Seeking NMB or Alps nirvana

[Kensey]

There seems to be more mechanical-keyswitch expertise in these forums than I knew existed in the entire world, so I'm hoping you guys can help me out.  Basically I want a nice 101-key keyboard with Alps or NMB keyswitches, with a few stipulations.  (I would try a buckling-spring Unicomp keyboard, but then my wife would kill me with it to stop the clacking, and we've not quite been married five years yet.)

So, what I want is basically this, but with Alps/NMB keyswitches instead of buckling springs or rubber domes.  However, all the mechanical keyboards I can find are short of my perfect keyboard for one or more of the following reasons:

1) Wrong kind of Enter key.  I like a straight Enter key, not the inverted or backwards L.

2) Too many extra keys.  I'll accept the "Windows" keys if I have to -- they can be made to do useful things.  But I'd like them to not have the Windows logo on them (I'll scrape it off myself if I have to), and ideally I'd like them not to be there at all.  Some multimedia keys are OK, but they should be as unobtrusive as possible.
 
3) I want a single color of keys.  This is purely aesthetic and I'm not that firmly attached to it.  It'd be even nicer if it was something I consider attractive, like this. If I get keys I like the look of, hey, I'm not opposed to a trip to Home Depot for a nice color of spraypaint to apply to the bezel.

4) It almost goes without saying these days, but I'd like it to be USB, so a lot of secondhand keyboards lose points for having PS/2 or AT connectors.

5) The ability to swap Caps Lock and left-Control would be nice.  (Me and Unix, we go way back.)

I'll pay relatively handsomely to save my wrists from the crappy keyboard that came with this new Dell.  (Seriously, Dell has THE WORST included keyboards since the old Gateways I used to have to deal with where one side of the space-bar kept getting hung up.)

[ricercar]

A used Northgate Omnikey 102 comes to mind:

Good

• Alps White
• Switchable capslock and l-control in hardware
• no Windows Key

Bad

• reverse L enter
• two color key caps - brown function keys whiteish letters
• PS/2

[ch_123]

Alps are not a good choice if you need quiet, they are somewhat quieter than BS, but not by that much.

Given that you want quiet, swappable Ctrl/Caps, minimum of keys and don't mind paying for it, you might want to consider a Topre.

Link

[leos]

OK not a mechanical one but a High quality rubber dome in the same case like customizer. Not loud, tactile, and variable weighted keys. YES ITS THE OEM DAS KEYBOARD 1

[ch_123]

You mean the Keytronic? They're meant to be alright, but no Topre.

[leos]

You mean the Keytronic? They're meant to be alright, but no Topre.

Yea i know. But its 10x cheaper then topre. I have the das1 and the feeling is almost 70% topre.

[ch_123]

Still a rubber dome, you have to bottom out, and it won't last as long. Also, the topre fits the OP's requirements better.

[leos]

Still a rubber dome, you have to bottom out, and it won't last as long.

life span is same "30 million keystrokes"

both are rubber dome boards, function prinzip is different. Topre provides this unique capacitive tactile feeling + "fart" and you dont need to bottom out.

Also, the topre fits the OP's requirements better.

YEA TOPRE IS the KING of Keyboards but it COST  a hell of a lot more $$$ to get it.

[didjamatic]

These meet your requirements without being too loud:  

Topre Realforce 103u or 87u

HHKB Pro 2

ALPS board with Tactile non-clicky switches - a good example is a vintage Apple Extended keyboard I have that has non-clicky but tactile complicated orange alps that is not loud and very satisfying.  You need an ADB to USB adapter (for it but you can get the board for $30ish or even less so your total cost isn't too bad compared to many options.

I don't like the L-user enter keys either.

[itlnstln]

This might be right up your alley, too.  I have one, and it's quieter than the standard-issue Dells we have around the office.  The pics on the web site don't really do the 'board justice.  Here is a better pic:
 

[Kensey]

Alps are not a good choice if you need quiet, they are somewhat quieter than BS, but not by that much.

I think the right kind of Alps would be OK.  As didjamatic noted, the old Apple Extended Keyboard II is fairly quiet -- it's actually the keyboard I found out about Alps keyswitches from.  But does anybody still make keyboards with those same switches or their equivalent?  (I looked at Matias, but none of my daily-driver PCs are Macs, so the extra symbols on the keycaps would get annoying.)

The other "perfect keyboard" I have is a programmable NMB RT-101 (with the space-invader switches) that sadly no longer seems to work.  I think I killed it -- it was having some issues that looked like a stuck key somewhere, so I took it apart and cleaned it.  Afterward it didn't work at all.  I was careful, I thought, but apparently not careful enough.

Given that you want quiet, swappable Ctrl/Caps, minimum of keys and don't mind paying for it, you might want to consider a Topre.

Like leos noted, Topre = $$$.  I'm willing to pay what I need to, but I wonder if Topre is really worth the price premium over Alps.  For my tastes, I suspect not -- a little clickiness is OK, I just don't want to keep the neighbors down the street awake.

This might be right up your alley, too.  I have one, and it's quieter than the standard-issue Dells we have around the office.

To quote Charlie Brown when Lucy explains pantophobia to him, "THAT'S IT!!"  That looks like exactly what I want, so of course it seems it's no longer made, but I guess datacal has massive stock laid in or something?

[itlnstln]

To quote Charlie Brown when Lucy explains pantophobia to him, "THAT'S IT!!" That looks like exactly what I want, so of course it seems it's no longer made, but I guess datacal has massive stock laid in or something?

Nope.  Datacal has them custom-made, so they can be restocked when necessary.  Order away!
 
 
BTW, it's my favorite keyboard.

[ch_123]

Just get a brown Cherry Filco then.

I suspect not -- a little clickiness is OK, I just don't want to keep the neighbors down the street awake.

In fairness, BS are not that loud...

I think the right kind of Alps would be OK. As didjamatic noted, the old Apple Extended Keyboard II is fairly quiet -- it's actually the keyboard I found out about Alps keyswitches from. But does anybody still make keyboards with those same switches or their equivalent?

The Cream Alps switches used by the AEKII aren't made any more, nor are any fakes/copies. You could get an SGI AT-101 - they have the same switches. Example.