Model F Labs Model F keyboard
Ranked 7 of 13 mechanical keyboards by recommenders
Recommended as a Model F-lineage beam spring keyboard, praised for heavy build and Ctrl placement. Critics say quality control has slipped and it is finicky.
Recommended as a Model F-lineage beam spring keyboard, praised for heavy build and Ctrl placement. Critics say quality control has slipped and it is finicky.
10 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 70%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
Other mechanical keyboards people recommend
The four most recommended other mechanical keyboards, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Keyboard mechanical keyboard | 55 | 11 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
| IBM Model M keyboard | 39 | 10 | 80% | 8 | 18 yrs7 owners | Approved |
| Keychron keyboard | 29 | 18 | 62% | 8 | — | — |
| Filco Majestouch TKL | 15 | 2 | 88% | 3 | 15 yrs5 owners | — |
| Model F Labs Model F keyboardThis page | 7 | 3 | 70% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
9 of the 10 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I love that Ctrl is placed in my preferred location.”
“I love the keyboard casually hanging off the desk like it’s not 20lbs!”
“these are not properly ergonomic in 2026”
“the impression I get is that the QC has gotten worse over time, not better”
“it is a bit finicky admittedly”
“I knew from previous experience that trying to fix them never went well”
“has a dead spring in numpad delete”
“his docs read like a 4th grader wrote it”
“Then the Model F cost-reduced (and thickness-reduced) it, and the Model M further.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.