Gotta craigslist deal and keycaps from another board that would make it like new, should I buy for the experience some regard as holy or is it just a clicky keyboard? And in general should I go for mechanical keyboards, as I only have used the chicklets in laptops and the shitty dell ones.
TLDR: Should I invest into a mechanical keyboard, and a model m at that
yes, sir! I tend to stick with barebones mechanical keyboards. Nothing flashy just good switches and caps.
Sure, if you like old keyboards.
Well, definately try a mechanical. It takes a bit to get used to but once you do you probably won’t want to go back. I’ve used the shitty chiclet style, scissor switches, rubber domes, and those shitty dell OEM boards (still have one on my work machine, will be replacing it this year with a mechanical.
I’ve seen a slight improvement in my typing speed and a great improvement in my accuracy since I switched (get it?) over to mechanical.
I haven’t tried the model M so I can’t speak as to its qualities, but mechanical is certainly superior IMO to the typical boards you see on “normie” computers.
Depends on the use case of said keyboard. If its for gaming I would not recommend the model m (key roll over / stiff keys). If its for mostly typing I’d say yes, its a great experience, and my usual go to.
The best place to use a Model M is in an office that is densely populated. Everyone will love the typing sounds The people in my office wanted to murder me when I brought in a mech. keyboard with blue switches lol
I use it for gaming occasionally, always feels good to clean my model m with the tears of my RGB keyboard enemies.
@omega_alpha_psi for what it’s worth, you can check these articles out. This is why they like them. I’ve only used a Model M a handful of times. I did a few times in China but was too afraid they were fake to buy them lol.
I personally will not touch model M’s (but mostly because I’ve been lucky enough to acquire a Model F, which is SO much better than the Model M, the model Ms are so bad for the price and keyfeel now lol… there is a significant difference between the two. )
That being said, a Model M for a good price is at least as good as an MX Blue, probably better from a keyfeel point of view. However Model M’s typically are overpriced to being as expensive as modern MX keyboards… which is definitely not worth it. Though a lot of the modern “rgb bling” ones from the big manufacturers also realllyyy aren’t worth it either but that’s a different issue entirely lol…
but back to the point,IBM model Ms arent that great for the price mainly because as @Big_Al_Tech said, they only have 2 key rollover. Which isnt an issue for typing but for gaming it can be an issue. And for the same price as modern MX keyboards that have anywhere from 6 to N-Key rollover… thats a pretty big factor depending on how you use your keyboard.
Theres also the fact that you can get good chinese keyboards for super cheap now that have a wide variety of switches and usually have better rollover and etc.
The only vintage keyboards that are “worth” investing into that are old are Northgate Omnikeys, IBM Model F (The AT version), and a couple of others.
I’d say go for a cheap mechanical from Amazon or Ebay (like a Redragon) to see if you like them. If you do it will only cost $30-50, if not you can return it or it’s only $30-50 out of pocket instead of 80-120.
Or if you feel like learning the ways of ebay you can score some awesome deals on old keyboards with a ton of different switches, lol.
But I know not everyone cares that much (and I’m a collector of sorts anyway so theres also that.)
I was fortunate enough to have a friend who gave me a 1992 Model M as a gift. More accurately, it was found in a box of stuff in the attic, but it was gifted to me. 
The model M is one of the best keyboards I have gotten to use. I would think you could just find one though. Ask whatever IT in the company you work for or ect. Some of these are lying around in old IT closets if they keep old stuff.
A lot about keyboards is subjective. Model Ms do have one of the more reputable keystrokes and they tend to be far more durable than modern keyboards. Even if you end up not being crazy about their switches, at least you’ll have an incredibly durable keyboard you can use in a pinch.
I’d get a model F but sure if you wanna try it do it.
Ya know, I have to agree. Linus had a budget keyboard round up a couple years back and I got this one:
Granted when I got it, it was only 30 bucks. The board has some heft to it too, which is something I prefer. Not Cherry switches but it’s been one of my favorite boards to type and play games on. Not a bad budget board IMO if you get it on sale.
If money is no object… and you can wait a year to actually get it…
Holy crap, that’s expensive!
Don’t forget that the Model M (F as well I think) lacks a super (aka Windows) key between control and alt. You can try to remap caps lock through your operating system, but I don’t think you can do that in Windows (probably doable in Linux).
The Model M is nostalgic and buckling springs have an extremely tactile feel. However, Unicomp sells buckling spring boards in a modern key layout, which are almost the same as an M but generally cheaper (~$100 last time I checked). Unless you’re really curious about buckling springs in particular, I would recommend a simple, full keyboard with MX switches of your choosing.
