacitive switch for a cloud-like typing feel.
These models stood out against the growing sea of Cherry MX derived mechanicals, and attained a legendary status in the enthusiast community – particularly the expensive Topre Realforce, which was notably described by computer mag Micro Mart as the “Aston Martin of keyboards”. It’s a keyboard that I’ve longed to own for years, but outside of flying to Japan or getting lucky on Ebay, it just wasn’t going to happen.
One day in December 2022, knee deep in a dissertation on German history, I just thought I’d have a look – and to my surprise, a Topre Realforce R2 PFU Limited Edition had come up for sale from a seller who seemed to specialise in old Fujitsu kit. I snapped at the chance, picking it up without really taking note of how much I’d spent, like it was the Infinity Gauntlet or the Ark of the Covenant. The box arrived in tatters, but the keyboard inside? Pristine.
So what makes the electro-capacitive switches inside the Realforce so treasured? In basic terms, under each key is a conical spring that sits inside a rubber dome, with a sensor beneath the spring that can tell when it’s been compressed as it forms an electrical circuit. Combine the soft feel of a rubber dome and the tactile snap of the spring, and you have a keyboard that feels entirely different to both old-school rubber dome keyboards and modern mechanicals.