Hey guys,
Sorry I’ve been so short on time for the last year or so (mostly, managing to buy a house here in Vancouver, BC—whew!). But being
almost as big a buckling-spring fanatic as fohat and SamirD, and I had to weigh in on this. (Is Snowdog993 still around? He was the other BS maniac I knew here... Has he seen this thread?)
I'm just curious what people think of buckling spring capacitive switches. Scott Mueller in Upgrading and Repairing PCs 22nd Edition says they are the highest quality and his favorites. How do they compare to Cherry switches? Do most people prefer Cherrys?
Others have answered that, but maybe I can put an extra spin on it.
There are always people who prefer one type of switch over another (or here, even one micro-variant of the same type of switch—how lubed it is, whether the spring has been switched, etc.—LOL). So even if you get answers about “[this one’s] better than [that one]”, all you're learning is what
that person prefers.
It’s like asking, “Which movies are better? Dramas, comedies, action, mystery, sci-fi...?” People may prefer one kind over the other, but none of them can actually be “better” than the other, because there’s no meaningful way to compare ‘em.
The only way you find out what you like about typing on one switch vs. another is to try them. It’s the same with practically anything.
That is a very complex issue... It can be argued that the IBM Model F does not really have "switches" at all in the usual sense of the word. The "switching" is capacative (ie not mechanical) and the buckling spring assemblies are merely mechanisms to make the capacitive action occur...
Esteemed Dude: My Merriam-Webster's says a "switch" is "a device for making, breaking, or changing the connections in an electrical circuit". So no, it doesn’t have to be mechanical.
Besides, are you claiming Model F’s
aren’t mechanical keyboards?? Heresy! (LOL)
This comment is coming courtesy of a 1985 ibm model F AT, 1988 model m, and corsair gaming keyboard. So from having a model M, model F, and a gaming keyboard all infront of me...
You've hit it on the head! The secret to keebly happiness isn’t trying to decide which switch is “best”, or “better” than others—it’s having at least one of
everything (within reason, that is—you don't want to break any laws, end your marriage, end up a social pariah, etc.) and typing on one of them after the other.
Model M’s and F’s are my "desert island" keebs. And they're all BS boards, but I can’t say any of them are “better”—they feel, respond, and sound much differently, even though they're all the same basic mechanism. Using an 8-pound 122-key Model F behemoth is much different than using a 3-pound Unicomp Ultra Classic. And typing on a first-gen Model M is different than typing on a 2nd-gen Lexmark M. But they’re all wonderful, because they're all variations on something wonderful. (I’m not mentioning my AT&T BS board, BTW, as it’d sound elitist.)
But I also have boards with the various Cherry MX switches, and with various Cherry-inspired switches, and Alps and Mattias (related), Topres and Korean Topre-knockoffs (much different sounds and feels despite their similarly beehive-shaped springs), Space Invaders, NEC switches, Hall Effect, IBM beam spring, Logitech Romer-G, optical...
I know I’m leaving out a few. But my point is, you can get accustomed to anything. Even your favourite switches seem “normal” after a while. So you “switch up” (aha,
that’s where that expression came from) and type on the others. Then when you return to your favourites—whichever they are—you appreciate them anew, because you experience what makes them different from the rest. It’s contrast.
So dude, this may not be what you wanted to hear—but if you’re going to be serious about MKs (and it sounds like you already are), start building a collection, so you can “rotate” and enjoy as many types as you can.
Sure, you’ll like some more than others. But they’re all
mechanical, lightyears better than the mushy, thuddy, short-lived cheap-o rubber-dome and membrane boards that came flooding in about 30 years ago, that most people figured were “good enough”. (I vaguely remember something about reduced noise complaints, too...?) If you ask me, even the worst MK (say, one with Futabas or Mitsumi Minatures) is superior!
As a programmer I spend more time thinking than I do typing...
Man, I wish you'd written my music software! (I've known coders who considered copying and pasting existing subroutines a form of “thinking”, BTW.)
I'm of the opinion that unicomp model m keyboards are trash compared to the original IBM ones. Watch some of chyros' videos if you want to go down this rabbit hole...
