deskthority

Can I get some opinions on Blue Monterey Alps vs Cherry MX Blues? From my reading, both are tactile and clicky and feels very similar but blue monterey alps are a lot more hyped. Any difference in the overall feel?

pedross wrote: Can I get some opinions on Blue Monterey Alps vs Cherry MX Blues? From my reading, both are tactile and clicky and feels very similar but blue monterey alps are a lot more hyped. Any difference in the overall feel?

NO - Monterey Blue Alps is completely different to the cellar dwelling Cherry MX Blues.

Cherry Blues is almost dead when comparing key feel and usage of any Alps switch mechanism. Of course I love the complicated versions of any Alps switch to anything produced by Cherry Corp today.

If you manage to get both switches in front of you, inside suitable keyboards, then you will clearly see which one is flat and lifeless without any unique key feel to it at all. There's a reason why Monterey Blues have a huge following amongst those that know about keyboards and have enjoyed using them.

Although for myself, I would always choose a Complicated White Alps switch due to it's unique clicky feel, that NO Cherry switch can mimic in a thousand years.

Oh, I see. Between Complicated White Alps and Blue Monterey Alps you prefer white the most? I saw some bad critics about white alps but I don't know if it was the simple white alps or the complicated one. I'm kind of new at this mechanical keyboard "thing" so I don't know much about keyfeelings and difference between cherry and alps.

Montereys aren't really Alps, and sound and feel quite different. They're deliciously smooth and crisp, though, with a light touch. Makes MX blue look like amateur hour.

Yeah Montereys and Cherry MX blue have nothing in common except both give you clicky feedback. If possible you really have to try both and decide for yourself. Montereys are in my personal list of top 10 clicky switches MX blues are not. I'm not going to get into any switch-flaming as others have done here. Neither swtich is rare so you should be able to find both for little cost.

I assume that the white Cherry MX–mount SMK switches sound and feel very similar?

There seemed to be less interest than expected in that project to make a keyboard that takes these switches, which is odd considering that the white switches are still available NOS and they take Cherry keycaps.

Daniel Beardsmore wrote: I assume that the white Cherry MX–mount SMK switches sound and feel very similar?

There seemed to be less interest than expected in that project to make a keyboard that takes these switches, which is odd considering that the white switches are still available NOS and they take Cherry keycaps.

No idea but I'd love to try those:

wiki/SMK_Cherry_MX_mount

If you found some NOS Monterey blues (Alps mount) and white Alps you would find both to be leaps and bounds above Cherry MX blues. Monterey's have a higher pitch click and less of a drop out in force from what I can tell (need to check the force graph to see if I'm right). White Alps have a different feel as the 2 leafs add quite a bit of resistance while the Monterey's have a very tiny and light click leaf and whatever you call the contact leaf on that thing is basically paper thin scrap metal. Monterey's are lubed with some sort of grease, maybe lithium grease to reduce chatter from what I can tell while from what I can tell with the white alps there is no lube (asterisk asterisk there are more posts on this but it seems that later Alps whites like those found in Dell AT101 don't have lube). Now I would put even the Matias clicky switches above Cherry blues if you want to compare apples to apples (modern clicky switches that are sub $0.50). No one can say they don't sound better but the feeling is up to you.

Anyway to break it down from my favorite to least favorite
Monterey Blues Alps Mount
Alps Complicated Whites
Matias Click
Rubber dome thinkpad laptop variety
Cherry MX blues

codemonkeymike wrote: If you found some NOS Monterey blues (Alps mount)...

http://www.elecshopper.com/chickony-kb- ... -nib.html/

I am surprised that Cindy has any of these left.

fohat wrote: I am surprised that Cindy has any of these left.

Considering those are NIB her price is OK. If you don't mind the trackball it's a damn fine keyboard:

keyboards-f2/chicony-e8hkb-5591-t8753.h ... t=monterey