Overall and Final Verdict
So the Topre Type Heaven is an interesting keyboard. It falls at the low end of Topre boards and close to the high end of Cherry keyboards. Because of that we run into a few small quality issues that you wouldn’t find on a high end Cherry MX keyboard, but it is expected being a lower priced Topre. So on the plus side we have a Topre that doesn’t completely break the bank. Along with that we end up with a simple and clean design with features like the pinhole status LEDs that I loved on the Code keyboards. That clean design makes this a perfect option if you want to stay low key in the office. The relatively quiet Topre switches help with that as well, giving you the tactile feedback without going all Model M on your coworkers.
Like I said before there are a few downsides to being a Topre on a budget. The keycaps that they went with are lasered ABS and noticeably thinner than a high end PBT keycap. I’m a little worried that over time they will wear sooth but they will still hold up better than a backlit keyboard. Not having accessible replacement keycaps will make it even harder if the ABS caps do wear to the point that they need replaced. Then of course the only real performance issue I ran into was a bit of a ping sound when you type. I suspect the plate and PCB are a little thin as I don’t have this issue on my Realforce or the Novatouch but it isn’t bad enough that I would drop the keyboard all together. This is expected a little though given this is designed to be a cheaper Topre keyboard. That doesn’t make this a cheap quality board, just not as high of quality as the high end boards that costs considerably more.
So is this the keyboard for you? Well this is an interesting question. While I don’t consider the price to be a con because it is actually cheaper than any other keyboard with Topre switches. The problem is the Novatouch is getting much closer in price and I felt like it didn’t have issues like the pinging. Add to that the option to be able to use standard MX keycaps and the Novatouch is a great option. Basically if I was okay without the number pad I would go with the Novatouch but at a lower price and with a full number pad the Type Heaven is the best option for a future Topre enthusiast or for someone who is looking to get a classy keyboard with a quality switch.
Amazon Link: HERE
