New Ursa Keycaps: A Revolution in Topre Electrostatic Capacitive Keyboard Options

Introduction to Ursa Keycaps

A Pivotal Moment: It's a critical and exciting time for keyboard enthusiasts, as Ursa's innovative keycaps are now available, offering a long-awaited and unique option for Topre keyboard users. Topre switches are known as non-contact electrostatic capacitive switches, blending the feel of rubber domes with the benefits of mechanical switches in terms of distinct tactile feedback, quiet operation, and consistent pressure without a "mushy" feeling at the bottom out. Popular Topre keyboards, such as HHKB or Realforce R3, have long suffered from limited keycap variety compared to other keyboard types. Options were often restricted to PBT keycaps in OEM profiles and traditional colors like light gray, charcoal, or white, with some colored options emerging more recently. Even basic colors like black keycaps with white legends were not readily available for genuine Topre keyboards. But this is now changing.

Innovative Design and Availability

Innovative Design: Ursa keycaps introduce an innovative and distinctive design specifically for Topre electrostatic capacitive switches. The group buy for these keycaps began in April 2024, and they were initially expected to ship in early 2025. Although they arrived a bit late, they are undoubtedly worth the wait. Pre-orders are expected to begin shipping in November, and extra quantities will be available for purchase at 5 AM ET on October 30th.

Personal Experience: I have been testing a near-final set of Ursa keycaps in white-on-black for several weeks, and I can say that they are an indispensable addition for Topre keyboard users. The spherical-dish keycaps provide superior comfort during typing, with well-defined edges that are not sharp. The typing surface has a slight texture, while the centered legends are clear and perfectly aligned, reminiscent of classic SA and DSA keycaps but with a unique design. I did not notice any stem warping in my test set, unlike other keycaps I have tried. The bottom row is fully convex, including the spacebar, offering exceptional comfort and, to my knowledge, a unique design among keycap profiles. Every aspect of these keycaps has been meticulously executed.

Comparison and Design Details

Design Features: Ursa keycaps are longer than Leopold's OEM keycaps, and their typing surfaces are spherical rather than cylindrical. Additionally, the keycaps in the bottom row feature a convex design instead of the traditional concave.

Practical Use: I have used them on my Leopold FC660C keyboard, as it is the one I have available. You can also see them on the more common Happy Hacking Keyboard on Lightning Keyboards' website. According to Simon Tarchichi of FKCaps, the legends on the white-on-black keycaps will be slightly brighter than those on the experimental samples, but they will be identical to the final versions I will receive when my pre-order arrives.

Colors and Pricing

Color Options: Ursa keycaps are available in a variety of attractive colors, including cream and gray, and black with white legends (with optional red or blue accent keys), as well as a limited vintage-inspired edition combining brown, green, and cream. Blank versions without legends are also available in classic and black colors, offering more customization options.

Pricing Details: The extra pricing remains as it was during the group buy period. A set of HHKB keycaps will cost $80, or $120 for tenkeyless or full-size keyboards. (You can get a blank full-size set for $60 if you don't need the legends.) A new Accent Kit is also available for $8, in red or blue, and includes only the Escape and Enter keys. The limited Minicom edition will not be restocked according to Tarchichi, but the company plans to keep other colors available and release new types in the future, so there's no need to worry if you missed the extras of this edition.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Strong Recommendation: I am a huge fan of Topre keyboards, and it is truly wonderful to have a high-quality and affordable keycap option that doesn't require disassembling the keyboard to make it MX-compatible. (Although this option is also improving and becoming less expensive in the very near future.) As I mentioned when the group buy launched, I won't persuade you to buy these keycaps, but I personally did, and I would do it again without hesitation.