Dear Model F owners, can we talk? (Long rant)
Posted: 12 Jun 2021, 02:21
Before starting, I do realise that everyone here is entitled to his/her own opinion and preferences. This is more of a rant than anything, but please understand that it's expressed out of genuine confusion. I'm just someone on the internet sharing his honest opinion. This is not how I want my first post to be, but it frustrates me to see the state of the usual Model M vs F argument.
Over the past years, I've gone through a handful of Model Ms, Model Fs, and a Beamspring. In all my years, I’ve never understood why we hate on Model Ms, of all keyboards, so damn much. I understand that what I'm about to say will definitely grind the gears of many elitists here, but there are things which I'd like to clear up for the newcomers in this hobby, as well as a dear note to those who love their Model F.
(From here on out, I'll refer to a "Model F" by just writing "F", "Buckling Springs" as just "BS", etc.)
One day, I was at a point where I just felt stupid for going for an M as my first vintage board, even though I loved it. I kept reading, post after post, Geekhack after Deskthority, about the seemingly endless claims on how Fs straight up blow all Ms out of the water.
So I did the next logical step and bought one, expecting to dump my M behind.
A package arrived a few weeks later, and I was ready to "ascend".
Suddenly, my M felt like an old car, whereas this F XT actually felt like a proper classic car! It had more metal. It felt denser, more solid, just more of everything! It sure satisfied the build upgrade I had in mind.
And then came the switches, which were noticeably lighter... but that's pretty much it. They felt otherwise identical, except for the sound. Side by side, the F felt a tiny bit smoother compared to the 1992 Model M I had at that time. Where is the rest? Where is the part about them putting my M in the trash? Am I missing anything?
Even today, I can't see that day-and-night difference, in terms of smoothness, between my 3 Fs and half a dozen Ms. I even have a few early Ms that are just as smooth, if not smoother.
For all the expectations I’ve built up from what I've read, I was pretty disappointed. The switches are just a tiny bit better, but not even enough to explain how they're claimed to feel vastly superior.
But at the end of the day, the M is just a cost-saving measure, and I do agree with that. However, it isn't as black-and-white as people make it out to be.
Firstly, the case. If you can snatch a clean F, pat yourself on the back. It's thick, premium, and oozes with class. An M just can't compete.
However, when it's seen better days, the drawbacks of a painted and brittle case really start to show. When one of these is scratched, there's no turning back, it’s permanently marked. So we go for the next logical step and plan for a repaint. How likely are we to find the right paint of beige? How likely are we to recreate that texture from a spray can? Not everyone can afford to take it to a professional paint shop.
Model Ms have a thinner, more flexible plastic. You're not touching decades-old paint, you're touching the actual textured plastic. Scratches and marks blend in, and your nails feel dull against the surface. The cases of Ms may never be as expensive, but they’re much easier to clean back from a bad state. You can’t just buy a cheap rusty XT and expect it to look mint again from home.
Speaking of filthy keyboards, BS themselves are rather durable, and are pretty resilient to dirt and dust. That's the beauty of Model Ms: You don’t need a fresh, mint, NIB Model M to feel their smoothness. You can get a well-used one, have a good time, and clean it real good later on. Yet, for some reason, some people still go for the NIB ones for triple the price, expecting a factory-fresh experience, only to be surprised by the broken rivets, which brings me on to my next point.
Broken rivets. Big fucking deal. It baffles me how people shit on them, especially when they grab a thrown-around Model M for cheap, then complain about needing to mod it. A screw mod literally couldn’t be any simpler. It's arguably less daunting than dealing with half a dozen awkward clamps, and you don't have a rotten foam making a huge mess. With the right tools, you can even have some fun while you're at it.
Cracked barrel plates are also equally trivial. You could easily grab a ruined soldering iron (One that gets hot just enough to melt the plastic) and weld it back before it cracks any further. Do it on both sides, and it should be even stronger than stock.
