insanitor wrote on 2023-07-12, 18:20:Buckling spring keyboards are still being made in Kentucky. […]
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Buckling spring keyboards are still being made in Kentucky.
Here is their website:
https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/SFNT
Their new keyboards can be made with Windows keys and all sorts of other keys and they are made with PS/2 or USB according to your preference.
Be aware that these keyboards might need the machine screw and nut mod. But if you don’t want to go through that then they do offer a repair service for their products or any other IBM Model M.
I love my Unicomp keyboard. I’ll never go back to cheap keyboards that don’t even last a year.
Unicomp has some of the best service I've seen in the business. I can't recommend them enough for that.
Unfortunately I'm not so lyrical about the keyboards themselves. They are a lot lighter than the older Model M boards, which makes them noisier and flimsy-feeling. I would go for a vintage Model M (1st, 2nd or 3rg gen) any day before a new Unicomp. Plus the new ones have the same 2KRO issue as the old ones, even with USB interface.
As for the question why vintage keyboards are so sought-after, it's partly fashion (any decent modern keyboard can type as well, and can be interfaced to old systems), combined with scarcity. Same as with 3DFx or Gravis cards. As already mentioned though, just as with the cards, there are far better deals out there than 'buy it now' prices on auction sites.
Add to that that the keyboard industry was a lot more diverse back then and there are certain types of board (either layout or switches) that simply don't get made anymore these days. Whether they are objectively better is another matter (XT layout... 🙁 ) but there is uniqueness there and if you like it, it can be worth money. to you It's also a glorious rabbit hole to dive down. I'm pretty far gone; in general I make a point of trying to buy as cheap as possible (the hunt for the good deal is more fun than shelling out three or more digits, even if I have the money available), but there's still a lot of cash sunk in my keyboard cupboard.
Also, just as with sought-after old cards, there are replicas and production reruns being done. I'm typing this on by far my most expensive board for now, a Model F capacitive buckling spring board with modern minimalist 84-key SSK layout, made with the original tooling brought out of retirement. Model F was what IBM used before Model M, which - believe it or not, given their reputation among modern keyboard users - was a relative el-cheapo cost cutting exercise. The F is superior in almost all respects, other than availability and layout: lighter touch, NKRO, longer life etc - just in sub-optimal configurations. Which this new one solves. Is this the ultimate keyboard? No, it is but the precursor to what could be that: the same people are now doing a modern re-make of IBM beam spring switches and keyboards to put them in. I drool - and will say "shut up and take my money" when it's available.
On the other hand I have some downright awful keyboards that are just hilariously bad (Fujitsu Peerless switches come to mind - I paid EUR 1 in a thrift shop for a board with them and am not sure whether that was a bargain 😜 ). And some weird ones, like the Matias Tactile Pro (1st edition) which I found NOS. It is a remake of the best old Apple Extended keyboards but in a shiny acrylic housing. Which resonates heavily, making the clicky Matias (Alps white clone) switches ear-deafeningly loud (and remember I'm a buckling spring fan so I'm hardly oversensitive to clicky noises). Beautiful workmanship though, and types like a dream. Just a VERY VERY LOUD one.
There are also nice big fields of discussion one can have - ANSI vs ISO vs big-ass enter layout (the latter with a half-size backspace is the personification of evil in my opinion), relative merits of switches (I don't like old Alps - too scratchy IMHO; this is a minority view).
Etc etc etc - as I said, it's a rabbit hole you can dive gloriously deep down, with the added advantage that you can actually use most of this stuff as a daily driver too. If enough people feel that way, the laws of supply & demand do their thing.