Have you ever had a wonderful dream in which you are floating on soft, pillowly clouds, with a soft breeze cooling the sun’s rays, a down-to-Earth supermodel feeding you Nutella on a silver spoon, and unable suppress that giant smile on your face? That's what it is like to spend an evening typing away on an IBM Model AT F keyboard.
My experience with buckling springs is not extensive, but I have dabbled with a few BS boards. I owned a Model M for awhile, have tinkered with Space Saver’s and 122-key M’s at meetups, and currently own an EnduraPro (for sale for a very reasonable price). While I do enjoy the feel, sturdiness, and durability of buckling spring keyboards, I found that the heavy actuation force caused my hands to tire during a long typing session, which brought back those haunting memories of rubber domes (the horror!). Even with the advantages of the Model M, I decided to leave it in my past and go full speed into ergo boards (perhaps I’ll make an exception for an SSK or an affordable M15).
The Model AT F was my first experience with a capacitive buckling spring board, and now buckling springs are on the verge of making a strong comeback in my life. Why? Here are a few reasons of why I have such a wonderful opinion of the Model F:
1. The keys are pillowy soft compared to the stiffer Model M. It seems to me they require slightly less actuation force than a Model M (all of wcass’s buckling spring boards at KeyCon confirmed this for me).
2. I don’t have any reasonable explanation for this statement, but the Model F feel a bit springier than a typical Model M.
3. The case is rock solid.
http://youtu.be/IocCC1-jeTY4. The cord also seems quite heavy duty.
5. I dig the arrow cluster on the numpad. Saves space.
6. Keycaps look and feel as good as new, even with all their years of wisdom.
And after writing that list, I ache to have the Model F in my clutches once again, laying together on a bed of hay in the barn loft, with only the sound of its sweet, sweet click to break the silence. The pain, the heartache!
Not everything about the Model F is ice cream and roses, and those shortcomings makes me uneasy about a long-term commitment. I understand this board was designed for the computing needs of the time, but these things caused me some grief, mostly layout related:
1. No delete key. Just backspace.
2. If you are doing heavy numpad use, the lack of arrow cluster could be an issue.
3. Use with a Mac requires the KeyRemap4Macbook in order to use the arrows or get normal functionality from the keyboard.
4. A full palette of F keys would be nice.
5. Why the heck is Escape way over on the right???
6. Did the space bar really need to be that big?
7. I’m an ergo freak. If I use the a normal flat keyboard for too long, my wrists start hurting and my ergo boards in the corner start getting grouchy and are prone to play tricks on me, like hiding my keycap puller.
The Model F and I had a wonderful time in our short time together despite the hiccups. Perhaps we would not flourish as a couple in the long run, but I always will look back with fond memories (
http://youtu.be/14ivtcelIo0?t=1m43s). The Model F has caused me to turn my back on the famous Model M and the infamous Unicomp. Now I lust for something I cannot obtain for a low price tag. Sigh.
Akimbo, thanks for giving us this opportunity. Another mystery of my keyboard journey has been resolved thanks to this tour.
As a parting note, I encourage you to NOT buy this keyboard because it would drive up the price for me. So this keyboard sucks. Don’t buy it. Get a Model M. It’s a better board. K thanks bye.
