 If you've been a viewer for long enough, you may remember that one time that I had a little moment reminiscing about my old Model M keyboard. So far, out of all the keyboards I've used in my life, this is the best, most solid overall feeling one, other than I did have an IBM Model M, and nothing can compare. And I'm not alone. Not only did someone else care enough to re-upload that clip as its very own video, but there is a healthy second-hand market for these things, and you can even buy near-identical brand-new recreations today. But in the age of Bluetooth, RGB, and macros, should you care? Let's find out. Speaking of random... A semicolon LSDK... Our sponsor, Humble Bundle. You can save money on games and help support charity with Humble Bundle. Learn more through our partner links in the video description. Now you darn kids today might think that the Model M looks like a basic old-school keyboard, but that is exactly why it's special. The layout that nearly every keyboard uses today is standard because of this keyboard from over 30 years ago. Now to be clear, the QWERTY layout has been around since the 1800s, but by the time IBM was releasing personal computers in the 1980s, keyboards needed a lot more keys than just letters and numbers. And prior to the Model M, these keys could be found in all sorts of stupid and seemingly arbitrary places. The reason that this board is different is that IBM put a lot of effort, even developing a 10-person task force, into developing a friendlier keyboard, letting focus groups rearrange, enlarge, or even duplicate commonly used keys. The result was this board that looks totally normal except it's missing Windows keys, and a couple of other things. You see, this isn't actually a Model M per se. This is the 0th generation IBM Enhanced keyboard that launched in 1985 as part of the IBM 3161 terminal. That's why it doesn't have any lights for caps, num, or scroll lock. Those settings would be displayed on the terminal screen instead. You'll also notice that it has a 5-pin DIN connector instead of a PS2 connector like other Model M's. This is significant because the Model M launched with IBM's Personal System 2 or PS2 computer. That is where the connector gets its name. This is a second generation Model M, the most popular. It was manufactured back in 1987, just one year after I was born. And we know this because every Model M has a little birth certificate on its back. But why do people still like these things so much after all these years? Well, it comes down to feel, sound, and build quality. Model M's use switches that are very different to the Cherry MX's that keyboard enthusiasts today might be used to. In the patent, these switches are actually called Catastrophically Buckling Compression Column Switch and Actuator. But most normal people just call them Buckling Spring Switches. And that's because under each keycap, there really is a little tiny spring. So in the starting position, the spring puts pressure on a rocker, preventing it from closing the circuit. But when you press the key down, the spring eventually buckles, tilting the rocker to contact a layer of membrane and registering your stroke at the precise instant that you feel the tactile feedback. Wait, hold up. Did that say membrane? Yes. Model M's are often erroneously called Mechanical Keyboards, but they are in fact membrane boards, which is why they only have two key rollover. Just remember that this does not mean that they use rubber domes. That is different. Err, well, okay, actually, some Model M's do use rubber domes, but more on that later. Anyway, the result is a very balanced feel with a nice tactile bump and a 70 gram weighting. For pure typists, there's very little on the market, even all these decades later, that feels this good. But while the Buckling Spring Switches create auditory feedback that some people find very satisfying, at least the ones doing the typing anyway, they also take a long time to register repeated strokes, making them unsuitable for competitive gaming. Though you could always just bludgeon your opponents over the head when you lose, because the Model M's are heavy boards. The plastic shell and the keycaps are made from hard PVC and PBT plastics that aren't painted and don't yellow with age, and inside, there's a heat-treated metal backplate that's responsible for the M's negligible deck flex and its five pound heft. At least, they were five pounds. Thing is, not all Model M's are created equal. In 1990, IBM sold part of its keyboard manufacturing division to what would become Lexmark. Lexmark continued to make these keyboards for IBM, but more cheaper. This Model M from 1995 demonstrates some of the changes, including one good one. Drainage holes to protect it from its arch nemesis, water. Along with several less good ones, like a lighter backplate and plastic shell, a fixed instead of removable cable, a monochrome legend on the keycaps, and rubber dome switches. To be clear there, good rubber domes, but still. Anyway, the keyboard gods work in mysterious ways, and the growing popularity of rubber domes led to the collapse of the mechanical keyboard business, with Lexmark dropping their keyboard division outright in 1996. And here is where our story gets interesting. A group of former IBM and Lexmark employees began slowly purchasing the Model M's intellectual property rights, except for the logo, and the physical manufacturing equipment that was used to make it. The company they formed is called Unicomp, and that's where this came from. It's a Unicomp classic, and it was manufactured on January 15th, 2018. Because of this heritage, Unicomp Model M's aren't really clones, but they're more like descendants. So how do they compare to the original? Well, if you didn't spend the 80s and 90s typing on Model M's when they were new, it's kind of hard to judge the feel of a brand new Unicomp classic against an IBM board whose spring switches are 30 years older. But even if you ask the people who have been using Model M's for decades, you will still get some who claim that the Unicomps feel identical, and others who claim that they feel very different. And from a certain point of view, they're both right. The Unicomp boards are modeled after the last model that Lexmark made. So while they have the exact same switches as the early boards, they are lighter weight, and interestingly, they can have imperfections on the case, and less sharp lettering due to the aging mold and tooling equipment. So, our final take? The Unicomp boards are as close as you can get to... brand new, anyway, to the original Model M, while also offering new color, interface, and key options, all for less money than most keyboards of a similar quality. So, as a well-priced typing board, I can see the appeal. But, my money would go to either a more versatile Cherry MX, or an older generation Model M off eBay, even though I know that I'd be paying a pretty penny, and I would probably need an adapter. Speaking of adapting, FreshBooks is the small business accounting software built for how you want to work, to be more adaptive to the pace of the modern world, anyway. It's a simple way to be more productive, more organized, and get paid faster. You can create and send professional-looking invoices in less than 30 seconds, you can set up online payments with just a couple of clicks and get paid up to four days faster, and you can see when your client has seen your invoice to put an end to the guessing games. So, for an unrestricted 30-day free trial, go to FreshBooks.com slash Tech Tips, and enter Linus Tech Tips in the How Did You Hear About Us section. Don't I seem super credible sitting here in this, like, jacket like this? What do you think? No? Alright. Well, thanks for watching, guys, and a massive shout-out to LTT forum user UltimateMythBuster for loaning us his three precious Model Ms for this video. If this video sucked, you guys know what to do, but if it was awesome, get subscribed, hit that like button, or check out the link to where to buy the stuff we featured in the video description. Also linked down there is our merch store, which has cool shirts like the one I'm... Oh, I actually am still wearing it. Hold on. Like this one, and our community forum, which you should totally join. How about now? Do I look credible now? Yeah? How about, how about, how about now? No! Yeah, oh, sorry. Not suitable for Twitch.