HHKB Studio review: Forget everything you knew about keyboards

I’ve reviewed a fair share of keyboards. I have personally tried even more. Keyboards are rarely a surprise: you know what to expect, and usually, in my reviews, I talk about the feel of the keys, the loudness, and the overall design. Very rarely — if ever — do I get a chance to speak about something as alien as the HHKB Studio. It’s a keyboard that’s unlike pretty much anything you’ve seen unless you happen to be one of the numerous fans of this particular brand.

So what is the HHKB Studio, and what makes it stand out?

What’s in the box — and how much does it cost

Let’s start with the elephant in the room — the price. There are expensive keyboards and expensive keyboards. The HHKB Studio is the latter: the starting price seems to be $449.00, although it goes for $329 right now. That’s not cheap by anyone’s standards. For that, you can buy three Logitech MX Mechanical Minis! And most probably, you’ll be happy with that. But HHKB is not a brand for everyone. It knows its audience and doesn’t try to mix things up too much. It’s weird — that’s the point.

Unlike most of the keyboards we review, this one doesn’t come from a startup or a Chinese company. Happy Hacking Keyboard (HHKB) is a line of specialized keyboards designed by Japanese company PFU Limited. The company has been making these keyboards since 1996!

The keyboard comes in a small black box that hides nothing except the keyboard itself, batteries, and USB cable. There are no additional bonuses like the protective case (even though it’s supposed to be portable). You also get a very nice instruction manual explaining most of the Studio’s peculiarities.

Read also: Logitech MX Mechanical Mini Keyboard For Mac review: Finally, Mechanical Keyboard Designed for Mac

Design

I like the way the HHKB Studio looks. It immediately makes you understand what it is: it’s a tool for work. Forget about garish RBG lights or silly keycaps. HHKB is all business. Clad in matte black, it is not there to draw attention but to increase productivity. It even hides its most unique features: you would never guess that it has four sensor panels.

The most unique characteristic of this keyboard is the layout. It won’t surprise HHKB connoisseurs, but anyone new to this company will be puzzled, and probably not in a good way. HHKB keyboards have a compact layout that excludes the traditional function row (F1-F12) and the navigation cluster (arrow keys, home, end, etc.) The control key is located where the caps lock key is typically found on standard keyboards. There is no Caps Lock key anywhere. The keys themselves look completely black, although there is printing on them, albeit barely legible.

A 4-section LED light strip on the top indicates the status and type of your connection. Most of the time it’s off. There’s no backlighting.

When you first start typing on the HHKB Studio, it’s a learning process that might take you a week or even more. Some things, like the lack of the arrow keys, might never feel natural. The company believes that in order to achieve great productivity, you have to learn and adapt. Learn blind typing and adapt to where the keys are and which ones are missing. This is true minimalism, where everything has its purpose. You will either love it or hate it. And the longer you use it, the harder it will be to go back.

The HHKB Studio doesn’t try to be stylish. Big bezels and an all-plastic build (which is normal for the company but still unwelcome in this price category) might scare off some potential buyers. It’s not elegant; one might even call it brutalist. But it will fit in every setup, including an office.

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Typing experience

Before I start describing my experience, I have to address one issue that seems to be driving the fans nuts. For a long time, HHKB has been known for its unique Topre switches. Topre switches stand out for their tactile feel and unique soft landing during keypress. But HHKB Studio uses 45g-actuation linear mechanical switches — a change that hasn’t gone unnoticed. You can see many people being vocal against the change, going as far as refusing to buy the new model because of this.

I am not ready to say which is better, but I love how the HHKB Studio feels. It’s one of the quietest mechanical keyboards I’ve tried this year, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a joy to type on. Usually I find softer, less clicky switches mushy or downright unpleasant, but not here. The HHKB Studio feels wonderful.

The transition from Topre also means that the keyboard is more versatile, allowing users to swap in any of the compatible switches. It supports three- and five-pin MX switches, making it a hot-swappable powerhouse. Just don’t forget that the G, H, and B keys have a unique sculpted design to accommodate the trackpoint, so standard keycaps won’t fit on these keys. The space bar is nonstandard, too.

It took me a week to get used to the layout, and I still make an occasional error. But thankfully, I’ve been touch-typing for most of my life. If you haven’t, don’t even think about this model — or any model from HHKB, really. Finding the keys you need without backlighting and legends becomes a true ordeal. The company has always been making keyboards for experienced typists; working on it without proper skills is akin to trying to drive a manual for the first time.

But it’s not only about the keys.

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Getting rid of the mouse

HHKB really wants you to ditch not only all other keyboards but also your mouse. The HHKB Studio was created with the idea that you’ll never have to lift your hands from it. It incorporates a ThinkPad-like trackpoint and four touch-sensitive gesture pads for that.

While I love typing on the HHKB Studio, I am still not sure about the trackpoint. It feels stiff (they all do), although you can change the sensitivity on the fly. I am not sure that it can replace my Logitech MX Master for me personally, but it definitely works and makes it one of the most unique keyboards out there. It all comes to personal taste, and if you’re not sure about the trackpoint, this keyboard might just be not for you.

There are also three mouse buttons. If you are not planning on using the pointer stick, those can be remapped as well.

The gesture pads also require getting used to. They definitely are a convenient and non-intrusive way to add functionality to the keyboard, but I wouldn’t call them essential. I programmed mine to control the volume and change desktops, and I still oftentimes forget they are there. Their rough surface can be confusing: they don’t feel like a functional part of the keyboard, and I wouldn’t call them pleasant to the touch. But in the end, I think they are a neat addition.

Software

Software is a weak point for most keyboards. Thankfully, the HHKB Studio fares well: the keymap tool you can download from the official website is fairly robust, offering ways to remap keys. It doesn’t allow you to remap every single key, and for some weirder ideas I had (like making the right mouse key a pause button), I had to use the trusty Karabiner-Elements.

The HHKB Studio stores all its settings inside the keyboard, so in order to remap anything you’ll need to connect it via the USB. It’s tedious, but I see the reasoning. The software is available both for Mac and Windows.

Verdict

I have a lot to say about the HHKB Studio — definitely one of the more exciting keyboards of this year. It’s unusual in every way possible — looks, functions, layout, you name it. It doesn’t try to please everyone and exists as a specialized tool for experienced typists. Its objective downfalls are the price, the lack of option with the Topre switches, and that it doesn’t come with a rechargeable battery. $329 for a keyboard with no backlight and  battery? It’s a tough sell, but HHKB knows its niche.