New IBM SSK

[Hypersphere]

In case anyone is interested, there is a new IBM SSK for sale on clickykeyboards.com for $360. I am not connected to clickykeyboards; I am just interested in IBM Model M and related keyboards and noticed the new listing this evening. I recently found my own SSK on eBay, but I have previously purchased standard Model M boards from clickykeyboards, and I have found this to be an excellent and reliable source.

[smknjoe]

Nice find! I too just got a NIB SSK. You'd probably be miffed if you knew what I got it for. $360 is a little high but I'd pay it coming from this source. He has a great reputation. And you KNOW it's never been touched until he aquired it.

How do you like your new one? Love mine!

Edit: did you post this at GH? If not, I will.
...too late. I already did. Unfortunately, most of the people here probably wouldn't want to pay shipping.

[Hypersphere]

Thanks for posting on GH. I was going to do so, but I was going to check first to see if there was some rule about posting the same thing on multiple related sites; I guess not.

I really like the SSK. I am already accustomed to the full-size Model M keyboards after using them for years. Up until buying the SSK from eBay, I got all my IBMs from clickykeyboards, which is definitely the most reliable source. However, when I was in the market for an SSK, clickykeyboards had none in stock, but I was very lucky to find a great seller on eBay.

One of the nice things about the IBM boards is that I feel no need to replace the keycaps. The first thing I did with my recent acquisitions of contemporary boards was to replace the keycaps to make the keyboards look more like a Model M!

I am actually writing this reply on my new Leopold FC660M (with all new keycaps). It is a very different experience from either a full-size IBM Model M or IBM SSK, but I like it for its compact elegance. The 66-key layout with its dedicated arrow keys and Insert/Delete is just the right balance between 60% and TKL, and when the Fn layer is needed, it is minimal and highly intuitive. The board also feels solid and precise -- more so than my Filco TKL.

All boards considered (thus far), I prefer the IBM Model M, and now that I favor smaller boards, my new favorite is the IBM Model M SSK.

[Muirium]

No rules against cross-posting here. (I like it, because I've no time to stay up to date on GH etc. DT feels nice and local.) It's only self promotion for auctions on eBay most / some of us complain about.

You're right that this keyboard will likely sell in the US. International shipping is just devastating for good solid old keyboards. Same old story.

Also, what's the deal with finding new stock on clickykeyboards.com? Every visit there seems to involve a manual slog through page after page of sold out inventory. Where's the live section? Am I missing something?

[JBert]

This thread might have been better placed in the marketplace forum... I guess an admin could move it.

[Muirium]

Okay, this link filters clickykeyboards for only items which are actually in stock.

Still paginated and somehow not actually sorted by price, but still more usable than Amazon!

[Hypersphere]

Clickykeyboards is more than a market site; it is also an archive of all the keyboards that have been sold. You can use the link to the in stock items, but this is not as up to date as the individual pages. Therefore, it is still a good idea to browse each category. For example, although the SSK was NIB, it was not listed on the "new, never before used" page; instead, it was listed under SSKs.

[Muirium]

Indeed. I poked around for a while trying to find it, then gave up and looked for the link at GH.

I appreciate the archival work Clickykeyboards is doing, just seems a bit odd having it presented as live sales pages when browsing the site. Sales and archive feel separate ideas to me.