Original IBM Style Keyboard, Black USB

Great Keyboard, key caps are now one piece but still feel great. Keyboard in perfect condition when arrived in ISO layout. Only complaint is a scratchiness feeling on keys such as the enter key due to the stabilisers used not being lubed, Id imagine this is an easy fix if you have your own lube and shouldnt take much effort. All in all a great keyboard if you love typing

I have had this keyboard for a number of years now to replace my old IBM Model M. The - key had failed to register on the key pad and as I use the key pad a lot as an engineer the keyboard had to be replaced.

So how is the Unicomp? Well it's not a Model M. The build quality does not feel quite as good, but it is far far better than any others you can get at the moment. I also use a Cherry G80 with blue switches and that feels positively flimsy in comparison to the Unicomp. The Unicomp's key actions are not quite as good as the Model M and the click is not quite the same, the M is the better keyboard, but you can only get second hand ones now, that will be well run in and over 20 years old. So I give the Uncomp 4 stars as it does not quite match that Model M, but it is far and away better than any other keyboard on the market that I have been able to find, that has the ClickyClacky feel that I like so much.

Great keyboard. Brings back the joy of typing.

I've used a Model M many years ago only a couple of times and something stuck to my mind about that experience. At that time most keyboards around were of higher quality and did not gave much attention to the details of the Model M. Besides, the IBM two button mouse was very ugly. However, the experience of sitting at the computer and actually programming was so fine that it remained with me.

Fast forward to today. I need to silence that memory that keeps coming back every time I sit in front of my computer or laptop with rubber dome keyboards I hate with a passion. Was that experience real or just something I imagine or add to with every year? I decide to buy this Unicomp and see for myself (no Model M's around and for the price and transportation I better get a new one).

I unpack the keyboard, careful not to spoil the touching experience until I sit properly on the chair. I press a few keys waiting for a vortex to suck me back in time and... nothing. It feels so different than my Dell rubber dome and I think I'll probably have to adjust. Did I imagine the whole time or was that experience I crave for something more than just the typing, something I could not recreate today? No, it was the typing alright. True, in a silent room with one PS2 humming along, but it was the typing.

That day I did not do much typing at all but by the end of the day I could not think other than I need to get back and do more typing. Slowly but surely, my fingers adjust and I start to like the sensation more and more. I touch type and the feedback is very good. Just a few hours more and I'm convinced and thinking that I want one for home as well.

I invite a couple of my team mates to get the feel. They look at the keyboard without touching and are not impressed by the looks: is this your Commodore keyboard?. I push for them to try typing and things change here. One of them compares the sensation with the feedback he gets from playing the piano instead of some electronic keyboard. The other just keeps saying genuine waws while typing.

So yes, the sensation is all there. It's louder, but people around bottom down on rubber domes anyway so it's not much of a difference. The looks are raw as in other reviews but the build is solid.

If you are not impressed with today's keyboard market and want to have a professional keyboard (as in - for the 'profession') consider this one. I think you're in for a treat. I never touched a cherry blue or green and I can't compare them but for me, this one is great. The next one(s) will definitely be PS2 though.

I bought one of these in 2010 direct from Unicomp and have just bought a second one from keyboardco.com. There are slight differences.

The picture on the keyboardco site is of the older keyboard - there have been some changes to the bottom row of keys. Both have the same model number UB434HA.

The new one feels tighter than the old one, but this is probably due to the older one having six years of wear-in. The old one is more clacky than the new one. I'd say the old one is closer to the original but both are fine in my opinion. The enter keys on both keyboards have a higher-pitch clack than the other keys, as another reviewer pointed out.

Both keyboards are the same basic colour but the keycaps on the new one are plain grey whereas the older ones have a kind-of sparkle sheen to them. The imprints on the new keyboard are lighter (less bold) then the old one.

The main difference between them is in the bottom row of keys. On the old one, the super (windows) keys, alt and menu keys are the same size (all five are about 17mm across), being between the standard key size (12mm) and the control keys (22mm). This is as depicted in the image on the keyboardco web site.

The new one has the same sized standard keys (12mm) and control keys(22mm) but the left-hand super (windows) key is a standard 12mm key and the left Alt key is 22mm. On the right-hand side the super key is 17mm and the AltGr and Control keys are 22mm. The menu key is a standard 12mm key.

