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Review of the Model M-Inspired Unicomp Customizer Keyboard
ThousandStars writes "I wrote a review of the Unicomp Customizer Keyboard, which is a modern version of the IBM and then Lexmark Model M much beloved by nerds and hackers. The pros of the Customizer: it's sturdy, remarkably similar to the Model M, has great tech support, and uses a USB interface. Oh, and it's Mac-friendly. The cons: at $69 it's somewhat expensive, and its noise won't be music to your cubemate's ears." Note: this is one of the very, very few buckling-spring keyboards you can get new these days, instead of prowling through thrift stores, eBay, and university dumpsters.
...and an internet fan-base, I guess that explains why I haven't been able to find a $2-3 replacement clicky keyboard in a charity shop over the last few years. Sometimes internet, you really suck.
At $69 it's somewhat expensive
Yet you are comparing it to the IBM model M. When that model was out over 20 years ago. A cheap keyboard was over a hundred bucks back then.
Tell me again how we should be glad gas prices are low "after inflation?"
Of course, that hundred dollar keyboard was connected to a four thousand dollar PC with a color monitor (green). It had no mouse. It held less than 1 meg of memory and ran at less than 16 mhz (the 286 five years later; the 8088 was 4 mhz, a thousand times slower than today's CPUs).
I paid $70 for my keyboard/mouse combo. Of course, they're wireless and the mouse has no ball.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
After 22 years of loud clicking, I wonder if you'll sustain any hearing damage.. A sturdy keyboard is a great thing, but at least put in some rubber or something to muffle the sound.
How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M?
I will tell you from recent experience that typing on one of these old beasts will slow you down immensly.
In this group-think-world the reponsiveness of the Model M sounds great; but in reality, it fails miserably.
Please, stop the Model M fanboism.
But are they still heavy and sturdy enough to "console" someone... repeatedly? Sometimes I channel the BOFH, and these cheap plastic Dell deals just don't hold up to the abuse...
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
Cut off the numeric keypad and we'll talk. Till then, I can live with my happy hacker ..
must... stay... awake...
Unicomp also make keyboards with a 'nipple' pointing device in the middle like on Thinkpads. The Endurapro is buckling spring with pointing device and is available as USB. The only downside is that they can't ship the USB version outside the USA.
I'd like to get one but currently I have a good stock of Model Ms for my typing needs.
What I really want to use is the old PC or PC-XT keyboard - buckling spring but even heavier and better built than the Model M. However the electronics are different. I think I saw an adapter on sale for $100 somewhere but that's a bit steep.
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
I actually prefer Unicomp's Endurapro. Same buckling springs, but with an integrated mouse. Saves me from carpal tunnel.... well that and a reasonably ergonomic desk setup. Endurapro at work, endurapro at home :)
http://ward.vandewege.net/blog/
Ugh -- a windows key?
There's a comment saying the Kentucky company is the latest owner of the IBM IP and manufacturing equipment for the keyboard. All of which still resides in Kentucky.
$69 is CHEAP for a decent keyboard. I'm one of those IT guys that's happy to give out the lame excuse for keyboards being shipped with PC's and horde the best of the older keyboards.
Our dev has a DASkeyboard. Very nice too. I'm not l33t enough to go decal-free at 3AM support calls though.
Offtopic:
This company is a *perfect* example of the economic potential for manufacturing in the U.S. It's a niche product, high quality, that won't have a market big enough for whatever low-wage empire to ever export the work.
http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
I'm a relatively young guy, so my first experience with a buckling spring keyboard was when I bought one of these Unicomp Customizers a year ago. The responsiveness is terrific! It's hard to convey this in a way that doesn't seem like snake oil, but I feel like it's increased my typing speed and accuracy.
I think I've become spoiled, actually. When I use my laptops' membrane keyboard, it feels mushy in comparison.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Really. $70 for a keyboard is nothing. It's a tool you use every day for extended periods of time. If you're looking for a decent keyboard it's because you don't like the way the $3 crap-board feels. It costs three bucks for a reason. Quality tools that last are worth every penny.
If you really want to balk at price, I'll point you to my Kinesis Contour keyboard. It cost about $300. The key feel and ergos are great. I've used this board at work for about 9 years now and it's still going strong.
If you still insist on being cheap, go prowl Goodwill or other thrift stores. I found a Lexmark BS board in near mint condition for $5.
"I am not a number! I am a free man!"-- The Prisoner
It got some sense finally?
I have a keytronic lifetime series keyboard cost about $50 and a kensington expert mouse track track ball ($99). As much time as I spend behind the screen on the keyboard it's well worth the investment. Why an expensive keyboard, because it's all about touch. This keyboard has a consistent touch for all the keys unlike some dell keyboards that have that lazy key and that stiff key here or there. BTW why do they call ita keyboard, my son asked.. should it be called a button board? :-)
The model M is not immortal and any good nerd has at least three in the closet. I have only had one of these die on me and it was probably a wiring problem that I can fix but it was nice to have more waiting. They seem to be going for about $25 on ebay, so the internet has not let you down by letting people share their love. Perfect knowledge and many providers is a fair market so $25 is a fair price for a used keyboard. Finding a cache in a dumpster is like finding several hundred dollars on the street and you should save them all for yourself, your friends or just to sell them.
New keyboards like this are worth their price if you type a lot. It does feel good to type on and it will last forever. The only problem with the new ones, like the reviewer noticed, is the windows keys which decrease the size of Ctrl and Alt so that you might miss them.
Our dev has a DASkeyboard that I test drove for a couple of hours. Great.
One of the things I like about the older keyboards is the finger precision required is actually a bit less than newer keyboards. That makes me much more productive when I'm tired.
I think maybe you and Marcel Proust might have quite a bit in common if you can't handle a Model M. Man Up!
http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
I just ordered me a Unicomp keyboard yesterday (a SpaceSaver). And I expect to pay a bit more than just $69: I live in Germany, shipping and taxes will drive it up to about $100, I think.
