Model M Spacesaver M Black Buckling Spring USB

This is the absolute best keyboard for the mac. The switches feel amazing if you like tactile switches. It's also nice looking with the white keys and black case and I absolutely LOVE the fact that they don't put usb ports in the keyboard - It's just a great keyboard. It's modeled after the IBM Model M and though the build quality isn't really the same, it's still a decent keyboard for the price. The only caveat for me is that I'd like to see a better USB Cable perhaps a braided cable the usb cable seems awfully thin and cheap, and it would be nice if the firmware would show up as an apple keyboard versus having to use the keyboard assistance in OS X. Again these are minor complaints but if they would address these 2 problems (and maybe make the keyboard a tad bit heavier) it would be a perfect keyboard. For now though IMO this is the absolute best keyboard out there. I've used it for over a month with no complaints or issues so far.

Some time ago I found an IBM Model M2 in my father-in-law's home. I was surprised because it was a very nice keyboard and he was a collector of trash. I told him that it was worth money and could probably sell it for a small chunk of change. (The Model M2 isn't a very desirable keyboard, but it's still a Model M.) He scoffed at the idea so I sought to problem him wrong by making a solid $80 on eBay. Predictably, he didn't care at all. Years later I was sad that I sold it since it was actually a really nice keyboard to type on (the best I had ever had, honestly.)It took some years but I decided I would finally buy a Unicomp and man was I excited. I got the package and played with it before plugging it into my computer to test it out. I noticed right away that I had purchased the wrong variant: I don't own a Mac and the Spacesaver M is made for Macs. It still works just fine, but keys are around. I decided I would muscle my way through it and just get used to it.What came next was a week mixed with joy and frustration.First, the joy:This keyboard is loud as can be. I knew it would be loud, but no amount of words can explain how loud it will be. People often call Cherry MX Clicky switches loud, but they are downright silent in comparison. The buckling springs are just so freaking loud. I love the sound, personally. I brought it to work and no one really complained other than saying that it was loud. No one cared, but honestly it was so loud that I felt a bit anxious about the sound. I think I was lucky that no one was bothered, but I'm certain that other offices wouldn't be as accepting. If you're worried about the loudness of Cherry MX Blues (or equivalent) then I would suggest away from this keyboard.The type feel is very satisfying. Some people say that the springs are heavy, but I find them to be perfect. Very crisp and defined stroke. If you haven't typed on a buckling spring keyboard, there aren't any great direct comparisons to make. Maybe the new Kahli box switches (Sepcifically the ones from NovelKeys) can compare, but I haven't tried those out yet. (For what it's worth, I've heard that the box switches are also fairly loud and heavy).The caps and overall build quality are only okay, kind of unacceptable for how expensive this keyboard is. As a value proposition, this keyboard fails. It has a permanently attached USB as well. Similarly priced modern mechs have micro-b or type-c ports so you can get your own cable. The chassis of the keyboard is warped and springy, which I've come to understand is likely the fault of 35-year-old tooling (the same original tooling for the IBM Model M, which is cool). Unicomp has come to say that they are revamping some of their tooling (at least for their up and coming tenkeyless keyboard), so maybe that issue will be solved soon.It's a bit of a mixed bag, but honestly worth it. There aren't any other modern keyboards out there with quite this feel and it's exceptional.The frustration:I don't have a Mac. I thought I could put up with the differences, but it just overcame me. Eventually I decided to contact Unicomp for a swap. I offered to pay any fees related to a swap, but I was only offered a refund. Which I took and returned the keyboard. The process was easy, but I'm disappointed I didn't get a swap. I decided to buy a Ducky One with Cherry MX Greens instead and I think it's a better fit for my office. It's loud and satisfying (coming close to the experience of the Unicomp) but not nearly as loud and far higher build quality.I wholly recommend the Unicomp Model M, just make sure you get the correct variant.

This Model M for Mac is unable to map F4 and F3 for Launchpad and Mission Control. When I try to do this in the System Preferences, every time I hit F4 for the assigned command for Launchpad, it shows up as F12. I try other F keys and they randomly assign other F keys. It is the same situation with Mission Control, trying to assign it to F3 and other random F key functions show up in its place. I've tried everything, but nothing seems to work for it. For a keyboard claiming to be designed for a Mac, it sure goes to great lengths to make sure it doesn't work according to Mac standards.

There was a time, in the 1980s, when the term 'PC' had nothing to do with politics. It wasn't a generic term used to label an entire category of computers. It stood for "Personal Computer." Personal Computers were made by IBM.The IBM PC and its descendants (including the PS/2) all shared something in common; a keyboard developed to hold up in an office environment, with a precise feel. The pinnacle of these keyboards (and, many argue, all computer keyboards to this date) was the IBM Model M. It's a heavy beast of a keyboard, built like a tank, and has a feel that many (including this writer) regard as the Perfect Typing Surface. Many people who use their computers to write longer documents have relied on the Model M, toting them from computer to computer, job to job, because there's nothing quite like it. The sound isn't "emulated in software." It's a byproduct of the buckling-spring technology used to ensure that, when a key clicks, it has done its job. There's a satisfying travel to the keys, that "click" that notifies you, in no uncertain terms, that something has happened, so that you don't have to keep one eye on the computer screen to see what you've typed. Many have lamented that keyboards this good just aren't made any more.It turns out that they are.A company in Lexington, Kentucky bought the tooling, IP, and rights to manufacture the buckling-spring keyboard in all its heavy, clicky glory. This keyboard is the result of their effort. It's every bit as heavy, clicky, and enjoyable as its three-letter ancestors. This post is being written on one recently arrived from Amazon.If you use your computer as a writing tool (and not a means to enter the occasional URL), then do yourself a favor. Get yourself a modern version of the Best Keyboard Ever Made.

Great keyboard. Horrible build quality on the caps though. Keys are printed crooked, you'd think for something so expensive they could figure that out. It's just a plastic keyboard...