Author Topic: Unicomp, Beige or Black?  (Read 11718 times)

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Offline Hyde

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Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 00:01:10 »
lol obviously I know this is heavily a personal preference.  But from what I see on YouTube most people get black for the PC version (Ultra Classic), and white for the Mac version (Spacesaver M).  Is there an obvious reason why?  Or is it just people have this mentality that PC = Black and Mac = White.

I'm kinda 50-50 on the choice now (Though slightly leaning on black just because you get all grey keycaps) just want to see what's you guy's opinion.

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Offline sth

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 00:03:23 »
true PCs are beige
true macs are beige
true keyboards are beige
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 00:04:22 »
Most Mac peripherals are white or chrome, so maybe people just associate lighter colours with Mac.

A lot of PC hardware is black these days (boring black boxes as opposed to boring brige boxes), hence the blakc.  Probably.
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Offline crthell

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 00:08:24 »
I would just go with whatever matches your setup. Its the keyboard feel that matters, after all! I like the all grey keycaps on the black Spacesaver M, but also like the retro styling of the beige Spacesaver, so I can see how that would be a hard choice.
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Offline Deverica Wolf

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 06:46:15 »
Go with your setup. I love the classic colors but the black and light gray went better with my whole entertainment area so I went with that. Even the white Filco is a better match for me.
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 07:37:25 »
I really like beige, but I am an old retro guy anyway.

If I was buying a Unicomp I would go for black, but that is because I have a load of M/Fs and parts already.

And, if you get in the mood for mix-and-match, black-on-white or white-on-black always looks good and special.
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Offline czarek

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #6 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 07:56:32 »
Yes beige unicomp keys are actually nicest to touch of all the keyboards I ever owned (better even than Topre and original IBM NIB). They're really like silk. Black unicomp keys are rough and feel cheap though. Cases also don't feel very high quality (neither beige or black). But superb beige keys combined with BS is absolute joy to type on. You can't go wrong with this combo.
BTW I'm also using mac, but my box (Mac Pro Early 2009, highly expanded) is hidden in a cabinet and all you can see outside is 30" screen, keyboard, trackball and kinda oversized speakers (focal 807v)
« Last Edit: Mon, 29 October 2012, 07:58:54 by czarek »
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Offline Larken

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #7 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 08:11:18 »
I actually just bought both; a black board and a white one. The one I chose to use was the black casing, although I ended up mix-and-matching by swapping the alphanumeric keys over from the white board to the black. End result was one with a black case, grey modifiers and white keys.

The white model is nice, but it just doesn't gel very well with most modern pc setups.
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Offline dorkvader

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #8 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 09:50:48 »
BTW I'm also using mac, but my box (Mac Pro Early 2009, highly expanded) is hidden in a cabinet and all you can see outside is 30" screen, keyboard, trackball and kinda oversized speakers (focal 807v)
Hah, I keep my mac pro completely hidden behind my desk where no-one can see it. I also use windows on it, 'cause OSX is not a usable operating system.

I really like the black model, the keycaps are very nice. I'm not sue if there's a feeling difference between them and my IBM keycaps from 1984, but the unicomp one are still PBT and very nice. It looks like my 1984 keycaps are a little better feeling in the texture on the top, but really, it's both PBT and both awesome. I like the black case, and would recommend getting some black keycaps to put on it. Right now, I have all the modifiers black, and it looks excellent.

Offline SmallFry

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #9 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 09:53:42 »
I like white/ beige/ red myself. Red being the most prevalent but red cases are hard to come by so I just dyed my M's caps. It worked swell!

Offline 0100010

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 09:56:45 »
Black!
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Offline Hyde

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #11 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 12:03:03 »
Quote
Yes beige unicomp keys are actually nicest to touch of all the keyboards I ever owned (better even than Topre and original IBM NIB). They're really like silk. Black unicomp keys are rough and feel cheap though.
Quote
I actually just bought both; a black board and a white one. The one I chose to use was the black casing, although I ended up mix-and-matching by swapping the alphanumeric keys over from the white board to the black. End result was one with a black case, grey modifiers and white keys.

