Build quality has diminishing returns. Rolexes and Bugattis are impressive feats of engineering, but I was aiming for the most utility per dollar, which would probably peak at a PCB, mechanical switches, group-buy dye-sub keycaps, and 3D printed cases.
My evil plan would be to go on for other types of incredibly rare hardware that could run in emulation while the physical interface with the human can be replicated with reasonable accuracy with modern technology.
A PC keyboard is not ideal for a Xerox Star, or a Symbolics, but is quite fine for an Amiga, Atari ST or Archimedes
My intention was both snark and to point at real vs perceived value. Whoever downvoted me seemed to miss that. HN is not very perceptive; this is not a very nice place.
Anyway, yes, small-batch artisanal handmade keyboards cost a lot of money.
> Build quality has diminishing returns.
Of course it does. But the point where the gradient tilts might surprise you.
I have tried a Unicomp modern replica of an IBM Model M. It was not a very nice keyboard, IMHO. It felt and sounded cheap and plasticky, with poor quality mouldings, rough edges, and so on.
This was a $150 replica device. It did not feel like hundred-and-fifty buck hardware. It felt a bit cheap and nasty.
(The owner told me it died not that long afterwards.)
This is the problem: proper quality kit costs, even if it's a modern reproduction of a mass-produced item from 30-40 years ago.
I agree: it's a ridiculously expensive keyboard. But the cheaper repro I tried disappointed me badly.
I have a Unicomp PC122 and it feels solid, but it sounds a bit like late IBM, much more than 1980's IBM. I heard the newer units are heavier, but I don't know much about that - I suppose they might be using a heavier steel plate, because changing the molds would be both ridiculously expensive and would invalidate their claim to be building original IBM keyboards.
In any case, the layout is more important than key feel (unless it's absolutely terrible) - for many machines you NEED those keys and, if they are in the same positions than they used to be, the experience is a lot better.