Now now, let’s not be too hard on the guys in Lexington. Ever since that group of former Lexmark employees bought the factory rather than see it close forever, theirs has been largely a labour of love. They've had some good success recently with their TKL and "new" Model M. But for the most part, you can imagine what a small, specialized market they've been trying to keep alive.
You also have to realize that original Model M’s cost some serious dough. AFAIK, Model F XT’s/AT’s were $350–400, and Model M’s were $200–250. And that’s in
‘80s–‘90s dollars, so you could double or triple it today.
When the Unicomp guys resolved to keep making BS boards, they knew no one would want to pay that much. To keep "the best keyboard ever" from fading away, their business model required them to figure out how to make them for under $100. Naturally, they had to economize on the design, but I think they did an amazing job.
And personally, after I’ve been typing on an older Model M for a while, I
enjoy switching to a Unicomp. Everything about it is lighter, in a good way. The action's lighter; and because the case is lighter, it sounds different. And
any Model M is going to outlast me—so how tank-like does it need to be, y’know?
Chyros is an excellent guy—but he’s a reviewer, and somewhat an entertainer, and he derives much of his entertainment value from reacting to things he doesn’t like. He’s great at it, with fans around the world (including me).
When I enjoy my keyboards, I don’t spend time dwelling on why I think one's “better” than another. I just use the ones I feel like using. When I get tired of one, I switch to another. It’s all fun. And if I gave up my Unicomps because someone convinced me that earlier M’s were “better”, I'd be quite sad. It’d be like having my ice-cream flavour choices restricted.
I must have around a dozen Unicomps, BTW—including the GE Healthcare variant, with its plethora of obscure sub-legends and bright yellow numpad... Was a cooler-looking M ever made?
Some people suggest that you should bolt mod your keyboards. Maybe you should. I have never done it, and I have a Lexmark made Model M from my childhood still clicking happily along after 30 years... You can get one from him to be definitely sure you'll always have a working model...
IMHO, the only real reason to bolt- or screw-mod a BS board is if too many of its rivets have broken off, and it’s either affected the touch, or some of the keys have actually stopped working. And rivets usually come off not from use, but from rough handling (e.g. shipping w/o proper packing).
If you get a vintage unrestored Model M you intend to use, you really want to open it and clean the barrel plate, which will probably contain decades of dust, hair, lunch crumbs, office supplies, and [rest of list omitted in the interests of taste]*. So you’ll need a thin-walled hex wrench. And that’s when you get to see how many broken rivets it has. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but very few of the M’s I’ve received have had enough to make any difference.
So sure, if you have an extra $100 or so to spend on an M, order one from someone who's done everything for you. Or have the fun and satisfaction of restoring one yourself (and yes, putting in some screws, if necessary—but if you can handle basic tools, it’s not hard), and transforming a cast-off piece of yesterday's office gear into a shining, clickety-clackety classic typing machine that looks and works like it just came off the assembly line. Because that’s how well it was made.
(*And removing and cleaning the keys, of course.)
If you have not previously tried any clicky switches, you're probably best served with a relatively comprehensive switch tester. They basically never have the more exotic options (usually just MX compatibles), but it is a starting point...
Testers are fun. They’re swell conversation pieces—when people see them who don't know MKs, they haven't the slightest idea what they could be. They look great on your desk or coffee table. And you can use them like little percussion devices, tapping along with tunes.
But IMHO, if you’re trying to decide what switches you prefer, they’re useless. Typing isn’t about pressing one key down, trying to feel how heavy it is, or how it bumps or clicks (or doesn’t bump or click). Typing is about
typing—experiencing how a whole keyboard responds under
all of your fingers, to your unique typing style. (Did you know there are security devices that work by
analyzing typing rhythms? Typing is as personal as fingerprints.) It’s the difference between looking out a window and imagining what it’d be like to take a walk, and taking a walk.
Well,
this turned out to be pretty long. (But what better use is there for keyboards than typing about keyboards, right?) Thanks for reading, if you got this far. And riverofwind (OP), try to gather as many different keebs as you can. It may take a few years (I don’t know how much disposable dough you have), and it may limit your social life (LOL), but it’s worth it. Just enjoy all of ‘em—and don’t worry about comparing them to each other, any more than you feel it's necessary to compare your friends to each other. They’re all different, and all have good things about them. Cheers, A.