[vzidex]

I have an original production Model M and don't think I would ever go back to it. It's extremely loud (friends would always complain if we were gaming together), keypresses are very heavy, and it takes up a ton of deskspace.

If the Model M or F are appealing to you, at this price point you should also consider some more modern production keyboards or even building your own from a kit + switches + keycaps. If you're after the heavy & tactile keypresses of buckling springs a board with Cherry MX Clear (common) or Green (less common) will probably satisfy you - I can highly recommend any of Leopold's boards with Clears in them.

[gigaflop]

IMO, some of Kailh's clickbar switches are a better bet than Cherry's click jacket ones. They also tend to be cheaper!

Box Jade is relatively soft to press with a sharp tactile event, Box Whites are softer still, and Box Navies are too stiff for me. I currently use Pinks, since they have a medium-thickness clickbar.

And since someone might want linears (no bump or sound in the keypress), Gateron Yellow switches are a great value. Not the cream of the crop, but very nice for what they are, and you can buy them from any number of sites.

[lproven]

I have 5 or 6 original production Model Ms – I'm typing on one now – and it remains the best PC keyboard ever made, IMHO.

I've used them consistently in every office job I've had in the last 8 years, too. Two (2) colleagues ever have complained, out of hundreds. OTOH I worked in two Linux vendors, so there were lots of folks with mechanical keyboards. :-)

[voldacar]

Cherry feels like cheap chinese crap compared to model F switches. They don't even feel remotely similar.