:-)
I'm a programmer like so many of you, and I don't understand why most programmers don't care for their keyboards: it's the tool we work with all day. Ask any craftsman and he will tell you that tools are important. For example, I know that a lot of coiffeurs buy a scissor for a few hundred bucks after their apprenticeship. That's a crazy amount of money for a scissor, but this scissor lasts until they retire (if they care for it) and feels better than normal scissors. Same thing with cooks and knifes.
I hope the keyboard holds up to my expectations. I ordered a Model-M clone because I have an old Model-M like keyboard back from my 286 at home (still with the old AT connecter, had to get an AT-to-PS/2 converter) and I won't ever use any other keyboard at home except if it breaks: the feel of it so good, no rubber-dome keyboard can compete.
But I guess I have to get an office on my own soon, my colleague will kill me after a few days with the clicking keyboard
Just last week I pulled 2 keyboards from the basement of a friend who used to work for lexmark. One dated 1993 the other 1998. I gave them to the guy I work with. I use those wierd silitek ergo keyboards they stopped making about 2000 or so (looks similar to the newer microsoft ergo keyboards where the front lifts, not the back).
You can tell a true nerd by their taste in keyboards.
I don't understand why keyboard manufacturer still put the Windows logo on the meta key (unless Microsoft give them money).
Can you point me out websites where i can buy a keyboard without 'Windows logo' ?
Anyway, only recently I found a use to this key (using it as meta with Awesome window manager. This don't interfere with 'alt' key in irssi !)
P.s. English isn't my first language !
I got one of those swanky wireless aluminum keyboards with my iMac and hated it -- tiny arrow keys, no numeric pad, and I kept hitting the function key instead of the control key at the bottom left. Plus, I absolutely hate laptop keyboards, and that's basically what it is. I bought a unicomp "EnduraPro" keyboard (with a built-in mouse/nipple), for times when the bluetooth on my mighty mouse screws up or the batteries go dead. I wish they had a command key and extended functions (adjust volume, brightness, etc), but I think it's a great choice. The only downside -- keyboards I use at work, etc, feel like shit :)
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
I have had one of these for years. It's awesome beyond words.
Actually the original reason was that I wanted a keyboard with no letter decals on it (since I am a touch typist ever since I know myself). I looked around where I could get such a thing (we tried painting one ourselves, but the paint tended to attract dust, so it got.. hairy after a while; and what's worse, eventually it caused some kind of skin allergy); after a while, a friend recommended Unicomp, and to get a buckling spring keyboard at the same time.
It worked out tremendously. (Also, I live in Hungary, and they had to ship from the United States. Even this caused no problems.) The clicky feel and sound are perfect, and it is certainly a sturdy beast (the sheer weight generates respect). People around you will have to deal with the loudness, but I personally love even that.
we discovered a new way to think.
Offtopic:
Manufacturing is alive and well in the United States. The job growth from manufacturing isn't particularly strong though, as there is tons of automation. One guy running a couple of CNC lathes is more productive than 4 guys running manual lathes, and so on. Or something like Hyundai, where the spend less per vehicle on welding, but have higher consistency, because they are fully automated.
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
If you're waffling between getting the USB version of the Customizer and the PS/2 (and intending to use it with a PS/2 to USB converter), get the USB model of the keyboard.
:(
I have the PS/2 Unicomp, and it draws too much current for most USB converters, so you get irregular text entry and occasional lockups. This prevents me from using it with USB-only computers, like my Mac.
I would love it if Unicom put a two-port USB hub inside the keyboard, so I have a place to plug in the mouse and maybe a USB memory key.
Chip H.
I was happily surprised when I discovered my EnduraPro was US made.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
Another source for Model M's:
http://www.clickykeyboards.com/
And for Northgate Omnikey's
http://www.northgate-keyboard-repair.com/
So sayeth the Internet.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
Here I was happily typing along, suddenly my keyboard stops working: slashdotted!! Thanks a lot ThousandStars!
It's ThousandStars, the original submitter here. Note that you can also get a reborn Apple Extended II keyboard called the Matias Tactile Pro 2.0; I also reviewed it, but unfavorably, and it suffers from a number of deficiencies the Customizer doesn't. Even Mac users (I am one) are better off with the Customizer.
I've been looking for a new ergonomic tactile keyboard, and haven't been able to find one. I have a 10 year old PC Concepts one that I've been limping along with (it's been resurrected a few times). Eventually it will truly die, and I haven't found any decent feeling keyboards in the last 5 years.
After a long time of waffling, I finally picked one of these up for my home use. I absolutely LOVE it. I've got a few old model-m's floating around, but I wanted something with the windows key, and USB was a definite plus. $70 was a bit expensive, but it's been worth it so far. Now I'm just trying to convince work to buy me one. If they don't soon, I'll probably just buy one on my own dime and bring it in.
09
I discovered these about a week ago by searching Google for "clicky keyboard". I'm sure after this story they'll probably have a backlog of orders.
Unicomp is a small outfit, and as far as I understand it, they actually bought the old production machines and patents from IBM/Lexmark and are still making these in the same factory. They can even print up custom keys for you. I use a Mac, and for a little extra they made me two specially printed "Command" keys and gave me a blank one, to replace the Windows keys. Nice!
This is easily the nicest keyboard I've ever personally owned anyway. If you like the old clicky keyboards like the old IBM Model M, I don't think you can go wrong with this.
I happen to have 5 (five) of the Model M keyboards, NEW in the BOX !.
NO, they are not for sale. This one I am presently using was manufactured
in 1984. That is 24 years of service. If they ever remove the DIN connectors
from PC's, I'm building an adapter. LOL.
Eat your hearts out.
No-one has yet mentioned the Unicomp version of the Model M can come in black. BLACK! And no 'windows' key!
The only downside and non-original thing is the cable doesn't disconnect from the back of the keyboard. One of the best features of the Model M.
Also, I've successfully defended myself with my old Model M. His head took far more damage than my keyboard.
