OK, I know that this topic has probably been done to death, but I still don't see any viable off the shelf options out there. I am definitely a devotee of the One True Keyboard, AKA the venerable IBM Model M. I have two of them sitting next to me as I type this; I used to have one of the cool 1391401s - the original with the detachable cord - and IMHO it feels just like a keyboard should. That one got lost in a move and that made me a very Sad Panda. I'll probably pick up another one of these days when I go on a bourbon-fueled eBay shopping spree as I could actually tell the difference between it and the "lesser" later boards, but that's not what this post is about.
I loathe most keyboards. The crap that passes for a keyboard that is shipped with a new PC is embarrassing and I'd rather that they just didn't send it at all because then I'm presented with the conundrum of having to discard a brand new, unused piece of equipment if I can't find some sucker to pawn it off onto. So obviously whatever I'm given to type on at work I don't use; it sits on the shelf until someone spills coffee on their keyboard and ask me if I have any spares. For a while I was using a Model M at work, but apparently my machine-gun typing style combined with the unique sound of the buckling spring switches drove the admins to drink (more.) So that's not an option. Currently a coworker, in a genuine attempt to be helpful, found a Cherry brand tenkeyless at a job site NIBN and unused; he gave it to me thinking it would be an acceptable replacement for the Model M but it just isn't. It's a M81 series and it feels like buttered ****e. It's evidently a quality product, but I just can't type well on it - I need the lightness and tactility that I've grown used to with my IBM boards.
Question is, what to use? I'm currently typing this post on a Compaq MX11800 that I picked up off the 'bay just to get a feel for the Cherry Browns. I think that this keyboard is still way too loud, as I'm constantly bottoming out on it and not "floating" like I can with the Model M. Action is just too light (at least for what I'm used to - which means there'd be a learning curve to type more quietly on this thing,) although other than that my only quibble with it is the hideous layout of the thing - which means I'd probably like a Filco or Das Silent, but my cow orkers still wouldn't, at least until I learned to float on it, which could take a while. I've also got a Dell AT101W coming so I can try the Alps Blacks. Through my obsessive compulsive web searching I've discovered that the old SGI Granite keyboards are essentially a AT101 with extra rubber dampers on the key switches. Do those really make a difference? does anyone make them so I could retrofit an AT101W? or would I have to actually search out a used SGI board? (that actually would be pretty cool, as I'm sure none of my coworkers ever actually used a SGI workstation before)
Am I missing something? Topre probably isn't in the budget, nor am I sure that I'd really like a board that *required* me to bottom out each switch.
Oh, and BTW, what the hell is up with the grey switch for the space bar on the Compaq? The extra force required to activate the space bar compared to the alphanumeric keys is driving me ape****. can I just replace it with another Cherry Brown?
Has anyone tried the "landing pads" from elitekeyboards on a Cherry Brown board? Do they significantly affect the feel, or do they only come into play after you pass the tactile point?
I think what I really would like is something that felt as close as possible to the Model Ms that I know and love, just without the clickiness. I can deal with Cherry Browns but am just concerned that if I add the landing pads that it'll mess up the feel. I also am used to the standard 101/104 key layout so something conforming to that standard as closely as possible would be ideal.
Thanks much for any feedback...