Best vintage keyboard 2014

[webwit]

Please suggest nominees for the Best vintage keyboard in 2014. You have to give a short motivation for each suggestion.

By voting in the third round of this category, you can win a vintage keyboard of your choice from Electronics Plus!

In this round you can earn multiple entries in the draws for voter prizes: if you are the first to suggest a particular nominee and the suggestion gets at least 5 votes in round 2, you get an extra entry in the draw for the prize by the sponsor of the related category. If your suggestion is voted as an official nominee and makes it to round 3, you get another extra entry.

The first round ends on Thursday 27 November, 00:00hrs UTC.

Current suggestions (this list is frequently updated):

• IBM 3276 & 3278 beam spring series
• IBM 4704 capacitive buckling spring series (Kishsaver and family)
• IBM Model M
• Cherry MX 5000
• IBM Model F Unsaver
• Monterey K110
• Apple //c A2S4100 "Memory Expansion" keyboard

[scottc]

Let's get this started.

I'd like to nominate the IBM 3278 Beam Spring. It's one that I restored myself this year and it's by far the best-feeling keyboard in my collection. My motivation? It's rusty as hell, covered in crap, and its insides are dirtier than a crude joke, but it still works perfectly and feels amazing. That's bad-ass.

[snoopy]

The 4704 series.

Nice vintage keyboards with Capacitive Buckling Spring that can easily be transformed to a modern layout.

[Muirium]

Well, that's my nominations already delt with then.

[Compgeke]

I personally like the plain old Model M.

Easy to use on almost anything PC made in the last 30 years and Mac made in the last 16 years, cheap, easy to find and the layout doesn't suck.

[Muirium]

*cough* SSK *cough*

But hard to find for cheap. Although not impossible!

[webwit]

Is that a nomination?

[Muirium]

Nah, let the Model M run without the SSK splitting its support for a change. (Unless someone else insists.)

[photekq]

I nominate the Cherry MX5000s. Such a lovely keyboard to use, and it's clear that a hell of a lot of thought went into designing it. They didn't cut many corners. I'd say it's the most comfortable keyboard I've ever used. I regret selling mine an awful lot, and hope to get another someday.

[pasph]

IBM 3278

[Muirium]

IBM Model F Space Unsaver:



Can we broaden the 3278 to include 3276 beamsprings too? Symmetry! (There's a lot of variant Model M's out there, after all, grumble…)

[jacobolus]

4704 +++

By the way, can someone who knows about these please add some useful info to the wiki? There’s nothing there now as far as I know. http://deskthority.net/wiki/IBM_Model_F

In particular, I’d like to call out the lovely 62-key Kishsaver boards from Sleepy, Snoopy, and CptBadass:



pics from https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=52394

And a 107-key from 0100010:

pic from https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=64843

I’m hoping we’ll see some more of these blinged out in 2015.

[Muirium]

Monterey K110: the classic 75% with sweet clicky blue "Montereys":



Now featuring bonus MX cap compatibility…

[jacobolus]

Monterey K110: the classic 75% with sweet clicky blue "Montereys". [...] Now featuring bonus MX cap compatibility…

If you want MX keycap compatibility, you should just swap in MX-mount SMK switches. They should be plate- and PCB-compatible.

[bhtooefr]

Apple //c A2S4100 "Memory Expansion" keyboard.

60% before 60% was cool, and with the best switches (amber Alps SKCM).

[Muirium]

Last minute entry, and a good one too.

@jacobolus: If I find any! Mr. Interface's adapters are literally drop-in, which is more to my liking than desoldering; though someday I might take a shot with this board because its Fn key is hardwired just where I don't want it.