Indeed I do plan on testing polycarb, but I don’t think it’ll necessarily be more expensive than the ABS one, just an optional add-on.
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Awesome hope the poly carb works out either way it’s gonna help me make one hell of a first keeb build.
Hi @norbauer !
I use the HHKB Hybrid and really like its bluetooth not necessarily for the wireless capabilities, but for the ability to quickly switch between multiple devices. (Ex. Wired to Laptop, wireless swapping to iPad and Phone)
I see there is no battery bump (I think that’s fine), but would it be possible to have it be plugged in via USB-C and have the bluetooth be powered by wire? Or, are the chip sizes different between the Hybrid and the Classic so the Heavy Grail housing wouldn’t be able to hold the Hybrid’s Bluetooth board? Thanks!
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Theoretically, yes, but your mileage may vary when it comes to bluetooth reception, which I haven’t tested. (Though some people have told me they have no trouble with Hasu bluetooth controllers in the very similar Heavy-6 housing.) I have tried a Pro 3 Hybrid plugged in by wire (sans batteries) and it works fine.
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Terrific. Thanks!
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Just came to say I made a KeebTalk account specifically for this IC/GB. Very excited to participate 
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I can confirm. I’m typing this on heavy 6 with bluetooth controller, but the range has definitely been reduced.
Heavy Grail features a plastic plate as opposed to a steel plate on FC660C(heavy-6), I’m confident to say heavy grail will be the same if not better in term of bluetooth reception.
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At last, I have sample plates in hand. The factory is working on a few tweaks that I requested, but I’m quite confident at this point that they’ll be able to get us over the finish line with a very satisfactory result—confident enough to proceed to the group buy while we work on the mold refinements.
I’m manually simulating the factory tweaks on the sample parts and will shoot a typing test as soon as I can to give a sense of how the final plates will sound and perform. More updates soon.
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Looking hawwwt …It’s comiiing!! 
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Oh man, so hyped for a sound test. I keep checking back here since I don’t trust my spam folder to not cause me to miss the GB announcement.
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FWIW, most email services allow you to add an email to your “safe senders” list to prevent them going to spam. My announcement emails usually come from shop@norbauer.com.
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End-game in sight
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Omg it’s happening!
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Looks incredible, I’m in
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I’m very interested in the GB, but wonder if you, Mr. Norbauer, or other users, have a preference between the pro 2 and the pro 3 classic? Are sound or feel significantly different?
Would there be major differences between the sound and feel of the two once put in the cases and plates you plan to offer? Is the design goal for them to be interchangeable products with slightly different inputs, or for them to be two distinct products, each with its own characteristics?
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This is an interesting question. I believe @norbauer is squarely in the “I’ll take all my modifiers, thank you very much!” camp, but I’d be interested in hearing other’s opinions of any sound and feel differences across the HHKB 2 and 3 lineups.
@TaehaTypes did an Unboxing and Initial Impressions video of the HHKB Professional 3 Hybrid ~8 months ago. It’s been a while since I skimmed it, but IIRC he thought it sounded slightly higher pitched, but felt similar. Perhaps Nathan can drop by and weigh in on it after having used the board for a while now.
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So, for context I have owned and typed on both the hhkb pro 2 and the hhkb hybrid type-s. My pro 2 is silenced and lubed, and my hybrid type-s is bone stock.
I would say, as far as stock sound goes, the hybrid type-s cannot be touched. You obviously may prefer different silencing rings, and I’m sure it will be even better when lubed. I know my two units aren’t directly comparable, but I do find myself reaching for the hybrid type-s more often FWIW.
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A board compatibility list would be desireable, when this product goes on sale, given the current variety of HHKBs.
A comparison of the overall sound and key press between the compatible setups (Pro, Type-S, Hybrid) would also be much appreciated.
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This echoes my feelings, I would add that the hybrid type s is either lightly lubed or the rings are. When I lubed the board I could feel some residual ‘grease’ on my fingers after removing the rings.
Very interesting.
I have both the Hybrid with Deskeys #3 and the Hybrid Type-S. Both are unlubed, but the Type-S just feels so much scratchier and has a high-pitched hollow sound on the top half the downstroke.
I really like how smooth the sliders are on my Non Type-S in comparison. It also doesn’t have that hollow sound on initial press. The Type-S is definitely much quieter on the upstroke though, especially on Row 4 compared to the Deskeys #3.
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