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.

Comments

I didn't realise that they had a name...

[fictionpuss]

...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.

Geezer alert!

[sm62704]

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.

Re:Geezer alert!

[Brian Gordon]

No wires or ball? You got ripped off buddy.

still heavy enough?

[i.r.id10t]

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...

Re:still heavy enough?

[Odinson]

I have owned one of these customizers for a couple of years so far and I can say yes. Even a woman of moderate build could fell two or three professional wrestlers with this thing. If they can lift it.

They should have know better than to mess with you when they heard your keystrokes sounding off like machine gun fire in the night. They are very spill resistant too, so you don't have to worry about how bloody they get. You can type a strongly worded letter mere seconds after an attack.

Now if they would just offer one with lit keys so you can see who you are pummeling in the pitch black without the aid of night vision goggles at an additional cost!

USB, pointing stick

[Ed Avis]

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.

I prefer Unicomp's Endurapro

[LinuxOnEveryDesktop]

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 :)

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[splutty]

Hmmm..

Interesting comment, however I completely and utterly disagree. Most modern keyboards (and I've gone through quite a lot), are simply not tactile and 'fast' enough. There are a number of keyboards (Looking at you, DELL), that I have serious problem with considering the speed I'm typing. More often then not, letters will be 'switched around', because I hit them in such fast succession. I've never had this problem with a Model-M, or with certain Cherry keyboards with microswitches (nor by the way, with this HP-KU keyboard, which comes with detachable numpad and card reader)

If you claim that a Model-M will slow people down, then I think you've either never typed on a tactile keyboard, or you're a slow typer to begin with. Of course I could be terribly wrong, and the positive effects of the Model-M surely vary for people, but in my experience I'm typing a LOT faster on my keyboard at home (which is an original Model-M/PS2) than on pretty much any other keyboard.

I think the main reason for that is twofold. First you never have to fully depress the key, plus aside from the 'noise' it also gives you a very tactile response, and even pushed the key back at you. This basically limits the amount of force and movement my fingers have to make to type anything, and for me at least, speeds my typing up enormously.

My experience.

[srollyson]

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.

Re:too big

[youthoftoday]

I have to disagree. I have a black Das Keyboard (you know, the one without markings). The numeric keyboard is a life-saver (somehow it's just not possible to touch-type the numbers above the keyboard)...

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[Bud Dickman]

I used a Model M daily. I type faster on it.

Shock! Gasp!

Different people work better with different models of keyboards.

"I will tell you from recent experience that typing on one of these old beasts will slow ME down immensly."

Fixed that for you. Don't presume to speak for me.

Stop complaining about price

[Octos]

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.

You should have bought more than one!

[freenix]

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.

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[cp.tar]

I have one of the SpaceSavers from Unicomp, as they didn't have a 105-key Customizer at the time.
And since they couldn't offer me one with a Croatian layout, the nice people at Unicomp agreed to send me a blank one. So I got the best from both the Model M and Das Keyboard, and many looks of frustration from family members.

People look at me in a funny way when I tell them how much I paid for it (the shipping almost doubled the cost, too), but then, they do not type as much as I do.
OTOH, I find it funny that people are more than willing to cash out insane amounts of money for the bestest and fastest CPU or video card, but a keyboard? A random El Cheapo keyboard suits them just fine. Me, I like to hear when I've clicked a key, because I don't always even look at the screen when I type.

An added benefit is, of course, the fact that it can be used as an offensive weapon in case of dire emergency or family argument ;)

Re:You should have bought more than one!

[RobertM1968]

While the Model M is not immortal, it is as close to immortal as any keyboard or piece of computer equipment ever was.

I have a few old Model M keyboards... still running. I bought my mother a computer 15 years ago or so, and gave her a (used) Model M with it. She has went through numerous computers, and still uses that same Model M (it turned 22 years old this past February). She wont give it away, she wont sell it, she wont part with it for any reason. Her computer dies, she gets a new one, chucks the keyboard that comes with it and plugs in the Model M. Doesn't bat an eye over replacing a computer every few years... doesn't have any intention of ever replacing her Model M and expects it to outlast her next few computers (which it probably will).

Interestingly, as her's is a lot older than the Model M's and M13s I have, the click is very unique in comparison. About as loud, but more metallic/click sounding.

