Introduction
I bought this keyboard after a series of other keyboards that I temporarily owned and mostly sold to others, including the Model M 1390120, Model M SSK 1391472, Model F AT, XT, the 3101 beam spring, Blue Alps, and Monterey Blues, and a small number of others. I have not owned any genuine Cherry keyboards of any colour. This keyboard is part of a double order that I bought from Taobao in June.
Manufactured 21d of Jan., 1987.
Appearance
It has the classic/tacky beige look that was common to all PCs up to around 2000. I would comment that the keyboard has a very balanced and serene appearance, with keys evenly distributed and aligned immaculately. This keyboard would not seem out of place even on the most garish desks, but it very well complements my wood-grain tabletop. Its profile is elegant, with the gentle curve of the inner part of the case providing good contrast with the angular outer part. The curvature is not overly pronounced, and it suits my typing habits better than any other keyboard.
Feel
The Model M uses IBM’s once-patent-pending buckling spring switch, with a three-layer membrane assembly serving as the sensing mechanism. It’s very similar to the feel of the Model F. The key travel is smooth, with a very balanced tactile event that exactly co-incides with the actuation of the switch. What I mean by “balanced” is that the tactility is in the same direction as the key’s travel, instead of in the traverse direction such as with the case of most clicky switches, which rely on a leaf insert to generate tactility. Activation distance is somewhat close to the bottom of the travel. When the spring buckles, it impacts the barrels affixed on the barrel plate, producing the “click” that characterizes the keyboard. The weighting is firm, but it does not seem to be a burden in long typing sessions.
Key Buttons
The keys are made of thick PBT plastic, which is resistant to yellowing. This particular model has the two-part buttons, which consist of a stem and a cap. The legends are dye-sublimated onto the cap portion, producing a clear and bold legend. They are a little more blurry than other specimens from IBM, though; this may be due to age or manufacturing errors.
Build Quality
The IBM Model M (in all its variations) is the definition of excellent build quality. It weights around 2.2KG, and the case is formed from thick, firm plastic. The back plate is made out of steel and is fixed to the barrel plate with melted plastic rivets. This example has only 2 broken rivets.
Layout
The layout used is the Enhanced -101 layout, after which this keyboard is named. It’s the layout that I most prefer for typing.
Complaints
1. The LED indicator lights are somewhat of a step down from the Model F AT, which had the LED modules physically poking out of the keyboard case. This gives a much more vivid light and more diffuse scattering, particularly when viewed from an angle. The 1390131’s LED’s are mounted inside the case, with transparent windows on the case sticker to allow its light to shine through; however, when viewed at an angle, part of the LED would be obscured by the opaque part of the sticker, resulting in a partial beam that does not cover the entire window. I think it’s less attractive this way. It’s most likely explained as a cost-saving measure.
2. This Model M has stabilizer inserts for the wider keys, like [Backspace], [Enter], and both [Shift]s. Normally, these work properly, but the stabilizer stabs can be difficult to align properly with the insert in the barrel. In some cases, I have found that some Model M keys do work properly on the 1390131, while others result in a very sticky and rough feel. Once again, I feel this is a step down from the Model F AT, which used stabilizer wires for all the wide keys.
3. 2-KRO can be a something of a limiting factor when it comes to playing certain games. For example, the controller blocks [Space] + [Up] + [Right], which is what I would key when running in a diagonal direction. This is easily resolved by remapping my key commands, though. It is not at all a problem for typing.
Conclusion
I think this keyboard has a very good chance of becoming my daily driver for at least the next few weeks, even though I have a beam spring, a Model F, and several other choices immediately available. I agree with the consensus on forum that both the Model F and the beam spring outrank the Model M in terms of pure feel, but the layout reverses the overall assessment in favour of the Model M as a productivity (word processing and other programs) tool, as well as for gaming, since many games automatically assume a 101-key layout. If I know that typing is the only agenda, I wouldn’t hesitate to swap out the Model M for the Model F or 3101, though.
Score
Feel: 8.5/10
Layout: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
