Got lucky - Alps SKCM Blues

[Bjerrk]

I came across a pretty nondescript eBay listing of this Elonex branded keyboard:




Elonex is not a brand I recognize, but then I saw the backplate sticker which read K-430. This sounded awfully similar to Copam K-430, even though the Copam name was nowhere to be found.



I thought I might as well make an offer - just a low amount, since I wasn't too sure what I was getting. Seems I got lucky - Alps SKCM Blue:



And although the keyboard is superficially quite dirty, it doesn't seem to have been used while dirty. The switches feel great!

A few weeks ago, I took a similar chance on a board with neon greens, which turned out to feel horrible. You win some, you lose some!

[ntv242ver2]

Elenox with actually decent switches??? Wow nice find dude

[4_404]

Definitely a Copam K-430. I have one with the more common iDS branding, and it does have the Copam label.

[Bjerrk]

Definitely a Copam K-430. I have one with the more common iDS branding, and it does have the Copam label.

Nice! How do you like the keyboard? The layout is of course pretty XT-ish

[4_404]

Nice! How do you like the keyboard? The layout is of course pretty XT-ish

I love the board, it's one of my favorite. I got it in as new condition with no dirt, yellowing or shine on the keycaps, and it is fantastic to type on. The layout is essentially AT with dedicated arrow keys which makes it a little unique, and while the arrow keys in a line are not that useful, I am fairly flexible with layouts, and generally enjoy AT. Doesn't sound quite as good as my other SKCM blue board with Alps made caps (Ortek MCK-860), but I think these caps look better. In fact the whole board just looks great in my opinion, and is built very solidly as well. The cable is the thickest I've seen, and the metal connector is a nice touch. Very strongly recommended if you can find one.