I should have added that you are absolutely right about Unicomp: unless someone intends on collecting or is interested in restoration, there is absolutely no reason to buy a used one over a Unicomp, especially now that they have renewed their tooling. For the same price (often less!) than one would pay for a used Model M, one could instead get a brand new keyboard with a warranty, USB support, and your choice of layout. Not only that, but for a modest fee (like $10-$20 I think), they will extensively customize the keyboard for you: you can choose from a rainbow of colors for nearly all the keys (spacebar is only available in pearl/pebble, black, and white, and there is a JIS key that is only available in pearl/pebble), for one. Not only that, but they will print whatever you want on the keys! Virtually any symbol that has ever been on an IBM keyboard they have transfer sheets for. You can also provide your own art. Someone on reddit had one with a full-color drawing of a cat on it. There is a lot of unwarranted FUD out there about Unicomp.
@@kimjongoof5000 There's a big problem with buying vintage model Ms now--even brand new. The plastic rivets that hold the assembly with the barrel plate, etc. together rot over time. I thought it was an overhyped issue, but it turned out that I had just been lucky. I even posted a comment on this video saying "I never had that problem" lol. That was 7 months ago. Well ,shortly after that, I had that problem with like three of them lol. So add on the cost to bolt mod it to the 100-150. Because chances are that it will fail within a few more years.
I love my Model M. I've been daily driving it for 3 year so far and no issues at all, even if it was built in 1989. In reality, NKRO isn't as much of an issue as people make it out to be (hell most ThinkPads I've touched have this). I can play Apex Legends just fine with this, as well as Minecraft. The only time I can see that becoming an issue is if you're using a DAW (which in reality you'd use a dedicated music keyboard) or emulating a game console which involves a bunch of buttons on the controller. If you REALLY care about NKRO, the Model F is your best friend.
Overrated my a55. I've got 9 of them N.O.S and when I dug them out of the barn and plugged them up using $3 usb to ps2 converters, I loathe typing on anything else now. Rebound Right Cntrol to be Windows Key using SharpKeys. They are finiky in that if you press a key to wake your computer out of sleep it with futz up your keyboard and you have to unplug and replug it again, but it's so worth the effort, and I switched to just clicking the right mouse button to wake from sleep. Which then messes up my mouse, so it' my motherboard probably, not the keyboard. Typin gon them is like an orgas5m, you don't want to stop therefore.. this long comment. I could go forever pounding out a term paper on it. They aren't perfection, but when everything else is grrbage.. then yeah. The funny thing is back in the day we thought they were old and obsolete in the 90's... and threw them all away for the black membrane sleek modern keyboards with Windows Keys. My dad though saved 9 of them quite by accident and threw away the PS/2 Model 30/s50's that came with them as junk. The computers were junk, but the keyboards are a dream....
Followed your twitch. I'm mildy curious how the 3.06 HT would have performed but there aren't any for sale for 478 so it's not that big of a deal. Only see 775 ones which I'm pretty sure don't slot into 478, in fact I know they don't they moved the pins. My first build was a 775. Which ones are better than the model M? Typing from a Key Tronic rubber dome that looks like the model M. I spilled gravy on my mechanical keyboard and now you have me curious whether I can fix it by cleaning it with soap and water or not. I tried %99 alcohol & a heat gun. It's plate mounted(cant see the PCB) and soldered. 4 Keys don't work and the spill happened near the M < > keys but Enter also doesnt work. They all still light up.
I have been using model M keyboards for about 25 years now, and I haven't ever had the rivets fail. I think perhaps ONCE I had one in which one rivet snapped off; this is a guess based on a hazy recollection of a singular object rattling inside the case after a fall from several feet. My entire family used them for years (my dad worked at a company that had a virtually limitless stockpile of them), actually, and this was never a point of failure. I have no idea what sort of exotic tortures people are visiting upon their keyboards. The issue is that they were not designed to be USER-SERVICEABLE. I haven't tried a unicomp myself, but I hope to at some point. Most people are probably better off simply buying a Unicomp with a warranty. You are absolutely correct about water damage, though: that can be catastrophic. I've had one recover after drying out for a really long time, but I was lucky.
Most often, the broken rivets is do to the plastic becoming brittle, rather than from strong forces. The environment the keyboard is in is more likely the cause of rivets failing.
@@alleycatjack4562 Ah, that makes sense. I didn't mean to imply that this was not an issue. Indeed, I've bought used ones in which most of the rivets had failed. I just had no idea what people were doing to get this to happen, because it never had been an issue for me all these years with model Ms of known provenance.
