Dell AT101w - I love Alps

User avatar
ShivaYash

30 Mar 2018, 19:23

I snapped up a brand new in box AT101w - its my first time trying Alps... I think I'm in love. They black Alps are just superb, and being new, in clean condition, very smooth. They layout is classic ANSI, with the Win98 keys.

I guess all this means I'll be buying more boards to try out all the different offerings. The nomenclature is rather confusing, but as someone who likes heavy clicky switches, what would be my next step?

Thanks to @balotz for a nice and smooth transaction.

And I've got a dust cover on the go to keep this board CLEAN and smooth.

Happy Easter and greetings from Berlin.

User avatar
Chyros

30 Mar 2018, 19:59

Welcome to the Alps brotherhood! ;)

If you want clicky, your next port of call should probably be white. Get a pine one (with slits in the switch tops), make sure whatever you get it's super duper clean, preferably NOS. As you already own a NOS board now, you'll probably know how much of a difference this can make with Alps ;) .

User avatar
ShivaYash

30 Mar 2018, 20:47

Chyros wrote: Welcome to the Alps brotherhood! ;)

If you want clicky, your next port of call should probably be white. Get a pine one (with slits in the switch tops), make sure whatever you get it's super duper clean, preferably NOS. As you already own a NOS board now, you'll probably know how much of a difference this can make with Alps ;) .
Thanks Chyros, I've been enjoying your videos and this is what got me started. Whilst I do like other switches, I think like many on here, we all appreciate swapping things around. For a while I was hooked on the IBM BS, then came Topre, then back to IBM BS, I've even gone back to Cherry, and really like their Greens. Alps is my new favorite... and I like the prices, some switches seem to be almost valueless.

If you could recommend brands that use whites, that would be most helpful, so I can get some saved eBay searches rolling.

User avatar
THATGUY69

31 Mar 2018, 00:11

ShivaYash wrote:
Chyros wrote: Welcome to the Alps brotherhood! ;)

If you could recommend brands that use whites, that would be most helpful, so I can get some saved eBay searches rolling.
I personally really like the Northgate Omnikey with white alps. Its a fantastic board, very solid. One of the white alps boards I would stay away from that I personally disliked was an NTC board. The board is cheaply built and doesn't even have a metal back plate, it is just a pcb floating around in a case.

User avatar
ShivaYash

01 Apr 2018, 10:22

THATGUY69 wrote:
ShivaYash wrote:
Chyros wrote: Welcome to the Alps brotherhood! ;)

If you could recommend brands that use whites, that would be most helpful, so I can get some saved eBay searches rolling.
I personally really like the Northgate Omnikey with white alps. Its a fantastic board, very solid. One of the white alps boards I would stay away from that I personally disliked was an NTC board. The board is cheaply built and doesn't even have a metal back plate, it is just a pcb floating around in a case.
Wow Northgate KBs are $$$$$!
Anything else I should look for?

User avatar
fohat
Elder Messenger

01 Apr 2018, 16:41

ShivaYash wrote:
Wow Northgate KBs are $$$$$!
Anything else I should look for?
Nothing else compares to the Northgate. Put it on your ebay watch list and be patient. You may get lucky.

User avatar
ShivaYash

01 Apr 2018, 17:10

fohat wrote:
ShivaYash wrote:
Wow Northgate KBs are $$$$$!
Anything else I should look for?
Nothing else compares to the Northgate. Put it on your ebay watch list and be patient. You may get lucky.
Fair point. Found one [WHITE UP POINTING INDEX]️
It’s $570! Ouch.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

User avatar
fohat
Elder Messenger

01 Apr 2018, 19:33


User avatar
Myoth

01 Apr 2018, 19:41

get your extra special sinkable keyboard right now for only 130usd !

t_southwell

01 Apr 2018, 20:27

I also got my first alps board recently - an at102w with black alps. I loved the switches at first but yesterday I linearised them and lubed them following this guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsJq434UYTA and I love them so much more, they're so much smoother than my mx blacks and any other linear I own / have tried. Would definitely recommend if you are a fan of linears

User avatar
mike52787
Alps Aficionado

02 Apr 2018, 04:54

If yall think so highly of black alps... just wait til you get your hands on some actually good alps switches. You will be blown away.

User avatar
Elrick

02 Apr 2018, 05:17

mike52787 wrote: If yall think so highly of black alps...
Pine Blacks are really the cream cheese of these coloured beauties. Tasty and extremely nice to use on your finger-tips.
mike52787 wrote: just wait til you get your hands on some actually good alps switches. You will be blown away.
Yes we know - the Blues, Salmon's, Amber, Brown's and my faves the old complicated Whites.

Smorgasbord of Colours to enjoy ;) .

User avatar
mike52787
Alps Aficionado

02 Apr 2018, 05:24

Elrick wrote:
mike52787 wrote: If yall think so highly of black alps...
Pine Blacks are really the cream cheese of these coloured beauties. Tasty and extremely nice to use on your finger-tips.
mike52787 wrote: just wait til you get your hands on some actually good alps switches. You will be blown away.
Yes we know - the Blues, Salmon's, Amber, Brown's and my faves the old complicated Whites.

Smorgasbord of Colours to enjoy ;) .
Salmon is just as bad as blacks to be honest

The best tactile in my humble opinion is SKCM cream. If you havent tried these, you are doing yourself a disservice. And no... I dont mean dampened cream. Orange is a close second but I don't like the weighting as much.

User avatar
//gainsborough
ALPSの日常

02 Apr 2018, 06:46

mike52787 wrote:
Elrick wrote: The best tactile in my humble opinion is SKCM cream. If you havent tried these, you are doing yourself a disservice. And no... I dont mean dampened cream. Orange is a close second but I don't like the weighting as much.
100% agree with this opinion.

User avatar
ShivaYash

02 Apr 2018, 08:26

Seems to be a chunk missing! Quite a big chunk. Around $400s worth ;-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

User avatar
ShivaYash

02 Apr 2018, 08:27

t_southwell wrote:I also got my first alps board recently - an at102w with black alps. I loved the switches at first but yesterday I linearised them and lubed them following this guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsJq434UYTA and I love them so much more, they're so much smoother than my mx blacks and any other linear I own / have tried. Would definitely recommend if you are a fan of linears
Thanks. Was your board NOS?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

t_southwell

02 Apr 2018, 09:13

ShivaYash wrote:
t_southwell wrote:I also got my first alps board recently - an at102w with black alps. I loved the switches at first but yesterday I linearised them and lubed them following this guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsJq434UYTA and I love them so much more, they're so much smoother than my mx blacks and any other linear I own / have tried. Would definitely recommend if you are a fan of linears
Thanks. Was your board NOS?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nope but it was in greater condition, just a little yellowing on the keycaps

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

Post Reply

Return to “Keyboards”