My favorite keyboard of all time (though my brand new TECK has a shot at the title among keyboards I've used) was the Saratoga, the original Apple Extended Keyboard. It's key weight was perfect and it did seem to have a bit of snap. (I still have it, so I can do comparisons with it.) My understanding is that its beautiful feel is due to its use of Alps switches. [...] Besides feeling a wave of nostalgia, I realized that when I typed on that keyboard, I bottomed out regularly. That's apparently a very bad thing ergonomically.
Yeah, the AEK I used tactile Alps switches w/ orange colored sliders. I like those a lot. It also had solid construction and dye-subbed PBT keycaps.
The AEK II used dampened Alps switches w/ ivory/cream colored sliders, which have a similar feel but which are much quieter (and I don’t like quite as much), but it had nicer (thicker) keycaps.
I like both of those, and also clicky Alps white/blue, better than any Cherry MX switches.
As for bottoming out on those, I personally find that it’s fairly easy to not bottom out too hard on most tactile/clicky Alps switches (except brown Alps), if you pay attention to it. But also, because there’s such a big force drop after the tactile/actuation point, I find that bottoming out is typically not as bad on Alps switches because I end up not putting much force into my fingers after the tactile point, so even if the switch bottoms out, it’s doing so very lightly: Not at all like the kind of bottoming out required on a rubber dome. Also, the tactile point is pretty high up, giving you a lot of post-actuation travel distance to stop pressing.
I want to experiment with adding some Sorbothane landing pads on them, to see what effect that has on the end of key travel.
The best switches I’ve used to avoid bottoming out are Model F. Nothing else really comes close, but blue/white Alps and blue/white SMK alps mount (“monterey”) are pretty good.
Matias is coming out with an split ergonomic keyboard using somewhat similar switches to the AEK II’s (also damped, similar weight or maybe very slightly heavier, slightly snappier feel, slightly wobblier), the “Matias quiet” switches, which I personally like a bit better than the switches in the AEK II. It should be shipping in about 6 months, and can be pre-ordered now for free shipping.
http://matias.ca/ergopro/pc/But I hear you about Cherry MX being more widely available, w/ more keyboards, keycap sets, etc. available. (It’s too bad, because I’m not a big fan of any Cherry MX switches.)
How do you like the TECK?