Recommendations for a Tactile Keyboard?

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DrDerp

11 Jul 2021, 08:05

TL;DR: Tried a Dell Keyboard that I liked! It had some kinda Alps switches in it IIRC! Any advice or recommendations on finding a keyboard with similar switches?
Hey hey! Recently I got the chance to try my boss’s keyboard, an older Dell Keyboard which had the nicest tactile switches I’ve ever felt! It’s had me thinking that I should try something new that’s not a Cherry MX style keyboard, but I’ve got no idea what switches or specific keyboard models to look out for, anyone have any advice on what to look for and what I should expect to pay? Thanks a ton!

User avatar
TNT

11 Jul 2021, 09:13

First of all, welcome :)

That was probably a Dell AT101 with either black or salmon Alps. You should try to look for more of those or orange, brown and cream Alps.

A good board to start with could be an Apple Extended Keyboard or an AEK II. You can check the wiki for further information on Alps switches and boards in which you can find them.

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Bjerrk

11 Jul 2021, 10:02

This is a difficult one. "Vintage" switches are perhaps superior in the clicky department, but it's not so clear cut when it comes to tactiles (in my humble opinion and all that).

The tactiles I currently enjoy the most are:

* Kailh Polia (MX style, rounded tactility)
* Matias tactiles (Alps style, quite sharp tactility)
* SMK 2nd gen tactile
* BTC dome with slider
* Olivetti rubber domes
* Kailh box tactiles, i.e. box brown (a somewhat different tactility, having the bump almost at the top of the keystroke)

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DrDerp

11 Jul 2021, 18:08

TNT wrote:
11 Jul 2021, 09:13
First of all, welcome :)

That was probably a Dell AT101 with either black or salmon Alps. You should try to look for more of those or orange, brown and cream Alps.

A good board to start with could be an Apple Extended Keyboard or an AEK II. You can check the wiki for further information on Alps switches and boards in which you can find them.
Any reason to not go with the AT101 either? Both of these boards seem pretty dang nice regardless but my brain sees that the 101 comes in black sometimes which would match my setup perfectly. Thanks a ton! Edit: one more question, any advice for getting an AEK running on my PC? Looking it up it sounds like it uses a proprietary connector.

User avatar
TNT

11 Jul 2021, 21:05

Yeah, you'd need an active adapter for those. I recommended the AEK because of personal bias :D

Firstly I really like the aesthetics of it and secondly most people (me included) think the older versions of tactile Alps are superior to the later ones. If you really liked the black Alps in the board of your boss and a black Dell Bigfoot fit your setup by pure looks then there's no reason to not go with one of those ;)
Last edited by TNT on 12 Jul 2021, 00:06, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
DrDerp

11 Jul 2021, 23:20

TNT wrote:
11 Jul 2021, 21:05
Yeah, you'd need an active adapter for those. I recommended the AEK because of personal bias :D

Firstly I really like the aesthetics of it and secondly most people (me included) think the older versions of tactile Alps are superior to the later ones. If you really liked the black Alps in the board of your boss and a black Dell Bigfoot would fit your setup by pure looks then there's no reason to not go with one of those ;)
I’ve been doing my research on both now, I’m definitely swinging towards that AEK II lol. Any tips for cleaning the switches if they come dirty?

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TNT

12 Jul 2021, 00:03

You can pretty much stick to Chyros' cleaning guide videos on YouTube. You can check them out here. If they don't feel and look too bad, try a softclean. If that doesn't help, you need to put some time and effort into it, unfortunately. Except for the lube, there has been extensive research in the meantime and NEK found a very good, true to original greasing solution (see this thread for more information).

