Why I prefer HHKB
- Publish Date
HHKB (Happy Hacking Keyboard) is a well-established keyboard manufacturer that has rooted itself firmly in the soil of the field of keyboards long before the craze of custom budget keyboards. Aside from having a weird layout and a rather tiny size compared to other keyboards, most of its keyboards also feature rubberdome-like switches called topre switches, which use a different technology from mechanical switches. This post is only meant as a mere summary of my experience with HHKB keyboards, chiefly the Professional Hybrid Type-S keyboard, and should not be taken too seriously.
Feel & Sound
I like to start off by talking about the most superficial aspect of a keyboard which is its feel and the sound it makes when you type on it. The feel of topre switches is intangible. Its sound can be described as a mix of tactile and linear switches, being "mushy" yet satisfying simultaneously. Your fingers skimming across the keyboard, you would find your fingers strangely at ease albeit constantly typing, which makes it pretty friendly for long computer sessions. Typing on it also feels rewarding, like popping bubble wraps; though, this part has some exaggeration to it, but you get my point.
Layout (ANSI)
While the keyboard retains the original ANSI layout, it has been modified to incorporate some special HHKB input method.
This is the famous HHKB layout. By using the fn modifier key, the keyboard can squash many keys into smaller
numbers, the result being a small keyboard with highly accessible keys within your fingertips non-figuratively. While
unintuitive at first, you will begin to notice how convenient it is to work on a keyboard with the HHKB layout. The
control key occupying the position formerly for CAPSLOCK is also a nice touch, making it more comfortable to click
without straining one's pinky.
Battery
The hybrid I own houses two swappable batteries. This might look weird at first due to the fact that most keyboards nowadays use something similar to the battery on the picture below, but it makes swapping batteries easier compared to ordering a new keyboard battery when the old one has worn off.
DIP Customization
The DIP switches on the back of the keyboard makes it easy to customize the behavior of it without having to burn custom firmware to it.
Verdict
HHKB Keyboards are well-made and have withstood the test of time. I wholeheartedly recommend HHKB keyboards to those who use computer for a long period of time, troubled with typing strain. I will upload more keyboard-related posts in the near future, so stay tuned.