-Plug to my own guide-
I'm sure everyone here has already used an obscure layout before, and the XT is no exception. It's not the worst, but if you're used to full-size layouts, you're gonna have a rough time for a few weeks. You'll need to get used to constantly num-lock on and off 24/7. I've gotten used to it eventually, but even still, using any shortcut-intensive program really sheds some light on the cramped layout. It could be negligible to an average person, but to someone who heavily relies on program-specific shortcuts, it's just not for me.
(Here is where I get ranty)
Now, apologies to all those who swear by their Fs, but some people really blow it out of proportion, and for what? I’ve seen people enjoy more-or-less taking piles of shit on Ms, as if they're trying to move on from an abusive relationship.
Why do we have to look down on the mainstream vintage board? Do we really need to feel superior because we’re using a hidden gem? Do we really need to praise the more exclusive keyboard, even if it means loathing on its popular brother, just to feel supreme? Did I miss the memo? I find it both funny and hypocritical.
Realistically, once you go to a Beamspring, there should be no reason to go back to an F unless you’re too much of a pussy to handle an unergonomic typing height/angle, too lazy to adapt a dated layout, or too broke to get a real man's keyboard. /s
But guess what? When you do, you won’t need to keep that F around anymore! Beamsprings are smoother, feel lighter, weigh heavier, and are built miles tougher than any F you can get! You can finally leave your past behind and accept your new status symbol as a superior being! Fs used to feel great, but now, they’re nothing more than just Happy Meal toys from McDonald's. Why use an F when a Beamspring is better in every single way? /s
And yet, this couldn’t be any further than the truth, because Beamsprings are glorified beyond all holy books and bibles combined.
Holy shit do people make them seem like sacred unicorns, bestowed upon us only by prophets, straight from heaven!
You press a key, and your life flashes before your eyes! You relive your childhood and all the decisions that led you to here, present time, right now, to nut your balls out with each key you press!
So you start levitating and see all that surrounds us in the Milky Way. I guess this is the moment where you meet God and enter heaven. Except... you realize that Beamsprings feel pretty identical to CBS, and that you’re awkwardly sitting with what is basically an oversized F with a solenoid.
Don’t get me wrong, Beamsprings feel amazing, but is it time to throw my Fs away? Are they now nothing more than just a disgraceful cost-saving measure, dropped out of IBM's asscrack, staining my collection? Ugh, so scratchy! Ugh, I can’t go back! Do Fs now feel like literal dogshit? It's rather delusional to assume so. Fs are a “massive downgrade”, sure, but they’re still “good enough” for us, and, regarding their price, we find them much more rational to buy instead. Sound familiar?
So why does everyone make Ms seem like the worst thing that ever happened to IBM?
How is it suddenly built like paper? Sure, Ms aren’t exactly all-metal, but I fail to see how that makes it vastly inferior like some people make it out to be. Ms are tough enough to a point where they’re already overkill for a daily driver. I mean, sure, a metal barrel plate will definitely survive a melee swing better, but at that point, who are you trying to impress?
Why do newcomers need to hear how an M is a piece of trash that’s built like a Cherry board? That’s a low blow, and a pretty pretentious one at that. It’s arguably one of the easiest vintage keyboards to own. What’s wrong with that? Does that make it suddenly worse? Are we too posh to mix our royal blood? How dare we bend our knees down to such filth! Why do we need to wave our dicks around, and shove this religion deep in their mouths?
Beginners making this jump to get an old, grumpy-looking keyboard are already taking a huge step, so why can’t we let them feel proud of it? There is way too much RGB gaming marketing bullshit nowadays that it’s a miracle that we even have a keyboard that beginners can approach, let alone one that some even consider end-game. (I know, no such thing exists, but I digress)
Yes, an F can be seen as a better keyboard, but Ms still fill an important role. Ms give us that F experience, just in a different flavor. A familiar layout, easier/cheaper to find, quieter sound, PS/2 port, and all for the cost of less metal and a slightly heavier BS. Does it matter that the barrel plate isn’t made out of pure American steel? No, it doesn't.
