IBM Model F Buckling Spring vs Unicomp New Model M
Money is the honest first difference between the IBM Model F Buckling Spring and the Unicomp New Model M: one is mid priced and the other premium priced, multiplied by a full board. Our switch library puts these two on each other's shortlist, and the player below is the fastest way to settle it: match the volumes, then work down through the table and the verdict.
Hear them back to back
simulated from real specssound loads on your first tapShortcuts: press A or B anywhere outside a text box to fire that burst. Use the volume trims to loudness-match the pair before judging which sounds better.
Spec by spec
| Spec | IBM Model F Buckling Spring | Unicomp New Model M |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Clicky | Clicky |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 62 g | 65 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | not published |
| Pre-travel | 2.3 mm | 2.3 mm |
| Total travel | 3.8 mm | 3.7 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | No | No |
| Price tier | Premium | Mid-range |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both makers rate these at actuation, which is the one case where the advertised numbers compare directly. Every other force row still has to be matched basis to basis.
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two clickies feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. The Unicomp New Model M is the cheaper board to fill by a full bracket, mid priced against premium priced. The Unicomp New Model M is the firmer of the two at actuation, 65 g to 62 g, though 3 g is not much to choose between. The IBM Model F Buckling Spring comes out ahead of the Unicomp New Model M for gaming and for typing, and it is the less punishing of the two in a shared room, though neither really belongs in one, so this comparison has one answer instead of a set of them.
- Overall pick
- IBM Model F Buckling Spring
Gaming, typing and a shared office all point at the IBM Model F Buckling Spring, so printing the same name three times would tell you nothing. One pick it is.
Force curves
IBM Model F Buckling Spring
IBM publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Unicomp New Model M
Unicomp publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
IBM Model F Buckling Spring or Unicomp New Model M: the long answer
Start with what these cost to fill a board, because that is the widest gap between them. The IBM Model F Buckling Spring is premium priced, while the Unicomp New Model M is mid priced. Neither is factory lubed, so enthusiasts often hand lube both for the smoothest result. Worth knowing before you order: neither of these uses an MX style stem, so neither will drop into a standard hot-swap board or accept ordinary MX keycaps, and they do not share a mount with each other either.
On to the mechanical side. The stroke is the same shape on both: both fire an audible click alongside the bump. That leaves the spec sheet to separate them. The Unicomp New Model M is nominally firmer at actuation, 65 g to 62 g, but 3 g is not a gap you buy a switch for. Actuation lands at 2.3 mm on both, but the Unicomp New Model M bottoms out 0.1 mm sooner, 3.7 mm against 3.8 mm. Nothing here is decisive on its own, which is why the sound comparison matters more than usual on this pair.
Sound decides more of these arguments than force curves do. Played back to back, the IBM Model F Buckling Spring is higher-pitched ringing ping-click off a metal backplate against the Model M voice in a slightly smaller case from the Unicomp New Model M. Either way, both of these are heard by everyone in the room, so the choice between them is a choice of tone and not of volume. Both packs are synthesized rather than recorded, so read the comparison as a faithful sketch of each voice and not as a measurement of it.
This one does not split. Every axis we score points the same direction: the IBM Model F Buckling Spring is our pick for gaming and for typing, and the quieter of two switches that both announce themselves. On speed, this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. On typing feel, the click keeps a long session in rhythm, assuming nobody nearby objects. On noise, neither of these belongs in a quiet shared room, and this is only the less punishing of the two clicks. That leaves the Unicomp New Model M to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. None of this beats hearing them yourself, which the player above lets you do in about a minute.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated IBM Model F Buckling Spring page and the Unicomp New Model M page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the IBM Model F Buckling Spring or the Unicomp New Model M the better gaming switch?
We pick the IBM Model F Buckling Spring for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Which of the IBM Model F Buckling Spring and the Unicomp New Model M is quieter in a shared room?
Neither, honestly. Both are clicky switches that announce every keystroke, so neither belongs in a quiet shared space. If noise is the deciding factor, a silent tactile is the better direction entirely.
IBM Model F Buckling Spring vs Unicomp New Model M: which one is the heavier press?
The Unicomp New Model M, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 65 g to 62 g.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the IBM Model F Buckling Spring or the Unicomp New Model M?
The Unicomp New Model M sits in the mid priced bracket and the IBM Model F Buckling Spring in the premium priced one. We do not hold a reliable per-switch price for both, so the bracket is the honest answer rather than a total.
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