Can anyone else also confirm the typing feel difference between black vs beige?  This just might be a deciding factor because aesthetic wise it's pretty close for me right now though black is winning slightly lol.
« Last Edit: Mon, 29 October 2012, 12:06:06 by Hyde »

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Offline 0100010

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #12 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 12:04:35 »
I have both black keys and beige keys // the main difference (at least with mine) is the the blacks are one peice, and the beige are two peice.

No typing difference to me.
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Offline Hyde

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #13 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 12:07:35 »
I have both black keys and beige keys // the main difference (at least with mine) is the the blacks are one peice, and the beige are two peice.

No typing difference to me.

Two piece as in removable?  Or as in kinda like double shot (is that even possible)?

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Offline 0100010

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #14 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 12:20:41 »
See this image from clickykeyboards.com :

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Offline jkercado

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #15 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 12:27:36 »
Black with black keys. :D


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Offline 0100010

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #16 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 12:56:30 »
All blank black and blue!

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Offline The_Beast

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #17 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 13:19:42 »
Black for sure, beige is for old people
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Offline Larken

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #18 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 13:33:29 »
Quote
Yes beige unicomp keys are actually nicest to touch of all the keyboards I ever owned (better even than Topre and original IBM NIB). They're really like silk. Black unicomp keys are rough and feel cheap though.
Quote
I actually just bought both; a black board and a white one. The one I chose to use was the black casing, although I ended up mix-and-matching by swapping the alphanumeric keys over from the white board to the black. End result was one with a black case, grey modifiers and white keys.

Can anyone else also confirm the typing feel difference between black vs beige?  This just might be a deciding factor because aesthetic wise it's pretty close for me right now though black is winning slightly lol.

I just tested both boards - they feel the same to me. As for the black keys, I did order one set of blanks, but I didn't really like the quality of that, so I'm just keeping them in the bag it came in, and that was after I put some on to try.

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« Last Edit: Mon, 29 October 2012, 13:43:02 by Larken »
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Offline jkercado

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #19 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 14:48:17 »
All blank black and blue!

Show Image


Digging the black and blue look! In my case, the colored keycaps are tied to functions in Microsoft Visual Studio 2012. :)

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Offline Hyde

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #20 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 16:05:23 »
Sweet thanks guys !!!  Is it hard to remove the 1 piece stem keycaps?  Also do you know if you order other custom keycaps from unicomp will it come with the stem or just the top caps?

I heard they're releasing red/blue alert soon so I want to make sure it's compatible with future keycap releases  :)

Thanks guys !!!

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Offline 0100010

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #21 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 16:26:45 »
1 pc vs 2 pc key/cap removal is no different really.  If you pull a 2 peice sometimes only the cap comes, other times both the cap and stem.

I have most of a blue key text key set already, left over from a Wildcats board // they fit w/o issue with my other blue / black keys.
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #22 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 16:37:43 »
I actually just bought both; a black board and a white one. The one I chose to use was the black casing, although I ended up mix-and-matching by swapping the alphanumeric keys over from the white board to the black. End result was one with a black case, grey modifiers and white keys.

The white model is nice, but it just doesn't gel very well with most modern pc setups.

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Offline anomaly

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #23 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 18:18:48 »
I have a black Unicomp Spacesaver. I actually wish I got the beige :(. I've always liked that classic look. Reminds me of my Northgate Omnikey.
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Offline fmcsimmons

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #24 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 19:58:15 »
If you're like me you'll end up getting one of each just for good measure.

Offline Hyde

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #25 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 20:30:51 »
If you're like me you'll end up getting one of each just for good measure.

LOL I can't I need to save money for Topre.  Here is what I have / will get:

1. Black Das Keyboard MX Brown
2. Beige Filco MX Red
3. Black vs Beige Unicomp Ultra Classic (Where we're at now)
4. Black vs Beige Topre Realforce 104u

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Offline 0100010

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #26 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 20:50:49 »
I have a black Unicomp Spacesaver. I actually wish I got the beige :(. I've always liked that classic look. Reminds me of my Northgate Omnikey.

Got pics of the black Unicomp SSK?
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Offline Hyde

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #27 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 21:36:51 »
Quote
Got pics of the black Unicomp SSK?

I think Unicomp Spacesaver = Mac Version

http://pckeyboard.com/page/category/SpacesaverM

I have no clue why "spacesaver" doesn't mean "space saving" aka tenkeyless to them.  I think they just pick a category and shove the Mac stuff there.

