I feel you right now. Although back then and today as well the average mechanical board weight was/is 21. to 2.8 pounds. Some like the model F going as high as 3+ pounds. They are really not that heavy. None of them. Weigh it. Cherry boards were always not the best construction so I bet it does not weigh as much as you think. Probably similar to a new Filco in fact. I could be wrong but will not know until you weigh it. It is not like it is a truck on your desk. Pretty much everything, ever tends to be in the same weight range of less than 3 pounds. If you want very lite don't get a mechanical keyboard. Even Realforce is in this range because it is well built.
So what you're saying is, it's not actual weight we perceive, but the
sturdiness (i.e. rigidity) of the build? That's interesting.
I have been pondering this question as I look at all the aluminum cases with machined cutouts in the bottom for steel or brass weights, which seems to be something of a fad now. I question whether this is any benefit. Logically, it seems to me that making the case stiff and dampening vibrations is what we should be aiming for, not making it heavy. Maybe carbon fiber is the way to go?
As for the case being a "participant" in the typing experience... My daily driver right now is a recent production Matias Mini Tactile Pro. The plastic case is pretty solid, not creaky, but it does resonate. It's crunchy. It's not the most luxurious typing experience, but I do type fast and with confidence on it, I think because the tactile and audible feedback is so strong.
Good points both!
IBM Model F 122 FTW. More than eight pounds of clicky goodness.
LOL, +1
I think that greater weight and stability of the base makes the key presses feel lighter. If all of the force of the finger stroke goes into the switch mechanism ("equal and opposite reaction") and none is dissipated in movement or vibration of the keyboard as a whole, then it has the perceived effect of amplifying the force of the stroke... The 122-key Model F weighs around 9 pounds (4 kg) including cable and I set mine on a hard rubber mat, so it comes pretty close to being an "immovable object" when I am using it.
Fair enough. I share your enthusiasm for big terminal boards, too, which I consider an important and pleasurable part of the spectrum of MK experiences.
It wasn't my intention to pit massive boards against lighter boards, though. I was simply suggesting that heavier didn't automatically mean "better", but that lighter, more responsive boards could be pleasurable in a different way—for some of us, at least. ;?)
I think that people are homing into the point: As always, it will come down to what you like... The board does not have to be heavy to be satisfying. The board is the reverberation chamber, like the body of a guitar, and the materials and the rigidity of the components will determine how everything sounds. Keycaps also play a part in the acoustics (to say nothing of the unique touch sensation).
More rigid components mean less flex and shifting which leads to a feel of quality and sturdiness. This is a quality people like (just look at the Model M for an example of affection for sturdy equipment). Sturdy materials tend to be heavier, so people have come to think that the heaviness is the marker of quality, when really it should be the sturdiness and inflexibility of the materials.
I love the influx of CNC'd, heavy metal boards because they feel good and they provide pleasant acoustics (personally speaking - you are welcome to disagree!) But a carbon fiber case with grippy feet would probably feel and sound pretty good too.
Well put.
There's a certain stigma against lightly built cases. Where does a cool resonating case end and a shoddy build start?
And have any KB makers
intentionally used lighter materials to create responsive cases? That's doubtful, isn't it?
Realistically speaking, we're probably just lucky to have access to so many different MKs, and to appreciate how different (in a good way, mostly) they are to type on.
There's no question my IBM Model F was better-made than my IBM Model M, or that my IBM Model M was better-made than my Unicomp Model M. Yet I love typing on all of them. And on a rock-solid Filco with Cherry MX switches, and a flimsy Cherry MX-Board 3.0 (though it's ironic Cherry should get such a bad rap for their own boards with their own switches!). For me, it's the
variety of builds that keeps typing so interesting.
I can't help thinking, it's rather like people. Some of them are rock-solid, respectable, conventional. Some of them are "lighter", less organized, but more unpredictable and creative. And you can enjoy and appreciate them all for who they are... Does that make any sense?
Why not both? I have some very light plastic cases I love, and I have some TKLs that I could probably gain mass by curling...
LOL, I don't get the curling reference (isn't that like shuffleboard on ice?), but I agree. If all we had were massive, inert "high quality" boards, I think typing would be pretty boring.