Unicomp Ultra Classic Model M Black Buckling Spring 104 Key USB Keyboard

I am someone who enjoys typing. I love seeing my hands move around the keyboard as I type. There is something really satisfying in seeing a blank page get filled up with text. For a while now I have been searching for a good tactile keyboard. For whatever reason, keyboard manufactures seem to think that gamers are the only people who spend long hours on a keyboard, thus tactile membrane keyboards are not as common anymore, with some people on the internet claiming they don’t even exist, despite the fact that my first computer came with one. Instead we are left with these abysmal “ergonomic” keyboards that seem to be designed to make you hate typing. Gaming keyboards are no better. Aside from most being a total eyesore, they are usually made in a smaller form factor that makes it too cramped for me to type on due to the size of my hand (My hands span 8in /20.32cm). One of my favorite YouTube personalities posted a video where he had a religious experience unboxing an original sealed IBM Model M keyboard. Seeing his reaction and the fact that he has big hands like me was enough to convince me to buy this keyboard. This keyboard is an absolute dream to type on. I have typed with membrane keyboards my whole life and the transition to this keyboard was seamless. It just feels natural. I can even type on it with one hand just like I could with my other keyboard. I love the feel of this keyboard, especially on the numeric keypad and arrow keys. The sound this keyboard makes is heavenly. It is the sound of work being done. I really like the color scheme, making it look modern and presentable on a wooden desk. I also like how the function and escape keys are higher elevated from the rest of the keys, making it more natural to hit them, as oppose to other keyboards that tend to squeeze them on top to save space making you have to go look for them. It is easy to see why so many people swear by this keyboard. As other reviewers have pointed out, the plastic used in the construction is not the best. The keyboard creeks if you press down on the shell, and there is an odd section below the space bar that looks like a touchpad. My guess is that it is meant to provide you with grip, since I sometimes find myself resting my thumbs on it, and it is less slippery than the rest of the keyboard. Honestly though as long as it does not look like it was made by Fisher Price, I am okay with it. Overall it is an amazing keyboard. It is well worth the money if you are someone who types a lot in a daily basis.

My typing class in high school used a Model M, probably because they were impossible to destroy. Luckily, along with the durability came the best typing experience you could get. For me, to this day, it has never been topped. Not even close, until I found the Unicomp. Finally, I can relive the glory days of WordPerfect DOS. If you have a job that requires any significant amount of typing (and who doesn't?), you will thank yourself for buying this keyboard. It will reduce errors tenfold. Better yet, with the matter-of-fact clickity-clacking, even the most indolent slacker can feel like they are accomplishing something great. You will sound LIKE A BOSS and have the whole office's attention, especially if you exaggerate the "Enter" keystrokes. At home...well, it would be best to locate your office far, far from the bedrooms. But it will be worth it. Pros: +No better typing keyboard design than Buckling Spring, and this is the only brand I know of. +Sound like a boss. +Good deal considering the prices of other "typing" keyboards. +Made in USA Cons: - Not nearly as sturdy as the original M. Tolerances and plastic quality could be improved. - Ugliest computer part ever. Your friends will be laughing until they hear the glory. - Sometimes you may not want to sound like a boss. - Not really ideal for many games. You get this keyboard for rapid keystrokes, not pressing WASD for long periods. I am going to rate this product a five. Does it deserve a five from a totally objective standpoint? No, if for no other reason than the tolerances are way too loose--it is no where near precision of the original IBMs. So, why a five? Because most viewers will automatically skip anything less than a four, and this keyboard doesn't deserve to be skipped. It might not be as good as the original, but they ain't around no more, so this is the best we have, and it is a totally adequate replica. The original M was so far ahead that even decent stab at replicating it produced a keyboard that beats any other available for typing today. Therefore, from a relative standpoint, I don't feel bad giving it a five. So, go ahead and buy it, and hear what a real keyboard sounds like.