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DrDerp

12 Jul 2021, 00:10

TNT wrote:
12 Jul 2021, 00:03
You can pretty much stick to Chyros' cleaning guide videos on YouTube. You can check them out here. If they don't feel and look too bad, try a softclean. If that doesn't help, you need to put some time and effort into it, unfortunately. Except for the lube, there has been extensive research in the meantime and NEK found a very good, true to original greasing solution (see this thread for more information).
Sounds good sounds good! Final questions, at least for now.
Anywhere you'd recommend to look for one? Just eBay or perhaps requesting on here?

User avatar
TNT

12 Jul 2021, 00:20

Don't know much about the price of those boards in the US. The Dells are more common there, compared to the EU, afaik. But speaking from my experience, all "vintage" boards tend to be overpriced on eBay, so asking in [WTB] here is probably not a bad idea.

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DrDerp

12 Jul 2021, 20:20

One final final question, what’s the usual method of payment on here?

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wobbled

12 Jul 2021, 20:54

DrDerp wrote:
12 Jul 2021, 20:20
One final final question, what’s the usual method of payment on here?
You mean buying from another DT member? If so we tend to use Paypal quotes. However I've sent as family / friend via paypal to the older members who are proven trustworthy.

User avatar
DrDerp

13 Jul 2021, 03:26

Nice! That should be pretty easy then! Now I’ve just got to make up my mind on what switches and keyboard I want lol, I’ve been going back and forth between a whole bunch of different things. If there was a smaller AEK I’d get it in a heartbeat! Looked into Matias switches, then Orange Switches, then Topre. I think I definitely want the Orange or Creams now lol.

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DrDerp

13 Jul 2021, 13:18

OK OK I think I’ve determined what I’m going to buy and do; get a TKL layout (I love the NumPad but I rarely use it) ALPS keyboard like the KBP with the Matias Switches. Then, get the amount of Dampened Cream switches I need, swap out the Matias Switches whenever they start to Chatter for the Cream Switches.
I’m doing this since there’s not anything I can find that’s ready to go and suits my needs, so I’m gonna have to put more effort in lol. I simply want nice switches in a more compact layout. Perhaps I’ll even make a steel plate at some point, I love the sound that they can produce.

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Karmel

13 Jul 2021, 14:13

DrDerp wrote:
13 Jul 2021, 13:18
OK OK I think I’ve determined what I’m going to buy and do; get a TKL layout (I love the NumPad but I rarely use it) ALPS keyboard like the KBP with the Matias Switches. Then, get the amount of Dampened Cream switches I need, swap out the Matias Switches whenever they start to Chatter for the Cream Switches.
I would suggest you go with salmon instead of dampened cream, although they're gonna be more expensive to get a hold of.

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Bjerrk

13 Jul 2021, 14:36

Karmel wrote:
13 Jul 2021, 14:13
I would suggest you go with salmon instead of dampened cream
Wait, what restaurant is this?

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DrDerp

13 Jul 2021, 20:06

Karmel wrote:
13 Jul 2021, 14:13
DrDerp wrote:
13 Jul 2021, 13:18
OK OK I think I’ve determined what I’m going to buy and do; get a TKL layout (I love the NumPad but I rarely use it) ALPS keyboard like the KBP with the Matias Switches. Then, get the amount of Dampened Cream switches I need, swap out the Matias Switches whenever they start to Chatter for the Cream Switches.
I would suggest you go with salmon instead of dampened cream, although they're gonna be more expensive to get a hold of.
I’ve heard they have a significantly better feel, but are significantly louder. Price really isn’t that much of an issue for me, I’m just worried it’s gonna be too loud on calls.

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Karmel

13 Jul 2021, 20:39

DrDerp wrote:
13 Jul 2021, 20:06
I’ve heard they have a significantly better feel, but are significantly louder. Price really isn’t that much of an issue for me, I’m just worried it’s gonna be too loud on calls.
I wouldn't say that they're that loud, but if they are then there are ways of dampening the sound without having to use dampened switches, like adding foam to the case, around the switches or just wherever you see fit. You could also swap switch parts around for your ideal switches but that might be a bit much, although you can do whatever you want.

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