geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: nrp on Tue, 10 June 2008, 13:31:49
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I'm not sure it is really new, but if it is, the price is quite good.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-IBM-Model-M-PS-2-Keyboard-1391401-NEW-in-box_W0QQitemZ110260772476QQihZ001QQcategoryZ51084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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That would be a decent deal for the price. As long as it was new. It's kind of a crap shoot getting used model m's on e-bay. I have been lucky so far, I figure I am 2 for 3 on what I bought there. The recycler's on e-bay sell as is, they are just moving product and are taking advantage of peoples desire to own won.
You could get burned.
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Even the "buy it now" price seems really cheap for a NIB model M... then again, it's a more recent one from Lexmark.
If anyone here ends up buying one let us know :)
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I prefer just buying my 101-key, no fancy features Model Ms from thrift stores... that way, I can hold the keyboard, make sure everything's there, and (if I've got a laptop and USB adapter with me, or the store has a PC there) test the keyboard.
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Even the "buy it now" price seems really cheap for a NIB model M... then again, it's a more recent one from Lexmark.
If anyone here ends up buying one let us know :)
Yeah, it may be made by Lexmark but that is not nescassarily bad. Case in point, I won a bid on an IBM Model M spacesaver on ebay. It was made in 1987. I got it and it was somewhat filthy. The previous owner changed out all of the keys with the capless ones, with the exception of the j key.
I was disappointed with it, but pooh happens. The seller was one of those recycler places.
I then bid and won another Model M spacesaver that is a Lexmark made in 1994. It came very clean, so clean it didn't bother to take it apart and clean it myself. All the keys have the separate caps, and it works great. I prefer the action on it versus the other one. The seller in this case was the original owner and gave up the board because of RSI. It was cheaper too.
So your mileage may vary, I think I got lucky on the second one. I have read that the Lexmark's are somewhat lesser in quality compared to those made by IBM. But I can't really tell the difference.
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I prefer just buying my 101-key, no fancy features Model Ms from thrift stores... that way, I can hold the keyboard, make sure everything's there, and (if I've got a laptop and USB adapter with me, or the store has a PC there) test the keyboard.
I go to Goodwill on occasion hoping to see some Model M's, but have not been lucky to find one yet....I read stories where people find them in dumpsters, or score them for like $5. Must be nice.
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Typing this post on a Model M that I paid $4.99 for at Goodwill. ;)
And, I bargained them down to $0.99 when I got my first Model M - it was missing some keys. ;) (That's what the $2.99 Lexmark Model M with a damaged cable was for.)
Oh, and I was just talking to someone that obtained a 51G8572, sourced from a dumpster, complete with the 6-wire SDL cable. (The normal cable only has a 5 wires, so it won't drive the speaker.)
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Ok, so rub it in....: )
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Typing this post on a Model M that I paid $4.99 for at Goodwill. ;)
You lucky dog :lol:
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I'm willing to pay full price for a new Model M from Unicomp. I've purchased two spacesavers for friends, a Endurapro for myself, and an 84-key spacesaver for myself (I'm still giddy over that purchase).
I bought two additional 84-key spacesavers used off of ebay...only because Unicomp doesn't have the parts to make any more new ones.
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I could spare some change as well for a brand new 1391401 just for sentimental value. I check clickkeyboards.com every so often. I'm very happy with what I've got though.
Why the obsession for no numpad btw?
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I agree with iMav on the unicomp keyboards. I am typing this on a new unicomp spacesaver. Its a most excellent keyboard and the quality is as good as my original IBM's.
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The numpad is superfluous. All numpad keys are already available elsewhere on the keyboard so it's unnecessary duplication, unless you need it specifically for some kind of data-entry technique.
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I agree with iMav on the unicomp keyboards. I am typing this on a new unicomp spacesaver. Its a most excellent keyboard and the quality is as good as my original IBM's.
I still read reports though from people not liking the quality as compared to the originals. No keycaps? (so different feel) - build quality slightly inferior... I don't know. On the other hand there's a lot of positive reports as well. Maybe eventually I'll check it out myself, but since there's no shortage of model M's, there's still a bunch of other kb's I want to try.
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The numpad is superfluous. All numpad keys are already available elsewhere on the keyboard so it's unnecessary duplication, unless you need it specifically for some kind of data-entry technique.
That's a pretty bold statement. Personally anything larger than 5-6 number I reach for the numpad, I just find it a lot more comfortable and fast.
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Well, some people don't like to reach far for their mice.
My answer to that is... first, I almost never use desktops, so I have to reach over to the laptop ANYWAY if I'm using a keyboard without an integrated pointing device, and second, I prefer TrackPoints, which are ALWAYS in between the G, H, and B keys, numpad or not. ;)
Also, the numpad sends different scancodes than the number row, and some games require the numpad. Kinda tricky when you're using a numpad that's overlaid over the regular typing area, and need keys from the typing area.
(And, I did pay full price for an EnduraPro 104, and I'll probably end up doing it again to have a second one. Quality is inferior, yes, but it's still a damn nice keyboard to type on, and it's MILES ahead of the refurbished M13 that I got.)
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I didn't say I didn't like the numpad, I just said it was not completely necessary for most keyboard operations. Personally, as a creature of habit and rather stuck in my ways, I like having a numpad. I never use it but it's nice that it's there. I can also cannabalise it in case any of my other keys wear out >_>.
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Wow, he's raping the buyer on shipping...