PEXON
SleevingMaster
by James Churchill
Manufacturer: PFU Limited of Japan
Current Pricing: 190 to 300 GBP
The Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2 (or as we will call it, the HHKB in this review) is a 60 key keyboard utilizing Topre keyswitches. It has some unique features that we will delve into later on.
I feel comfortable having owned this keyboard for several months, to now publish this review.
Design
As mentioned previously, the HHKB uses Topre Capacitive switches. In essence, these switches are hybrid, combing a rubber dome, spring and a slider, built into the ‘plate’ of the keyboard. The rubber dome of the switch provides tactility and feedback and the compression of the spring is detected by the internal capacitive sensing system mid key press, all of this is done, without contact. As per usual, we get a 4mm travel reminiscent of the more common Cherry MX switches.
The feel of the switch is difficult to put into words. As stated they are a hybrid switch, with a buttery smooth travel throughout the keystroke, both upon actuation and return. There is a resistance upon pressing the switch, reminiscent of rubber dome keyboards, followed by smooth linear action. The switches return to their uncompressed state with a fast action. After the initial ‘bump,’ you cannot feel any tactile or audible feedback notifying you that the keystroke has been registered, this causes ‘bottoming out’ difficult to avoid, that’s fine with me, you get a satisfying ‘thock’ upon bottoming out. I cannot comment on other Topre switches, such as the silenced variety and differently weighted switches found in some Realforce boards.
The Topre switches in the HHKB are relatively quiet and you can happily type away without causing to much annoyance to anyone around you. I would compare them to the sound of Cherry MX Black switches in terms of noise level upon bottoming out, so not too loud, unless you are heavy handed.
I have quite small hands and typing on the HHKB is a joy, very rarely do I accidentally actuate a switch, although due to the nature of the switches, they are light so they do pick up on your mistakes and accidental keystrokes easily. As I said, having small hands and fingers, the keyboard is a joy to use and getting around all the function keys is very quick and easy (we will get onto the Fn later on). Dimensions of the board are as follows: 294 x 110 x 39.9mm (WxLxH)
Build Quality
As expected (but seldom received) in regards to premium products, the HHKB ticks all the boxes in terms of fit, finish and overall build quality. The board ships in a small, black cardboard box with a cross brace to avoid any damaged during transit or storage. Apart from that, there is little else included in the box in terms of protection. safe to say though, there were no issues with my board upon delivery.
The keyboard itself weighs in at 530g, so it is somewhat light when compared to full size boards. It does have a tendency to move around a little if you are working off a smooth, glossy work-surface such as an MDF or glass desk. I have no issues with the board moving round whilst typing or gaming as I use a large mouse/desk mat, the board is less prone to movement on a surface such as this.
The body of the keyboard is a tough, with no flex when force is applied to both ends. I tried twisting the board and none of the edges, seams or keys showed sign of stress. The overall build of the body is very good, all the edges are flush and mate together perfectly.
The main caps are made of PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) and the spacebar is made of ABS, for the obvious reason of the difficulty of making PBT spacebars. The stock caps I have show no sign of degradation after 4 months of continuous use, nor do the replacement green caps I have either. All in all, very good. As far as I am aware, there are no PBT replacement spacebars on the market for the HHKB, probably due to the fact there isn’t really a need for one, the standard ABS one will more than capable.
The stock keycaps that ship with the board are fairly thick, not as thick as other PBT caps on the market, but as stated before, there are no issues with wear, damage or warping so far. After multiple removals for cleaning the caps have held up well. I have a few marks on some of the caps, mainly due to the removal tool I am using, which has thick metal prongs and tabs, a removal tool with more finesse and a lighter wire would stop any damage to the caps. I have not had any issues with the ABS spacebar upon removal, but others have commented on the spacebar being somewhat weaker in comparison to other ABS spacebars, luckily I have had no issues, even though I removed it several times.
Features
The HHKB features a 2 port USB hub, a really handy feature for card readers, mice and other peripherals such as mobile phone and media player chargers. The hub provides 100mA per usb header, which is more than enough for most mice, USB 2 card readers and flash drives. Items such as USB 3 flash drives will struggle, or not work whatsoever due to their higher power draw. I can charge my iPod Touch without trouble, but charging my HTC One smartphone struggles.