Sure they're fairly pricey, but look what people pay for those ridiculous broken in half bumpy MS keyboards. Rule 1 of "Ergonomics" is make it look weird and tell people it's good for them. They'll believe it.
Unicomp's model M isn't as sturdy as the original IBM model M. Also the Unicomps don't have a replacable cable. The IBM doesn't sound as hollow either. The Unicomp is based on the later model Ms so keep that in mind. Although the keypresses are nicer given that some of these IBMs are 20 years old although Unicomp will repair and clean your old IBM if you can find one.
I emailed Unicomp a few times every time they are friendly and helpful with a decent response time of about 1 business day or less. They can program their space saver (it's basically a model m2) or the custimizer (model m) to any layout you want. I have the Dvorak one. It cost a extra $10. I could not find a cherry mechanical switch keyboard that can be programmed. They also come in black and gray keys unlike original IBMs. The space saver also comes with a nipple/clit mouse.
If I had to kill someone with a keyboard I would definately grab the original model M from IBM. Actually maybe one of the old XT keyboards. Then would come the Unicomp model m which I feel could still kill someone and keep on typing. The Unicomp model m2 I could not trust to kill another man and still continue typing that day as it would probably not survive the ensuing battle.
According to http://www.clickykeyboard.com/buyersguide.htm/ they were more-specifically identified as model numbers 1391472, 1397681, 1370475, 1392464, 1392934,1395100.
I have one connected to my Mac Mini at home and two spares in case anything happens to that one.
I was introduced to the Model M keyboard one fine afternoon when leaving from work a dumpster outside a large insurance company building was FILLED with hundreds of Model M keyboards; evidently they were doing a hardware upgrade. Seeing the keyboards I grabbed one from the dumpster (I have no pride) to try out.
Overjoyed that I finally found a clicky keyboard like those I remembered from the early IBM days I returned the next day and picked up half a dozen more.
If I had only known I would have taken more.
I can't use them at work though - my cube farm neighbors complained when I brought one in.
But I do love the bucking spring design.
I currently use a MSFT Ergonomic keyboard, I love the ergonomic shape of it, however, I miss the tactile feel of the old IBM keyboards. Does anybody make an ergonomic keyboard with tactile feedback or buckle springs?
Link: http://www.cvtinc.com/products/keyboards/stellar.htm It has only one modern feature: built-in macro capability and keycode swapping (no need to install software to program it).
'Once scientists, even the dim-witted social scientists, get muzzled, the Western Civilization is finished.' - oldhack
Model M keyboards turn up quite frequently on EBay.
Just use the search term 'clicky'.
DT
Is this thing on? Hello?
This is what I use right now, the Sun Type 7 Keyboard. It feels like that type of keyboard to me
http://www.sun.com/desktop/products/peripherals/keyboard/
You can also buy the real thing from Clickykeyboards. They sell never-opened IBM M model keyboards for roughly the same amount as Unicomp. I'm using a 1995 Model M from them now, and I absolutely love it.
This company is a *perfect* example of the economic potential for manufacturing in the U.S. It's a niche product, high quality, that won't have a market big enough for whatever low-wage empire to ever export the work. The address given on the website is a relatively small building, which according to the PVA's office is mostly warehouse (with a small office attached).
Manufacturing is most likely done in an ex-Lexmark plant somewhere in Mexico or the Far East....
The SCO lawsuit makes me wish my company were in Utah. We need a new building.
It's just how we compare prices: relatively rather than absolutely, even if an absolute metric would be more fair. Dan Ariely discusses this in his book, Predictably Irrational, which I think worth reading.
How about the trusty Royal Manual, now there was a bulletpoof keyboard. Lacking in interface choices, though. Scanner only.
Invenio via vel creo
What other options are there for tactile feedback and/or buckling-spring keyboards?
Frankly, the grey-on-black colour scheme is hideous, and I've grown quite attached to the volume control keys and USB hub on modern keyboards.
A more compact design wouldn't be too much to ask either.
Surely there has to be some happy medium between the $5 dell keyboards and the heavier-than-a-brick Unicomps?
-- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
and why oh why doesn't it have large enter key? *sigh*
The buckling spring is what gives the keyboard a satisfying feel when typing. I'm very much not a fan of the mushy "quiet" keyboards. There's just such a satisfying feel when typing on something that feels like it could be attached to a typewriter. :)
The Model M's were the first keyboards I learned on and I was pleased as punch to find out people were still making them all these years later.
I don't know about this new version they have but the one I bought is here: http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/cus101usenon.html
Solid, durable, not likely to crap out on you. Not a slashvertisement but a testimonial.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
I had been using an old Model M (with the blue IBM logo) for the last 7-8 years. Bought a Unicomp recently to get windows keys and USB.
:) that is absent on the Unicomp.
It's awesome.
but two nitpicks:
The IBM Model M had two layers of key covers on each key. A blank peice that inserts into the keyboard base, and a cap with the letter inked on it that goes over. The Unicomp has the letters printed on the bottom peice, and no cap. I find that this effects the weight enough to be noticably different. I ended up swapping the peices over to the new Unicomp. Everything fit dead-on except for the Alt and Spacebar keys, and obviously the windows keys which are not present on the original IBM.
Second, the Model M had a drainage system (for when I spill my coffee
Here's one that not only comes in lefty models, but you can choose from different sizes, too:
http://www.contourdesign.com/pmo/
I bought it because "normal" mice caused me pain, and because I must have a three button mouse (I'm guessing that I'm not the only one here).
I have the righty version, and it is pretty comfortable, much better than anything else currently on the market that resembles a standard mouse.
The most comfortable mouse of all time, bar none:
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/wingmanmouse/
It was just amazing. I'd kill to get one in new condition - I never had any pain with it. Shame that Logitech killed it.
I'm pretty sure they're manufactured/assembled in Kentucky.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
I'm right-handed, mostly, but I strongly prefer to use left-hand joysticks (because I'm a pilot and am more used to flying left-hand.)