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Offline anomaly

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #28 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 22:08:43 »
I have a black Unicomp Spacesaver. I actually wish I got the beige :(. I've always liked that classic look. Reminds me of my Northgate Omnikey.

Got pics of the black Unicomp SSK?

What the heck, I coulda swore my Unicomp was a space saver. The part number is UB40P4A, which points to the ultra classic. I looked up my invoice for the keyboard and found this:
SpaceSaver 104/105  None         1  79.00  Cable = USB
                                           Key Switch/color = Buckling Spring
                                           - Black with metallic gray
                                           Language = US English

Looks like they made some alterations in their line up.
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Offline Larken

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #29 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 22:13:33 »
I have a black Unicomp Spacesaver. I actually wish I got the beige :(. I've always liked that classic look. Reminds me of my Northgate Omnikey.

Got pics of the black Unicomp SSK?

What the heck, I coulda swore my Unicomp was a space saver. The part number is UB40P4A, which points to the ultra classic. I looked up my invoice for the keyboard and found this:
SpaceSaver 104/105  None         1  79.00  Cable = USB
                                           Key Switch/color = Buckling Spring
                                           - Black with metallic gray
                                           Language = US English

Looks like they made some alterations in their line up.

I kinda thought the spacesaver was simply the ultra classic casing with media buttons printed on the function row.
| Ergodox #1 | Ergodox #2 |


Filco Majestouch Brown | Ducky 1087 Brown | Cherry G80-3494 Reds | Unicomp Ultra Classics | Cherry G80-8113 Clears |

Offline chaumeow

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #30 on: Mon, 29 October 2012, 23:20:36 »
All blank black and blue!

Show Image


0100010, did you cover up that logo or paint it over or something? One of my biggest issues with most keyboards are the logo (and sometimes logo placement). :(
Filco White Tenkeyless Ninja- Cherry MX Red | Das Black Model S - Cherry MX Blue | Matias Tactile Pro

Offline 0100010

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #31 on: Tue, 30 October 2012, 08:05:06 »
I have a black Unicomp Spacesaver. I actually wish I got the beige :(. I've always liked that classic look. Reminds me of my Northgate Omnikey.

Got pics of the black Unicomp SSK?

What the heck, I coulda swore my Unicomp was a space saver. The part number is UB40P4A, which points to the ultra classic. I looked up my invoice for the keyboard and found this:
SpaceSaver 104/105  None         1  79.00  Cable = USB
                                           Key Switch/color = Buckling Spring
                                           - Black with metallic gray
                                           Language = US English

Looks like they made some alterations in their line up.

I kinda thought the spacesaver was simply the ultra classic casing with media buttons printed on the function row.

Ah - its the ultra vs the classic // not an actual SSK.  I was about to questioning why I had never seen a Unicomp SSK...
  Quoting me causes a posting error that you need to ignore.

Offline 0100010

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #32 on: Tue, 30 October 2012, 08:08:41 »
All blank black and blue!

Show Image


0100010, did you cover up that logo or paint it over or something? One of my biggest issues with most keyboards are the logo (and sometimes logo placement). :(

Not paint - it is a replacement LED cover; Unicomp has several available on their site.  I like that I can still see the LED (barely with the original green - if/when I get around to replacing the LEDs with blues, they will be brighter, show better).  Num Lock is on in the pic above.

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Offline laffindude

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #33 on: Tue, 30 October 2012, 09:36:27 »
Ah - its the ultra vs the classic // not an actual SSK.  I was about to questioning why I had never seen a Unicomp SSK...
Another victim of Space SavING Keyboard vs Space SavER Keyboard.

Offline 1391406

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #34 on: Tue, 30 October 2012, 10:33:33 »
I just tested both boards - they feel the same to me. As for the black keys, I did order one set of blanks, but I didn't really like the quality of that, so I'm just keeping them in the bag it came in, and that was after I put some on to try.

