IBM Industrial Space Saver

[webwit]

Picked this up from taobao after a tip from tinlong117 (thanks!).



It's an older version than the other I got (from 1995 and with new style label). The logo is dark olive, not black.



Does have two blemishes on the top shell! Someone dropped a cigarette on top, and scratched the side. I may replace it with my last spare industrial top shell. But I'll probably leave it in original condition.





It feels extremely tight, very nice.

[Ducky Nordic]

So purdy

Im still missing an SSK, only have a ISO fullsize M from -89 that i cleaned up few moths ago. Oh well, ill enjoy the hunt.

[tinnie]

glad you get it! <3

[clickykeyboards]

Excellent model M specimen.

Too bad about the burn marks.. but it does add original vintage character to the time of the 1980's and early 1990's when people could choose to smoke at their workstations.

[webwit]

Until now, the one with blue caps on your site is the only one I've seen of this version. Comparing the ID numbers and dates, it seems they didn't make a lot of these.

[snoopy]

So nice...

I also like that it is not perfect and has this kind of vintage look. I would use that shell.

[webwit]

Not as bad as my Cherry V5000, which someone used as a rest for his soldering iron.

[M'er Forever]

[Account and posts deleted on request]

[clickykeyboards]

Glad to see another one show up, especially with the original blue key caps.

Every so often people contact me questioning about the authenticity of certain model M keyboards. I think it always important to keep these vintage keyboards in as close to the original condition as possible.

Your industrial keyboard with burn marks, kind of reminds me of another 1394946 industrial model M that looked like it stopped a bullet or was used in a cubicle/datacenter fight and had a cracked the plastic top case, but (of course) is still working fine inspite. http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cf ... /id/565018

[webwit]

Yeah, you're right. I don't mind a bit of battle damage.

EDIT: I have various Ms with similar damage like that one. Shipping damage, as I find the missing bits in the box. It's urban legend that IBM cases are strong, they crack easily. Like when not properly wrapped in bubbles at the corners, and a box is thrown. Model Ms don't like shipping. Rivets are a second problem, keycaps a third.

[Muirium]

The blue caps are original? You live, you learn…

[webwit]

Since there are now two spotted (unless clicky has seen more which are not on his site), this can be confirmed as not some custom 3rd party mod. I wonder which industrial pc or terminal it was sold with.

[M'er Forever]

[Account and posts deleted on request]

[tlt]

I bought two model Ms and both had the top and bottom case popped apart after shipping. It was no problem to fix it but its true that they are a bit fragile. I think its the weight of the parts inside that makes it this way. Heavier does not equals more robust. Very nice looking keyboard by the way.

[riffraff]

I usually request that sellers use extra padding around the corners for this exact reason. I also tend to get packages smashed on the sides

[webwit]

Together at last.





Spot the differences...

[GeorgeStorm]

They look amazing

[snoopy]

want one

the older one is missing the drainage channels.

is it only the pics or is the color a bit different?

[webwit]

Color is the same, it's because of the light from the window from the left.

[Muirium]

Makes you wonder how they ever ended up in China.

[beltet]

Love the color design!

[Hypersphere]

Makes you wonder how they ever ended up in China.

Maybe they started there.

[Muirium]

"Made in U. S. A. " Would an IBM label ever lie!

[webwit]

I've seen 8 industrial space savers so far, there might be more around, but I've not been monitoring eBay. The one with the blue keys above is the only one found in China, I guess from a collector because it wasn't cheap. One other is listed on clickykeyboard's site, also with blue keys. The other 6 were found by a US based eBay seller who picked it up in a recycling gig while taking out some company's old crap. I got a lot a boards from him earlier, he was my main eBay contact so he tipped me and asked me what would be a good BIN price, and I got two of those boards. The other 4 were sold within the hour after the eBay BIN was posted on geekhack (deskthority did not exist yet).

[E TwentyNine]

Nine.



It has the same style dot-matrix printed label as your recent acquisition, and is one month younger. Mint condition.

Any idea how many exist with the old style label?

[webwit]

The one on clickykeyboards has ID 5000775 and mine 5001667, so that suggests mine is the 1667th one. Most likely not the last, but it suggests only a few thousand were made looking at the date difference. My guess is that the recycling kill/survival ratio in general is as such that relatively few survived of any vintage keyboard. Since a couple of thousand is very few to start with, I guess only a few survived. It is the second I spotted in 5 years, but I haven't been following auction sites for a while. You never know what a recycling gig might dig up though, or what is stored in some guy's garage.

[E TwentyNine]

Another blue keyed one has emerged:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-M-Cli ... 1225517180

Webwit, does the embedded number pad still work on yours even though the keys aren't labeled as such?

[webwit]

I tested it (I never use the numpad), and it's still there.

Taobao is cheaper.

[phosphorglow]

I'm seriously jealous. So pretty.

[Compgeke]

So, did you win this one or someone else spend the price of a used car on it?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171225517180