Topre/Nopre for a Boba U4 user

Learning and discussion
3

Hey @milneraj ! I’ve had Boba U4T’s for quite some time in my Mekanisk Tind and I really like them (more than Holy Pandas). I do have a set of Boba U4’s and I just popped them in for a quick feel and they’re practically the same as the U4T’s except that they’re silent. It is extremely close to the feel of the 55g domes that Topre offers in their RealForce Boards, probably the closest I’ve felt as well. My friend argues that the Moyu Blacks are really close as well, but I’ve never personally tried them.

  1. Topre is a bit different in its tactility. The bump is a little more pronounced and rounder than that of the U4T/U4 Boba. The sound is much more desirable (in my honest opinion) in Topre boards than it is with the U4T/U4 Bobas. Like any other board you’ll have to do some TLC to the switches to get the most out of them and so far, Topre domes offer the best sound when properly lubed/silenced. The upstroke is very “clacky” with the Bobas while the Topre maintains the deep “thock” that makes Topre.

  2. I had a Nopre board for a while (6 months of daily use) and I really enjoyed it. The build quality was not good however. The stabs are also not the best (they’re costar stabs and they’re really finnicky), but the good thing is that you get Cherry MX keycaps compatibility out of the box. I think they also come with silencing rings already (at least the model that I have did). Nopre domes are less tactile than Topre domes, they also generally feel lighter than the Topre equivalent as well. Every Topre board that I have is really nice. Solid build quality, great tolerances, and great keycaps out of the box. Leopold, HHKB, and RealForce boards are just really nice OEM boards and I would be happy to use them in their plastic housings, even with all of Norbauer’s metal Topre housings.

  3. Stock Topre is quite loud. The only sound that I like out of the box is the PFU variants and the HHKB stock, with the RealForce RGB being my least favorite (it really sounds bad). Again, just like any other switch, you’ll have to do some TLC. However, I do believe that when done properly, it’ll be one of the best switches that you own. I recommend looking at this post that I made detailing most of the Topre modifications the community does.

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