I picked up an SSK for $75 a number of years ago. Even at that time, this was a bargain. I used the snot out of that thing.
Then the Susquehanna did its flooding thing and my SSK was a victim. It dried out, but it was wonky: some keys were intermittent, some didn't work at all. I put it into a box of spare parts in the garage figuring it would never be right again. I nosed around on line, but while a normal Model M (of which I had several) could be had for under $50, SSKs were well north of $100, generally over $200. I sadly moved on to a tenkeyless with Cherry MX keys; almost, but not quite, as nice as the buckling spring keys in the Model M.
A couple months ago I stumbled on a mention of a Model M keyboard repair site:
http://phosphorglow.net/. I pinged Maxx and arranged to have my SSK repaired and refurbed. I also opted for a colored underlayment, an LED under the Caps Lock key, and a USB controller to replace the old PS2 keyboard port controller.
Maxx was outstanding to work with. He let me know when he got jammed up in the shop and replied quickly to my inquiries. He offered his advice on mods, and gave me exactly what he promised.
I just got it back tonight and OMFG IT IS AMAZING Y'ALL! It's clean, it works, the orange underlay looks cool, and the mellow blue glow from under the Caps Lock key is INCREDIBLE!
I highly recommend Maxx's work. Outstanding service and value for the money.
Oh, it is SO NICE to have my SSK back!
