Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive vs Topre 45g Electrocapacitive
The Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive and the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive are separated mostly by spring weight, 15 g of it at actuation, with the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive the firmer press and the Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive the easier one to hold down. Our switch library 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 | Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive | Topre 45g Electrocapacitive |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 30 g | 45 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2.2 mm | 2.2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | No | No |
| Price tier | Premium | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Topre advertises an actuation force for both of these, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other.
Verdict
Topre is on both sides of this one and both are tactiles, so the question is which of its own tactiles suits you. Weight separates them clearly: measured at actuation, the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive is 15 g heavier than the Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive, which changes both fatigue and sound. Their voices split them more than their specs: the Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive sounds like feather-light softened thock, while the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive gives you the iconic HHKB thock: deep 'toc' with a pillowy landing. The scoring splits them: the Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive for gaming and a shared office, the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive
- Typing pick
- Topre 45g Electrocapacitive
- Office pick
- Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive
Force curves
Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive
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.
Topre 45g Electrocapacitive
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.
Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive or Topre 45g Electrocapacitive: the long answer
The table above already holds the answer. Here is what it means under a finger. Weight is the loud fact here. At actuation the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive takes 45 g where the Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive takes 30 g, and 15 g is enough to change how the third hour feels. Type is not in play. Both are tactiles, and both give a finger something to aim at on the way down. Travel is a straight match, 2.2 mm of pre-travel and 4.0 mm in full on both. Everything else about them is close enough that the spring is the honest tiebreak.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Put them through the player above and the Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive lands as feather-light softened thock where the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive lands as the iconic HHKB thock: deep 'toc' with a pillowy landing. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
On price and practicality, both are premium priced. Both come factory lubed, so neither needs work out of the box. Worth knowing before you order: neither of these uses an MX style stem, so neither will drop into a standard hot-swap board or accept ordinary MX keycaps, and they do not share a mount with each other either.
This one genuinely splits. The Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive for games, because a lighter spring at actuation goes its way. The Topre 45g Electrocapacitive for writing, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. The Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive for an office, as it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. Do the listening first. It costs nothing and it changes minds more often than a spec table does.
Each of these has a page of its own with the full spec sheet and the sound notes. Start with the Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive page and the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive or Topre 45g Electrocapacitive for gaming?
We pick the Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive for gaming. The scoring gives it a lighter spring at actuation against the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive, and both of those show up in a fast game.
Is the Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive quieter than the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive?
Nothing in either one is built to reduce noise, so on raw volume this is a tie decided by your keyboard rather than your switch. What you will actually hear is a difference of pitch and texture, which the player above shows better than a sentence can.
Which has the heavier spring, the Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive or the Topre 45g Electrocapacitive?
The Topre 45g Electrocapacitive, by 15 g. Both figures are published at actuation, 45 g against 30 g, so they are measured at the same point and can be read straight.
More comparisons
More vs Topre 30g / 35g Electrocapacitive
More vs Topre 45g Electrocapacitive
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