I'm trying to find the exact one like this one in the video. But haven't been able to find one. And when I do it's gone the next. I would trade my gaming keyboard for one of anyone would accept a free trade that is. Wanted one since Video Game High School (VGHS)
I should have added that you are absolutely right about Unicomp: unless someone intends on collecting or is interested in restoration, there is absolutely no reason to buy a used one over a Unicomp, especially now that they have renewed their tooling. For the same price (often less!) than one would pay for a used Model M, one could instead get a brand new keyboard with a warranty, USB support, and your choice of layout. Not only that, but for a modest fee (like $10-$20 I think), they will extensively customize the keyboard for you: you can choose from a rainbow of colors for nearly all the keys (spacebar is only available in pearl/pebble, black, and white, and there is a JIS key that is only available in pearl/pebble), for one. Not only that, but they will print whatever you want on the keys! Virtually any symbol that has ever been on an IBM keyboard they have transfer sheets for. You can also provide your own art. Someone on reddit had one with a full-color drawing of a cat on it. There is a lot of unwarranted FUD out there about Unicomp.
It might be cheaper to get a model M than a unicomp in some countries like Canada
Wow thank you for all the information!
A genuine model M goes between 100 and 150 in Canada. A Unicomp costs over 300$ to import and there is no such thing as a used Unicomp in Canada.
@@kimjongoof5000 What? Why in the world is there so much import duty on something like that?
@@kimjongoof5000 There's a big problem with buying vintage model Ms now--even brand new. The plastic rivets that hold the assembly with the barrel plate, etc. together rot over time. I thought it was an overhyped issue, but it turned out that I had just been lucky. I even posted a comment on this video saying "I never had that problem" lol. That was 7 months ago. Well ,shortly after that, I had that problem with like three of them lol. So add on the cost to bolt mod it to the 100-150. Because chances are that it will fail within a few more years.
The plastic rivets just need to be replaced with metal screws then you're good to go
I love my Model M. I've been daily driving it for 3 year so far and no issues at all, even if it was built in 1989.
In reality, NKRO isn't as much of an issue as people make it out to be (hell most ThinkPads I've touched have this). I can play Apex Legends just fine with this, as well as Minecraft. The only time I can see that becoming an issue is if you're using a DAW (which in reality you'd use a dedicated music keyboard) or emulating a game console which involves a bunch of buttons on the controller.
If you REALLY care about NKRO, the Model F is your best friend.
Overrated my a55. I've got 9 of them N.O.S and when I dug them out of the barn and plugged them up using $3 usb to ps2 converters, I loathe typing on anything else now. Rebound Right Cntrol to be Windows Key using SharpKeys. They are finiky in that if you press a key to wake your computer out of sleep it with futz up your keyboard and you have to unplug and replug it again, but it's so worth the effort, and I switched to just clicking the right mouse button to wake from sleep. Which then messes up my mouse, so it' my motherboard probably, not the keyboard. Typin gon them is like an orgas5m, you don't want to stop therefore.. this long comment. I could go forever pounding out a term paper on it.
They aren't perfection, but when everything else is grrbage.. then yeah.
The funny thing is back in the day we thought they were old and obsolete in the 90's... and threw them all away for the black membrane sleek modern keyboards with Windows Keys. My dad though saved 9 of them quite by accident and threw away the PS/2 Model 30/s50's that came with them as junk. The computers were junk, but the keyboards are a dream....
Followed your twitch. I'm mildy curious how the 3.06 HT would have performed but there aren't any for sale for 478 so it's not that big of a deal. Only see 775 ones which I'm pretty sure don't slot into 478, in fact I know they don't they moved the pins. My first build was a 775.
Which ones are better than the model M? Typing from a Key Tronic rubber dome that looks like the model M.
I spilled gravy on my mechanical keyboard and now you have me curious whether I can fix it by cleaning it with soap and water or not. I tried %99 alcohol & a heat gun. It's plate mounted(cant see the PCB) and soldered. 4 Keys don't work and the spill happened near the M < > keys but Enter also doesnt work. They all still light up.
The one that you like most is the one that's the best. IMHO, a Model M is pretty much the best unless you need NKRO.
I have been using model M keyboards for about 25 years now, and I haven't ever had the rivets fail. I think perhaps ONCE I had one in which one rivet snapped off; this is a guess based on a hazy recollection of a singular object rattling inside the case after a fall from several feet. My entire family used them for years (my dad worked at a company that had a virtually limitless stockpile of them), actually, and this was never a point of failure.
I have no idea what sort of exotic tortures people are visiting upon their keyboards.
The issue is that they were not designed to be USER-SERVICEABLE. I haven't tried a unicomp myself, but I hope to at some point. Most people are probably better off simply buying a Unicomp with a warranty.
You are absolutely correct about water damage, though: that can be catastrophic. I've had one recover after drying out for a really long time, but I was lucky.
Most often, the broken rivets is do to the plastic becoming brittle, rather than from strong forces. The environment the keyboard is in is more likely the cause of rivets failing.
@@alleycatjack4562 Ah, that makes sense. I didn't mean to imply that this was not an issue. Indeed, I've bought used ones in which most of the rivets had failed. I just had no idea what people were doing to get this to happen, because it never had been an issue for me all these years with model Ms of known provenance.
Informative video. Thank you.
I'm trying to find the exact one like this one in the video. But haven't been able to find one. And when I do it's gone the next. I would trade my gaming keyboard for one of anyone would accept a free trade that is.
Wanted one since Video Game High School (VGHS)
Model m gang >>>>>>
Just bolt mod it, no big deal
Ive gone doen a level deeper