I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for good left-hand joysticks.
Saitek makes ambidextrous ones that can be switched to left-hand but they wear out in about a year.
Anyone have ideas or suggestions about durable leftie joysticks?
Nostalgia's not what it used to be.
On the ordering page it gives a choice between 104 keys (US) and 105 keys (intl). What is the extra key that the international users get that we don't have?
MOD PARENT UP informative
There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
I didn't see anything about how many keys you can press at once?
It doesn't look like it's geared towards gamers, but as a person that plays fighting games on a keyboard I am always looking for something that has feedback, is solid, and lets me press at least 6 buttons at once without ghosting or blocking.
Right now I rely on a surprisingly capable logitech playstation 2 USB keyboard with a 6 button limit, but its keys are definately low quality, and a Razer Tarantula which allows 10 keys at once and has very little potential delay on the buttons, but its incredibly soft and spongy.
I've also tried a few of those so-called "gaming" keyboards from companies like Logitech. But they are complete trash. It amazes me when companies sell keyboards as "gaming" keyboards when you can't even play FPS games right on them because of blocking on the arrow keys and nearby buttons.
I'm hoping someone out there has tried this and knows how it reacts to numerous buttons at once.
1 (short ton / firkin) = 89.1432354 slugs / keg
Myself, I use a 22 year old Apple Extended Keyboard, via the Griffin iMate ADB to USB adaptor, on my 1.42 Ghz G4 Dual Processor PowerMac, running Mac OS X 10.5.3.
I have had exactly ZERO problems with this arrangement.
After using the Extended for all these years, today's "modern" keyboards all feel like I'm poking at slab of Silly Putty.
As for the commentor who likes having volume control keys, well, my 22 year old keyboard has them as well. COMMAND-ARROW works in just about every app that has a sound function. Although, as I use a Mac, I have used USB Overdrive to map the volume control in ALL my media players to the scrollwheel in my mouse and to the Griffin PowerMate rotary controller. Also, tapping the PowerMate mutes in all my media applications.
My keyboard has 16 function keys, via Keyboard Maestro I have some of them programmed for use in individual applications.
So, for the cost of an ADB to USB interface found on eBay and some shareware fees, my ancient keyboard (which, by the way, works as perfectly as the day it shipped from the assembly line) has all the functionallity of these new "keyswitch"/"buckling spring" keyboards with their "media keys" and "eject keys" have two DVD drives in my Mac. F12 works the top drive, OPTION-F12 works the bottom drive. Those are my "eject keys".
I have 6 more Apple Extendeds in the closet, all from Goodwill/Salvation Army. All of them work perfectly.
As long as there are ADB to USB interfaces, I'll be using an Extended on the Macintosh.
And to all my nerd brothers and sisters still using "M" keyboards (and Extended/Extended II, of course), I stand in solidarity with you!
Guaranteed! This comment 100% Anthrax free!
I have thrown two cheap Logitech keyboards away after a few months for exactly this reason. I have typed on a somewhat expensive Logitech diNovo keyboard which also did this.
One might argue that this forces you to type more precisely which is probably a good thing - but I can't take it and have bought my last Logitech keyboard.
somebody help me out here: what's the difference, aside from the color? What space are we saving, exactly?
Looks like it's wider than my desk...
WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
And I love it. Love the clicky. And the keycaps pull off so instead of F1 F2 F3 F4 I have up arrow, F2, down arrow, F4. Keeps people off my computer. :)
I didn't even know it was 22 years old until this article prompted me to look.
What's purple and commutes? An Abelian grape.
Where can I get a Space Cadet keyboard?
I love my IBM model M (made 1993-05-21), but it's too loud to use at work. Right now, I'm using an old Dell rubber-membrane keyboard. I hate typing on it. Any suggestions on a keyboard with good tactile feedback but less of the BOFH clickyness?
(Unrelated note: the key sound of a Model M is the worst possible thing to hear when hung over. Something about the pitch makes every key a knife twisting in the brain.)
Undoubtedly the Model 'M' is the one to get, however, I have better memories of the keyboards that came with early SGI deskside computers. These were PS2 many years before the rest and you could plug the three button mouse into either side, again PS2. 'Alps' actually made the keyboard for SGI in 'granite' and it did not creak like Sun keyboards or click too much, as per the Model 'M'.
The defining feature for me was the lack of 'feet', i.e. the keyboard could not be tilted. At the time this made sense for a 'graphics' workstation.
About a month ago I contacted the company to enquire about delivery costs in the UK. I was told it would range between 40 and 50$, almost as much as the keyboard itself. And then there's always the risk of having to pay import duty on it...
I've been searching the internet for a distributor in Europe which would hopefully allow to have a lower price, but I have not found any. Is there really no other way than paying the incredibly high postage fees to get one in Europe?
I use a 1986 Model M (born-on date from the label, Jan. '86...yes, they have born-on dates) at home that my family bought new with their IBM XT (the later-model refresh with the Model M and half-height floppies and hard drive). Silver-label IBM logo and no indicator lights because it's an XT. It is literally as good as the day it was taken out of the box, and I have probably typed every paper I've ever written in the last 20 years on that thing. Millions and millions of keystrokes. It'll last 50 years if I take good care of it.
