hellothere wrote: ↑05 Jan 2023, 23:34
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it sounds like (using an analogy), the Mitsubishi Miniature Mechanical switches magically turned into 45g Topre switches after using them for awhile.
Ah, gotcha. If I were talking about tactiles I think you'd be absolutely right. But to be honest, the only difference I can ever notice when comparing different batches of vintage blacks is the smoothness and sometimes a slight change in weight. It's the same feeling, just smoother or scratchier. I probably wouldn't have said the same thing if I were talking about, say, old/vintage MX clears; those vary in more than just smoothness, and it becomes a subjective thing.
hellothere wrote: ↑05 Jan 2023, 23:34
As a side note, why don't Wyse 50s/60s sell for more? They've got vintage black switches and absolutely awesome caps. Rather rugged construction. Converter is easy to make.
WYSEs are common as hell, for one. Especially the WY50, WY60 ASCII and the fullsize ones. The WY85 is also fairly common. When compared with (most) vintage G80 models, they dwarf them in terms of quantities out there. German layout G80s are an exception - those really are quite common in Germany, but still maybe not as common as WYSE boards in America. Secondly, G80s have PCB mount 5-pin blacks, while WYSE boards have plate mount 3-pin blacks. 5-pins have more demand behind them when it comes to using them in customs, etc. Lastly, there's the protocol - perhaps conversion puts some people off, I don't know.
WYSEs do sell for a fair amount on the aftermarket (usually dictated by the condition of their switches, since WYSE boards are probably the most commonly source for desoldered MX vintage blacks). But because they're so common, they often come up on eBay etc. for cheap, or cheap-ish.
There's one WYSE design that I do think is undervalued - the WY-30 and AT Standard, both very similar. Those really aren't so common, and I think they're a particularly nice design.