Hello, project coordinator here. If you haven’t been following the project recently, I am happy to report that more than 7,000 Brand New Model F and Beam Spring keyboards have shipped since 2019, and the very first Round 2 classic style Beam Spring B104 keyboards started shipping this month, as noted here. If you want to see current comments about the project, please do check out the recent user feedback on the current production boards on the Deskthority forum - Beam Spring project thread linked to on the project web site - About page.
You are seeing discussion of issues in these HN comments and in the project thread in recent years due to me preparing and shipping a few thousand keyboards over that time, not because a high percentage of boards are permanently nonrepairable. If you can follow what’s in the manual, you are guaranteed to have a working keyboard, period. It’s nice to receive a note that all is well, but most folks only email/post if there is an issue. If several dozen out of 7,000+ folks are posting with issues that does not indicate mass quality control improvements needed. Almost all of the negative discussion stems from the same half-dozen people who posted again and again on one of the now-ghost town mechanical keyboard forums a couple years ago, whereas I have exchanged thousands of emails with folks, many of whom let me know privately that they followed the manual and are happy with the setup. And almost all of their reports centered on one product that ended production years ago, instead of the dozens of variations of keyboards that have been released since then.
Apologies in advance for my long-windedness. To quote Oscar Wilde: “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”
Regarding the warranty - nonworking parts are replaced for free under the limited warranty. If someone is saying otherwise, they didn't read the project or did not contact me to ask for a replacement. You don't have to live with a broken keycap.
Regarding paint wear - the main complaint - this was with the original production keyboards that started shipping over 6 years ago. 5 years ago, the paint formulation changed to a more modern, tough powdercoating that has received zero complaints of premature wear. Bottom line, if you want tough powdercoating, pick a model besides the classic style F62/F77. That’s the only one with the paint-wear issues. The originals still have some stock remaining (with full disclosure of this, and now sold at a hefty discount), which is why it’s still brought up every now and then that these two old models can be bought today and will have the old coating because they were made a long time ago.
Regarding firmware - the project switched to Vial several years ago. To change a key you can now use the Vial GUI. Additionally, a new controller has been made that is based on the RP2040; it also uses Vial firmware. Many changes since the old days of original xwhatsit firmware and QMK. With the new Leyden Jar controller you literally click a key combination to enter the bootloader, an empty drive appears in the file manager, and you copy and paste the firmware file to that folder.
Regarding the manual, keys getting stuck etc. - the manual has recently been rewritten and reorganized into easy to follow, step-by-step instructions. I think the main complaint is that many folks believe that all products should arrived fully assembled and never require maintenance or adjustments; they think if they have to adjust something as a normal part of setup that it is somehow broken. I explain below why that's just not possible for a small project like this one. Additionally, someone else wrote their own ultra short manual which can be found as a link on the manual page on the project website. It’s normal to spend a couple hours to setup the keyboard and then a few minutes to adjust keys and springs every now and then. The manual is designed to cover every possible step to setup and maintain these keyboards in the decades to come; not every action is needed as part of normal setup. The manual will enable even beginners to have a fully working keyboard by following the step-by-step instructions there. As I mention there, the last step is to email me if you are having trouble after following the manual and I can help.
Regarding the project philosophy (customer service, etc.):
The project philosophy has always been about teaching folks how to maintain their keyboard for life, not to rely on others for help. The setup guide is there to walk you through everything, from adjusting springs to reseating keycaps, so that even if you aren’t naturally inclined to use tweezers and a screwdriver, you can keep your board running long after the project has shut down. For ten years now, the priority has been clear: pass along the lowest possible cost to everyone. The project rejects the modern product philosophy of essentially “renting” a device for its warranty duration and then discarding it because it can’t be repaired.
To keep these keyboards affordable, the responsibility falls on the end user to learn the basics, such as reseating springs and keys. The alternative would be adding several hundred dollars to the cost of every keyboard to cover “free” repairs, salaried customer service representatives, and shipping charges (due to the heavy keyboard weight) for simple things that only require a screwdriver and tweezers, or to reduce the quality and production cost substantially. That would completely defeat the goal of making these boards accessible to as many folks as possible. Making these boards that much more expensive with friendly service and dedicated phone support would reduce the possible number of new Model F’s shipping each year by half or more. There’s a reason why IBM charged $800, plus annual maintenance contract fees, for what the project charges $200 to $400 (without service contracts). At those prices and with IBM’s economies of scale, one can afford generous customer service with a no questions asked full replacement of the keyboard even if one key stops working, instead of fixing it yourself. Always a tradeoff in small business - more one-on-one service and freebies that big companies offer, higher cost or cheaper product. There are no margins to cover these extras. The businesses that can afford concierge service have a large enough margin and economies of scale to support it, whether one is aware that they charge many times the cost of the product/service or not. For example Apple’s average selling price is $900 to $1000 for an iPhone and their gross margin is estimated at 50% to 60% for each iPhone, with other products as well contributing to their overall profit margin of close to 50%. Given their scale that margin comfortably allows for retail stores with Genius Bars and walk-in support, but with products that are not economically repairable outside the warranty period.
While a small but vocal group might post online wanting personalized customer service for every issue and for a rep to never tell someone to read the manual, the vast majority of the thousands of users simply follow the manual and are perfectly happy typing away. Taking an hour or two to read the guide almost always addresses the expected adjustments required as part of the initial setup. If a part actually fails prematurely during the warranty, it gets replaced for free, but realistically, I just can’t be the first line of defense for simple operations that are already clearly detailed in the manual. I need to focus on working with the factories and mailing out all the orders. These kinds of small projects require balancing the desires for more against the need to keep the keyboard cost as affordable as possible without sacrificing quality.
In summary and to directly respond to several commenters here, according to the thousands of emails I’ve sent and received over the past several years, these keyboards have held up well for those who have bought during that timeframe. If they didn’t, then you’d see thousands of complainers, not dozens of the same folks who post the same things again and again, and you’d see hundreds of folks each year trying to sell broken new Model F keyboards on eBay. (I track these sales and estimate that more than 97% of the project’s keyboards have not been resold). Every part of the Model F and Beam Spring keyboard is repairable or replaceable, which is one of the main draws to these keyboards being truly Buy It For Life and against the planned obsolescence movement. The only reason the keyboard would stop working is if someone did not follow the manual to set it up and maintain it when needed. I wouldn’t ruminate on comments based on products made 6 years ago (two specific old models you’re likely not buying), which the bulk of the few negative comments are about. It’s easy to be negative on social media, especially when the algorithms reward controversy to maximize engagement, but it takes a rare courage to put your (online) reputation towards stating something positive, in public, when you know that others may disagree with you and then personally attack you for your beliefs if you speak up.