Some people treat keyboards like tools, while others wear them like jewelry. Of course, an F is, on paper, a better keyboard. It’s built better, weighs heavier, feels lighter, but not without drawbacks. The XT layout isn't exactly "familiar" (unless you spend twice as much for an AT or F122), converters go for around 40 bucks (unless you solder one yourself), and restoring one is just frustrating. Overall, a great keyboard for a project, but you need to put in time and effort before you start enjoying it.
An M is still a great keyboard, and it doesn’t take much effort to appreciate one. It’s why we find all the normies loving them. No new layouts, no expensive converters, they just got one and plugged it in. They didn’t need to adopt a new lifestyle just to enjoy a good keyboard. Who knows? It might be the keyboard that gets them into our hobby.
Those who are upgrading will naturally look for an F XT as their proud new project. While they're at it, can we please give them realistic expectations? Thank you.
By the end of it all, I can still see why someone would prefer an F, but it would take a fool to segregate the M as an outright inferior keyboard. You can't just say one is better than the other. One of them is a diva singing in the middle of an Opera stage, while the other is a cowboy wearing leather boots and walking into a bar. They shine on different days of the week, and it would be a shame to rule out any one of the two experiences.
TL;DR:
- People need something familiar when starting out, because they can't commit to a new lifestyle yet. That’s why we still recommend a trusty old Model M to them.
- However, for some reason, after they try out an F, they immediately loathe on Ms with all their hearts, almost religiously, and I don’t see why. The Model F is a better keyboard, sure, but it's not vastly superior by godly amounts.
- The switches are just a bit better, but how does that apparently make a Model M feel like ass?
- If the difference is supposedly day-and-night, then why aren't we buying Beamsprings instead?
Of course, it's because Model Fs are usually "good enough" for how much cheaper they are to buy. Likewise, some people find a Model M “good enough" for how much easier they are to adapt. (As in adapting one into their daily workflow, versus a Model F)
They bring the majority of your Model F for a fraction of the trouble, just like how Model Fs bring the majority of a Beamspring for a fraction of the cost. With this logic, isn't it a bit unfair to bash on Model Ms?
- I can see why someone would prefer a Model F, but I can’t see how that preference leads to so much M hate.
Over the past years, I've gone through a handful of Model Ms, Model Fs, and a Beamspring. In all my years, I’ve never understood why we hate on Model Ms, of all keyboards, so damn much. I understand that what I'm about to say will definitely grind the gears of many elitists here, but there are things which I'd like to clear up for the newcomers in this hobby, as well as a dear note to those who love their Model F.
(From here on out, I'll refer to a "Model F" by just writing "F", "Buckling Springs" as just "BS", etc.)
One day, I was at a point where I just felt stupid for going for an M as my first vintage board, even though I loved it. I kept reading, post after post, Geekhack after Deskthority, about the seemingly endless claims on how Fs straight up blow all Ms out of the water.
So I did the next logical step and bought one, expecting to dump my M behind.
A package arrived a few weeks later, and I was ready to "ascend".
Suddenly, my M felt like an old car, whereas this F XT actually felt like a proper classic car! It had more metal. It felt denser, more solid, just more of everything! It sure satisfied the build upgrade I had in mind.
And then came the switches, which were noticeably lighter... but that's pretty much it. They felt otherwise identical, except for the sound. Side by side, the F felt a tiny bit smoother compared to the 1992 Model M I had at that time. Where is the rest? Where is the part about them putting my M in the trash? Am I missing anything?
Even today, I can't see that day-and-night difference, in terms of smoothness, between my 3 Fs and half a dozen Ms. I even have a few early Ms that are just as smooth, if not smoother.
For all the expectations I’ve built up from what I've read, I was pretty disappointed. The switches are just a tiny bit better, but not even enough to explain how they're claimed to feel vastly superior.
But at the end of the day, the M is just a cost-saving measure, and I do agree with that. However, it isn't as black-and-white as people make it out to be.
