xsphat, guess what! They're white. My SMK85 has *white* Alps sliders. Hahahaha! So I really can't compare my Avant Stellar with the SMK85 as far as key action goes, because they're just about identical, although my impression is that the keystrokes on the Avant Stellar sound a bit more echoey, and slightly louder, than than on the SMK85.
I was expecting either black Alps sliders or High Audible Strongman Mechanical Switches. I was thinking I might get Strongman switches because I was getting an SMK85 in silver with black keys with a USB connector, and both the DSI sales site (
http://www.notestation.com) and
http://www.ergocanada.com listed silver and black USB SMK85's as having the Strongman switches, although
http://www.notestation.com had it as out of stock (transition to Cherry linear?). The web site I ordered it from said it had Alps switches, but I couldn't be sure if that was a mistake.(I ordered it from
http://www.ergo-tech.ca for $70 USD plus shipping).
So I can't compare white Alps sliders with black Alps sliders. But xsphat, this means that instead of getting an Avant Prime, you can get a second SMK85, this time with white Alps sliders,as a companion to your all black PS/2 SMK85, and do the comparison yourself.
So let's see, we now know that SMK85's have had black Alps sliders, white Alps sliders, High Audible Strongman Switches (available from
http://www.ergocanada.com, and Alps low audible linear sliders, whatever they are (also from
http://www.ergocanda.com). And from what I gather here from iMav and xsphat, they're going to have black Cherry MX linear switches (ugh!).
BTW, I think this SMK85 is a really great keyboard: nice layout for a mini, with the clicky, tactile, audible goodness of Alps sliders. I hate the two-tone color scheme (as far as I'm concerned two-tone only looks good on the Honda Element), but you can't have everything. I don't know whether I like it better than the HHKB Pro 2, but hell, it's $200 less, and certainly in the same ballpark as far as quality goes. I don't know whether it's better than the all black SMK85 with black Alps sliders that xsphat has, but still, it's a mighty fine board.