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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: terrpn on Sat, 15 November 2014, 17:04:46

Title: Omnikey White Alps Boards
Post by: terrpn on Sat, 15 November 2014, 17:04:46
is it just me or are omnikeys with white alps pulling big money these days?

upward of $150.00 in a lot of cases........ :eek:
Title: Re: Omnikey White Alps Boards
Post by: fohat.digs on Sat, 15 November 2014, 18:32:02
Regardless (aka irregardless) of what Bob Tibbetts says, complicated whites are not the same as blues, in my opinion, based on at least 10 examples that I have owned.

However, the Omnikey 101 is the finest example of a standard ANSI Alps chassis out there, bar none.

If you want a primo top-shelf Alps board, transplant your preferred switches into one.

And I would be even more enthusiastic about the 102, with 2 sets of function keys, but the bigass Enter is a deal-killer for me.
Title: Re: Omnikey White Alps Boards
Post by: intelli78 on Sat, 15 November 2014, 18:36:39
Are they? Maybe I should be selling mine on ebay instead of dirt cheap on GH.

I agree with fohat.digs, whites and blues are not the same. Whites are scratchier and less tolerant to off-center presses.
Title: Re: Omnikey White Alps Boards
Post by: remdell on Sat, 15 November 2014, 19:58:36
I've been seeing the opposite.  A little more than half a year ago, Omnikeys in good condition (at $200 or less) would be bought immediately on Ebay.  Rarely did I see more than five listed at a time.  Now, I'm seeing a ton of near NOS Omnikeys on Ebay for $150 or less that actually take awhile to get sold.
Title: Re: Omnikey White Alps Boards
Post by: terrpn on Sat, 15 November 2014, 20:04:15
Regardless (aka irregardless) of what Bob Tibbetts says, complicated whites are not the same as blues, in my opinion, based on at least 10 examples that I have owned.

However, the Omnikey 101 is the finest example of a standard ANSI Alps chassis out there, bar none.

If you want a primo top-shelf Alps board, transplant your preferred switches into one.

And I would be even more enthusiastic about the 102, with 2 sets of function keys, but the bigass Enter is a deal-killer for me.


i have quite a few whites as well including a omnikey and i agree they are no where in the same ballpark as blues
Title: Re: Omnikey White Alps Boards
Post by: opensecret on Wed, 19 November 2014, 22:37:25
It depends on model and condition, but the market for Northgate keyboards has been pretty solid for a long time.  The top of the line, for me, is the Ultra, all 119 keys, not to be confused with the Ultra T with a mere 115, or the Ultra Plus, oddly named because it has fewer keys than its Ultra siblings (it only has function keys on the side, not across the top of the board).

I've never typed on a blue Alps, but I got my first Northgate back in the early 1990s.  I have three currently and have to resist the occasional temptation to buy more.  I  have not yet found a switch I like better.