I type with too much force. Mushy keyboards hurt my hands, and I actually physically push my lousy and over-small work Dell 'board around the desk as I type. Bad habit I've never been able to break. Worse: both sides of my family are prone to carpal tunnel. The Model M is the ONLY keyboard I've ever typed on that I could go for hours on end without discomfort. The keys have extra travel distance, you get that three-pronged feedback (visual, sound, and tactile "buckle"), and I don't actually mash my fingers straight into the ground because there's so much extra give after you get the buckle and click. I actually train myself to slow and stop the keypress at the buckle before I mash it all the way down and bend my fingers, thus saving tons of strain. You simply cannot get that from a membrane keyboard. Actually, even the quality ALPS switches, the DAS's, the Northgates (also still around as some other company bought the manufacture rights!), and the classic Apples don't totally eliminate my bad habit like the Model M's do...and those are WONDERFUL 'boards in their own right. It's also got slightly bigger "cups" on the keys and slightly bigger raised bars on the "F" and "J" keys than most lousy commodity keyboards today so you can touch type on feel much more easily without hitting the wrong key. I have big hands and big fingers...part of the reason why I type so hard. And my typing speed is worlds better on a Model M because the shape of the keys is so much better for touch typing without errors. And it's the most perfectly-angled keyboard I've ever used, and the generous-sized raised edges of the 'board offer better resting spots than keyboards that shave off all extraneous plastic to save on space and materials cost. Plus it's so much easier to touch type without the @#$% Windows keys messing with the ALT/CTRL arrangement and the spacing in-between. CTRL-ESC for the Start Menu, SHIFT-F10 to simulate right-click. I was a DOS and OS/2 Warp guy back in the day so it's like second nature to reach for those keys anyway. I 10 times as often hit the Windows keys by mistake while reaching for ALT, so I never want to type on a keyboard that has those again.
It's also the only 'board that'll take a drink spill unscathed. I've never had a membrane 'board work the same after taking a can of Coke. The pop-off keys clean up good and a Q-tip dabbed in rubbing alcohol cleans up the switches nicely (the under-keys under the caps have space wide enough to shove a cleaning implement down there). You can even soak the key caps, although I've never tried that (the paint doesn't wear off the letters...still like new whereas all the letters have already worn off my stinking 2 1/2 year old Dell 'board at work just from wear). I've also heard about the people who take out the circuit board and put them in the dishwasher to clean the mechanical parts, but I'm not sure if that's an urban legend or not. I'd be too afraid to try.
It's got the swappable plug. I traded in the fat original XT DIN port for a swap of a PS/2 cable from another Model M. Nice and long (they do have extra-extra long plug cables on some eBay Model M sales), and curled together with thick insulation so it doesn't tangle. I even run my mouse cable through the inside of that cord coil so it doesn't get caught on the back of my desk.
I'm sure there are people who like quieter keyboards better or don't like the feel. And I do agree that the Lexmarks and Unicomps are not quite as well constructed as th
Just a few clarifications and personal experiences: First, Unicomp has been doing this for a good decade now, and are more of a direct descendant than "Model M-Inspired". Unicomp bought Lexmark's keyboard business which was bought from IBM. Lexmark's keyboard design was nearly identical to the IBM design, but with drainage channels and a tighter spring (sounds more like a "clink" than the Model M's "twang", but IMHO has the same feel). Unicomp left that design essentially unchanged, until adding optional changes like USB, the windows keys, smaller outer bezel, etc.
I have both a Model M (1391401) and a Unicomp Customizer (UNI0P46), and I love them both. However, I've had problems with the Model M going AT-PS/2-USB or just AT-PS/2 in some cases, so it sits in the closet, ready to return to action if needed. My main workstation has the Unicomp, with this adapter on recommendation by Clicky Keyboards. They no longer sell that model, but recommend this instead. Your average retail PS/2 to USB adapter will most likely not handle the draw from one of these keyboards, so you're better off ordering one of these directly.
http://www.cvtinc.com/products/keyboards/menu.htm
This company is also licensed to produce brand-new Northgate replicas, so those gems are still alive and kicking just like the Model M's.
Now if Jobs would just stop dicking us around and bring the Apple Extended II back the world might actually rediscover the value of typing on a piece of quality equipment designed to maximize its purpose.
Hell, it's ONLY the primary interface with the computer. Where did things go wrong where we all got trained to put up with pieces of crap without second-thought for the most important peripheral or overlook that critical piece while building our blingy rigs. I will never understand why the keyboard became the forgotten afterthought...isn't aching carpal tunnel enough of a reminder?
Cherry keyboards with not-quite-so-loud-but-still-nicely-tactile mechanical keyswitches are great when you want a feel sometinhg like a Model M but don't want the noise. I use a Cherry G-1800LUMUS-0 myself, and find it to be wonderful for my typing needs. I looked at the Model M-alikes at Unicomp when searching for it, but decided I wanted something a little quieter... and happened to find one with the weird layout I grew up with (kind of squished, but still full-size keys). Cherry keyswitches come in both quiet and loud versions, this board has the quiet kind. The tactile response isn't quite as good as my Lexmark Model M, but it's close. I use it connected to my laptop all the time... it fits in my laptop backpack, which is nice too.
Reposted from my blog:
There are few joys in life like using something that is the perfect expression of its intent. Each trade has its representative tools, and their common trait is quality, even if it's not obvious to the casual observer, and often counterintuitive. The best tools in a category are almost always the least flashy, and rarely the ones a new practitioner would choose.
The Model M keyboard is like that: it's loud, ugly, heavy, and utterly lacking modern niceties like buttons to change your sound volume or check your email. And yet, it has that transcendent feeling that's hard to explain, that sense of rightness where you realize that you're using the best that's ever been made, that every change since then has been superfluous and cosmetic. With time, the loud clacking becomes the background music of your work, the harmony that tells you that your thoughts have become words. Its beige boxiness yields to elegant simplicity and the realization that true beauty is born of function, not appearance. The sheer weight of the thing turns to solidity and the confidence that it will stay where you put it. The dearth of features becomes the singleminded dedication to the parts that really matter and a proud disregard of unneeded distractions.
A tool attains its peak when a craftsman forgets that he's using it because it has become an extension of himself. Thus the humble Model M has become the iconic favorite of hackers everywhere, an ode to the engineers who grasped for excellence and acheived it.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
LOL that seriously sounds like me, on my cruddy Dell keyboard at work. It's nowhere near as loud as a model M but the office is dead quiet so the sound carries. The only thing is that 2 out of 3 times, when you hear the loud furious typing, I'm posting on Slashdot. But everyone thinks I'm doing some really complicated techie work so nobody comes over to look. It all works out well :)
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
The original Northgate OmniKey line of keyboards are the best ever made. They were $130 or so for the larger ones(104 key) back in the day. If you never worked on one you should try you will never want to type on anything else ever again.
Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
Can't it get distracting especially while doing some creative writing?
;)
I can agree about tactile feedback...but is there a keyboard that has it without the noise of A-10 firing its cannon?
One that hath name thou can not otter
I have a Customizer and an Endura Pro with the pointing stick. The keyboards are great. But the pointing stick on the Endura Pro totally sucks. I was used to the great pointing stick on my Thinkpad T23 (which I'm a HUGE fan of, I hate touchpads), and thought that I'd get a desktop keyboard so that I never have to touch the keyboard again.
My excitement wore off once I tried to use the Endura Pro's pointing stick. It is just not sensitive enough, you have to really push it far to get the mouse to begin moving. Software adjustments don't make a difference. And for some reason it gets in my way more than the one on the Thinkpad does (I think it sticks out higher), so I just took the pad off of it to give it a lower profile and I simply don't use it at all.
My next keyboard from them will be the SpaceSaver model with a USB connector. Same as the Endura Pro, but no crappy pointing stick.
To save you the hassle of dealing with a karma whore:
To save you the hassle of having to deal with the SnapShot-enabled crap on the website:
Product Review: Unicomp Customizer keyboard
A rash of e-mails regarding and hits to my negative review of the Matias Tactile Pro 2 leads me to write this positive review the Unicomp Customizer, a modern version of the Model M that IBM used to produce. Dan's Data explains why these "buckling spring" keyboards are so nice:
The big deal about these old keyboards is their lovely, positive key-click. When you use a keyboard that doesn't have a good positive click, it's hard to tell when you've depressed a key properly. You have to watch the screen to make sure you don't leave letters out, or you have to really hammer the keyboard, which is not good for your hands.
Most of the mid-priced keyboards [...] use some variant of the "rubber dome" switch technology, which gives a definite little popping sensation when the dome buckles, but doesn't necessarily give you an actual letter at the exact same moment, thanks to uncertain contacts. The old buckling spring tech absolutely positively does give you the letter when you feel the click. These keyboards feel very much like an old IBM Selectric typewriter - there are plenty of these ironclad behemoths still in service, and they may herniate anyone that has to move them but they're darn nice to type on.
Today, buckling spring keyboards are never or almost never shipped with computers. Fortunately, Unicomp has accomplished what Matias couldn't and produced an excellent keyboard in the Customizer, which is based on the actual IBM Model M design. Keystrokes are crisp and precise. The "shadow key" problem that bedeviled the Tactile Pro is absent, and the Customizer itself is solid, recalling a slab of stone (see the picture below), unlike the fragile, mushy keyboards most PCs ship with. It's also been durable, and in the months I've pounded on it the only problem has been a backspace key that became slightly squeaky. I sent an e-mail to Unicomp and someone called me to recommend that I pop off the offending key with a butter knife to reseat it. If you know anything about modern tech support, reread that sentence and let the shock set in. An actual phone call? From a guy involved with the actual manufacturing of the product? Indeed, and I've now experienced my miracle. The squeak seemed to go away and I'm back to my normal pattern. Furthermore, the company is based in Kentucky and makes the Customizers there.
The main drawback for me is that I use an iMac and the keyboard is set up for Windows. The ability to change key bindings was important to me, and OS X allows it to be accomplished easily by going to System Preferences -> keyboard and mouse -> keyboard -> modifier keys:
(Unnecessarily insulting picture of a configuration dialogue. Like we don't know what one of those looks like...)
As the picture above shows, I've disabled the caps lock key--which is not specific to this keyboard, but just a preference--and changed the "option" key to command and the command key to option, which makes the alignment of the Customizer match any other Mac keyboard. Windows and Linux users will probably want to leave the alt and control keys where they are. The Customizer is thus a viable Mac keyboard, which delights me after the Matias Tactile Pro 2 problems. Although I haven't conducted any tests to demonstrate whether I actually type faster with the Customizer, I feel like I do, and even if I don't, I like typing on it far more than I do other keyboards.
The Customizer's minor downsides are fivefold: 1) as described above, the command, alt, and option physical keys don't match what the computer will actually do; 2) although the Customizer feels far better than other modern keyboards, it's not quite the same as real Model Ms, which were metal, and it's also subtly different than Apple's Extended II keyboard, and as a result peopl
Prop it in a corner of the shower with you one morning; that exposes it to less-direct, lower-temp water than the dishwasher (even top-rack) does. At least that was the recommendation that used to be given out to IBM field engineers and you don't even need to disassemble it.
Works well for trauma spills but ground-in dirt due to old age will require the more meticulous disassembly-style cleaning that was recommended to you elsewhere.
AEK II was my favorite keyboard ever; I still have one of these in the closet for old times sake, but of course they never made a USB version. My second favorite is the current generation of wired Mac keyboards -- the thin silver things. Great tactile response but without the overly loud clickage.
There have been studies relating audible keypresses to productivity. So much so, that you can get programs that make the noise through your speakers, for keyboards that don't click. Supposedly, it increases not only your own productivity, but the productivity of those around you. I'm no model M fan, but i anyone in your office complains about clicks, you have a counter argument.
How is the "Customizer 104/105" keyboard for a Mac power user?
Can the Windows and Alt keys be popped off and swapped (and the Windows logo erased!) to more closely match the Mac's Alt/Option and Command keys? Can Esc and Backquote be swapped, and Caps Lock and the left Control swapped, to more closely resemble the Linux keyboard?
(The key mappings, of course, can all be altered through System Preferences.)
I love my KeyTronic E03600QLPS2B-C. I got it for 24 bucks new from Newegg. It doesn't have the annoying loud clacking of the IBM/Lexmark ones, but looks just as nice and has the same layout. The first IBM-type PC I ever used was an original PC model, and I never really cared that much for the keys. The first PC compatible I owned was an XT clone with a keyboard very much like this one. None of the other keyboards I've had since were nearly as good until I finally got this one.
and it's a very very nice keyboard for sustained typing. Plus, it has a lifetime guarantee, so if it breaks, you can get a replacement. I'm not just saying this, I use one, I'm typing on one right now!
