New Model M Is an American-Made Keyboard That Puts a Spring Back in Your Typing

The IBM Model M hype is absurdly overblown. Anyone who has used decent mechanical keyboards should be able to pretty much immediately notice just how cost-reduced that keyboard is. It is quite literally the cheapest buckling spring keyboard IBM managed to make in '89, and it shows. Cherry boards are often bashed for their flexing and wobbly cases, but the IBM Model M is hardly better with the top and lower parts of the clamshell having significant play. The Model M is a pure membrane keyboard, and thus limited to 2KRO. The Model M has no replaceable parts.

Why is it a membrane keyboard, when previous models were not? Because it is much cheaper to make.

Why does the Model M has only loosely fitting case parts? Because it is much cheaper to make.

Why does the Model M has plastic rivets that hold the membrane stackup together which always break off due to ageing and bad design after 20 years or so? Because it is much cheaper to make.

Why does the Model M have a single-piece barrel plate with barrels that occasionally break off, rendering the entire keyboard garbage? Because it is much cheaper to make.

Why does the Model M have essentially zero spill resistance? Because the cheap design doesn't permit spill resistance. When you spill water on an M, expect to either have it dry for weeks or months as the water evaporates from between the membranes, or to disassemble it. If it wasn't pure mountain spring water, you have to disassemble it, which--due to plastic rivets-- is a destructive proecss. To reassemble it, you have to drill a bunch of new holes through the actual keyboard parts to put screws in.

Yet despite these significant design and longevity issues the M somehow got a legendary reputation for being "solid"... it really isn't.

Go look at Model F reproductions. Those are solid keyboards. https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/

TOPRE Keyboards are the best.

Those who know, know

> Why does the Model M have essentially zero spill resistance? Because the cheap design doesn't permit spill resistance. When you spill water on an M, expect to either have it dry for weeks or months as the water evaporates from between the membranes, or to disassemble it. If it wasn't pure mountain spring water, you have to disassemble it, which--due to plastic rivets-- is a destructive proecss.

Hmm that would explain why my (Dell branded) buckling spring keyboard that i was using in the 2000s couldn't recover from a Pepsi spill.

> Go look at Model F reproductions. Those are solid keyboards.

Unfortunately the world has moved on and I want my separated inverted T arrow keys.

> New Model M Is an American-Made Keyboard

As an EU resident, when I see that I think I'll have to deal with customs if i buy one :) Not much of an incentive.

Unicomp had piqued my interest when the first rumors about a new SSK were brought up 10+ years ago. Today I'm a bit with other posters in this thread, regarding the design and build quality. When it finally comes out, I don't think I'll buy one.

In 2021 you can buy much, much better keyboards. I really enjoy my Leopold with PBT keycaps and Cherry silent red switches, even more than my expensive Topre Realforce

I told myself this would be my next keyboard years ago.

So know this about mechanical keyboards in general - choose wisely, because you'll be stuck with it.

First, you won't ever go back to rubber dome like everyone always says, but second, the damn things don't seem to wear out.

I'm still using the original Razer Blackwidow that I bought in first year uni - 2010. I thought I'd managed to kill it with beer in the first few years, but a mate insisted on having a look at it. He resoldered a corroded trace and it's been a champ ever since.

Who knows when, or if, it will ever die. I've been through three mice in the same period.