deskthority

Hands down this is the best keyboard ever made. I've moving to Australia for five months and seriously thinking of packing this in my suitcase to hook up with my MBA. I have a HHKB Pro 2 but... I can't be without the SSK.

Thoughts?

Gorgeous board!

harlw wrote:Gorgeous board!

Thank you. It's a wonderful thing from 1987 and rather special and customised for my needs. Sure it has some battle scars and is not bolt modded but it does not need it I think. It's lost a few rivets but all the keys are super smooth. It's taken a while to get to this stage and lots of cleaning but it's my daily driver now. My HHKB is my travel board and I suspect I've got to make it my daily driver during my time in Australia. First world problems heh?

I like your mont blanc meisterstuck.
I do not understand how people can type in a desk without a proper place to let their pens rest

I am with you, my pens deserve at lease an SSK

Good choice.

I very much agree with you, ShivaYash. I bought several IBM Model M's, before I discovered the SSK. Now I have 3 SSK's from 1987.

The SSK is perhaps not the most stylish, but as a writing tool it´s close to perfect: Solid, compact and with a great clicky feeling. I think I one day should be trying the Matias Mini Quiet Pro. But I don't like the arrow keys layout. So I´ll probably stick to my SSK´s.

Great desk! I really like that used wood. I am also loving my SSK, it has a normal layout, a nice click, and can be repaired!

with 30 kgs each + two babies, and travelling for five months, my wife will issue me with a divorce if she see's this in my suitcase! alas... I will have to find a SSK in Australia.

Take the HHKB. It's the better travel board. If you were talking about a Kishsaver, I could understand. Those are eternal classics, and damn hard to find. Of course, the little board is 3 kg naked so you'd still be in trouble for travelling!

5 months would be a long time to be away from essentials like a good, comfortable keyboard... Especially, a keyboard that is a joy to use and look at, as yours clearly is. However, it sounds like you also have an easy choice and don't need to concern yourself with shelling out for a new HHKB or wife.

I have used the Macbook Air's built-in keyboard almost daily for over 3 years now since I didn't know any better (and because the stock Mac keyboard never worked properly). It was only very recently that I acquired my first mechanical keyboard at home; It's just a tad too noisy for work (Cherry MX Blues) and, because I am still very new to this keyboard hobby, am still *dangerously* short of nice keyboards.

You've got me seriously thinking about my travel keyboard options now though so, good job, thanks.

It totally must be a great board, and I've wanted one for a long time. But it's too expensive on e-bay.
Hmm, I'm envious. Love it forever.

sz42 wrote:5 months would be a long time to be away from essentials like a good, comfortable keyboard... Especially, a keyboard that is a joy to use and look at, as yours clearly is. However, it sounds like you also have an easy choice and don't need to concern yourself with shelling out for a new HHKB or wife.

I have used the Macbook Air's built-in keyboard almost daily for over 3 years now since I didn't know any better (and because the stock Mac keyboard never worked properly). It was only very recently that I acquired my first mechanical keyboard at home; It's just a tad too noisy for work (Cherry MX Blues) and, because I am still very new to this keyboard hobby, am still *dangerously* short of nice keyboards.

You've got me seriously thinking about my travel keyboard options now though so, good job, thanks.

HHKB Pro2.

The SSK is a beautiful and highly functional board. However, since using the HHKB Pro 2, I remap all my keyboards to a HHKB layout, so that the extra keys on a TKL board like the SSK end up being wasted. Five months will fly by quickly, and travel is less of a hassle if you travel light. Therefore, for choosing a travel board, go with the HHKB Pro 2.

Hypersphere wrote:The SSK is a beautiful and highly functional board. However, since using the HHKB Pro 2, I remap all my keyboards to a HHKB layout, so that the extra keys on a TKL board like the SSK end up being wasted. Five months will fly by quickly, and travel is less of a hassle if you travel light. Therefore, for choosing a travel board, go with the HHKB Pro 2.

You are right. Although I won't be travelling with the board, just setting up a new office for 4 months. But the HHKB will make me look less like a geek and be quieter should I be sharing the space.

Quieter yes, less geek no.

seebart wrote: Quieter yes, less geek no.

+1 !

60%s are more imposing in their geek factor than TKLs.

"How the hell do you even use that thing?"

Additionally, while the HHKB (especially in black) looks considerably more mainstream than an SSK, it still can't quite pull off looking like an apple wireless keyboard, can it. One of the first things to come out of people visiting my office for the first time are comments regarding my HHKB. Almost never fails. At the same time, no one ever asks my colleague, with whom I share office, any questions about his apple keyboard.

I picked up an ISO full size model M earlier this week and have been using it since. Its a 1990 model with intact rivets. Dare I say this... but I prefer it to the SSK. I think it is because the SSK has had a harder life, broken rivets. The newer board feels so light and has a different audible note, you'd think they were not related! Also, I have forgotten how good ISO layout is. #delighted

Are all model M's the same when it comes to key switch weight?

Yes they are. But the early square label M's feel slightly different due to better build quality.

seebart wrote:Yes they are. But the early square label M's feel slightly different due to better build quality.

Ah. How do you tell? The ssk is a '87 model made in the USA with black/ grey label. The full size is a '90 made in the UK.

Weigh them. The early ones are heavier.

seebart wrote: Weigh them. The early ones are heavier.

1987 SSK ~1800g 1993 SSK ~1600g

1993 industrial SSK ~1650g

1989 SSK ~1770g

What makes them heavier?

Heavy is better?

IBM was in the business of cost cutting these boards over the years, so yes. The Model M is a cheaper implementation of buckling spring than the Model F that came before it. They put less dye on the caps (stronger, deeper, bolder legends on older Ms and the Fs, which took more hours in the dye sub oven), and they were up to corner cutting tricks everywhere they could find them.

It's the small things, that add up.

Redmaus wrote: What makes them heavier?

Thinner steel plates for one, and maybe thinner case plastics?

Comparison of Model M keyboard weights (1986 - 2003)
http://www.clickeykeyboards.com/model-m ... 1986-2003/