Topre switches sound interesting. Do they have a feel that is distinct from Cherry switches?
For gaming I like the extra space. Between my hands for mouse movements so that I can click on heads better (should be read as can fire like a stormtrooper missing everything but the opponent more comfortably)
For work I have a separate numpad when I do excel work. But for majority of the time I value the extra space I get and the sleekness of it all without sacrificing too much standard features like I would with a smaller board. Did consider going smaller but opted against it.
There is no MX-style switch that feels or sounds like a Topre switch, and I’ve tried many of them. And that’s to be expected. They are completely different mechanisms. There is no contact leaf in a Topre switch. It is like typing on tiny pillows that offer some resistance, and then give way as they activate. And the sound when you bottom out is a gentle thock. Typing on Topre switches is sheer joy, at least for those of us who do a lot of typing and can actually find “joy” in the activity. 
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Never used one but I have heard it described as akin to typing on boobies. Can confirm this?
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I can only confirm that they feel like typing on tiny pillows… 
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I love my ninja pictures above. I often get people saying What?? You memorise all the keys? Before they realise it’s side printed. Looks very clean on a desk and I don’t worry about key cap wear.
But that’s just me talking because I’m entry level hobby for me.
Another thing I did for my office was build that o2 + odac from parts myself that you see poking out under my laptop that my laptop and headphones are connected to.
If by that you mean you don’t worry about the legends wearing off, well, that’s also solved by typing on high quality keycaps. Double-shot keycaps never “wear out” because both the shell and the legend are molded plastic, fused together. Dye-sublimated legends don’t really wear out either because the ink is molecularly bonded with the plastic; however that ink can sorta “bleed” over time, such that the legends become a little blurry after a couple of decades or three.
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A fair bit is actually the raw material cost for some, as well as the amount and quality of milling.
Take the M0lly for example (a $450 groupbuy board that will likely go for double that price in the aftermarket). It’s 7.5 lbs without switches or caps. It’s machined aluminum and brass, a fairly expensive process considering the product.
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Here is my take on the keyboard market. I think Cherry switches are fine, and definitely a step above in feel to “stock” keyboards. They make many different types that appeal to gamers to writers. Then Topre comes out of left field with a rubber dome that feels great instead of just like cheap mush. It isn’t responsive enough for gaming, but imo it has the best feel for general typing (I have a 55g Topre as my main driver). However, I also like old school clicky, and rather than use something cheap-feeling like a cherry blue, I prefer the classic buckling spring keyboards of ole. I currently go between my Topre and Unicomp Classic (I stupidly dumpstered my model M when I was still a kid for the silent trend rubber domes), and I feel like this is for the most part the best of both worlds. Ive never typed on the supposed buckling spring pinnacle model-F, but I finally dropped the coin on the remake going on in the mech keyboard community and anxiously await its goodness. Ultimately mech keyboards are a niche hobby about nerding out on aesthetics and key-feel in a way that doesn’t necessarily match the price point. Some keyboards can seemingly feel indestructible, but ive also seen cheap $10 keyboards suffer hell for decades and still work fine. I would never type on one of them if I had the choice, but honestly the idea of long-term value via a high quality keyboard is just not a talking point I can agree with. You either appreciate the feel of a high-end keyboard or just don’t care.
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I’m not a huge fan of clicky switches in general. However, I do have a soft spot in my heart for the old beamspring design. Even as nice as the model F capacitive buckling spring switches are reported to be, I’d still rather hear (and feel) the click of a beamspring over a buckling spring. To my mind the downfall of the computer keyboard began with the introduction of the model M. I honestly don’t know why anyone likes those horrible things.
That’s why I went in on the Kickstarter project for the Keystone keyboard and a set of the Silo beamspring switches. Obviously they aren’t going to be 100% the same as the original IBM switches, after all they lack the massive housings which contribute substantially to their sound and feel. But I just couldn’t resist giving them a try just the same.
Im honestly not old enough to have nostalgia or even experience with beamsprings, but the old model M keyboards are what I grew up with and quite honestly I still resonate with them today. They just have that traditional keyboard feel that I associate with keyboards. The Topre switch is like the Cadillac I could never afford as a kid, but Unicomp’s current model is like the classic car I feel comfortable in. The real downfall of keyboards was the “quiet” phase, where cheap rubber domes were able to be marketed as superior. The model F is like the turbo version I never had, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Are the Unicomp keyboards worth it? I heard they no longer make them with two part keycaps and that the mould quality of the plastic case is a bit poor. Is this so?
Model Ms and their clones (like Unicomp) have always used dye-sub, not double-shot keycaps, so the only quality questions there are thickness of the keycap walls and consistency in the legend printing. As far as I know Unicomp keycaps are perfectly fine for what they are.
I can’t speak for the Unicomp case specifically, but it goes without saying that keyboard construction has diminished substantially since the 1970s and 1980s. That being said, it is possible that the Unicomps have diminished even further in recent years, but I wouldn’t know. It is certainly possible; after all, even Topre has moved to a new Realforce case design that is regarded as inferior to the previous design by its hardcore fans.
Honestly I don’t know what their current state of affairs is, as I bought mine like 5 or 6 years ago and I am not neck-deep into the keyboard community (I like nice keyboards, but you can only nerd out so much on a typing tool imo). Honestly I think I remember people saying the same thing when I bought mine, and it still came with the two part caps. As for the case on mine, it creaks a bit when you press hard on the edges, but it is more well built and solid than any keyboard ive seen priced less. Imo if you like the feel of a Model M buckling spring and arent a discerning snob (they made it lighter, but it still feels substantially solid) you shouldn’t be disappointed. It certainly isn’t a piece of junk like some people make it out to be. Id say it is worth its price, and might even be a bargain since iirc the Model M had a retail value of over $300. It doesn’t win any style awards, but honestly I like the look of the traditional standard keyboard without any of the bells and whistles of the new models.
I go between both my Topre and Unicomp, and have both plugged in and on my desktop to swap depending on my mood (or if im doing a task where I want a numpad since my Unicomp is the full size and the Tope a TKL).
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Anyone here who has a real h**d-on for the Model M should PM me. I have one circa 1993 that I found, cleaned up, and put aside for the day I would get around to smashing it with a sledge hammer and then lighting it on fire. But if anyone wants it, they can have it. It has a detachable PS/2 cable, which works with any PS/2-USB adapter (which I will happily provide). All you have to do is pay for postage. It’s kinda heavy compared to today’s cheapo keyboards, so it will cost a bit to ship.
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Nice. Much better use of the shrink than I did with my headphone cable (I had to fix it with some electrical tape). What is the deal with the connector though?
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Shrink wrapping feels more like an art than a science half the time.
The connector is purely cosmetic, though some delusional people will tell you it’s so you can switch and swap different cables.
Well, I got a surprise in the mail last night. I finally got my order for a F77 Model F keyboard from Model F Labs; apparently they are finally shipping them out! If you guys arent aware, some dude in the mech keyboard community did some exhaustive research on breaking down and re-making the old IBM Model F. Ive never typed on a true Model F, but this keyboard is definitely nicer than what Unicomp is currently making. I don’t know any better, but it feels legit. I love how heavy and substantial if feels. Definitely a true keyboard 
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No picture?
What you finkin’??
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