Why you should buy an IBM Model F
28 Oct 2019
What is it?
There are 4 keyboards being sold here with customisations available to each.
| F62 (Kishsaver) | F77 | Ultra Compact F62 | Ultra Compact F77 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Weight | 3.4kg | 3.8kg | 1.5kg | 1.8kg |
| Size | 59-62 keys | 74-77 keys | 59-62 keys | 74-77 keys |
All can be bought with dyesub PBT keycaps or without.
Available in these colour swatches but with additional cost for Silver Gray and True Red.
An improvement on the Model M?
Model Ms use membrane buckling springs whereas the Model Fs use capacative buckling springs. What does this actually mean? The capacitive switches sit on a pcb unlike the Model M which sit upon a plastic membrane. This translates to a higher rating of keypresses. The metrics thrown around for old Model Fs are 100 million to the Model Ms 35 million. It’s unlikely you’d see the switches fail.
The main difference is in the feel. There’s a bit more tactitily and feedback to a keypress.
The other benefit is the capacative switches aren’t held togethew with plastic rivets like the Model Ms. So they won’t require a bolt/screw mod. and won’t slowly disintegrate under your fingers.
This is a limited opportunity*
Never before has there been a project that has completely from the ground, up re-made a historical keyboard and made it to production. There will be this initial production run and a final kickstarter tbc.
They’re solid and future-proof:
Made of die cast zinc and clocking in at 3.4 kg (for F62 and 3.8 kg for the F77) it’s safe to say this is one mother of a keyboard. You’d be hard pressed to find another keyboard that weighs as much and has this kind of sturdy construction.
Programable
If you were to pick up an old unit today, it would likely require some maintenance and a signal converter to get it working. These come with a USB cable and are fully programmable from the get go.
They’re so damn sexy
A very subjective point but both the F66 and F77 look stunning. No frills, RGB or otherwise, just industrial beauty.
The Model F reconnaissance is coming.
It’s taken over 4 years for this project to get where it is today, but it’s completely blown away that it’s actually happened.
I can’t decide whether to get a F62 or F77…
For more info on the original model here is an excellent review by Chyrosran22
Typed on SSK
