• Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2 Mac
• Happy Hacking Keyboard Mac Mode
• Happy Hacking Keyboard Mac Command Key

Keyboards

This is also where you’ll find the Mac mode, which you’ll need if you’re not on a PC, and other formatting options. Honestly though, backspace is the big one. Happy Hacking Keyboard Pro 2 — our verdict. The HHKB Pro 2 is a compact, beautifully minimalist keyboard that feels wonderful to type on. Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional PD-KB600B. The switches at the back makes this keyboard wonderfully modifiable which made it awesome experience to work with for Mac OS. I have been primarily using it for web development and I did not feel any problems, and typing on.

Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2 Mac

We review products independently, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms of use.

The one constant I found is that all keyboards aimed at the discerning keyboardist have mechanical switches. Like the keyboards from the 80’s and 90’s that have a distinctive click as you type, as opposed to the thin keys on a laptop. After a lot of research I ended up going with the Happy Hacking Keyboard Pro 2 (HHKB) by PFU Limited out of. With an unrivaled key experience, appealing sound and compact size, learn more about the customizable Happy Hacking Keyboard and how you can purchase today! Happy Hacking Pro Classic, Hybrid, Hybrid Type-S Keyboards - HHKP & REALFORCE Keyboards. May 30, 2018  Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite2 for Mac typing test. Happy Hacking Keyboard Pro 2 (HHKB Pro 2) - Duration: 6:09. Tech Intake 129,283 views. HHKB Lite2 for Mac keyboard.

• Pros

  • Great typing feel
  • Topre switches
  • USB Type-C (cabled) and Bluetooth (wireless) connectivity on a battery-powered keyboard
  • Rear DIP switches allow for software-free customization
  • Surprisingly comfortable 60-key design

• Cons

  • Steep learning curve from full-size and tenkeyless keyboards
  • No 2.4GHz RF wireless connectivity
  • Very expensive

• Bottom Line

  The newest wireless Happy Hacking keyboard makes a few smart changes and a strong case for minimalist “designer” keyboards.

Happy Hacking, one of the biggest names in Japanese mechanical keyboards, doesn’t update its gear often. The company, a division of Fujitsu, has been making its 60-key Professional keyboard for more than 20 years. The minimalist mechanical board is one of the pillars of the enthusiast keyboard scene, which covets its intelligent design and Topre electrostatic capacitive switches. Though the firm occasionally releases updated models—the last one was in 2016—the formula rarely changes much. The $322 Happy Hacking Professional Hybrid, one of three “Pro 3” models released this year, expands the keyboard’s wireless functionality, adds a USB-C port for charging, and adds a light configuration app for Windows. That’s not a whole lot in the way of evolution, but given the keyboard's incredibly refined and highly specific design, it’s easy to understand why Happy Hacking doesn’t mess with a classic.

Happy Hacking Mini Keyboard for PC and Mac. Happy Hacking Lite2: Click for Alternate View: Happy Hacking Lite2 USB Only. Very Small Footprint 11.6 inches X 4.7 inches. Keyboard Protector for Happy Hacking Lite2 keyboards: KBSEAL-672E65: $14.50.FREE.  Happy Hacking Keyboard (HHKB) Professional HYBRID in Charcoal with Printed Key Caps and Featuring Hybrid Connectivity - USB & Bluetooth Compatible with both PC and Mac, the 60-key HHKB Pro was designed with UNIX professionals and advanced.

Less Is More

Given that it has just 60 keys, using a Happy Hacking Pro Hybrid may be a shock if you’re used to a full-size or tenkeyless (TKL) keyboard. Measuring 1.6 by 11.5 by 4.7 inches, it’s very small—if you’re switching from a full-size keyboard, you’ll be amazed how much more space you have on your desk.

The primary benefit of this compact design is how it makes your movements more efficient. The keys are perfectly spaced, but still very close together, so your fingers can reach far keys without stretching. This makes the typing experience more comfortable and should, in theory, reduce repetitive stress to the muscles in your hands. That said, I wouldn’t call this an ergonomic keyboard, as it doesn’t have the alternative form factor that reduces stress on your wrists and shoulders. Still, it provides some ergonomic benefits and may help improve performance over time.

The downside of that size, for many people, will be that a 60 percent keyboard doesn’t feel natural. To hit that low number of keys, HH moves Caps Lock, F1 through F12, the arrow keys, Page Up, Page Down, and many other functions to Alt- or Control-key shortcuts. If you buy a model with printed legends (as shown in the photos), these shortcuts are marked on the near sides of the keycaps, so you won’t need to memorize them.

Some of the larger system configuration changes, including switching between Mac and Windows compatibility and relegating Backspace to a shortcut, can be adjusted with a set of small sliding DIP switches, which are hidden under a panel on the keyboard’s underside. You'll find a sticker with instructions to explain what each switch does, so you don’t need to keep the manual handy. The DIP switches are small and delicate, and using them feels a little like playing with the keyboard’s circuit breaker, which makes the experience a little stressful.

