Date   : Sat, 09 Aug 1986 19:34:18 PDT
From   : Matt Smiley <crash!pnet01!msmiley@NOSC.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Bondwell CP/M computers

Yes, I owned a model 12 for a month or so before I picked up my Kaypro. I must
say it was an excellant machine. The thing is essentially a Kaypro 4-84, with
a 4 meg clock, two drives, and a 9" amber monitor. In addition you get
function keys, an external monitor output, and (in my case) WordStar,
DataStar, CalcStar, and a couple other Star's with complete documentation,
i.e. copies of Micro Pro's complete manuals. The cabinet design is far
superior to the Kaypro's. It is made of a thick plastic, with all the controls
(power, contrast, reset) on the front next to the monitor. The cord stores in a
compartment on the back, which, when closed, protects all the plugs, (monitor
output, 2 RS-232, 1 serial, power input). The only reason I didn't keep it was
that I needed double sided drives, which your $399 model probably doesn't have.
(although they *are* manufactured with DSDD drives, for what would have cost me
$400 more). It also comes with a program that allows it to read and write to
Kaypro II, Osbourne, and some other strange make disks, although it cannot
format Kaypro, etc.

I would avoid the model 14, which uses CP/M 3.0 like the Commodore 128. Not
that there's anything wrong with 3.0, it's just that there evidently isn't a
whole lot of machines that use it.

BTW, Kaypro is selling model 1's again for $595! You may want to look into one
of those. You can buy them directly from the factory at that price.