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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: portbaron on Fri, 15 June 2018, 23:46:11
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In the context of the current switch environment, which has improved designs like BOXes and Zealios etc., what do Alps switches bring to the table? I've tried almost every switch out there of the MX or Topre varieties, and the chemistry analyzers at work have Model M's, so what am I missing out on? There seems to be a bit of a cult following for Alps.
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Paging Captain Badass.
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There is really nothing in the MX world like either clicky or tactile Alps. Generally speaking they are much more tactile, but without being super heavy like Box navies or unbalanced (big bump but light spring that makes you bottom out hard) like Box Jade or Royals.
I wish there was something in the MX world that couple compare but there just isn't...
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It's almost impossible to explain in words what makes Alps so special, but once you try them for yourself you'll probably get it. The best I can come up with is that they feel really nicely BALANCED... Also the sound is absolutely amazing.
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So what is the way to get alps boards? They haven't been made in a while. A lot of the ones on ebay are like for old macs that probably wouldn't even work on a new PC? People seem to like orange and salmon alps.
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you can build or buy a converter to use the old mac keyboards with current interfaces. there are quite a few pc keyboards that use alps switches as well.
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I think that Alps tend to activate high up, or at least it seems that way, which is excellent for touch typists who don't need to bottom out.
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I like the salmon, orange and cream (dampened tactile). The cream feel like some better rubber domes, but that's it.
The others feel weird with too much resistance at the top.
They bind on off-centre key presses too much for my liking. Many Alps keyboards have stabilisers on 1.75u wide keys. Even 1.25u wide keys with Alps switches need stabilisers IMHO. Meanwhile, Cherry MX has stabilisers first on 2u wide keys.
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Magically Weeb
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In the context of the current switch environment, which has improved designs like BOXes and Zealios etc., what do Alps switches bring to the table? I've tried almost every switch out there of the MX or Topre varieties, and the chemistry analyzers at work have Model M's, so what am I missing out on? There seems to be a bit of a cult following for Alps.
This is a great question that deserves to be addressed from multiple perspectives. It's a pretty complex topic because ALPS switches run the gamut from linear to tactile to full on clicky. So depending on your preferences, you could find some ALPS that you hate and some you love. I've experienced a few variations and have been impressed. I have a couple of modern ALPS boards from Matias - one with their clicky switch and one with their quiet/tactile switch ("quiet clicks"). They are both enjoyable. Also some older KBs like the Ortek MCK-142 Pro and the CVT Avant Stellar. They are based on simplified ALPS, which ALPS aficionados usually say are good but not as good as the earlier, complicated ALPS like blue ALPS.
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I've only tried alps a handful of times. Blue alps definitely blew me away though. I just found them really enjoyable to type on (and listen to!). They definitely feel different than Cherry MX, and I doubt a switch based on the same principle as MX could properly mimic the feel of Alps, in the same way that it can't really mimic a buckling spring.
Like with all switches though, it really comes down to preference. Lots of people like Topre too, which I'm not as big a fan of. You may try some alps and find you love them, or you may try them out and find that you're rather ambivalent. This hobby has a lot of personal preference in it -- caps and cases have a huge aesthetic component, switch types undoubtedly feel different but there's no switch that's the uncontested best, even different layouts are better for different applications and workflows. At the end of the day, you're going to get a lot of different answers here about why people like alps, or don't like alps. But none of that can tell you for sure whether you'll like alps or not, or if you'll like some varieties and not others.
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They bind on off-centre key presses too much for my liking. Many Alps keyboards have stabilisers on 1.75u wide keys. Even 1.25u wide keys with Alps switches need stabilisers IMHO. Meanwhile, Cherry MX has stabilisers first on 2u wide keys.
clean alps should not bind on unstabilized keys up to 2.75u, that's my personal test for alps condition. dirty and worn out alps are awful.
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They bind on off-centre key presses too much for my liking. Many Alps keyboards have stabilisers on 1.75u wide keys. Even 1.25u wide keys with Alps switches need stabilisers IMHO. Meanwhile, Cherry MX has stabilisers first on 2u wide keys.
clean alps should not bind on unstabilized keys up to 2.75u, that's my personal test for alps condition. dirty and worn out alps are awful.
Agreed. If you find your Alps bind, they aren't in great condition.