There were quite a few ergonomic and chording keyboards out around that time which were very nice and quite expensive.

gdjacobs wrote:

There were quite a few ergonomic and chording keyboards out around that time which were very nice and quite expensive.

Yep. If you're thinking of a "high end" mechanical like the model M or other ALPS keyboards, I don't really recall any being made. It was mostly ergonomic keyboards in the high end mainstream then. I'd venture they would be mostly worthless now due to being clunky rubber domes.

Some of them used ALPS switches.

Late 90's was the era of cheap rubber domed keyboards and that crappy Microsoft Classic natural Keyboard. I was still using my Northgate 102 in the late 90's.

I'm a model M man so the M15 has long been my craving but there were lots of keyboards made back then which used good quality mechanical switches.

A non authoritative list:
https://deskthority.net/wiki/Kinesis_Evolution
https://deskthority.net/wiki/Unikey_KB-7001
https://deskthority.net/wiki/BAT_Keyboard
https://deskthority.net/wiki/Cherry_G80-5000
https://deskthority.net/wiki/Cherry_V80-5000

You can get a brand new model M keyboard in USB or PS/2 for abut 80$. They are made from guys at IBM who bought up the IP and equipment over years. That is the pinicale of classic keyboards right there, and in eggshell white, nothing looks better next to a monitor and LP desktop.

Not exactly late 90s (I had it first in 1993, it was still awailable new when I purchased the last copy that I had in 1998), but there was a keyboard called FK-2001 from Focus. It was being sold for at least 2-3 times more compared to common cheap variety of keyboards from that era.

I loved them 😊

The new availiable Model M are not as high in quality as the ones made by Lexmark. I prefer old Cherry G80 or G81 keyboards for my retro rigs, while Model Ms are mostly for IBM RS/6000 and PS/2. AIX 3.2.5 for example demands on the special Model M with the build in speaker to work properly. There are some old Compaq and Dell keyboards that feel quite confortable to work with too.
eisapc

Dell AT101W

eisapc wrote:

The new availiable Model M are not as high in quality as the ones made by Lexmark.

Agreed. They feel comparatively light & plastic-y, and the tolerances of machining are definitely not as close as with the old ones. That said, they still beat the pants off most contemporary keyboards, at least when it comes to typing (no gaming with 2kro). But it's pretty easy to get an original IBM for less than the price of a Unicomp new, so if you want clicky buckling springs for your retro rig, the real thing is more attractive on all fronts.

I prefer old Cherry G80 or G81 keyboards for my retro rigs, while Model Ms are mostly for IBM RS/6000 and PS/2. AIX 3.2.5 for example demands on the special Model M with the build in speaker to work properly. There are some old Compaq and Dell keyboards that feel quite confortable to work with too.
eisapc

I use the M as my default for retro rigs, but a nice G80 is a thing of beauty and mechanical efficiency too. Still looking for one with blue switches, but the more common black ones are nice enough too. Disagree on the G81 though, I'm no fan of MY switches.

I guess you could consider some of Keyteonic's models to be relatively highish end for 90's stuff as well. Not mechanical though, but the mechanical craze didn't really kick off until well past Y2K. (Just had to use that über 90's term).
I used to be a fan of Keytronic KT800 and KT2000. Good quality keyboards and much nicer feel than the generic ones it seemed like most people used back then.

LunarG wrote:

I guess you could consider some of Keyteonic's models to be relatively highish end for 90's stuff as well. Not mechanical though, but the mechanical craze didn't really kick off until well past Y2K. (Just had to use that über 90's term).
I used to be a fan of Keytronic KT800 and KT2000. Good quality keyboards and much nicer feel than the generic ones it seemed like most people used back then.

In my country too everybody was telling you to buy a keytronic keyboard. I don't think there was any really expensive high end keyboards when I was building my pentium pc in 1995 because keyboards didn't really have any special features back then. Some just felt bit nicer than others to type on.

I have sold this one last year and now realize how rare it is (nobody sells used BTC keyboards in Europe):

High quality rubber dome with good feedback and a soft clicky sound, like the rubber dome IBM model M.

Northgate OmniKey, IBM Model F AT (forgot model no.) and Zenith Data Systems ZKB-2

Wasn't that the era of bulbous ergonomic keyboards and trackballs? No thanks.