I used a Model M keyboard since back in the 1980s. When I married, my husband was driven batty by the clatter, so I switched to a membrane type. In the intervening years, I'd forgotten the amazing difference in the typing experience between the two. My son urged me to buy a Unicomp, now that I'm heading into a career where I'll be spending long work days at a keyboard. When I first sat down to type, it felt a bit weird-- like getting into a different model of car than you're used to-- but within 15 seconds, I was rattling away again at top speed! Being a mechanical keyboard, I expected it to take more force to type, but it actually takes far less, as the spring returns energy on its rebound. The cupping of each key also helps to keep the fingertips from drifting to the wrong key. And I actually love the noise. For some reason, it tells my brain 'it's time to work!' and gets me in the zone to work or to write. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which means I have loose (and often painful) joints. This keyboard leaves my hands and fingers feeling far less abused than my trusty Logitech membrane keyboards. (And I have no bad words to say about Logitech products. It's not their fault I'm physically weird!) Some have complained about molding or fit issues on these keyboards. I looked for those issues, and find they're trivial at best. The keyboard is hefty, and it's plastic, so yeah if you hold it by one corner, it's going to flex and moan. I found no molding sprue on the keys of mine, nor any sharp edges on the seams of the case. The keyboard legs click into place snugly, and I've not had it collapse on me once. I also often use this keyboard away from the PC, from a nearby recliner and so I was very grateful for the generously long (approx. 6 ft.) USB cord. The keyboard fits in my lap just fine, and the 4 lbs. or so of weight haven't felt uncomfortable in the least. Judging by how long the old Model Ms lasted, and my age-- this may well be the last keyboard I ever have to purchase. Even if it's not, I won't hesitate to purchase another. Not many products live up to their ad hype. This one does. It may cost a lot more than a membrane keyboard, but for me it's definitely worth every dollar!

This is my second Unicomp Model M style keyboard. The first (a Unicomp Model M PC 122 Black 5250 Buckling Spring USB Keyboard ) lives in my office at work, and has been in service for something like 8 years. I decided on another Unicomp for my home office after my beloved CODE 104-Key Illuminated Mechanical Keyboard with White LED Backlighting - Cherry MX Green began showing signs of age just two years into use, and I began to fear a failure (it has not actually failed yet, but I'm hard on keyboards, and the spares in the house are of non-clicky varieties). The Ultra Classic Model M has a lot going for it: most importantly the reasonable weight and the satisfyingly clicky, high-feedback buckling spring keyswitches. I also appreciate that Unicomp hasn't given in to the trend to reduce key size and/or spacing over the years. I expect this keyboard to take as much abuse as my other Unicomp has, for at least a decade. What I don't like is that Unicomp's manufacturing and materials standards for this keyboard line just aren't in keeping with its IBM predecessor's. The keyboard body, even when new, flexes and squeaks disconcertingly. The keyboard feet are loose and oriented front-to-back, so bumping my keyboard during normal use collapses the feet and lays my keyboard down from its normal position. There's an unused breakout panel in the front of my keyboard's bezel (perhaps for a feature on another model?) that looks like it could break and pop off at some point in the future. It also would have been nice if the keyboard had been updated with media keys, but I always just fix that with software keybindings. I keep coming back to Unicomp because their keyboards so reliably hold up to my insane usage patterns, I just wish they were more pleasing to use. I keep wanting them to be the bludgeoning-weapons-slash-keyboards of yore. I'd be willing to pay about 20% more if they were.

As the product description indicates, this is a modern reincarnation of the IBM Model M keyboard from the 1980's. As such, it lacks some of the modern amenities you might expect for a keyboard in this price range. For example, there is no palm rest and the ergonomics are acceptable, but not spectacular. There are no media playback or other specialized function keys, and fitting this thing with backlighting or RGB would be a joke. However, the typing experience is worth the compromises. The keys feel solid and heavy, and are made of a high durability PBT polymer. The switches activate with a very satisfying, crisp, and precise "click". The weight of the keys (force required to depress and activate) is a bit heavier than most keyboard, but very smooth and still within the realm of comfort. Together, this results in a pleasant typing experience which emphasizes precision over speed and responsiveness. Don't expect it to be used for gaming though, as the long reset makes quick double taps rather difficult. The build quality on my example is stellar. I have heard that this product is manufactured using old tooling from the original IBM production run. I cannot verify that statement myself, but if that is the case, then the tooling is still in very good working order. Everything fits well and there are no gaps or defects indicative of old tooling. Overall, I own several keyboards. I have keyboards which are better for gaming, I have keyboards which give better ergonomic support, and I have keyboards with modern controls for media consumption and editing. For pure typing though, this is by far my favourite.

I love the keyboard, it's absolutely a 5 star product. It's not perfect, but not worthy of losing a star. Pros: Well designed, well made keyboard Buckling spring switches are the best feeling switches I've ever found Price not outrageous for a unique product Cons: My first unit had 2 completely defective keys. Unicomp worked quickly with me to help, and when it was found that it needed to be replaced, amazon got me my new one by Monday, the next day I needed it. This is unlikely to happen to you as well, but if it does, it will be made right. The circuitry is just OK. It fails the test where you hold both shift keys and type each letter. It doesn't have any features besides basic 1985 model M features. This is a small con, as that's not at all the point, but for $94 I expected high end electronics rather than mid-range. It still works perfectly well for work typing, which is how I use it. Bottom line: If you want a nice to type on keyboard and don't mind the volume of cherry MX blue switches, this is a great, unique product that makes me want a second one for home. I absolutely recommend this product to anyone.

