New Model F vs Original Model F

[JCMax]

I love my F77 I got from Ellipse. However I am still a little curious. I have never tried an original Model F outside of a switch tester. I want to ask this to those who have tried both. How would you compare the new Model F vs the original? Better, worse, the same? And for what reason? In your own honest words.

[Maledicted]

There's nuance between every single F variant. The F77 isn't exactly the same as the original 4704 boards, which aren't exactly the same as the F ATs, which aren't exactly the same as the F XTs. They all have different acoustics due to their cases, which is the biggest difference. F XT is a little more musical than the others because of the sheet metal bottom casing, F AT is a little muted and lower-pitched than the others because the whole case is plastic. The 4704s sound a little between the two in my experience with the chonky zinc cases. I don't have an F122 but I'm sure that's a little different too.

The biggest difference between the reproductions and the originals is they actuate just a tiny bit higher and the springs are a little lighter.

Unless I wasn't sitting down and comparing a repro F77 to my original F107 side by side painstakingly, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. They're great boards.

[alijen]

I have both, and my F77 blows the New Model M out of the water in so many ways. It has significantly higher build quality, better materials, better keycaps, and it is nicer to type on. The new model M from Unicomp isn't terrible, but it's made out of plastic, has some creak/flex to it, less crisp legends, slightly less pleasant key feel, and just generally looks and feels cheaper in every way possible. But that's because it is cheaper, and the board it's modeled after was cheaper. As far as approximating what they are attempting to reproduce, they both do a good job, although I would say the F77 is better.

color blind test

[Maledicted]

I have both, and my F77 blows the New Model M out of the water in so many ways. It has significantly higher build quality, better materials, better keycaps, and it is nicer to type on. The new model M from Unicomp isn't terrible, but it's made out of plastic, has some creak/flex to it, less crisp legends, slightly less pleasant key feel, and just generally looks and feels cheaper in every way possible. But that's because it is cheaper, and the board it's modeled after was cheaper. As far as approximating what they are attempting to reproduce, they both do a good job, although I would say the F77 is better.

color blind test

F > M. That's not even up for debate.  Some people may prefer the sound and weighting of an M, not sure why anybody would prefer for them to be less consistent (if it needs a bolt/screw mod) and less smooth. The M is objectively structurally questionable from the factory. One bad drop and you're popping rivets out of the plate sandwich. Membranes last longer than some might think, but they're not nearly as robust as a capacitive PCB. Its legendary status for durability is illusory.

The question was How different the repros are to the originals though.

Welcome, by the way. Glad you're loving the F77. I hope at least some people in the New Members section aren't getting ghosted. People don't typically ever look there. I haven't put in the effort to respond to them en masse for some time.

[Zobeid Zuma]

From my own experience. . .  My new F77 and my vintage XT feel and sound pretty near identical.  Unfortunately, they both come across to me as a bit "harsh" to type on.  My favorite is the AT; it feels and sounds better to me, for some unexplainable reason.

[Maledicted]

From my own experience. . .  My new F77 and my vintage XT feel and sound pretty near identical.  Unfortunately, they both come across to me as a bit "harsh" to type on.  My favorite is the AT; it feels and sounds better to me, for some unexplainable reason.

The whole casing is plastic, so it is lower pitched and a little more muted with less ping. I went through all of that in the second post though.

[Zobeid Zuma]

The whole casing is plastic, so it is lower pitched and a little more muted with less ping.

I guess that explains the sound, but I'd swear the key action feels different too.

[fohat.digs]

the key action feels different too.

It is a well-known phenomenon that every Model M and Model F keyboard feels a little different.

[Maledicted]

the key action feels different too.

It is a well-known phenomenon that every Model M and Model F keyboard feels a little different.