Introduction

I’m glad to see that mechanical keyboards are taking off with the gaming crowd. It used to be just me that was rocking a mechanical, then I slowly started getting my friends into it by selling them keyboards and inviting them to try out mine.

When I went back to the Computer Gaming Society IRC channel someone told me “Hey! Will! We’ve all got mechanicals now! Aren’t you proud?”

And I was, of course. Mechanicals make excellent sense for gamers looking for every bit of performance they can get, particularly if they’re playing competitively. They give you that slightest edge; they’re faster, more durable and they feel better than normal rubber dome keyboards.

The big difficulty is the price – where you can pick up a cheap dome keyboard for £3 and a gaming one for £20, a mechanical that costs £60 to £100 is a big step up.

What do you do then to justify a keyboard that’s nearly £200? You write a review on it, of course. Allow me to introduce you to the Topre Realforce 105UB – the Cadillac of keyboards.

Specifications

• Stroke: 4 mm
• Peak Force: Differential Peak Force
  Allocate 30g, 45g, 55g +/- 15g Peak Force
• Interface: USB (or PS/2 via supplied adaptor)
• Power Supply: DC5V +/- 0.25V, 100 mA (MAX)
• Cable Length: 1.5m
• Width: 455mm
  Depth: 168.5mm
  Thickness: 39.6mm

Packaging

The Realforce 105UB arrives in an understated plain brown box, the only indication that there’s a keyboard inside is the weight – about 1.5kg or 3.3 lbs.

Inside, you’ll find the keyboard itself (in a clear plastic covering) and almost nothing else. There’s a brief manual, but that’s OK. This is a keyboard. We know what it does.