I see a lot of naysayers here and understandably so. Clickiez are clearly not aimed at those who prefer linear MX switches and/or those who are happy with their MX brown “tactile” style switches. They are aimed at folks who have used and love the beam spring, buckling spring, complicated Alps and even simplified Alps keyboards from the days of yore. Alps switches were discontinued decades ago, so NOS switches are virtually nonexistent. Used Alps switches, which at their age will likely need extensive reconditioning, can still sell for as much as $2.50 each and up … that is, if you can find them. I’ve seen premium vintage Alps keyboards sell for in excess of $450. With prices this crazy, many of us get their daily fix with the more plentiful and affordable Matias clones and save the “real” Alps switches for special builds.
But, price isn’t the only obstacle to achieving Alps glory. The keycap selection is extremely poor and it’s virtually nonexistent for anything other than a full size, a TKL and, with very careful planning and perhaps a custom plate, a 60% build. Matias does offer Preonic and Planck blank key cap kits, but that’s about it (unless you can settle for non-standard spacebar sizes). Apparently, Signature Plastic no longer sells Alps caps except as part of a group buy, because they have recently scrubbed all references to Alps from their website. And, when group buys do come along, which isn’t very often, half of them don’t properly support ergo and ortho boards.
These Clickiez switches address the key cap availability situation by offering MX key cap compatibility and they do it at a bargain price, as compared to genuine Alps switches. They also expand the available PCB selection and they sound absolutely gorgeous. If they deliver the promised tactility (which they should, as the click leaf looks extremely similar to the Alps counterparts – see the Chryosran vid) then these switches will prove to be extremely popular with an admittedly small, but vocal subset of the community who, like Topre fans, are not afraid to spend a little extra to get what they want. And, if budget ever became an issue for me, I know that I’d happily spend a little extra on the switches and forgo the ridiculously expensive GMK caps that take in excess of a year to receive.
Hopefully this wee little bit of situational awareness clarifies things for those who are shaking their heads in disbelief. The Alps/Matias infrastructure is truly a train wreck! When you see prices of $1.30 per switch, just be thankful that you haven’t fallen into either of the Alps, or the Topre branches of this big rabbit hole that we all find ourselves in. To us, feel is everything and everything else (to the extent that we can get it) is desert.
