Hello from a new guy!

[thefarside]

Hello everyone. I’ve recently gotten into the mechanical keyboard scene thanks to a video from Chyros. I was looking for an Apple aluminum keyboard and noticed his review stating it was terrible and thought, what would be better? Needless to say I started to go down the vintage and mechanical rabbit hole.

My initial interest was in the IBM buckling spring keyboards and I thought it was cool they are still being made by Unicomp, so I purchased a New Model M. I love it and use it as one of my daily drivers.

I enjoy the posts and the Wiki has been very helpful. It’s really cool to read the various projects and see the enthusiasm!

[ZedTheMan]

Welcome!

[sharktastica]

Welcome to DT!

[Redmaus]

Welcome to DT man, hope you get to try some cool stuff!

[ddrfraser1]

Welcome doomed mortal

[Yasu0]

Question I sometimes ask myself, how much would a used model M go for if unicomp never existed... then I am glad that it all happened the way it did.

Now I wait for the original post to get edited with a strange link...

[ddrfraser1]

how much would a used model M go for if unicomp never existed...

Probably as much as an XT or AT?

[thefarside]

Question I sometimes ask myself, how much would a used model M go for if unicomp never existed... then I am glad that it all happened the way it did.

Now I wait for the original post to get edited with a strange link...

That’s a great point. I think it’s great that they are still keeping the buckling spring technology alive and my New Model M feels and sounds similar to a 1989 Model M I purchased on eBay for close to the same price. Another cool thing was the build date on the sticker was the same day I placed the order.

[Yasu0]

The vintage branch of the rabbit hole isn't a bad one to do. The modern branch is, I think, the one that dooms mere mortals. Take caution there, lest you be saddled with hundreds of expensive "artisan keycaps" of dubious worth. And other such pitfalls. Old stuff tends to hold its value at worst, and go up in value sometimes.

[thefarside]

The vintage branch of the rabbit hole isn't a bad one to do. The modern branch is, I think, the one that dooms mere mortals. Take caution there, lest you be saddled with hundreds of expensive "artisan keycaps" of dubious worth. And other such pitfalls. Old stuff tends to hold its value at worst, and go up in value sometimes.

Thanks for the advice. I think I noticed what you’ve described in the MechanicalKeyboards subreddit. There seemed to be an endless amount of Cherry-based boards. I tried a friend’s Cherry-based Corsair K70 and didn’t like the feel or sound, so I plan to stick with Alps and buckling spring types.

I started with two keyboards: a Unicomp New Model M and a Matias Tactile Pro. I kept the Unicomp and returned the Matias mostly because of the key caps. They felt a little too slippery and I didn’t like all of the different legends and Mac font. I also have a NOS Focus FK-2001 and an older one that I am trying to clean up and restore, so far with mixed results.

[ddrfraser1]

Cherry switches aren't great but there are some great clones out there.

[Shown1]

Hi I am also newbie here and I am glad to meet you all

[Muirium]

Hiya! Countdown till we get you insatiably lusting after 30 year old keyboards in 3…2…1…

[kmnov2017]

how much would a used model M go for if unicomp never existed...

Probably as much as an XT or AT?

Considering how common model Ms are, they are unlikely to be at price levels of XTs.

[Go-Kart]

Hi I am also newbie here and I am glad to meet you all

Welcome! I'm pretty new here myself. DT is great, not good on the wallet though

[Rayndalf]

how much would a used model M go for if unicomp never existed...

Probably as much as an XT or AT?

Considering how common model Ms are, they are unlikely to be at price levels of XTs.

From IBM to Leximark to Unicomp. I'm glad the design has seen such a long life. Keyfeel aside Ms have more in common with rubber dome boards than Cherry style discrete switches (efficient used of membrane sheet, stems built into keys, etc).

The "usable layout" vs "better build quality, keyfeel and NKRO" debate is a tricky one .
The associated computers were massively successful, but compared to AT (PS/2), the XT protocol had a short life, so many F XTs saw light use. With a readily available passive adapter an F AT could be used long after it's computer died, and it seems that many enjoyed long service lives.

[fohat]

The associated computers were massively successful,

the XT protocol had a short life

many F XTs saw light use.

Were you using computers in the early-mid-1980s?

Short life did not necessarily correlate to light use. The business world was ecstatic when the "personal computer" became widely available and started sitting on desktops worldwide.

However short the lifespan of the XT ecosystem was, you can be assured that the individual units were subjected to extreme stress testing during their heyday.

[kbdfr]

The associated computers were massively successful,

the XT protocol had a short life

many F XTs saw light use.

Were you using computers in the early-mid-1980s?

Short life did not necessarily correlate to light use. The business world was ecstatic when the "personal computer" became widely available and started sitting on desktops worldwide.

However short the lifespan of the XT ecosystem was, you can be assured that the individual units were subjected to extreme stress testing during their heyday.

Confirmed.