Firstly, the case. If you can snatch a clean F, pat yourself on the back. It's thick, premium, and oozes with class. An M just can't compete.
However, when it's seen better days, the drawbacks of a painted and brittle case really start to show. When one of these is scratched, there's no turning back, it’s permanently marked. So we go for the next logical step and plan for a repaint. How likely are we to find the right paint of beige? How likely are we to recreate that texture from a spray can? Not everyone can afford to take it to a professional paint shop.
Model Ms have a thinner, more flexible plastic. You're not touching decades-old paint, you're touching the actual textured plastic. Scratches and marks blend in, and your nails feel dull against the surface. The cases of Ms may never be as expensive, but they’re much easier to clean back from a bad state. You can’t just buy a cheap rusty XT and expect it to look mint again from home.
Speaking of filthy keyboards, BS themselves are rather durable, and are pretty resilient to dirt and dust. That's the beauty of Model Ms: You don’t need a fresh, mint, NIB Model M to feel their smoothness. You can get a well-used one, have a good time, and clean it real good later on. Yet, for some reason, some people still go for the NIB ones for triple the price, expecting a factory-fresh experience, only to be surprised by the broken rivets, which brings me on to my next point.
Broken rivets. Big fucking deal. It baffles me how people shit on them, especially when they grab a thrown-around Model M for cheap, then complain about needing to mod it. A screw mod literally couldn’t be any simpler. It's arguably less daunting than dealing with half a dozen awkward clamps, and you don't have a rotten foam making a huge mess. With the right tools, you can even have some fun while you're at it.
Cracked barrel plates are also equally trivial. You could easily grab a ruined soldering iron (One that gets hot just enough to melt the plastic) and weld it back before it cracks any further. Do it on both sides, and it should be even stronger than stock.
-Plug to my own guide-
I'm sure everyone here has already used an obscure layout before, and the XT is no exception. It's not the worst, but if you're used to full-size layouts, you're gonna have a rough time for a few weeks. You'll need to get used to constantly num-lock on and off 24/7. I've gotten used to it eventually, but even still, using any shortcut-intensive program really sheds some light on the cramped layout. It could be negligible to an average person, but to someone who heavily relies on program-specific shortcuts, it's just not for me.
(Here is where I get ranty)
Now, apologies to all those who swear by their Fs, but some people really blow it out of proportion, and for what? I’ve seen people enjoy more-or-less taking piles of shit on Ms, as if they're trying to move on from an abusive relationship.
Why do we have to look down on the mainstream vintage board? Do we really need to feel superior because we’re using a hidden gem? Do we really need to praise the more exclusive keyboard, even if it means loathing on its popular brother, just to feel supreme? Did I miss the memo? I find it both funny and hypocritical.
Realistically, once you go to a Beamspring, there should be no reason to go back to an F unless you’re too much of a pussy to handle an unergonomic typing height/angle, too lazy to adapt a dated layout, or too broke to get a real man's keyboard. /s
But guess what? When you do, you won’t need to keep that F around anymore! Beamsprings are smoother, feel lighter, weigh heavier, and are built miles tougher than any F you can get! You can finally leave your past behind and accept your new status symbol as a superior being! Fs used to feel great, but now, they’re nothing more than just Happy Meal toys from McDonald's. Why use an F when a Beamspring is better in every single way? /s
And yet, this couldn’t be any further than the truth, because Beamsprings are glorified beyond all holy books and bibles combined.
Holy shit do people make them seem like sacred unicorns, bestowed upon us only by prophets, straight from heaven!
You press a key, and your life flashes before your eyes! You relive your childhood and all the decisions that led you to here, present time, right now, to nut your balls out with each key you press!
So you start levitating and see all that surrounds us in the Milky Way. I guess this is the moment where you meet God and enter heaven. Except... you realize that Beamsprings feel pretty identical to CBS, and that you’re awkwardly sitting with what is basically an oversized F with a solenoid.