As a new minimalist keyboard user, I was impressed at how easy it was to manage all these changes, because they are a lot to take in. Though it took several weeks to get comfortable navigating the keyboard, it was never difficult to check my shortcuts and do what I needed to do. That said, it is a big change and takes some mental gymnastics to adapt—I had no idea I used the arrow keys as much when writing and managing my PC before this review. Unless you’re really enthusiastic about making the switch, I would not recommend downsizing.

Happy Hacking Keyboard Mac Mode

Topre, or Not Topre

That said, once you adjust to the differences, the Happy Hacking Pro Hybrid feels wonderful to type on. The key difference, aside from the design, is that Happy Hacking uses Topre switches that combine mechanical and membrane-style actuation to create a very smooth but stable typing action. They have a light touch, requiring just 45g of force to actuate, but don’t have the hair-trigger drop you’d find on Cherry MX Reds or other similarly calibrated switches. The feeling of pressing each key feels consistently good all the way down. If they weren’t so expensive, I’d say everyone should use them.

Now, to be clear, everything we’ve discussed up to this point is old news. Happy Hacking’s core design doesn’t change much from keyboard to keyboard. There are three main new features in the Pro Hybrid. First, it swaps out the micro USB port used for its wired connection for a USB Type-C port...

Second, building on the Bluetooth support added in the 2016 Happy Hacking Professional BT, the Professional Hybrid adds the ability to pair with as many as four devices and hot-swap among them using a keyboard shortcut, similar to what you see on Logitech’s high-end productivity gear. For the person who uses multiple PCs, or wants to pair a keyboard with their phone, it’s a very helpful feature, though I would have preferred if HH added a button or second set of DIP switches to adjust, if only for clarity’s sake. It’s easy to mess up the two-part pairing shortcut without knowing it, then get frustrated when the keyboard doesn’t start working right.

Also, though I didn’t experience any latency from the Bluetooth connection, I would still prefer it if the keyboard also featured a dongle-based 2.4GHz connection, as that’s proven to be more stable and often consumes less power. Considering that the Happy Hacking costs more than $300, it doesn’t seem like a big ask.

Then again, the Pro Hybrid doesn’t seem to have any issues with battery life. The keyboard should run for approximately three months on a single pair of AA batteries, according to Fujitsu. That’s a long time, if not nearly the best we’ve seen. That said, in a way it’s the best of both worlds: I generally don’t like it when wireless keyboards and mice opt for disposable batteries, in part, because companies often use that as an excuse not to include a USB port. Since the Pro Hybrid has a USB Type-C port, you need to charge less and you can always plug in if the moment calls for it.

Hacking Your Keyboard Configuration

Happy Hacking’s last new feature for the Professional Hybrid is a new configuration app. Like the design ethos of the keyboard, Happy Hacking employed a minimalist approach with its Windows-only utility. The Happy Hacking Keyboard Keymap Tool is a single panel, which allows you to remap keyboard functions, see the current positions of the DIP switches, and update the keyboard’s firmware. You cannot remap shortcuts or make new ones, so this is purely for basic customization. And honestly, given how many shortcuts you need to memorize, I imagine that changing anything would do more harm than good. (Luckily, restoring the factory default layout is one of the few options in the settings menu.)

You can save your changes as external configuration files, then load them as needed. There’s no quick way to swap among profiles on the fly, nor is there onboard memory to store them.

Does Happy Hacking Make You Happy?

Here’s the thing: Happy Hacking keyboards, like Realforce, Leopold, and other mechanical keyboard brands that use Topre switches, are prohibitively expensive. The Happy Hacking Pro Hybrid starts at $322, though its price fluctuates from $281 to $350 depending on where you shop. (Pro tip: Buy direct from Fujitsu to get the best price.) That’s far more money than most of the keyboards we test, and for fewer comforts and quality-of-life features. Topre switches feel great, but are they worth sacrificing features and spending a fortune? On paper, the answer is no, but I’d also be remiss if I didn’t recognize that there is a community that strongly disagrees.

Happy Hacking has been a minimalist 'designer' keyboard pillar for some time. Having spent some time with the keyboard, I get why fans covet it: It’s compact and feels great to type on. If you're obsessed with how a keyboard feels and sounds and prefer technical and aesthetic minimalism, it is exactly what you want. In my mind, that philosophical purity comes with some utilitarian compromises, but I can also see why some people prefer this to a decked-out mechanical keyboard.

For the crew who already know and love Happy Hacking, the upgrades to the Pro Hybrid don’t do anything to hamper its best qualities, though only a small subset of power users will find the software and device switching to be meaningful upgrades. Then again, you have to care a lot about keyboards to spend this much on 60 keys, so maybe they’re exactly what Happy Hacking’s fans need.

Happy Hacking Professional Hybrid Wireless Mechanical Keyboard Specs

Best Keyboard Picks

Happy Hacking Keyboard Mac Command Key

Further Reading