[mdellabitta]

They're also not quite the same as a vintage Model M in terms of keyfeel or quality. And a Model M is not quite the same as a Model F. I'm typing on a Model M SSK right now, I have a Unicomp in the closet, and one of the keyboards mentioned in the article on order.

[justin66]

Their PS/2 keyboards are exactly the same - they're genuine Model M keyboards. They even sold some keyboards with the IBM logo (a compact keyboard with the IBM logo, which sucked because of the goofy layout), so they must have bought some inventory in addition to the tooling from IBM.

There's a big caveat, though: not all Model M keyboards were the same, so the comparison might or might not ring true depending on what Model M you used. For example, the one that came with my PS/2 Model 50z back in the day was heavier and sturdier than some of the ones that IBM made later, and had a removable cable. The Unicomp stuff compares to what IBM was making immediately before they gave up on the whole business, I think. Then Unicomp eventually made some USB keyboards, which turned out not to be the greatest...

And yeah, the Model F was a completely different thing entirely.

(edit: in truth, I haven't bought anything there in a little over nine years, wow... their Classic 101 still looks pretty legit)

[mdellabitta]

Yeah, my SSK is an '87. There's definite differences in terms of weight and key wobble, and the keycaps on the Unicomp are less sturdy.

Plus I do actually have a USB model, and it can be flaky and require a replug at startup. And the pointing stick has different sensitivity based on which direction you're going, which makes it worthless.

Also, I just like the tenkeyless layout.

The benefit to a new Model F is I'll never have to worry about needing to do a bolt mod, and you can actually move the barrels around to a different layout if you want to. Plus, with the XWhatsit controller, you can program it and have layers and whatnot, and bug-free USB. And the case is metal.

The Unicomp stuff is comparable, but I think it's a reach to say it's totally the same.

[justin66]

I might have written something misleading unintentionally, since I haven't been a Unicomp customer in a long time. I really felt that the half dozen or so Unicomp keyboards I bought in the late nineties were the same. I don't own any of those keyboards anymore, but I am pretty sure they even had the IBM logo. It might be that they weren't really representative of Unicomp and were leftover IBM inventory. The black USB keyboard I bought from Unicomp nine years ago was certainly a disappointment, although I think the switch feel was essentially correct.

I respect that these new guys are doing a Model F clone instead of a Model M clone, it definitely reflects good taste, but I don't really agree that the Cherry MX Blue switch is a "shadow of their predecessor," as the article states. The only thing lacking I've seen in some newer mechanical keyboards based on Cherry switches is, oddly, that they sometimes find new and exciting ways to mess up the engineering of the space bar. That seems like it should be a relatively straightforward thing.