Much better than the M IMHO, though I haven't typed on an M for longer than a lifetime of a healthy rat.
So think before you act, and find something that suits your hands. Comfort over fashion!
Well, we haven't drilled any new holes or built any new refineries since the model M came out, either. So yeah, the gas prices aren't so bad in that context.
But it's really not a matter of being glad about it or not. The fact is that complaining about the gas prices does very little good, and the proposals by many of the most ardent complainers will do nothing to alleviate those prices. Some of the proposed measures are practically guaranteed to make matters much, much worse, in fact.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
I love the model M because it has a curved chassis. The keycaps are all removable and can be put in Dvorak fashion. I have some Northgates but the chassis is not curved, the keycaps, are and relocating then creates a monster that only an orthodontist would love. Also the cord is unbelievably cool.
All your database are belong to U.S.
And yes, there are models without Windoze keys. That would be requirement. And models with integrated trackpoints! Whee. And... wait for it... a Linux layout! With no Windows keys, and Ctrl where it's supposed to be (where Caps Lock is on a PC keyboard).
I still have an original loud clicker. Cost me £55 in 1999.
And it comes with additional keycaps for when you swap your Control and Caps Lock keys in firmware. No stupid air gap like the Unicomp Customizer has.
And it has function keys down the left hand side.
I have four of them.
Back in high school I took a typing class that was filled with IBM computers and these so called loud and clicky keyboards. Some keyboards were worn down really well while others had crusty chunks of dirt on them. Regardless you were a high schooler so you didn't care, type away!
Anyhow the class was noisy as hell. 30 to 35 students all in the same room typing. Talking in normal voice to the person next to you would barely get heard 5 feet away. When the class first started, the first clicking sounds quickly started up as everyone could tell it was "typing time". When the class ended, the ringing in your ears died and silence or the noise from voices was much better to hear.
You were given these books with word patterns that would teach you how to touch type correctly. There'd be patterns starting with one hand on the home row, then the other hand, the adding the G and H keys and so on until you started typing real words, sentences, then paragraphs. The class was pretty stupid to be honest.
But then I wondered what would happen if I typed so fast that I finished the book. What would my teacher do then? Let me sit around and do nothing? So I kept at it and typed as fast as I could to finish the book. And I did with about a month left in the class. I proudly walked up to the teacher and said "I'm finished with this book." And he said, "Is that so?" and I said "Yeah." And so he then go up out of his chair and walked to a file cabinet, and on top of the file cabinet were new thicker and denser books. He grabbed one of them and handed it to me and said, "Start working on this one then." I crawled back to my computer and my 100 or so words-per-minute quickly dropped to 10 to 20.
So to make a long story short, the model M keyboard does not prevent you from typing fast and will actually allow you to get assigned more typing work. For that reason I'm okay with keyboards slowing me down--it guarantees that I won't be stuck doing more work than I had hoped for.
My faithful Model M needs a thorough clean! Is there any company (in Europe, please) that can do this, or do I have to take it to bits myself and swab it with cottonbuds and solvent (and if so, which solvent is best?)
I own two Unicomp Customizer keyboards, I had been looking for a model M for some time and finally ordered two Unicomps. One for home and one for work. I absolutely lothe the cheap dell keyboards they provide us with and I figured even with shipping to Denmark, this is something that I spend so much time with, I want the best I can get. They are highly recommended, both as keyboards and self defence weapons :)
Resistance is not futile - www.gnu.org
k, I love these clicky keyboards but they piss off my work mates. Is there a good but slightly quieter keyboard I can get for the office?
Their site used to look like it hadn't been updated since the mid-90s. In fact, it was so amateurish, it didn't even have their logo... do they have one at all? Anyway, they took it down for remodeling, and redirected to their Yahoo store.
That was around 6 months ago.
And they STILL don't have a new site up.
Circumcision is child abuse.
I could never decide between the unicomp type M and the "das keyboard" http://www.daskeyboard.com/. The das keyboard has clickly keys but they aren't buckling springs. After seeing this article I called unicomp and they advised me I could get a black on black space saver with blank keys for a few bucks more, in other words a "das keyboard" style type M. Best of both worlds!
I've got a question, I've always wanted to try a Hall effect-based keyboard, could someone tell me where I could get one?
Thanks.
This needs to be modded up as +1 Excellent!
As a side note, two other reasons that the Model M is supposedly better at preventing finger and wrist strain is:
- IBM spent a long time studying keyboard and key slope (compare the gentle curve of the keys from top edge to bottom edge on a Model M to the flat or reversed slope on most other keyboards).
- The keys provide enough physical feedback that most people can comfortably rest their fingers on them without worrying about accidentally pressing a key from their finger weight (something else planned in the design). That minimizes finger fatigue, helps prevent accidental keystrokes (after typing a while and fingers get tired) and makes it easier on hands, wrists and fingers since they dont have to be moved off the home row to prevent accidental keypresses, and their users dont have to be holding their finger pressure off the keys to prevent accidental key presses.
Another beauty about the design, is for those (unlike the AC I'm replying to - and myself) who like mashing their keys down to the bottom, you still can - and better yet - without damaging or deteriorating the key switches. With a membrane switch, each mash damages the membrane just a tiny bit more.
StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
...I'll try it out, but ever since I got my MS Natural Touch, any other keyboard makes my hands hurt after 10 minutes of typing. Buying that keyboard alone relieved the bulk of RSI pain I had typing. That and some hand exercises I worked out from looking at devices that were supposed to help people with carpal tunnel have probably saved my hands.
I hate MS as much as the next guy, but I have several Natural Touch keyboards waiting for when this one breaks. Probably the greatest thing MS has ever done.
The Model M is huge - takes up acres of space.