I used to have a few dozen of them (bought a box full of them). I had one "test" keyboard, which we tried killing... we'd walk on it (ok, that's nothing for a Model M... but we had to try), we drove over it with an Isuzu Trooper (well, the guy driving hit the gas and it shot out from under the back wheel across the parking lot... minor scratches on the bottom)... we put it in front of a city bus' rear wheels and watched as the bus edged up on it waiting for a traffic light to change, and then drove off... still worked of course. Finally, we launched it off a 3 story roof... as far outwards as we could throw it (musta went a few hundred feet horizontal, in addition to the three story drop)... picking up the keycaps and such was not fun. Though we did manage to shatter the outer case (and couldnt find a few keycaps), it still worked. We took a small torch to the plastic... weird stuff, that plastic... it's surface bubbled and browned, but we would have had to hold the torch to it for quite a long time to melt through, so we gave up.

A sledge hammer managed to damage the plastic keycap plate enough in a few areas to stop some keys from working... but then again, most people dont run over their keyboards or hit them repeatedly with sledge hammers.

We did have a few in the box we bought that had some issues... most seemed to be screwed up springs from being jammed in with so many others (fallen off keycaps and bent, damaged or missing springs).

This is being typed on my Model M13 - a youngin by Model M standards (10 years old this June). Our other Model M is 16 years old, and our other Model M13s are 12-13 years old (2 beige, one black).

My fave is the Model M13 black or Model M in olive-grey (heh - find one of those... I'm trying ever since I missed out on buying one of 6 that were on sale a few years ago).

My only problem with the M13's is that the Trackpoints seem to "die" on them (they get pegged to a corner or side of the screen... sometimes fixable by re-gluing it to the keycap plate... sometimes not). Still trying to figure out where I can get new Trackpoint sticks to fix two of them...

As a side note, from what I understand, you can still get the UniComps without the Windows key. I prefer the standard Model M/M13 layout (no extra keys).

The standard 101 key Model M clones are at:
(white) http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/cus101usenon.html
They dont seem to have the black ones for sale in 101 key layout anymore...

Funny thing is they sell their Model M clone with an optional "Enhanced" mushy switch option (ie: no clicky mechanical spring). I dont think they understand the meaning of the word enhanced.

I type 12 hours a day, every day... and will not use anything but a Model M/M13 unless absolutely necessary. Once you get used to the click (which does serve a purpose and increases typing speed), you find that you look at the keyboard or screen a lot less when typing, you make less mistakes, and you type faster. I can hit ov

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[R2.0]

That runs contrary to most other's experience and ergonomic principles. The buckling spring keyboard offers 3 types of feedback - visual (character on a screen), tactile (when the electrical contact is made, the key "gives"), and auditory (the famed "click"). Rubber dome keyboards only really offer 1 of these - visual. The tactile and the audible are generated by the key hitting the bottom of the stroke and are dependent on the force with which the key is struck, so typists tend to continue the stroke until the key bangs into the stop, then return the finger. In a buckling spring, it is possible to type without ever making contact with the physical limit of key travel, so finger motion and shock is reduced.

In other words, you're a troll.

Re:too big

[sm62704]

Cut off the numeric keypad and we'll talk

I see you've never had to enter a long series of numbers into a database. Entering numbers from the number row above the letters is slow, cumbersome, and error-prone.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[R2.0]

A quibble - Das Keyboard does NOT use buckling springs. It uses a different type of keyswitch - I'd guess Alps or similar. The old Northgate keyboards, also a cult fave, were similar. Similar tactile feel, but less of everything - less noise, less force feedback. Some prefer them over the stiffer and louder IBM keyboards.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[WarwickRyan]

It took me a fair while to find a keyboard that I could type quickly and comfortably with. I've tried the Dells, the Model M, Saitek Eclipse, Microsoft Standard, Microsoft Natural and Logitech Wave.

Only one which is comfortable for writing and coding is, surprisingly, the Logitech Wave.

Don't get me on the subject of mice, though. There isn't a single ergonomic mouse on the market suitable for southpaws like myself :(

USB vs. PS/2

[chiph]

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.

Re:USB vs. PS/2

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a mod for the PS/2 keyboards to work with USB when power draw is too high. Basically, you solder two 4.7k ohm pull-up resistors on the keyboard's circuit board. These are connected to pull-up the clock and data lines.