The new keyboard has horrid new-style Windows logos and a different menu symbol and the ordering of the right-hand Windows and Alt keys has been switched so that the Windows key is next to the space-bar on the newer keyboard.

The space-bars are also different lengths old=100mm vs new=114mm. The new one has a Euro symbol on the 4$ key.

Everything else is pretty-much the same: wiight, size, build quality, etc. Having used one of these for six years, I would recommend them to anyone!

Best keyboard ever. Wish I had brought one years ago when I first found the website.

It is just like the model M that I remember from school and collage and my typing has improved.

My only problem now is should I order one for the office.

Fantastic keyboard.
Really great feel when typing.
Was a bit apprehensive as some reviews online saying the build quality was iffy but mine is spot on.
Good weight to the keyboard itself.
Really happy with it.

Question is... do I get another one for work? ;)

This Model M has been fantastic so far! I was a bit hesitant about this product for some time due to doing some research about this keyboard, but it appears all of the issues have been addressed!

The build quality is great, there is some flex to it but there are more keyboards out there which are worse, this is my only gripe with this keyboard and it's not as heavy compared to the old IBM Model M's but i don't really see that as an issue.
The switches are phenomenal and this is where they got it right of course since the tooling is the same, much better than the Cherry MX Blues by far, they don't come near to the clickness and tactile feeling compared to bucking springs. The keycaps come with two parts and no longer 1 from what i have heard and seen, which throws back to how the original Model M was.

Overall, the shipping for this keyboard was great and so is the product. I really recommend this to anyone who wants a solid keyboard with a great typing experience, also gaming has not been an issue with this!

As soon as I started using this keyboard my typing felt more fluent. I've been using it for a few weeks now and it is a pleasure to use.

As John L points out, this is the newer model of the Unicomp 'Classic' 105 UK keyboard, slightly different to the photo on the KeyboardCo website (June 2017). There was a note on Unicomp's website explaining the new layout of the bottom row, but I can't find it any more. IIRC it says they revised the layout to align more closely with the original Model M - shortening the space bar thereby returning the alt-gr and ctrl keys to their original size and place.

I own an original Model M keyboard, but I prefer using this one.

I've still got my Mum's typewriter and that is quite physical work.
This is lighter but it has feedback that leads to accuracy (playing a musical keyboard is not disimillar)
So the reviews above are not just about 80's retro computing - they're about efficient input, accuracy and speed. For me, this is pricey but it's well worth it if your typing is what you live by.

Product delivered exactly as expected, with very fast international shipping to boot. The keyboard is heavy and well built, as a good piece of hardware should be.

I have typed on the famous IBM M, and while the differences do exist, it would be unfair to let those prevent you from enjoying the Unicomp. It is still a buckling-spring keyboard, manufactured under essentially the same principles.

If you are used to typing on a membrane keyboard, you are in for a treat. The tactile experience is amazing and vastly superior, particularly if you type or code for a living.
It is also quite a different experience from the Cherry-switch mechanical boards that are so popular nowadays. Choosing between both will be a matter of personal preference, but the Unicomp is generally louder and clackier. For whatever it's worth, this reviewer has used both types of boards and definitely prefers the feeling of the Unicomp.

Why buy this board? It is simply a matter of logic: you won't see a professional runner without a pair of good running shoes, or a professional knife-maker without a full set of good-quality honing stones. In the same way, you shouldn't see anyone who types for several hours a day without a good mechanical keyboard. It is that simple.

Great keyboard. Very nice feel. Not as heavy as the original one, but very good quality. Only regret is not getting one earlier.

I'm really happy that I bought one of these. It is a great keyboard for the price, BUT, it's not quite the same as an original IBM clack clack keyboard unfortunately - only the ENTER key has the full proper clack feel and sound.

It doesn't feel or sound like the original IBM clack clack keyboards, but it's miles better than modern keyboards. So if you can't get hold of an original IBM clack clack keyboard, then this is probably as good as it gets.

Apart from the fact that the clack clack is absent, it has all the correct keys, works brilliantly well, looks good, and is reassuringly well built.

Buy one. Even if you have to sell your granny. Awesome!!