I think I'm going for:
Lenovo Enhanced Performance 73P2650. 30usd$ ( Other is Lenovo Preferred Pro II, 2nd version )
- It looks like it has tall caps and good build quality ?

You could also get a Unicomp Model M. Mine was $84+ 12 shipping.

Sweet Unicomp=pckeyboard has an own homepage but postage is high same price as the keyboard 😀
Fedex to Europe $70.42
http://www.pckeyboard.com
Though at the same time a same Ebay seller store which username is ="pckeyboard" sells them for +$29.62 shipping cost ?
Why on Unicomp's website the postage to Europe is $70.42 when on Unicomp's ebay it is $29.62 ?

Is the buckling spring keyboard worth the 140usd$=120€euros ?
Is the silent version QT101 (=Quiet Touch R/D) better than buckling spring or other rubberdome=membrane keyboards ?

user33331 wrote:

[...]

Is the buckling spring keyboard worth the 140usd$=120€euros ?

That's for you to decide. Note that you can frequently get second hand Model M keyboards for less than that locally (at least here they tend to go for EUR 75-100), but then you have to hope it works (although we're talking Model M, they probably do), maybe fix some small things (stabilizers under the big switches seem the weak spot), need to clean off a few decades of grime and of course have no warranty.

Is the silent version QT101 (=Quiet Touch R/D) better than buckling spring or other rubberdome=membrane keyboards ?

Can't comment on the new one, but I use a model M 71G4644 at work and it depends...

The exterior is identical to the regular buckling spring versions, with the deep sculpted key caps you have to love. You can however instantly feel that the mechanism is different and is very spongy compared to buckling spring. I would choose buckling spring any day, but if that's not an option (my colleagues would kill me if I did, it would ruin their enjoyment of the classic rock we always have on 😉 ) and you have to go rubber dome, the 71G4644 is one of the best I know. I slightly prefer it to my Leopold Cherry MX brown silent tactile keyboard, but that's really comparing apples and oranges. The Leopold has a far better feel to the key mechanism, but the keycaps and geometry is so-so, which is the exact opposite of the 71G4644.

Now, if anyone could only find a way to mod Cherry MX brown switches into a Model M case.... 😉

I'm worried because Unicomp says they have removed "substantial amount of plastic" compared to old Model M "making it lighter"= or maybe it means cheaper to manufacture and now breaks easier 😉
So Leopold has flat planed keys and Unicomp has curved keys.

Can you insert those rubber O-rings or foams beneath buckling spring key caps to avoid clicks and clacks and make it more suitable to modern office use ?

Yea people have installed o rings on their Model Ms.

I have both a Unicomp and an IBM Model M. Typing on them feels similar but the keycaps on the IBM are higher quality as well as the shell. The unicomp flexes a bit and sometimes creaks when you press on it. Still is quite a nice keyboard and a joy to type on.

I measured some cap heights:
In modern slim type "2000<+" keyboards the cap is =4mm.
In older early<->late 1990s keyboards the cap is =8mm.
Travel is =4mm on both...

What is Unicomp's real measured cap height and travel ?
Is it the same 8mm and travel 4mm ?

I'm still very skeptical about Unicomp USA ( or Topre Japan ). Is the difference like night and day compared to membrane or unnoticeable and this whole "keyboard craze" is just a hype to sell older keyboards for premium ?
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/11/why-i … del-m-keyboard/
All I know is that all membranes feel the same no matter if it is made in 1990s Europe, Usa or 2010s in China.

user33331 wrote:

I think I'm going for:
Lenovo Enhanced Performance 73P2650. 30usd$ ( Other is Lenovo Preferred Pro II, 2nd version )
- It looks like it has tall caps and good build quality ?

I like this keyboard a lot and have used it extensively for many years.

You can read some of my thoughts on this page, where I also do a little head-to-head against other keyboarda, some of which are mechanical:
https://cloakedthargoid.wordpress.com/desktop-keyboards/

In short, mechanical keyboarda are better, but, other than gaming, their advantages over good rubber domes are pretty small.

And you can definitely get mechanical keyboard under $90, but maybe not in Finland or in the shop you buy from.

Unless dodgy tooling is used, where something is made is the least relevant factor in quality or feel. I disagree with the statement that all rubber domes feel the same - there can be huge differences between nasty, inaccurate squishy abominations, and good, well-designed ergonomic keyboards. They are never as tactile as good buckling springs or Cherry black/blue switches, but the overall typing quality of a good membrane keyboard can be better than that of a bad mechanical, and the low-end of rubber dome goes much lower too.

There's a reason I ditched the default Logitech thing at work and brought along my - rubber dome - M. It's not looks or space saving 😉

IBM, Logitech, Fujitsu, HP, Dell -brand rubber dome\membrane through my experience in the timeline of 1996-2018 feel very same.
About mechanical ones I'm still waiting ( tracking 2nd week China ebay ) for my Chinese Red Switch Motospeed CK96 ( Cheap about 25-35€euro "test drive" mechanical keyboard ).

Thanks "dr_st" for the Lenovo review.
- I have too one of those late 1990s IBM KB-xxxx white keyboard but it does not feel anything special same as any other membrane.

I'm going to end up with lots of keyboards 😊. Bought some through my workplace and some personally through China ebay. Can't make up my mind: good membrane, good mechanical or Unicomp ?

Which Apple/Mac keyboards are good ? ( Never had Apple computer but there are bunch of white Apple keyboards on ebay.com )

I have had a mechanical red switch keyboard for a while now:
The red switches sound is mediocre.
1.) Dry sounding switch movement. I found lots of DIY teflon lubing guides online.
2.) Aluminium back plate echoes a lot when the key is pressed.

The switch is *Red* Outemu (mfg.2018 China)
- Placing O-rings did nothing to silence it.

Are German cherry MX switches lubed better ?

Check out Keytronic. I have an E03601U1 at work and it has the tallest caps and longest travel of any keyboard I've ever used. It's holding up great after ~3 years of heavy use and it only cost $25.

Cherry MX red and black switches are not tactile, they're linear.

If you want a *quiet* keyboard with full travel keys that still have a sturdy tactile feel, I can recommend the Matias Quiet Pro. Rather pricy, and I only got mine last week but I've been using it at the office and it's very, very nice to type on. And this is from a guy who would take buckling springs over anything, so while they're very different, that should tell you something.

Cherry MX Clear switches should be good as well - both quiet and tactile, and on the 'heavy' side - but I haven't tried those yet. Ducky keyboards have some models available with MX Clears; their build quality is generally good and they're not expensive.