NiZ EC 45g vs Topre Silent 45g (Type-S)
Only one of these is dampened. The Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) is a silent switch and the NiZ EC 45g is not, which decides most rooms before the spec sheet gets a say. Our library of every switch we simulate puts these two on each other's shortlist, and the player below is the fastest way to settle it: match the volumes, then work down through the table and the verdict.
Hear them back to back
simulated from real specssound loads on your first tapShortcuts: press A or B anywhere outside a text box to fire that burst. Use the volume trims to loudness-match the pair before judging which sounds better.
Spec by spec
| Spec | NiZ EC 45g | Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile (silent) |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 45 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2.2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 3.8 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | Yes |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | No |
| Price tier | Mid-range | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both makers rate these at actuation, which is the one case where the advertised numbers compare directly. Every other force row still has to be matched basis to basis.
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two tactiles feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. The Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) is also the dampened one of the pair, which makes it far easier to live with in a shared room. Both are rated 45 g at actuation, the only measuring point with a published figure for each, so the spec sheet will not settle weight. Split by use: the NiZ EC 45g for gaming, the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- NiZ EC 45g
- Typing pick
- Topre Silent 45g (Type-S)
- Office pick
- Topre Silent 45g (Type-S)
Force curves
NiZ EC 45g
NiZ publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Topre Silent 45g (Type-S)
Topre publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
NiZ EC 45g or Topre Silent 45g (Type-S): the long answer
Noise is the headline on this pair, so start there. Two different voices: thock-lite: softer, lighter take on the Topre voice on the NiZ EC 45g, muted 'puc': the thock, whispered on the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S). Only the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) is pad-dampened. That removes the top of the bottom-out entirely, which is a bigger change than any number in the table above, and it is why the NiZ EC 45g is the one people hear through a wall. Worth repeating: the audio here is a simulation built from specs and community descriptions, not a recording of either switch.
Back to the mechanical side. The stroke is the same shape on both: both raise a bump close to the point the press registers. That leaves the spec sheet to separate them. Both come out at 45 g at actuation, and actuation is the only point with a figure for each of them, so the tie is on the spec sheet rather than proven in the hand. On distance the NiZ EC 45g registers at 2.0 mm against 2.2 mm, and the full stroke runs 4.0 mm on the NiZ EC 45g against 3.8 mm on the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S). Neither one out-feels the other on type, so the small differences in the table are where the decision lives.
On price and practicality, the NiZ EC 45g is mid priced, while the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) is premium priced. Factory lube on both, so the smoothness you hear in the player is roughly the smoothness you get. One compatibility warning: the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) does not use an MX style stem, so it will not drop into a standard hot-swap board or accept ordinary MX keycaps.
This one genuinely splits. The NiZ EC 45g for games, because the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. The Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) for writing, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. The Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) for an office, as the pads stop the bottom-out from traveling past your own desk. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated NiZ EC 45g page and the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the NiZ EC 45g or the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S)?
We pick the NiZ EC 45g for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Is the NiZ EC 45g quieter than the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S)?
The Topre Silent 45g (Type-S), and it is not close. Its dampening pads cushion both ends of the stroke; the NiZ EC 45g still gives you a full clack when you bottom out.
Is the NiZ EC 45g heavier than the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S)?
Neither, as far as the published numbers go: both are rated 45 g at actuation, the only measuring point with a published figure for each. Bottom-out is where two switches matched at actuation often diverge, but neither switch here has a published bottom-out figure at all. Treat this as a tie on the spec sheet rather than a proven match in the hand.
Can the NiZ EC 45g and the Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) go in the same keyboard?
No. The Topre Silent 45g (Type-S) does not use an MX style stem, so it needs a board built for it and will not take ordinary MX keycaps, while the NiZ EC 45g is a standard MX switch. Whichever you pick decides the keyboard, not the other way round.
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