Pic

Show Image

CameraZOOM-20121029150732555 by lark132, on Flickr

Are those the keys from the beige board? They have an ever so slightly blue'ish tint to them in the image.
Unicomp Classic | Chicony KB-5181 (Monterey Blues) | IBM Model M (1391401) | IBM XT Model F | IBM AT Model F | Dell AT101W | 122-key IBM Model F
IBM Model M13 | Apple Extended Keyboard | Apple Extended Keyboard II | MTEK K104 | NTC KB-6251/2 | Realforce 87U | Realforce 104U | Type Heaven

Offline chaumeow

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #35 on: Tue, 30 October 2012, 11:07:37 »
Not paint - it is a replacement LED cover; Unicomp has several available on their site.  I like that I can still see the LED (barely with the original green - if/when I get around to replacing the LEDs with blues, they will be brighter, show better).  Num Lock is on in the pic above.


Thank you so much! I think that effect would be really cool! It'll make it easier to choose between black or beige unicomp. Thank you! :-)
Filco White Tenkeyless Ninja- Cherry MX Red | Das Black Model S - Cherry MX Blue | Matias Tactile Pro

Offline Hyde

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #36 on: Tue, 30 October 2012, 11:34:35 »
Ohhhh those replacement covers looks nice !!!  I was about to say the Unicomp logo is kind of ugly now this solves the problem !!!

Though how come some LED light "openings" are at the top and some are at bottom left?  Are the top ones for Unicomp and bottom left ones for IBM Model M?

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Offline 0100010

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #37 on: Tue, 30 October 2012, 11:37:33 »
Bottom LED windows are for the larger cased "classic" boards, LED windows at the top are for the smaller cased "ultra" boards.
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Offline Larken

  • Posts: 624
Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #38 on: Tue, 30 October 2012, 12:39:47 »

Are those the keys from the beige board? They have an ever so slightly blue'ish tint to them in the image.

The white keys are those from the beige board. I don't see any bluish tint on my side, though I didn't bust out the proper camera for this. My monitor is calibrated though, that might explain the difference.
| Ergodox #1 | Ergodox #2 |


Filco Majestouch Brown | Ducky 1087 Brown | Cherry G80-3494 Reds | Unicomp Ultra Classics | Cherry G80-8113 Clears |

Offline 1391406

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #39 on: Tue, 30 October 2012, 17:56:23 »

Are those the keys from the beige board? They have an ever so slightly blue'ish tint to them in the image.

The white keys are those from the beige board. I don't see any bluish tint on my side, though I didn't bust out the proper camera for this. My monitor is calibrated though, that might explain the difference.

I see now. I was originally trying to figure out where you got the grey keys. I understand. Those are the ones that came with the black keyboard.  I was wondering because I think that combination looks really great!

I plan on buying a beige model and transplanting the innards to an original Model M case, followed by replacing the key caps on the beige board with those from the Model M. I'm not particularly partial to the ping associated with Model M's, but I think their cases are sturdier than my Unicomp board. That said, since I already have a black model, your color layout has inspired me to follow in your footsteps and swap out some of the key caps from the black model with those from the beige unit.
Unicomp Classic | Chicony KB-5181 (Monterey Blues) | IBM Model M (1391401) | IBM XT Model F | IBM AT Model F | Dell AT101W | 122-key IBM Model F
IBM Model M13 | Apple Extended Keyboard | Apple Extended Keyboard II | MTEK K104 | NTC KB-6251/2 | Realforce 87U | Realforce 104U | Type Heaven

Offline Commando303

  • Posts: 6
Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #40 on: Fri, 16 October 2020, 12:55:27 »
lol obviously I know this is heavily a personal preference.  But from what I see on YouTube most people get black for the PC version (Ultra Classic), and white for the Mac version (Spacesaver M).  Is there an obvious reason why?  Or is it just people have this mentality that PC = Black and Mac = White.

I'm kinda 50-50 on the choice now (Though slightly leaning on black just because you get all grey keycaps) just want to see what's you guy's opinion.

The Unicomp Model-M black keyboard looks O.K., but each example I've encountered has borne at least some amount of apparent mild "scuffing," which seems not to be actual damage, but something inherent in the production-process used (as opposed to in the true I.B.M. Model M13, which, in the photos I have seen, does not show such flaw). In contrast, the beige renditions of Unicomp's device that I have observed, look just fine.

Offline Commando303

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Re: Unicomp, Beige or Black?
« Reply #41 on: Fri, 16 October 2020, 12:56:03 »
true PCs are beige
true macs are beige
true keyboards are beige

Perfectly quotable; love it.