[Keyboard] Leopold FC700R Mechanical Keyboard review

The FC700R is enclosed in a surprisingly compact box.
Just a tad longer than a Filco TKL box,…

but a fair bit shallower.


Upon opening the box, it comes apparent that the box isn’t required to be any larger in size due to the detachable-cable nature of the keyboard.


The FC700R comes with a silicone keyboard cover, however, it didn't get sent to me. I am, hence, unable to provide photos of it.
All it came with is a USB to mini-USB cable and a PS/2 to USB adapter, a black one at that, as opposed to the usual purple-colored adapter:


For what its worth, gamers should rejoice to find that the included cable have gold-plated connectors


And it also comes with a cable tie:

I received the white FC700R, however, there will be 3 variants: black, grey, and white.

Upon holding up the FC700R, it feels very well built; fairly heavy, feels solid, no noticeable flex.
It feels about the same weight as a Filco TKL but I wouldn’t trust the validity of my arms weighing system.
A digital scale shows that they really do weigh very close to each other though.


To be fair, the FC700R was also weighed with its USB cable.
And although nothing substantial, the FC700R do weigh ever-so-slightly heavier than the Filco.

Build quality-wise, it is on par with a Filco TKL keyboard.
However, upon further inspecting, the right portion of the FC700R feels rather hollow.
The test might seem unnecessary, nevertheless, this hollowness does affect the sound of the PageDown key.

Still… nothing worth writing home about though

Aesthetically, the FC700R looks appealing; the sharper edge is a nice touch, giving it a modern look.


The only thing missing from it, is a 'Leopold' logo on it.
Its a shame that there's nothing on it to identify it as a Leopold keyboard without having to turn the keyboard over.

Dimension-wise, the FC700R is largely similar to a Filco TKL.


Except the FC700R is slightly shorter in height, both at its front…

and also at its back.

The back section also slopes more, making it somewhat harder to lift the keyboard up by one hand.

Keys alignment is very satisfactory. Distance between the keycaps and the compartment is adequate for easy keycap removal.
On some Filco models, this distance can get too close, making it arduous to fit a keypuller around the key:


This isn’t the case with the FC700R:


At the back of the keyboard, is the mini-USB connector and also cable routing slots; one going straight up, and 2 going in opposite direction towards the side of the keyboard.
The supplied cable fits very nicely into the provided gap with ample of room left, making plugging and unplugging it a breeze.


And when the cable is routed to the sides, it remains flush with the keyboard’s base, so the keyboard can remain leveled.


The rubber feet placement on the FC700R is a rather interesting approach; the rubber feet towards the back of the keyboard are aligned vertically, while those towards the front are aligned horizontally.


This really does its job holding the keyboard in its place though. Below is a test, done with a highly intricate device, to show how well it grips in comparison to a Filco keyboard


Its tilt feet tips are entirely covered with large rubber grips.
While the keyboard unit itself is shorter than a Filco, however, when the FC700R tilt feet is extended, the increase in height makes the FC700R much taller than the Filco with its tilt feet extended.

This difference doesn’t affect comfort by much, if at all though.
The feet snap out solidly, however, snapping it back in isn’t as effortless. While snapping it back, the feet creaks and doesn’t snap back seamlessly.

The keycaps that comes with the FC700R are claimed to be PBT.
It’s surface is very textured, albeit having a different feeling when compared to Topre or KBC PBT keycaps.
The keycaps on the FC700R feels like they have more pronounced texture, giving a slightly harsher feel.


And despite being PBT, it appears that the textured surface on the alphanumeric cluster have slightly worn down.
Its surface is a fair bit slicker than other less used keys such as the function rows and the arrow keys.
However, running the acetone test, it proves that the keycaps on the FC700R are indeed PBT.
Below is what acetone would do to ABS keys.


While the same swab test did nothing to the keycaps from the FC700R


The grey letters are possibly laser-etched. There are a plethora of issues with the lettering, issues with kerning, alignment, placing, jagged letterings. But I believe these are the main concerns with the FC700R that Leopold is currently working on to fix.
Apart from the aforementioned issues, its lettering is pleasing aesthetically; nice font choice and nice font size, giving the keyboard a clean look, particularly well suited for the white version of the FC700R.


The common issue with Leopold keyboards is its spacebar incompatibility with most replacement keycaps that are readily available.
It is disappointing to note that this issue is still not addressed on the FC700R.

The black spacebar is from Signature Plastics. While it provides multiple stems to accommodate different keyboards, none of it aligns with the stabilizers on the FC700R.

The keycaps on the FC700R is under the same family profile as Filco keys, however, it is slightly shallower.


So it is not pleasing to see when mixed and matched with other keycaps.
Below are some comparisons between Filco, KBC PBT, and Signature Plastics doubleshot keycaps.



Its thickness is a fair bit thicker than that of KBC PBT keycaps.


The four walls of each keycap may have different thickness, however, just to get an image on how different in thickness it is when compared to a KBC PBT keycap, one side of the the FC700R PBT keycap wall was measured by means of a micrometer.
It shows that one of the FC700R keycap wall is 1.28mm thick.


While the KBT PBT keycap is only 0.80mm thick.