Dante - Nothing built by anyone since is as heavy duty as an early (1986-87) IBM Model M. A $300+ keyboard in 1980's dollars had some serious moxie - which is why they are still "takin care of business" all these years later. And all the revered non-Model M brands everyone loves so much on this forum aren't even playing in the same ballpark - weak sisters, that will be in the landfill before my 1987 Model M gives up the ghost.
But there is an elitism surrounding the IBM originals that I bought into when I first started reading these boards. "Only IBM" and "older is better" were what I initially read and just accepted myself as the "common knowledge" - and only after curiority (or is it obsession?) buying and trying newer boards, and Lexmarks, Maxi-Switches and Unicomps did I find out that these assumptions aren't necessarily so. Nothing wrong with the original, older stuff - but you might actually prefer the lighter feel of a newer one. Some things are a matter of individual taste - and yes, Virginia, there is a nice, wide range of "feel" even among Model M's of the same design. If you've tried one, you have not tried them all.
Having said that, the buckling spring tactile and psychoacoustic feedback is what makes the Model Ms design superior, and the Unicomps have it - they are, in fact, real Model Ms. Same design, and their construction is not flimsy, just not necessarily 1980's HD thickness/materials. My one Unicomp board is absolutely excellent - and since the buckling springs are the "wear" component - I suspect it will last as long - or nearly so - as an original IBM. But it seems nothing we make today, even from the same blueprints, is made quite as nicely or as well as back then. Functional equivalents, to be sure - but we've lost something. Maybe it's pride - or having to compete with .25 cents an hour slave labor, or profits being a little too important - I'm sure it varies. In the 1980's, computers were not a consumer good - they were Industrial tools. Maybe because of our throwaway society, we've quit trying to make permanent items. But I can assure you that the Unicomp is a good product. What we are waiting for is for them to make the models we want. Keeping mind that they are probably trying to stay alive in a difficult market, and if they want to make something all new it would be a substantial investment that might not net them enough return - I'm willing to be patient and hope they succeed. Thinkpad Fan
