deskthority

Please suggest nominees for the Best regular keyboard or keyboard family in 2012. Only full size keyboards. You have to give a short motivation for each suggestion. It is not a requirement that the keyboard was released in 2012. If you think a vintage keyboard was the best, you can suggest it.

Current suggestions (this list is frequently updated):

IBM Model F family
Cherry G80-3000
Cherry G80-1800
Cherry G80-2551
Ducky Shine
WASD v1
IBM Model M

Model F 122-key. Layout that's still useful 29 years later, durable construction (except the top case), one of the best feeling keyboards ever, and extremely useful with Soarer's converter.

Cherry G80-3000...the standard. Still one of my first recommendations to anyone wanting to get into mechanical keyboards.

Cherry g80-1800...my absolute favorite "full-size", everything is there, but it is still compact. I really wish there were more keyboards that took this kind of an approach.

Model F XT - noisy, crisp feedback, completely remappable thanks to Soarer's excellent converter and relatively small distance between main section and mouse.

G80-2551 for the switches, the smooth blackes and the case!

Model F 122.

Some of you might oppose this, but...

I would like to nominate Ducky Shine, simply because it is a no-nonsense keyboard with backlighting and 6-KRO available in several ISO layouts, and in several switch variants.
It does not look over-the-top like some gaming keyboards do, it does not have a glossy surface and is not overpriced.
Ducky sets the standard for what a modern mechanical keyboard should be like.

WASD v1.

manufactured by Costar, fully customisable keycaps in different colours, different fonts, and choice of custom graphics.
Also great customer support.

Model M!

IBM Model F

XT? AT? Both? I think I'll combine the F 122 key, XT, etc. in the Model F family unless one objects.