You are in the right way if you want XM.
Misuse of the word Alps just cuased the confusion. I don't blame you 
We need good termninology and consensus to discuss properly.
We do have it ...
Ducky keyboards use
Xiang Min KSB series switches, specifically KSB-C (clicky), KSB-N (linear), and KSB-LE (linear with LED) for the lock keys. These are a type of Alps clone switches.
The type of switch often referred to as "XM" in the past is most likely to be a
Hua-Jie AK series switch, typically AK-CN2. Monterey have confirmed that Hua-Jie (at the time, Himake) were their source of Alps clones, and the photo I received from Hua-Jie is an exact match. The three types of switch numbering confirmed used by Hua-Jie would make them by far the most common brand of Alps clone found in keyboards sold in the West. Unfortunately we don't have enough evidence yet to confirm which switches are AK-CN2/DN2, which are the lower rating AK-C2/D2 (no longer sold), and what product the other switches out there were (the ones with all the weird internals but the same numbering).
Specific exceptions are the Filco Zero XM and Ducky *XM which are confirmed as XM by the Filco and Ducky respectively. Matias also confirmed the use of XM switches for their LED keys in the Tactile Pro 3 (don't know for sure about the TP and TP2 — I need good photos to check). There's little else where XM has been confirmed, and most so-called "XM" switches appear to be Hua-Jie AK-CN2. (Xiang Min KSB-C and Hua-Jie AK-CN2 (2) (replacing AK-C2) are internally identical, but the plastic moulds are distinct with different numbering. There's a lot of crossover between the two: they appear to be using the same supplier for the metal parts, and placing them into their own plastic mouldings. Neither company has been willing to comment on this in my conversations with them.)
There's still a lot of speculation, but a lot of the mystery is gone now. We are also clear on recognising Taiwan Tai-Hao's APC series Alps clones, as they also have very specific numbering that they've stuck to. There are still a load of switches out there that remain unidentified, but they're all the extremely rare ones.
There's nothing to stop someone ordering a group buy of switches from any of these companies, of course.
