PFU Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional2 Type-S white/non-engraved (English array)

Perfect keyboard

I own both the HHKB Pro 2 and the Type S.TL;DR - The HHKB Pro 2 is one of my favourite keyboards. It is very expensive for what you get, and arguably priced too high compared to its competitors, but a fantastic bit of kit. The Type S is better, if you want a quieter keyboard. I don't think that can really be disputed. It is not, however, worth the approx £100 premium over the Pro 2.With that out of the way, I'll review the keyboard in isolation, without considering the worrying effect it has on your wallet.The build quality of this keyboard is as good as you'll get for an all-plastic construction. It's solid with very little flex, no rattle, and what is basically a minimalist 60% design (more on that later). The removable mini USB cable is appreciated, and seems decent quality, though it's not braided, as I prefer. There are gripping rubber pads at the bottom of the back, but not at the top. There are, however, two-stage flip-out feet, allowing you to angle the board as you like, but it's a chunky little number as it is, and the case is angled already. It has two USB 2.0 ports on the back that you can use as a small USB hub. This is a handy little feature, especially if you are using it with a laptop where port space is at a premium. Also on the back of the board are the dip switches, and a handy sticker that tells you what effect they have on the layout (we'll come back to this, too).The keycaps PBT and are slightly on the thin side. They're resistant to wear, with the exception of the spacebar which is ABS and gained some shine relatively quickly for me. The keys have a medium level of texture, and certainly aren't as rough as some of the PBT caps out there on the market.One of the most obvious things about this board is the odd layout. The cut-outs on the bottom row mean that there are three less keys there than a standard 60%, which might be restrictive to an already minimalist form factor. This change is essentially a stylistic choice and effectively reduces the functionality of the keyboard, but there are some clever decisions with the dip switches and function layers that go some way to making up for this. Notable also is the absence of backspace and windows keys in the default setting, as well as the shorter right shift which makes space for a single-unit function key. The only control key on the board takes the place of caps lock. All of the aforementioned dropped keys can be accessed through the function layer, as well as the arrow, function and navigational keys that appear on a full-size board.Opinions differ greatly on this layout. First of all, I will say that the location of the left control (and the subsequent lack of caps lock) is an inspired change an as someone who uses control a lot, this is certainly a boon to productivity. The change of location for the delete key (and subsequent lack of backspace), however, was certainly less convenient for me, and I used the dip switch to change this key to a backspace. I will say that once I'd made this change, I grew to prefer the location of the key for backspace, as it's closer to the primary keys you use for typing. I also swapped the layout to "Lite Ext" mode, which is the setting for Windows, as I use the Windows keys for shortcuts frequently.It took a little while to get used to the layout, but I quickly adjusted and found it to be perfectly usable. All of the nav keys are easy enough to access, and the odd layout of the arrow keys (have a look at some pictures - they're not on WASD as is typical) actually became a benefit, allowing me to use them all with my right hand, just like a normal arrow cluster. If you're a fan of 60% layouts generally, I'm confident that, with a combination of the right dip switch settings and a bit of practice, you will find it to be just as convenient.The main draw of this board, though, is the typing experience. Topre switches are more accurately capacitive rubber domes rather than mechanical switches. We won't discuss what actually makes a keyboard mechanical, but suffice to say that this board feels significantly different to any traditional mechanical Cherry MX-style switch. There is no travel before the tactile feedback, and the resistance almost immediately and completely falls away as the rubber cup is depressed. It's a very unique feeling that isn't really replicated in any other switch. It is also incredibly smooth. I have heard reports of scratchiness in this specific model, but that is something I have never experienced. At the bottom of the key press, the feel is dampened by the rubber, but not mushy as in a membrane keyboard or poor-quality rubber domes. Overall, it's a fairly pronounced tactile feel right at the top of the key press, followed by a minimally resistive linear travel the rest of the way down.The sound this keyboard makes is different to the standard Pro 2, but just as satisfying and of course much quieter. Bottoming out Topre keys makes next to no noise anyway, with most of the signature "thock" of the original coming on the upstroke. The solidly-built plastic case, PBT caps and mostly hollow interior all contribute to this distinctive and highly satisfying sound. On the Type S, the upstroke is dampened by foam rings on the top of the slider, which reduces much of the sound of the slider hitting the top of the housing/bottom of the plastic plate. If I were forced to give this a name, I would call it a "thuck" as opposed to the Pro 2's "thock". This might not mean much, but you can check typing demonstrations on Youtube to appreciate the difference. Primarily though, the Type S is, obviously, much quieter. If this is important to you, then you will prefer the sound of this model. If you want it louder and more pronounced, you'll probably want the Pro 2.Overall, using this keyboard is a highly enjoyable experience. If, like me, the layout lends itself to your style of working, then you may even find yourself to be more productive with this board than a normal 60% layout, even with the missing keys. The silencing modifications made to this Type S model have the desired effect - it is noticeably quieter than the standard Pro 2. But it's not worth the price. I would struggle to justify the cost of the Pro 2 in the first place, though if you're into keyboard as a hobby, you'll be used to paying over the odds for something you just like. The Type S exaggerates this issue. I can't imagine how you can justify the premium that is paid for the Type S over the Pro 2, other than the fact that people actually pay it.If I had to recommend one, I would recommend the Pro 2 over the Type S. The feel is almost identical, the sound the boards make is different, but both fantastic, and all other features are identical. In my book, this doesn't support a 50%+ premium.