I use my Compact Flash USB card reader with my HHKB and it transfers data at a fair speed and of course, it is much easier to use than reaching around the back of a PC. I also use A Logitech G500 mouse with the hub on occasion and have no issues in regards to response time, lag or input latency, however I cannot comment on other mice. The HHKB comes with a Mini USB receptacle so you can remove the cable when not in use and transport. I quickly replaced the stock cable with one of my own, obviously, being I make my own custom ones. I have no experience in regards to bluetooth/ wireless mods.
Function Layer, Numpad and Dip Switches
The HHKB retains full keyboard size regardless of its slender physique. Being a 60 key board, the use of the Fn layer enables the use of a full num pad, arrow keys, F1-12. The Fn layer is activated using a standard sized key, located on the far right of the board, next to the left Shift and under the Return key.
The escape key is located to the left of the one key on the top row of the keyboard. The location of the tide key is moved to the end of the top row, on the right hand side.
The control key replaces the standard caps lock key (there is no caps lock key on the board) and is the only control key on the board. The delete key is found above the enter key and the backspace is found when pressing Fn + delete. Now comes the important part, this will enable you to tailor the HHKB to your taste, the Dip switches.
The Verdict
In terms of pricing, yes, the Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2 (phew!) is pricy, but, in my opinion at least it is worth every penny. In terms of build, layout and spec, it deserves its nomanclature as a premium prodcuct. The current cost of the HHKB Pro 2, from Amazon UK is just under 310 GBP. If you shop around, get one from Elite Keyboard in the US or get one imported from Japan, it will more than likely come out to be cheaper. I managed to get mine from a friend in Japan, so I payed under half the price above, but I can understand people being dubious in regards to the pricing point though, its a premium product that demands a premium price.
Be sure to look out for the other HHKB Pro 2 boards with different layouts, such as the JP version (it has arrow keys!), different caps and smaller spacebar.
Manufacturer: PFU Limited of Japan
Current Pricing: 190 to 300 GBP
The Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2 (or as we will call it, the HHKB in this review) is a 60 key keyboard utilizing Topre keyswitches. It has some unique features that we will delve into later on.
I feel comfortable having owned this keyboard for several months, to now publish this review.
Design
As mentioned previously, the HHKB uses Topre Capacitive switches. In essence, these switches are hybrid, combing a rubber dome, spring and a slider, built into the ‘plate’ of the keyboard. The rubber dome of the switch provides tactility and feedback and the compression of the spring is detected by the internal capacitive sensing system mid key press, all of this is done, without contact. As per usual, we get a 4mm travel reminiscent of the more common Cherry MX switches.
The feel of the switch is difficult to put into words. As stated they are a hybrid switch, with a buttery smooth travel throughout the keystroke, both upon actuation and return. There is a resistance upon pressing the switch, reminiscent of rubber dome keyboards, followed by smooth linear action. The switches return to their uncompressed state with a fast action. After the initial ‘bump,’ you cannot feel any tactile or audible feedback notifying you that the keystroke has been registered, this causes ‘bottoming out’ difficult to avoid, that’s fine with me, you get a satisfying ‘thock’ upon bottoming out. I cannot comment on other Topre switches, such as the silenced variety and differently weighted switches found in some Realforce boards.
The Topre switches in the HHKB are relatively quiet and you can happily type away without causing to much annoyance to anyone around you. I would compare them to the sound of Cherry MX Black switches in terms of noise level upon bottoming out, so not too loud, unless you are heavy handed.
I have quite small hands and typing on the HHKB is a joy, very rarely do I accidentally actuate a switch, although due to the nature of the switches, they are light so they do pick up on your mistakes and accidental keystrokes easily. As I said, having small hands and fingers, the keyboard is a joy to use and getting around all the function keys is very quick and easy (we will get onto the Fn later on). Dimensions of the board are as follows: 294 x 110 x 39.9mm (WxLxH)
Build Quality
As expected (but seldom received) in regards to premium products, the HHKB ticks all the boxes in terms of fit, finish and overall build quality. The board ships in a small, black cardboard box with a cross brace to avoid any damaged during transit or storage. Apart from that, there is little else included in the box in terms of protection. safe to say though, there were no issues with my board upon delivery.
