Performance
For performance testing, like always, I have been using the Realforce RGB for the past few weeks as my dedicated keyboard. In that time I have had a chance to test the keyboard out in a wide variety of situations including writing the past few reviews, countless emails, and a little gaming. This gave me a chance to adjust to the keyboard and get a feel for any of its quirks.
With most keyboards, especially the typewriter like MK Retro that I last covered it takes me a little while to adjust to the keyboard. But with the Realforce RGB, there wasn’t any trouble. It has a fully standard layout with the exception of the function layer so I was up and typing right away and I just kept the user guide in front of me for any help with the function layer. For those of you who have never typed on a Topre keyboard before, I will say that they feel a lot like a Cherry MX Brown or Cherry MX Clear switch but with a softer landing due to the membrane construction. This one was no different. The 45cN actuation force is exactly like the Cherry MX Brown but with the extra padding, it felt a little more like a Cherry MX Clear to me. This is good though because clears are my preferred switch with browns as a backup.
So typing on the Realforce RGB felt good, though I will admit it is still not the same as typing on my older Realforce 87u. The RGB feels a little more like the Type Heaven, specifically, it is a little rattly and noisier where the 87u has a really solid feel. The longer modifiers and the spacebar were solid with the built-in stabilizers, something I can’t always say for my Cherry based boards. The double shot ABS keycaps weren’t like the Type Heaven though, these are thick and felt solid to type on. I was a little concerned going in that the tiny rubber feet would have the keyboard sliding all over my desk but I didn’t have an issue with that in testing.
One of the big points with the Realforce RGB was the addition of the customizable actuation points. So when testing I spent a lot of testing flipping between the three settings. I can say for sure that it does change the actuation point for one, that in itself is crazy that it is just a software setting that is needed to do that. But beyond that I found myself sticking mostly to the 1.5 and the 2.2 settings and avoiding the 3.0 setting. The first two are both settings that I have used in the past between standard and gaming keyboards. The lower actuation point was nicer in gaming of course, but I did find I could type on all three without any issues cropping up. Being able to flip between the settings on the fly was great, I could have my gaming setting and loosen things up for the rest of the time.
The other half of the big breakthrough on the Realforce RGB is the second half of the keyboards name, the RGB lighting. If you have been on Massdrop lately you have most likely seen a few Topre knockoffs with backlighting, but this is the first Topre with backlighting officially, let alone full RGB backlighting. For me this was a huge breakthrough, I never use my other Topre because I could never see the legends, and with backlighting that won’t be an issue. The lighting was a little dimmer than some of the RGB keyboards I have tested recently, but it was more than bright enough. It lit up the gaps between the keys well with the white backplate and the legends were all bright as well, even in the F row where the function layers take up most of the keycap, there weren’t dims spots where the stem would be. I would love to see them add the ability to customize the individual key lighting on the keyboard without the software with future models, but even so, the software was good, I just would avoid any software if given the choice.
