Editing IBM Enhanced Keyboard (section)

===Distinctive sound===

The Model M's buckling-spring key mechanism has a distinctive sound described as "clicky". Most users accepted the sound as an inherent part of using the keyboards. Some users, including present-day enthusiasts, consider it a reminder of the Model M's sturdiness compared to other manufacturers' quieter but cheaper and less durable rubber-dome keyboards (many of which were made to resemble the Model M).

Some customers requested quieter keyboards for situations requiring them (e.g. libraries and medical facilities). IBM responded by producing Quiet Touch Keyboards with rubber dome switches instead of buckling springs, and with a different style of key stem. While not as prized today as buckling-spring Model M's, many Quiet Touch Keyboards are still in service and are considered among the best rubber dome keyboards made. A later initiative to provide a quieter Model M, without conceding to rubber domes, was the [[#8184692|Soft Touch Keyboard]] made by Lexmark for IBM from 1995–96, whose buckling springs were greased to reduce their volume.