The keyboard itself weighs in at 530g, so it is somewhat light when compared to full size boards. It does have a tendency to move around a little if you are working off a smooth, glossy work-surface such as an MDF or glass desk. I have no issues with the board moving round whilst typing or gaming as I use a large mouse/desk mat, the board is less prone to movement on a surface such as this.
The body of the keyboard is a tough, with no flex when force is applied to both ends. I tried twisting the board and none of the edges, seams or keys showed sign of stress. The overall build of the body is very good, all the edges are flush and mate together perfectly.
The main caps are made of PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) and the spacebar is made of ABS, for the obvious reason of the difficulty of making PBT spacebars. The stock caps I have show no sign of degradation after 4 months of continuous use, nor do the replacement green caps I have either. All in all, very good. As far as I am aware, there are no PBT replacement spacebars on the market for the HHKB, probably due to the fact there isn’t really a need for one, the standard ABS one will more than capable.
The stock keycaps that ship with the board are fairly thick, not as thick as other PBT caps on the market, but as stated before, there are no issues with wear, damage or warping so far. After multiple removals for cleaning the caps have held up well. I have a few marks on some of the caps, mainly due to the removal tool I am using, which has thick metal prongs and tabs, a removal tool with more finesse and a lighter wire would stop any damage to the caps. I have not had any issues with the ABS spacebar upon removal, but others have commented on the spacebar being somewhat weaker in comparison to other ABS spacebars, luckily I have had no issues, even though I removed it several times.
Features
The HHKB features a 2 port USB hub, a really handy feature for card readers, mice and other peripherals such as mobile phone and media player chargers. The hub provides 100mA per usb header, which is more than enough for most mice, USB 2 card readers and flash drives. Items such as USB 3 flash drives will struggle, or not work whatsoever due to their higher power draw. I can charge my iPod Touch without trouble, but charging my HTC One smartphone struggles.
I use my Compact Flash USB card reader with my HHKB and it transfers data at a fair speed and of course, it is much easier to use than reaching around the back of a PC. I also use A Logitech G500 mouse with the hub on occasion and have no issues in regards to response time, lag or input latency, however I cannot comment on other mice. The HHKB comes with a Mini USB receptacle so you can remove the cable when not in use and transport. I quickly replaced the stock cable with one of my own, obviously, being I make my own custom ones. I have no experience in regards to bluetooth/ wireless mods.
Function Layer, Numpad and Dip Switches
The HHKB retains full keyboard size regardless of its slender physique. Being a 60 key board, the use of the Fn layer enables the use of a full num pad, arrow keys, F1-12. The Fn layer is activated using a standard sized key, located on the far right of the board, next to the left Shift and under the Return key.
The escape key is located to the left of the one key on the top row of the keyboard. The location of the tide key is moved to the end of the top row, on the right hand side.
The control key replaces the standard caps lock key (there is no caps lock key on the board) and is the only control key on the board. The delete key is found above the enter key and the backspace is found when pressing Fn + delete. Now comes the important part, this will enable you to tailor the HHKB to your taste, the Dip switches.
The Verdict
In terms of pricing, yes, the Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2 (phew!) is pricy, but, in my opinion at least it is worth every penny. In terms of build, layout and spec, it deserves its nomanclature as a premium prodcuct. The current cost of the HHKB Pro 2, from Amazon UK is just under 310 GBP. If you shop around, get one from Elite Keyboard in the US or get one imported from Japan, it will more than likely come out to be cheaper. I managed to get mine from a friend in Japan, so I payed under half the price above, but I can understand people being dubious in regards to the pricing point though, its a premium product that demands a premium price.
Be sure to look out for the other HHKB Pro 2 boards with different layouts, such as the JP version (it has arrow keys!), different caps and smaller spacebar.
