---
title: "One Year with the HHKB: A Mini Review"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/one-year-with-the-hhkb-a-mini-review-btwhkkma1
source_url: https://batsov.com/articles/2026/03/18/one-year-with-the-hhkb/
type: article
source: "Bozhidar Batsov"
published: 2026-03-31T12:29:16.403Z
updated: 2026-03-31T12:47:34.207Z
tags: ["hardware"]
reading_time: 10
upvotes: 0
comments: 0
language: en
---

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# One Year with the HHKB: A Mini Review

**[Bozhidar Batsov](https://daily.dev/sources/batsov)** · 10 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

A one-year review of the HHKB Hybrid Type S keyboard by a developer who previously used the Leopold FC660C for nearly a decade. The author praises the Topre typing feel, aesthetics, wireless connectivity, and Control key placement, but criticizes the layout quirks (backtick position, no dedicated arrow keys), primitive firmware compared to QMK/VIA, mediocre battery life using AA batteries, unintuitive USB-C switching, and a frustrating sleep/wake behavior requiring a manual power button press. A direct comparison with the Leopold FC660C concludes the Leopold wins on layout and build quality while the HHKB wins on aesthetics and connectivity. The overall verdict is that the HHKB is a good but overhyped keyboard, limited by the scarcity of Topre options on the market.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://batsov.com/articles/2026/03/18/one-year-with-the-hhkb/>

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---

Tags: [#hardware](https://daily.dev/tags/hardware)

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