A keyboard is a highly personal choice, so everyone will give you a different answer. That being said, while the feel of the keys on a model M is second to none

A keyboard is a highly personal choice, so everyone will give you a different answer. That being said, while the feel of the keys on a model M is second to none, there are a couple of things which really annoy me when you take the keyboard in as a whole: first it's _loud_, forget about using it with people around, they'll most likely be annoyed. And second it takes up a huge amount of space on your desk. Personally there is a keyboard which I find better than a Model M, a Cherry MX5000 (http://www.geek.com/chips/cherry-mx-5000-auction-1491235 http://www.geek.com/chips/cherry-mx-5000-auction-1491235). Yes, it goes for ridiculous prices when you can find one, but it's a unique keyboard in that it combines three characteristics, it's a space saver keyboard (if you leave out the numpad), it's got an excellent and highly adjustable ergonomic layout, and it's mechanical (brown MX switches). The feel of the keys isn't as good as a model M, but on the whole I enjoyed using it more. That being said, while I have an MX5000, it's stored away and I just end up using the keyboard on my Thinkpad (the new Lenovo island style keyboards are slowly growing on me). It's fun talking about keyboards because they invoke a near fetishistic fixation with people who spend their days using one, but in the end it's just a personal choice.