IBM/Unicomp Quiet Touch Question

Spearra

19 Dec 2019, 18:20

There's always something that didn't add up to me about those IBM/Unicomp keyboards that went under the "Quiet Touch" designation and thats that they're supposedly hailed as some of the best rubber dome (over membrane) keyboards ever made, but then if that was the case, shouldn't there technically be more people being more vocal about it?

I mean, you look at things like Buckling Springs and Alps which are both stellar switches and people of course are very vocal on how great they're. Topre too, lots of people say its really good and you can actively see people posting about how great it is. Then there's the Quiet Touch rubber dome keyboards that everyone is often told is considered the best by a group of people. But my question is where are those people exactly?

That's why I wanted to ask because I found that VERY odd that something is supposedly considered in such high regard, but then there's very few outstanding posts besides a few off hand comments in a misc. thread here and there. Its like for example, if a person who exists and are famous, they're acknowledged and everything, but then there's no records that they ever existed, not a single article written about them, etc. That's how I see this situation and that's why I wanted to ask. Because I can't really think of any other type of hailed keyboard switch design that just outright phantoms community wise as far as this one goes.
Is it just obscure or something?

PS: To those who have never tried it, I'll try my best to describe it to the best of my experiences with other rubber dome keyboards, the Quiet Touch keyboards feel like a Topre keyboard with BKE rubber domes put into them, except the tactility is slightly more subtle, definitely noticeable but it isn't BKE Extreme levels of tactility. Now again, imagine that same Topre board with BKE domes in them, and reduce the travel distance a bit, and that's basically the overly simplified description I can give of them. Oh, this last part is important, sound wise they're LOUD AS FUCK! :!: :!: :!: :!: Like almost Holy Pandas level of clack except it is in the upstroke instead of the downstroke like with Holy Pandas, like default not-silenced Topre's loud upstroke but WAY more severe. Maybe that has something to do with its lack of recommendations or something LOL

But anyway, in all seriousness, any thoughts?

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sharktastica

19 Dec 2019, 20:37

I've heard people refer to it as the best in 'passing', but in reality, I think it is a mixed bag. From what I've heard about them prior, I always thought the opinion of them to be divisive like (but not to the same extreme as) Topre. Chyros disliked them in his video, for example, but Quiet Touch has its fans also. As for vocality. My best guess is that because buckling springs are so prolific, Quiet Touch is usually always overshadowed when someone discusses a Model M.

I recently bought one for collection purposes (1995-built P/N 71G4644) and found it to be an overall good but not stellar keyboard. I actually type better on my Logitech G15 V2, and IMO, the HHKBs I've tried feel far better. Its key travel feels much shallower than it looks, which threw me off at first, and the upstroke sound is 'interesting'. Speaking of which and as you described, despite the name "Quiet Touch", they are only quiet by IBM standards, which means they are still loud but just lack the metallic noises you'd expect from buckling springs. Quiet enough that you could probably get away with having one in an office though, and I'm considering possibly using it when I need to pull an all-nighter at my university's library (because I'm sure people would love me bringing in my Model F...).

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