3 ms·

Honestly if you're going to buy anything, why not just buy the original, and buy American? I know Unicomp, which has their plant just down the street, doesn't a

by rpcope1 12y ago

Honestly if you're going to buy anything, why not just buy the original, and buy American? I know Unicomp, which has their plant just down the street, doesn't advertise much, but I think you really can't beat the IBM Model M keyboards (especially not at the price point): http://www.pckeyboard.com/ http://www.pckeyboard.com/

falcolas 12y ago
Because the Model M has one feedback type, and one noise level. Between the various Cherry and Topre switches, you get a lot more customization options. And for an interface device I spend a dozen or so hours a day on, it's worth the effort to make it match your needs.
cataflam 12y ago
A lot of the mechanical keyboards on the market have Cherry switches inside. While the IBM Model M is timeless, Cherry has been around forever as well (founded in the 1950s, started making keyboards in 1967) and their MX switches are about the same age as the IBM Model M (early-mid 80s). The age/tried-and-true/original argument has little weight here. edit: also what falcolas said about being able to choose your switch, Cherry has half a dozen ones with different tactile and sound profiles [1] [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_Electronics#Cherry_switches_in_consumer_keyboards_.28circa_2014.29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_Electronics#Cherry_switches... [2] https://www.google.com/search?q=cherry+switches&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=cherry+switches&tbm=isch
hga 12y ago
Agreed with the other two respondents at this time. While I loved the Selectric keyboard, the Model M, while certainly a lot better than many others of that era, wasn't great. I much prefer Cherry Blue switches, to which I add these to soften their bottoming out: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZQ3966/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZQ3966/
andrewf 12y ago
A Model M was my primary keyboard for years. Now, the ~65g activation force is a bit too heavy for my liking, and I'm using Cherry Brown/Blues.
jefurii 12y ago
Good point. Too bad they don't offer a tenkeyless model.

by rpcope1 12y ago

falcolas 12y ago

Because the Model M has one feedback type, and one noise level. Between the various Cherry and Topre switches, you get a lot more customization options. And for an interface device I spend a dozen or so hours a day on, it's worth the effort to make it match your needs.

cataflam 12y ago

A lot of the mechanical keyboards on the market have Cherry switches inside. While the IBM Model M is timeless, Cherry has been around forever as well (founded in the 1950s, started making keyboards in 1967) and their MX switches are about the same age as the IBM Model M (early-mid 80s). The age/tried-and-true/original argument has little weight here. edit: also what falcolas said about being able to choose your switch, Cherry has half a dozen ones with different tactile and sound profiles [1] [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_Electronics#Cherry_switches_in_consumer_keyboards_.28circa_2014.29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_Electronics#Cherry_switches... [2] https://www.google.com/search?q=cherry+switches&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=cherry+switches&tbm=isch

hga 12y ago

Agreed with the other two respondents at this time. While I loved the Selectric keyboard, the Model M, while certainly a lot better than many others of that era, wasn't great. I much prefer Cherry Blue switches, to which I add these to soften their bottoming out: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZQ3966/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZQ3966/

andrewf 12y ago

A Model M was my primary keyboard for years. Now, the ~65g activation force is a bit too heavy for my liking, and I'm using Cherry Brown/Blues.

jefurii 12y ago

Good point. Too bad they don't offer a tenkeyless model.