Don’t get me wrong, Beamsprings feel amazing, but is it time to throw my Fs away? Are they now nothing more than just a disgraceful cost-saving measure, dropped out of IBM's asscrack, staining my collection? Ugh, so scratchy! Ugh, I can’t go back! Do Fs now feel like literal dogshit? It's rather delusional to assume so. Fs are a “massive downgrade”, sure, but they’re still “good enough” for us, and, regarding their price, we find them much more rational to buy instead. Sound familiar?
So why does everyone make Ms seem like the worst thing that ever happened to IBM?
How is it suddenly built like paper? Sure, Ms aren’t exactly all-metal, but I fail to see how that makes it vastly inferior like some people make it out to be. Ms are tough enough to a point where they’re already overkill for a daily driver. I mean, sure, a metal barrel plate will definitely survive a melee swing better, but at that point, who are you trying to impress?
Why do newcomers need to hear how an M is a piece of trash that’s built like a Cherry board? That’s a low blow, and a pretty pretentious one at that. It’s arguably one of the easiest vintage keyboards to own. What’s wrong with that? Does that make it suddenly worse? Are we too posh to mix our royal blood? How dare we bend our knees down to such filth! Why do we need to wave our dicks around, and shove this religion deep in their mouths?
Beginners making this jump to get an old, grumpy-looking keyboard are already taking a huge step, so why can’t we let them feel proud of it? There is way too much RGB gaming marketing bullshit nowadays that it’s a miracle that we even have a keyboard that beginners can approach, let alone one that some even consider end-game. (I know, no such thing exists, but I digress)
Yes, an F can be seen as a better keyboard, but Ms still fill an important role. Ms give us that F experience, just in a different flavor. A familiar layout, easier/cheaper to find, quieter sound, PS/2 port, and all for the cost of less metal and a slightly heavier BS. Does it matter that the barrel plate isn’t made out of pure American steel? No, it doesn't.
Some people treat keyboards like tools, while others wear them like jewelry. Of course, an F is, on paper, a better keyboard. It’s built better, weighs heavier, feels lighter, but not without drawbacks. The XT layout isn't exactly "familiar" (unless you spend twice as much for an AT or F122), converters go for around 40 bucks (unless you solder one yourself), and restoring one is just frustrating. Overall, a great keyboard for a project, but you need to put in time and effort before you start enjoying it.
An M is still a great keyboard, and it doesn’t take much effort to appreciate one. It’s why we find all the normies loving them. No new layouts, no expensive converters, they just got one and plugged it in. They didn’t need to adopt a new lifestyle just to enjoy a good keyboard. Who knows? It might be the keyboard that gets them into our hobby.
Those who are upgrading will naturally look for an F XT as their proud new project. While they're at it, can we please give them realistic expectations? Thank you.
By the end of it all, I can still see why someone would prefer an F, but it would take a fool to segregate the M as an outright inferior keyboard. You can't just say one is better than the other. One of them is a diva singing in the middle of an Opera stage, while the other is a cowboy wearing leather boots and walking into a bar. They shine on different days of the week, and it would be a shame to rule out any one of the two experiences.
TL;DR:
- People need something familiar when starting out, because they can't commit to a new lifestyle yet. That’s why we still recommend a trusty old Model M to them.
- However, for some reason, after they try out an F, they immediately loathe on Ms with all their hearts, almost religiously, and I don’t see why. The Model F is a better keyboard, sure, but it's not vastly superior by godly amounts.
- The switches are just a bit better, but how does that apparently make a Model M feel like ass?
- If the difference is supposedly day-and-night, then why aren't we buying Beamsprings instead?
Of course, it's because Model Fs are usually "good enough" for how much cheaper they are to buy. Likewise, some people find a Model M “good enough" for how much easier they are to adapt. (As in adapting one into their daily workflow, versus a Model F)
They bring the majority of your Model F for a fraction of the trouble, just like how Model Fs bring the majority of a Beamspring for a fraction of the cost. With this logic, isn't it a bit unfair to bash on Model Ms?
- I can see why someone would prefer a Model F, but I can’t see how that preference leads to so much M hate.