26Nov Buckling spring keyboard
Something completely off topic. If you spend a lot of time typing like myself, you might enjoy the tactile feel of a good keyboard. If that’s the case you might want to give a Buckling spring keyboard a try.
If you grew up in the 80’s or early 90’s you might remember these old monster keyboards from IBM. Every key press was like using a typewriter and you get a satisfying click with every key. Well if you are willing to spend $79 for a keyboard, Unicomp, the company that owns all the original molds, is offering free cyber Monday shipping on brand new usb versions of these keyboards.
I’ll admit, $79 is a lot to spend on a keyboard. If that’s to much, you might want to check on ebay or your local thrift store to see if you can find one of these old IBM ps2 keyboards for $20 or $30. Just make sure your computer still has a ps2 port you can use.
November 26th, 2012 at 9:59 am
I have the Matias Tactile Pro 4, which uses Alps switches (similar to the ones used on the old Apple Extended Keyboard).
Costs more than the Unicomp version though. Here’s a video I made:
http://youtu.be/JuYRvxiyoYE
November 26th, 2012 at 11:05 am
Looks nice. I debated on Unicomp’s smaller version (looks like about the size of that Matias), but I kind of like the retro look of their old giant set of keys. Sounds like the keys on the Matias have very crisp action. Thanks for the heads up.
November 27th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
I too used to miss the clicky pc keyboard but woah all that key travel is tiring. Now I’m all about a laptop feel short travel keyboard. Like Apple’s or Logitech Illuminated Keyboard. If only they made split keyboards i.e. ergonomic laptop feel.
November 27th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
I never really adjusted to softer touch keyboards, my large hands have knocked keys off more then one laptop over the years.
November 27th, 2012 at 2:36 pm
I grew up in the 80’s, but made the transition… typing with an Apple keyboard right now (in a windows PC, haters gonna hate).
Must’ve been the extensive laptop usage, or the fact that I had, for a long time, a Logitech diNovo keyboard…
November 29th, 2012 at 2:02 am
Been there and done that, but you learn that you pay the price for that old school tactile experience. If you are a heavy keyboard user that spends long hours in front of the computer, tendonitis is a concern.
December 24th, 2014 at 4:58 pm
[…] tough, and every single key makes you feel like you are really typing something. I have a new version of the original model M that set me back around $100 and I enjoy it immensely. However I also have […]