Glad to see that i'm not the only fan of clicky switches! I feel the same way regarding that we are a minority hahaha.
To answer you question, I've been trying my keyboard for a week now and I love it haha. It reminds me the IBM model M that I had when I was younger.
That makes sense. The Model M's membrane buckling spring is also a relatively stiff clicky mechanism. If you've got any nostalgia for that board, they're actually still very popular among clicky fanatics.
Unicomp, who took over the mantle from IBM, is still manufacturing the Model M.
They recently started production on a recreation of the Model M SSK for the first time, if interested.
Capacitive buckling spring was used in the IBM model that preceeded the Model M, the Model F. The mechanism is very similar, the biggest difference being that the Model F uses capacitive contacts on the board (sort of like what Topre does today) for actuation instead of a membrane, and the plate sandwhich is easy to take apart and service because it is two plates of metal clamped together instead of the plastic rivets used by the Model M. The Model F is smoother, lighter, and the spring buckles lower (mostly due to the caps). In spite of this, some do still prefer the Model M regardless. I know you ask lower down about what's available now, but while we're on the topic of buckling spring,
Ellipse is is recreating the F62 and F77 keyboards from scratch. These were variants of the Model F that had
very thick solid Zinc cases. I have one of his F77s, and it is wonderful. They're not cheap though, unfortunately. Otherwise, you'll need to hunt down old capacitive buckling spring boards, most of which have archaic layouts ... as the Model M is what standardized the layout we now consider to be ANSI. I have an F AT at one of my desks at work at the moment. I have no difficulty with it, but others do. I recommend staying away from the F XT (the layout is just too weird for me), but some people even prefer that.
How's the Box Pink compared to the Box Navy? My friend gave me 2 jades to test them and I feel that it missed something.
Box pinks, like navies have a good balance between the size of the tactile bump and the spring weighting. they have lighter springs and a smaller click bar, so they have less tactility and have a lighter press, but they make a nice bassy sound like jades, whereas the navies are kind of high-pitched, and can cause a lot of ping in cases particularly susceptible to it (I actually find ping entertaining, thus why I have navies in an aluminum chassis like this Das Pro 4). I imagine the thing missing from jades that you mention is the fact that they have even more perceived tactility than the navies, but a weaker spring. I actually like this myself, but I can see why it wouldn't be for everyone.
Are the vintage switches available on the market? I'm curious to try them.
Alps switches are long gone, but there are modern clones of their simplified mechanism (which is considered by most to be inferior).
Matias contracts Gaote (the makers of Outemu switches) to make them very good clones, in my opinion. I prefer Matias' clicky switches to any modern MX or compatible switch and think that they're nearly as nice as the original SKCM Alps clickies. If you want the cream of the crop Alps clicky, SKCM blues, you need to hunt down ancient boards and/or switches as production ceased in 1989. They're wonderfully buttery smooth and bassy, with a pleasant and sharp tactile event. From that point on, Alps transitioned to SKCM white. Over time, the mechanism was simplified gradually. Thus the earliest SKCM whites are almost indistinguishable from blue, but the similarities reduced as the 90s progressed, and eventually Alps transitioned to SKBM and SKBL series switches, AKA simplified Alps.
Any Alps switches that were factory lubricated (like SKCM blue) are
very susceptible to being ruined by dirt and dust, which cannot always really be fixed even with thorough cleaning and re-lubricating. Matias' switches have a reputation for possibly developing chatter problems, the cause of which has never been definitively pinned down. Their early switches were made by Forward, and I think these are the ones that gave them their poor reputation. I have 7 or 8 Matias boards now and I have yet to have a problem with any of the ones with Gaote-made switches. All food for thought.
All other vintage clicky switches that I'm aware of are totally out of production. If you want to try NEC blue ovals, you'll have to go to a keyboard meetup, or buy an old beige NEC board that is confirmed to contain them, etc.
Most of these vintage switches will have no compatibility with modern MX caps, boards, etc.