If you're wary of modding the keyboard, you can build an adapter like so:
http://www.geocities.com/jszybowski/keyboard/Adapter.htm

Re:Hear Much?

[snowraver1]

The clicking is the best part. When you are typing up a storm, the whole office better know it. When something is broken and everyone it waiting for you to fix it, and everyone hears "CLACKITY! CLICK! CLICK! CLACK! CLACK! THUNK(spacebar)! CLACK!" the only thought in thier head is "Man he must be doing something complicated".

The Interent giveth, and the Internet taketh away

[R2.0]

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.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[GeneralAntilles]

No it doesn't. The Das Keyboard has Alps switches (which are noticeably inferior to buckling spring).

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[DurendalMac]

I knew a tech who got one and loved it, but damn those things are loud. It's like a gigantic tailpipe for geeks.

Re:Hear Much?

[JPLemme]

I love my clicky keyboards. The problem is that when you surf the web ^H^H^H stop to think about work-related things everyone around you knows it because of the silence.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[raddan]

I am currently typing this on a Model M. Besides the Apple Extended II keyboard, this is the best keyboard out there. I'd gladly use my Apple keyboard, but the ADB-to-USB adapter does not allow the keyboard to work in pre-boot environments (BIOS), which is somewhat important to me. But I basically only prefer the Apple keyboard over the IBM due to the fact that the IBM is surprisingly loud.

I am somewhat of a forceful typist, and for me, the Model M is perfect. Each keypress is satisfying, and-- I think this part about the Model M is underrated-- the keyboard has a straightforward layout with full-sized keys, center detents, and the little nubs to help you find the home row. Maybe the difference between me and others (who hate the Model M) is that I learned how to touch-type on a Model M in my high-school keyboarding class in the early 90's. I find most modern keyboards to be pathetically mushy, and their mushiness gets worse over time. I've been typing on this particular Model M for several years, and it still feels great. My Apple Extended II keyboard is about 15 years old, and that one still feels great too (although it doesn't look so hot anymore due to the discoloration of the plastic).

Anyhow, this is not fanboism. Some people like different keyboards. I spend my whole day at a keyboard, I touch type, and the keyfeel is important to me. Maybe those things don't matter to you, or maybe keyboard preference is just one of those subjective things like your favorite color or favorite meal. Or are you one of those guys who rails against the "hamburger fanbois"?

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[ender-]

What's fast?

I don't type all that fast, but I am rarely held up my typing speed.

I just scored 62 wpm here:

http://play.typeracer.com/

I don't think that it enormously fast (looking at the high scores...), but it is fast enough for the vast majority of the work I do. Well, I've run a few races. The lowest speed I've gotten in any of the races was 96wpm, and at the moment I'm in the top 20 with 105wpm.

This is on an IBM Model M keyboard. I think they are plenty fast.

Re:Fanbois, have you actually tried one?

[crenshawsgc]

He says that 62 wpm is fast enough for the work he does. You counter with a wpm score which is much higher. What's the point? If you can think fast enough to productively code at 96 wpm, you've got a bigger epeen than just a high wpm score...

Re:Hear Much?

[ari_j]

I actually hacked a Selectric to speak USB for that purpose.

Re:Hear Much?

[Just Some Guy]

And everyone they're on the phone with -- "Is it hailing there?"

*spews coffee over Model M keyboard*

These things are dishwashable, right? Right?

Re:Hear Much?

[cp.tar]

And everyone they're on the phone with -- "Is it hailing there?"

*spews coffee over Model M keyboard*

These things are dishwashable, right? Right?

Nearly so.

One of my teachers in high school spilled coffee or coke (whatever; it was caffeinated, sugary and sticky) over her Model M and got all panicky about it.
I told her to soak it in water, turn it over for a day or two to dry and plug it back in. As good as new.

Damned indestructible. And as I said in my post above, a nice offensive weapon, too.

Re:Hear Much?

[sirambrose]

Be careful with your keyboard -- the model M isn't quite indestructible. I worked in a day trading office with a customer who liked to smash his keyboards when a trade went sour. One hit would shatter the whole keyboard. After replacing several keyboards one month, I bought him a model M keyboard. The next day he lost a few thousand dollars and went nuts. He smashed the keyboard against the desk several times, but that only knocked a few key caps off. He finally managed to break it by leaning it against the wall and jumping on it, but it took several tries and about ten minutes.