Ok so I had a chance to check these out a little more.
Disclaimer: I did not build a full board of these, the only full Alps board I have is a M0116, and I’m not putting any of my MX caps on these until I get a stem shaver. I also did not shave any of the housings to fit the cap stems since I’m still waiting for the stem shaver.
So I used Orange Alps as my base because they’re my favorite Alps switches and I had a bunch of them cleaned and disassembled.
I put together one switch using an original top and Nexus Slider, one with a Nexus slider and Nexus top, and one with a Nexus slider and a sample Nexus top.
The two switches with the Nexus top housings were very similar to each other. I really like the purple housing, and think they would’ve looked cool with a black stem (like the samples were) but I understand why they’re not. They have a similar amount of wobble to original Alps sliders. They feel like Alps switches, but smoother. I don’t know if it’s because the original sliders are worn from use or what, but it’s like the difference between vintage Cherry blacks and pre-retooled Cherry blacks (I haven’t used any of the retooled Cherry blacks, so I can’t compare to those), or like the difference between any MX and a Zeal (as far as smoothness is concerned). Since I’m only using tactile and not clicky Alps, I cant say anything about a double click. I like these and I’d be happy using them.
The switch with the original Alps housing and the Nexus slider is awesome. It’s smoother, it’s tighter, has less wobble, the springs feel a little stiffer, and the tactility is a little crisper. Now, the original housings need a lot of work to be compatible with GMK caps, and if I didn’t want to do all the work, the Nexus housings are worth every penny for the convenience. But, for the crazy among us who would be willing to put in the work, I think it might be worth the effort.
As always with customizing switches, don’t take my word for it. Build a few with each of the two top housings and decide for yourself.
Now, on to the stab adapters.
I don’t know that I’ll ever actually use these since I plan to do custom builds and use MX stabs as opposed to retrofitting vintage Alps boards (seriously, the only vintage boards I own and plan to own are M0116’s, and there’s no way I’m ever finding an MX spacebar that size). But the print quality on these is pretty good. The layer height is minuscule and pretty darn smooth. You may want to sand, or file, or whatever, the insides of the hooks where the wires ride just to make sure you don’t feel anything, you may feel that with a little lube you don’t need to. The stabs clip off their print trees pretty cleanly with a pair of edge cutters (which everyone should have anyway). Again, I don’t know that I’ll ever use these, but I’m glad I have them just in case, and they’re a good quality print. The only place I’ve ever had better prints from is Shapeways. Hopefully in future rounds these will get their own injection mold and match the quality of the sliders, but for now, I think they’ll work just fine.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the product I’ve received, all things considered. I know these took longer than everyone expected, and that they’re not perfect, but these are a solid V1 and only need a few minor improvements. I know everyone had really high hopes for these, and there’s been a little disappointment along the way, but imo even with their flaws these are still a game changer for the Alps lovers in the community.