Before I start, I want to say that I prefer not to have any curvature to the keys when I'm typing. This has it. Also, like modern amenities such as volume controls and internal lighting for keyboards --which this keyboard doesn't have. I really thought about going for a more modern keyboard for those reasons. After doing a great deal of research and after talking with people who've had Cherry green keys (the kind I was thinking about getting), I quickly found that the lifespan of the keyboard for someone who types as much as I do on a daily basis would be far insufficient for the cost. I was recommended to try this model of keyboard by someone who'd had it for years and had had no issues with it in that time frame. (He's a programmer and abuses it daily --which says a great deal about the quality.) I was told that it was just like the keyboards I used to use 20+ years ago that worked so well. This has proved to be the case --and I couldn't be more elated about it. After giving myself a week of typing on this keyboard to get used to it, I know that I've made the correct choice. The keys snap back immediately and require enough pressure to actuate that it is actually improving my typing. I don't find myself accidentally triggering inputs that I didn't intend to cause. There was actually a time when I was really accurate in my typing and during which I rarely used the backspace; I had chalked it up to the development of carpel tunnel. In hindsight, it was just that the cheap keyboards that I've been using for the last decade have had noticeably detrimental effects on my typing. I have to say that despite the curvature and lack of modern shortcut buttons, it has been worth those hurdles and more. As an aside, a return to a long-proven design has other benefits that seem to be ignored in most of the modern and cheap keyboards. For example, most of the keyboards I've owned recently have had all of the F-Keys grouped together which causes a great deal of inaccuracy when trying to press the correct one with muscle memory. One that I owned recently replaced scroll lock with "win lock" which disables the start menu button. (This meant that I essentially lost a perfectly good key --one that I'd often set for muting myself or for push-to-talk on various programs such as Skype and Discord.) Also, before I forget to mention it, this keyboard is very heavy. This is a plus, because it doesn't get pushed around my desk as I type as some of the cheaper keyboards have done. This is just another thing that helps me type more consistently. There are two other things that I'd like to mention. Firstly, the customer service for this company is admirable. They were sending me messages from the minute this keyboard shipped and ready to answer any questions and help in any way they could from the get go. I actually received an email from them asking if I had received the package slightly before it arrived at my house asking if it was in working order. I was a bit panicked and flustered, at first, when I saw that some of the keys were lose/detached. This is apparently normal as stated in the instructions that come with it. They can be affixed "insanely" easy. If you've ever had to take keys out of a keyboard and put them back in for cleaning, you'll know what a hassle that usually is. The key caps on this can be removed with little to no effort; and, somehow, they don't feel loose when typing. It's the perfect balance. Finally, I will say that one actual minor problem that I've experienced is that I have a few key caps whose surfaces are slightly uneven (warped). The only key that this is really detrimental on is the right shift key. I'm corresponding with someone slowly (my fault for my lack of time recently) to get a new shift key cap sent my way, perhaps. It's not horribly impairing the function of the keyboard though; this has been my primary keyboard since I received it. tl;dr: A couple of slightly warped key caps; No modern perks; but great response; great lifespan (from testimonials of people I know who referred me to this); grouped f-keys; good weight; no thoughtlessly repurposed keys. 5/5 would (and probably will) buy again. PS: If there's ever a model of this keyboard that is flat, has volume controls, and has internal lighting, send me an email and I'll be the first to buy it --maybe two of them.

9/15/2017 - I updated review after using the keyboard for a few months. Good: - My IBM/Lexmark Model M (42H1292) is better in every way, but I prefer typing on this Unicomp board to any Cherry MX I've ever used. The lower quality construction does have a positive though; it feels like it could be a 3D printed DIY buckling spring board. It sounds hollow compared to original M's and the keys are looser which makes it all the more obnoxiously loud and hilarious. - The gray + white key-caps look really good. Ehhh: - Swapped right-side Alt and Windows key are silly but I imagine makes it easier for the company to reuse parts between their 101, 103, 104 designs. I think they should ditch the right-side Windows key altogether instead of the position swap. Bad: - There were bits of plastic tumbling around inside the keyboard. I think I managed to either shake them all out or get them lodged in there good so I don't hear them any longer. I really hope I don't have any broken plastic rivets already that I keep reading about. - The cable runner on the bottom is too narrow for the USB cable. Even if I crammed it in there, I couldn't get it through the harsh S-curve without damaging the wire. I'll just use some gaff tape instead. - One of the stands on the bottom is about to fall out. - Keyboard arrived in its own box inside a larger misshapen box big enough for 4-6 boards but with no extra padding. Loose key-caps were everywhere. Not sure who packed it, supposedly shipped by Amazon but the from address was Unicomp. Summary: - While wonderful to type on, I'd pay Unicomp more for a USB keyboard that matches the quality of any of the original model M part numbers. While they are at it, they should throw in n-key rollover.