SpaceSaver is the compact version, much more suited to the modern desktop. I'm typing this one one.
No sig today...
Das Keyboard
I have the second version with variably weighted mechanical (clicky) key switches. It's very nice.
Me lost me cookie at the disco.
Here's a device from clickykeyboards.com that converts the PS/2 cable to USB. This is not a cheapo PS/2 to USB converter, this thing runs about $20, but is well worth it. I have been using my Model M for years, and ran into the first computers without PS/2 ports about 4 years ago. I struggled with the converters that were available, I got slow key repeats, slow typing, and the occasional wrong character. This thing is perfect, my Model M performance is great with USB now.
http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.home/parentcat/11298/subcatid/0/id/131781
My only regret is the cost, I'd like to buy 3 or 4 more...
I actually went down to my basement to pull my last known good model M out of the basement (it had a spring that was broken off in the left shift key, so I put it away in favor of this little pansy wireless keyboard I got with my new PC).
:) Yanked a spring from one, and now my keyboard is back where it belongs.
I was thinking I'd order a new spring set for it, since one of the links in the comments here had a site that sold them... but I couldn't find the darn keyboard cable.
I poked around the basement a little more, and found two more model M's
As a note, I convinced my boss a couple of years ago to pick up a Customizer 101 for my desk at work. It's a very nice and very comfortable replacement for the unit on my desk at home.
(Born on date: 02-14-1992!)
Of course, one should keep in mind the length of time a model M can last for. 20+ years is not unexpected. Upgrading computers every 5 years means it's $69 from four $1000 computers, a much better deal.
Not a sentence!
It's not "inspired by" the Model M, it IS the Model M. Brief history: the M was cooked up by IBM's typewriter/printer division in Lexington, KY; that's why it feels like an old Selectric. IBM spun that division off to create Lexmark. Lexmark made some M's with both their name and IBM's name, then sold it all to Unicomp so they could concentrate on gouging people on inkjet cartridges. :)
Unicomp is also in Lexington, KY, and they ended up with all the inventory, spare parts, injection molds, design copyrights, some of the people, etc. The current Unicomp stuff all has a (c) 1984 date on the back just like the originals, but a manufacture date of 2008.
There are some minor differences in size, keycaps, drainage, non-detachable cable, etc but the mechanics are the same.
For a few months I have owned a Matias 508. I was so intrigued by the idea of one-hand typing. On the plus side, it's so nice to have an ENTER key in place of "Caps Lock". And I am now totally used to "Space-bar-Tab" as backspace for the left hand. But on the other hand I find it impossible to type with two hands when the keyboard is in one-hand mode. I keep getting special "Matias typos" when I type a space and it interferes with the next character I type( with two hands ). So on the high-tech side a proximity sensor could sense your two hands. More cheaply a move of the mouse by a few pixels could cue it that you want one-hand, while a hit on the right-keys such as "JKLIOP" would cue it that you are using both hands, no need to do the spacebar-modal-thing and risk those typos. This is an obvious idea, but my guess is that the 508 was designed around existing parts. For example an even more obvious thing would be a light to tell you if the 508 is *IN* Matias-mode or not, but my guess is there is some off-the-shelf-chip which only handles the standard caps-scroll-num lights. Anyway with enough interest, if every slash-dotter preorders one, then they can afford to tool up and then I get my one-two-hand-Automode keyboard too.
What about the Das keyboard from thinkgeek.com?
It's a lot like a model M as far as I can tell - I have one and it's great.
Of course, if you're a novice typist it might be a bit difficult for you as NONE of the keys are labeled -but I like it what way!
Try an IBM Model M13 manufactured before 1999.
It's the predecessor to the EnduraPro 104, built on the old Model M chassis.
(Although, there's some really crappy refurbished ones on the market, as I found out the hard way.)
The ones made before 1999 have a TrackPoint II (there was no TrackPoint I, IIRC,) which is the same technology as what's in your ThinkPad, although with less sophisticated control logic. (IIRC, the TrackPoint III added a bunch of features in firmware to make it work better, and the TrackPoint IV added the "Internet Scroll Bar" (read: middle button with some fancy drivers to make it scroll when held down and the mouse moved.)) In fact, the Model M13 wasn't intended to be a product originally, it was a prototype (to demonstrate the TrackPoint, that would eventually go into the ThinkPad, on any PC) that they decided to put in production - often sold as a ThinkPad accessory.
The ones made in 1999 and later were made by Unicomp, and have the same "force sensing resistor" technology as the current Unicomp pointing stick boards. It is very disconcerting when you're used to a real TrackPoint, but I've gotten used to it.
Model Ms were made in Lexington, KY (the vast majority,) Ireland (most European Model Ms, and some 1998 and 1999 Model Ms,) and Mexico (some Model M13s.)
I'm not including the Model M6 or Model M6-1 - IIRC, those were made in Japan at some point in their runs, but they're ThinkPad keyboards, and are most definitely not Buckling Spring.
If you're buying a Customizer 101 PS/2, just pay the $59 or $69 or whatever it is for a Linux 101 ($10 more than the Customizer 101,) and it has the Caps Lock and Ctrl already reversed for you.
Unfortunately, you can't get customized layouts in USB, but Unicomp will sell you the keycaps, at least, so you can remap in software.
Tiny, tiny nitpick: The Model M is a membrane keyboard. Yes, even the ones with buckling springs. (But, because of the BS design, it still won't damage the membrane.)
Anyway, I'll agree with the opinion that the Lexmark and Unicomp boards are lower quality. However, I've actually grown to prefer my Unicomp board over my 1993 IBM Model M (and it's really an IBM, too - drainage holes and blue logo, but made by IBM, not Lexmark, and a detachable cable.) I brought the 1993 M out today, because I've had to RMA my EnduraPro for some mouse button issues. It's definitely a lot more solid, a lot heavier, and the keys fit much better, but I don't like typing on it quite as much as I remember... then again, Model Ms get better with use, and this one hasn't been used in months...