Leopold FC660C w/ Topre Silent 45g

[Mateyyy]

Coming in at $249, the Leopold FC660C doesn't try to justify its premium positioning with features like RGB, backlighting, software, USB passthroughs, a metal build - things you'd find in many prebuilt, primarily gaming oriented keyboards at this kind of a price point.

Instead, Leopold seems to have primarily focused on the typing experience that this board offers, and let that do the talking. But will that be enough to warrant the asking price?

 

 

Beside the keyboard itself, there's not a whole lot in the way of accessories included in the box. You're looking at just a manual, a bog standard USB-A to mini USB-B cable (nope, no USB-C here) and a couple of extra, replacement keycaps.

 

 

Speaking of which, the FC660C's keycaps are dye-sublimated and made out of PBT plastic, with the exception of the spacebar which is ABS. The profile is somewhere between OEM and Cherry, and will therefore feel very familiar from the moment you take it out of the box and start typing.

 

 

As you may or may not have noticed, the legends on these keycaps are really not all that prominent. In fact, from some angles or under certain lighting conditions, they'll almost look like blanks. If you ask me, that just adds to the overall stealthy look of this board, which I'm really into.

 

 

If you rely on the legends when typing however, these keycaps will be far from optimal. The fact that aftermarket Topre compatible keycaps are quite scarce also doesn't help, so that's definitely something to take note of, as far as the black on black variant of the FC660C is concerned. If you're into modding though, you could get some MX sliders and make your board compatible with any MX style keycaps of your liking!

 

Now, let's talk Topre. Technically, these are electrostatic capacitive non-contact switches. In layman's terms, these are the rich man's rubber domes.

 

 

In the case of my personal board, these are 45g silenced Topre switches. Non-silenced Topre will have a black housing, as opposed to purple.

 

So... how do they feel? Are they really good enough to make spending this much on a seemingly uninteresting prebuilt justifiable?

Before I comment on that, I'd just like to make clear that this is just my own personal opinion. Preferred keyboard switches are totally a matter of personal taste, and trying them out before you go out and buy them is highly recommended.

 

 

Typing on this keyboard is an absolute joy. Coming from Cherry MX Browns, it really was a pleasure to get to feel a proper tactile switch. 

I've yet to find a better, short explanation than to say that typing on this keyboard feels like typing on clouds, with a really deliberate, thocky resistance at the end when bottoming out, that then pushes back your finger on the way up with a subtle, distinctive sound. Hopefully that at least kind of makes sense.

 

With these switches, this board is really quiet. The stabilisers are also very good - I've only noticed a tiny bit of rattle on the backspace key, but that's about it.

 

 

Actually, since I mentioned that it's quiet... why not include a sound test?

Spoiler

 

I actually even type considerably faster on these switches as opposed to my previous MX Browns, which really was quite surprising.

They're also fine for gaming, I feel. Lots of people seem to think that gaming requires the really light keyboard switches for some reason, but I wholeheartedly disagree with that. Double tapping keys felt a little odd at first, which took me back to when I first switched to a mechanical keyboard from a cheap old membrane, though I got used to it quickly.

 

 

With all of that said, do I think that the Leopold FC660C was worth the premium? I'd say so.

Typing on it feels amazing, it's quiet, portable, and also looks good despite not being flashy in the slightest. I guess the lack of USB-C could be considered a con, though I really don't see why that would be a deal-breaker for anybody.

Oh, and it might also make you hate your old keyboard. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Edited December 11, 2020 by Mateyyy

[Eschew]

SEEEXYYY!!!

 

[Clears throat.] 

 

Love the attention to detail in this review! Switches, yes, but also keycaps/legends, stabilizers, and cabling. Little things absolutely matter when you're dishing out unnecessarily big dollars for a good experience.

 

Also, I 100% your description of the Topre typing feel. I might even prefer the Topres over mechanical tactile switches? Although, that's not saying much, considering I've only ever experienced one other tactile -- the Hako Royal Clears. First time I pushed down on a Hako Royal Clear and felt that super sharp bump, I was like, "Oh. Hm... Okay. Tactiles are kinda... not my thing." Then, when I tried the Topres, I was tempted to call them linears at first 'cos they felt sooo different from the Hako Royal Clears. Comparing the Topres to my other linear switches pointed out the Topre's soft tactie bump to my dumbo brain. Dumbo brain then went, "Oh, heeey. I like this. Topres are now my thing."

 

...Oh no your review left me excited. I'ma shush up now.

 

#TopreGang!

[FakeNSA]

First eschew, now you? Y’all going to make me spend faaaaar to much money on keyboards. 

[Mateyyy]

2 minutes ago, Eschew said:

Love the attention to detail in this review! Switches, yes, but also keycaps/legends, stabilizers, and cabling. Little things absolutely matter when you're dishing out unnecessarily big dollars for a good experience.

Thank you! Writing it all at lunch time today with just one coffee and very bad sleep maybe wasn't quite ideal, but I'm satisfied with what I have managed to include and touch on.

 

5 minutes ago, Eschew said:

Also, I 100% your description of the Topre typing feel. I might even prefer the Topres over mechanical tactile switches? Although, that's not saying much, considering I've only ever experienced one other tactile -- the Hako Royal Clears. First time I pushed down on a Hako Royal Clear and felt that super sharp bump, I was like, "Oh. Hm... Okay. Tactiles are kinda... not my thing." 

You know, I was thinking the same thing, though I'm kind of afraid in a way to mention it since I have also tried only a very limited amount of tactile mechanical switches, so I'm not comfortable saying that one is better than the other, considering how many varieties of mechanical switches are out there.

I've heard that Zealios (and I'm guessing Zilents too) also have a very sharp tactile bump, whereas with Topre it's just so... delicate?.. yet still deliberate.

 

11 minutes ago, Eschew said:

#TopreGang!

[Guest]

5 hours ago, FakeNSA said:

First eschew, now you? Y’all going to make me spend faaaaar to much money on keyboards. 

Hey kid...

 

Spoiler

 

Join us. You know you want to.

#TopreGang is everywhere.

 

[FakeNSA]

1 hour ago, Den-Fi said:

Hey kid...

 

  Hide contents

 

Join us. You know you want to.

#TopreGang is everywhere.

 

Point me to one that rests under $200, and I'll be on it.

Until then, I'll drool from a distance

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, FakeNSA said:

Point me to one that rests under $200, and I'll be on it.

Until then, I'll drool from a distance

Did you think I wouldn't be able to do that, lol.

I won't hijack Matey's thread, but I will be posting on your profile in a moment.