For years I was a Model M or GTFO kind of guy. Can't stand the modern "low travel" approach, and I generally found alternatives lacking. I hoarded model M's for parts as I could even burn those out. (yes, that's a thing).
For near on 30 years, it was my first and often only choice for a desktop keyboard.
For the younglings unfamiliar with it:
Uht, uht uht ut, here we go: IBM Model M. The very best there is. When you absolutely positively got to type every mother-****ing letter in ASCII 7, accept no substitutes.But about three years ago I was forced off of it due to parts scarcity and support waning. Build 1903 of Win 10 in particular doesn't like PS/2 interface keyboards even with a USB adapter, but even prior to that they were getting unreliable and problematic at both the OS and motherboard level.
I had switched to a G-Skill with cherry green switches on my workstation, but I already blew that thing out. Oddly I think the switches are ok, but the cable is iffy. Someone needs to explain to G-Skill that a solid non-flexible piece of plastic is not a strain relief.
I was like "fine, I'll settle for blues". Blue switches have weaker springs, but still have the tactile and audible feedback I EXPECT a keyboard to have. These soft mushy no-feedback keyboards for the "wah wah, its bee teh noizy" pansies ranks right up there with the "let's starve the computer or air" fan-haters on the derpitude scale. They can all sierra the foxtrot up until they've spent a few weeks seated ten feet from a DEC LA-50 printer.
I managed to snipe off e-bay a cheap mechanical for $25 new (half off sale last month, normally goes for $50 which is still absurdly cheap) built around outemu switches. I've done a few gateron and outemu builds for other people, in brown, red, and even blue switches and they seemed "acceptable', so for $25 the worst that happens is it lasts me six months and I grab another.
I have to say, I'm rather impressed with the build quality given the price. It feels crisper than a cherry blue I have here that I'm customizing the keycap colours for, and despite being smaller with the backplate "open" to the front (so the switches stick up with no hood around them -- easier to clean) it seems heavier and more durable than the G-Skill. I mean, it's not model M weight, but it's got some heft to it.
... and unlike a lot of today's
little girly-men who cry about how heavy things are, I actually equate higher weight with better quality construction.
A likely contributor to why I think crApple products are rinky poorly made artsy-fartsy crap! Did I mention I do custom cap colour layouts? I but stacks of colour sets regularly from a factory in china on the cheap, and put them onto mechanical keyboards for people.
Used that in this case for a mix of black, grey, and white... with the prerequisite red escape key. The black are OEM for Aukey which I like over the ones this came with as they have alumimum powder in the inner-shot that makes them reflective lighting off, but sill allowing the backlight through. The white and grey are the usual chinese mass vendor, though these are thermoset not the cheaper PVC.
I'm not sure about the white, since it's backlit. I mean, it's not like I need to read those keys, but it might look nicer. Arguing with myself about that as I was aiming for the look/feel of a TRS-80 Model 16 (or a rev 1 model II). I might swap them out for part of a purple set I have.
You folks out there have any preferences, or do customization of your own?