Break-in period for HHKB?

[photekq]

Elrick, no matter how much shit you spew there always seems to be enough left in your mouth for one more post

[Crossfire]

Nah, it has the same type of switches, just different way of plate and case construction. I lubed my ex RF87 55g too and she was amazing afterwards...stock one? Well, like with hhkb, average.
It's the switch

[adhoc]

I am bothered to the extent that I haven't used my Leopold in months even though it used to be my favourite keyboard by far

Just a suggestion here, if you're still addicted to the Thorpie Phenomenon why not purchase a Realforce keyboard?

They are always 100% better constructed, than your common, rubbish-styled HHKB/Leopold which according to you lot here in this section, have clearly shown it doesn't perform at all (pity about paying for that type of non-performance ).

If you value this style of switch, then get a Realforce because I've got dozens that have never displayed anything like what you've mentioned plus they simply perform as expected. 100% Satisfaction with no excuses or lame defects, which is what a REAL Japanese Keyboard should be.

Suspect you, like others here bought a cheaply-made Chinese Model hence your problems exist. Get with the PLAN and buy a Japanese Made Keyboard instead and watch all those worries about an INFERIOR keyboard, disappear before your eyes and fingers .

HHKB Pro are made in Japan. Only HHKB Lite are made in China. I've had a realforce and a hhkb (and about a bazillion other boards). You're flat out wrong.

[czarek]

Speaking of quality of RF vs HHKB, I remember few keys on my 55G Realforce were not super smooth when I first got it, but it all evened out in couple weeks/months. I never lubed it or anything, just used normally. In fact my RF domes were never exposed, I only opened it regularly to clean up dust / gunk / hair that accumulated during normal use.

[002]

HHKB Pro are made in Japan. Only HHKB Lite are made in China. I've had a realforce and a hhkb (and about a bazillion other boards). You're flat out wrong.

The HHKB is definitely made in Japan. The Leopold FC660C is made in China, but IIRC certain parts such as the PCB and domes are made in Japan and sent over for assembly.

[Stabilized]

Eh I should post my question in another thread I think!

My Leopold does state that it is made in China, but I don't think that is a stamp of quality or lack thereof. Surely a factory's geographic position doesn't magically change production practices and standards? I mean I understand that the wage is higher, but that doesn't automatically equate to a better job, and this is contingent on a majority of the work being manual, otherwise it could very well be the same machines working on different land masses.
It also raises the question of what quality is, and how it is defined (too scared to get into that one).

Anyway, for what it is worth I do have a Realforce, I have had two. I also have had a HHKB, but I don't think my problem has anything to do with the 'quality' of the board. I am thinking that it is probably user error more than anything else.

[face]

To go totally OT: there are of course high end production facilities in China. There are building planes, jet engines and stuff too. It's just: they can ALSO do the cheap stuff very... cheap and with high production numbers and if you only pay for cheap you only get cheap, so that's where that cheap/china connection comes from.

[002]

I have a Type Heaven which is made in China and it's excellent quality. In the absence of a "Made in China" label, I doubt someone without prior knowledge could point to anything on the Type Heaven that gives it away as being made there.

[czarek]

Macbooks and iPhones are also made in China, and they're top notch quality as far as I can tell

[Thumper]

After mine didn't felt like breakin'-in i decided to Hyperspere and Lube it (with 205 GPL Krytox). I lubed the slider-rails and the rings in which the slider sits. Together with the Novatouch sliders and the OG Cherry PBT Dyesub Keycaps the board is not only silent as hell, but also smooth as heaven.

[face]

Great! Exactly what I opted for now and will try asap

[Thumper]

Great! Exactly what I opted for now and will try asap

If you lube, i used not more than the sliders bottom nose is for each slider-side.

[Elrick]

HHKB Pro are made in Japan. Only HHKB Lite are made in China. I've had a realforce and a hhkb (and about a bazillion other boards). You're flat out wrong.

The HHKB is definitely made in Japan. The Leopold FC660C is made in China, but IIRC certain parts such as the PCB and domes are made in Japan and sent over for assembly.

Not saying ALL HHKBs are Made in China (Gawd-forbid) but considering their price tag, it wouldn't be hard for them (Chinese) to actually make them in a sub-standard way then market them as an "Official" Product.

They've been doing that with nearly every other product imaginable, hence you never know what you're actually buying. Then again they could also make copies of RF Keyboards hence again we are not to know other than 'your' keyboard displaying unusual characteristics, not normally shown on Japanese made keyboards.

I'm just suspicious of anything claiming to be Made in Japan, when there is little proof otherwise.

[Crossfire]

After mine didn't felt like breakin'-in i decided to Hyperspere and Lube it (with 205 GPL Krytox). I lubed the slider-rails and the rings in which the slider sits. Together with the Novatouch sliders and the OG Cherry PBT Dyesub Keycaps the board is not only silent as hell, but also smooth as heaven.

Everything is better with some lube!
Lubed topre is buttereh smooth, like night & day in comparison to stock one...

[face]

Great! Exactly what I opted for now and will try asap

If you lube, i used not more than the sliders bottom nose is for each slider-side.

I don't know what you mean yet, but I will find out. My plan was to lub just veeery thin with a small brush, so that there is barely something on the surface of the slider rails and stem housing.

[czarek]

I don't lube Topre, it becomes smoother with use anyways. My (now sold) 55G Realforce was butter smooth compared to my HHKB. HHKB became noticably smoother with few months of use, but it's not at the RF level yet. I've recently got fullsize silent RF borad for my wife and it's definitely less smooth than HHKB, but I believe it only needs couple months of hardcore use and it will be smooth as butter (or my old 55G RF).

[face]

I thought if I opened anyway to install the rings I could lube it as well.

[Crossfire]

You've did the right thing, no doubt about it.

[face]

Yesterday I installed the hypersphere rings and lubed the keyboard with Krytox thick mix from techkeys. The sound is quite amazing now! It is about as loud as my macbooks chiclet keyboard, but with a completely different pitch, much darker. The upwards clack is completely gone.

As I upgraded the Pro BT: disassembling the board is a pain in the ass. There is an extra bluetooth board on it with you have to dismount to get to two additional screws which hold the keyboard. This extra board is held by two screws and (here the problem) by white adhesive tape (like the one from Tesa you get). I really struggles to come of and I was afraid of bending it to far. I apparently didn't, yet something to be mentioned.
The stabilizers on my board came lubed already with very thick grease, I didn't change anything at this point. I lubed the rails and the stem housing with a only ever so slight bit. One mustn't see the lube when applied. The to stabilized keys on the board (lshift and return) shoudn't be lubed, since they become to sticky then (tried it). Maybe with a thin oil, but they are already lubed.

Although I notice a travel reduction with the rings and the board now lacks some of the topre feeling it had before, I really like the mod. I write faster with it. It lacks some of the tactility, but since that was too much for my RSI hands originally, I appreciate this too. It is so quiet that you hear some springs. Some keys seem to be a little louder than others regarding the upwards clack, don't know where this comes from. It is not noticeable while typing, but while just trying out e.g. my e sounds much darker if I let it snap upwards than my o.

All in all I can really recommend it, especially if the 45g Version is a touch too heavy for you everyday needs.

[Tangtawan]

My HHKB Pro 2 has weird scratchy feeling on the left shift as well, all other keys are buttery smooth though.