Hesitating whether to spend $1000 on a 6580 Beamspring

[akkk44]

For the past few years I've dreamed of owning a beam spring keyboard. Now I can afford it, but seeing how much they have gone up in price, I can't help but feel hesitant ...
Therefore, I came here to ask for opinion from you folks, is it worth paying $1000 for?

Image borrowed from deskthority wiki.

[Muirium]

I’ve had my 3278 for a good few years now. It didn’t cost anything like that much when I bought it.



They’re nice, and immensely characterful, but four figures? Nope. Can’t say my beamspring is even my favourite keyboard. It’s high on my list though. The only IBM above it is the even wilder priced OG Kishsaver! But seriously, a Realforce or of course my ultimate favourite HHKB beats it in reality, for me.

What else could you spend that grand on? Balance it against that.

[akkk44]

I’ve had my 3278 for a good few years now. It didn’t cost anything like that much when I bought it.



They’re nice, and immensely characterful, but four figures? Nope. Can’t say my beamspring is even my favourite keyboard. It’s high on my list though. The only IBM above it is the even wilder priced OG Kishsaver! But seriously, a Realforce or of course my ultimate favourite HHKB beats it in reality, for me.

What else could you spend that grand on? Balance it against that.

Thanks a lot for your kind and persuading reply!

[DrunkUkrainian]

I recently spent 1000 on a pretty good condition 5251 and I'd say go for it. Beamsprings are getting more desirable and more expensive as a result. If you're on the fence, try to get a feel of them at a keyboard meet, but as long as that thing isn't rusted to crap you should have little issue selling it on if you don't like it. Hell, I'll take it off your hands for $1000 if you don't end up liking it

[Wodan]

Therefore, I came here to ask for opinion from you folks, is it worth paying $1000 for?

lol no

[Muirium]

Put that $1000 into time machine research instead. They were just north of 100 when I got mine.

[akkk44]

Put that $1000 into time machine research instead. They were just north of 100 when I got mine.

Always find myself too late for the goodies

[akkk44]

I recently spent 1000 on a pretty good condition 5251 and I'd say go for it. Beamsprings are getting more desirable and more expensive as a result. If you're on the fence, try to get a feel of them at a keyboard meet, but as long as that thing isn't rusted to crap you should have little issue selling it on if you don't like it. Hell, I'll take it off your hands for $1000 if you don't end up liking it

Thanks a lot for your opinion!

[Icarium]

I have one to sell if you're interested. x)

[vvp]

In my opinion it is not worth it. You can have a really comfortable new Kinesis Advantage or Maltron 3D for that price.
Hell, I'll sell you a super comfortable custom built K84CS for a bit bellow that price if you are in EU.

Well, if you are crazy about having that particular switch kind then you are in a tough spot between a rock and a hard place But switches are overrated. Overall keyboard comfort, thumb clusters and good firmware (remap, macros) are more important.

[hellothere]

I looked over the sold prices on ebay. The least expensive beam spring sold for $900 and the most expensive sold for $1600. Both were 7361073s. I don't particularly care about the ones that are currently on sale, as those prices might not get met. Hey, I can throw an HP rubber dome on ebay and set the BIN for $5000. Doesn't mean it's worth that.

So, the price isn't bad. If you really want a beam spring, go for it. However, also note that there are at least two projects I know of to create modern beam spring keyboards.

[xxhellfirexx]

I would say aside from the price the next most important thing is the layout. If you cannot get used to the layout, then it becomes a show piece. There are a few things that some people may find hard to get used to such as no numpad, function keys that only go up to 10, and only one modifier key on each side of the spacebar.

The next thing is the condition of the keyboard. With the black dust mat just under the keys, you cannot tell if there is rust. It is important to get a few photos of the plastic top removed to assess the condition. If there is rust, it will be a lot of work to disassemble the whole keyboard and switches, de-rust, replace the foam, prime, re-paint, and reassemble. It will take at least a month of work.

The last thing is the sound. I would not recommend using this at work if you do not have a room. It is not super loud without the solenoid as some drywall can easily block out the sound. If you don't have a room, ask your coworkers first. There are plenty of beamspring typing demos out there.

Also, that Displaywriter model, unlike the other beamspring models, needs a special controller card to be useable. It will be hard to get your hands on one, especially with the chip shortage. viewtopic.php?p=505969#p505969

[thefarside]

Another vote for getting one. You only live once!

Just be prepared for any work required to get it restored and working with a nice computer.

I’ve considered getting one but the layout always turned me off. I’m hoping the ellipse reproductions will be close enough.

[akkk44]

I looked over the sold prices on ebay. The least expensive beam spring sold for $900 and the most expensive sold for $1600. Both were 7361073s. I don't particularly care about the ones that are currently on sale, as those prices might not get met. Hey, I can throw an HP rubber dome on ebay and set the BIN for $5000. Doesn't mean it's worth that.

So, the price isn't bad. If you really want a beam spring, go for it. However, also note that there are at least two projects I know of to create modern beam spring keyboards.

I wonder what the projects you mentioned are? Could you please provide some link or keywords?

[akkk44]

I would say aside from the price the next most important thing is the layout. If you cannot get used to the layout, then it becomes a show piece. There are a few things that some people may find hard to get used to such as no numpad, function keys that only go up to 10, and only one modifier key on each side of the spacebar.

The next thing is the condition of the keyboard. With the black dust mat just under the keys, you cannot tell if there is rust. It is important to get a few photos of the plastic top removed to assess the condition. If there is rust, it will be a lot of work to disassemble the whole keyboard and switches, de-rust, replace the foam, prime, re-paint, and reassemble. It will take at least a month of work.

The last thing is the sound. I would not recommend using this at work if you do not have a room. It is not super loud without the solenoid as some drywall can easily block out the sound. If you don't have a room, ask your coworkers first. There are plenty of beamspring typing demos out there.

Also, that Displaywriter model, unlike the other beamspring models, needs a special controller card to be useable. It will be hard to get your hands on one, especially with the chip shortage. viewtopic.php?p=505969#p505969

Thanks a lot!

[thefarside]

I wonder what the projects you mentioned are? Could you please provide some link or keywords?

This is the modern beam spring project:
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=26174&e=1&view=unread#unread

[mmm]

Put that $1000 into time machine research instead. They were just north of 100 when I got mine.

Always find myself too late for the goodies

I usually comfort myself by looking at various monetary asset values the past 10 years and conclude that I missed out in so many places this barely makes a dent.

It can be a bit cumbersome with such a massive object on the desk, and the typing angle is a bit too aggressive to my liking. I wouldn't describe the switch as "as godly" as some members in here do, but it is definitely an excellent switch with great reliability. Is it 5x as good as a Model F? Some might even prefer the F regardless of price. But if you've got the cash to splurge, doesn't mean it's not worth it.

[hellothere]

I wonder what the projects you mentioned are? Could you please provide some link or keywords?

This is the modern beam spring project:
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=26174&e=1&view=unread#unread

The other project crashed and burned today.