deskthority

Going to bed soon, but I had to post this one teaser photo up so that ya'll knew who just blew a good two months of keyboard budget on a fucking awesome board. Be glad this one did not get stolen away and hidden in b****a's vault! Now I have some virtually new complicated blue Alps in a solid board, with tall white switch plates! More to come soon.

Thank you Nastrovje for selling it to me and for shipping with care! You've got my vote as a 5 star seller.


Review & Typing Tests

Sorry for the delay folks, I just wanted to get some time in with the keyboard and also decided that I would put a little more time into recording videos to get some practice and try a few things. They're still recorded from my potato, but it's a decent Samsung potato as far as potatoes go. And yes, in the future, I will put reviews in the proper 'review' section of the forums, but this wasn't initially going to be a detailed review as much as it was supposed to be a collection of a few photos and a typing test video. I got carried away. On to the review!

Once upon a time, there was a befuddled Canadian who sought to try a revered mechanical keyboard switch, renowned for its supreme key feel, buttery smooth actuation, crisp click and most of all - it's divine sound. He tried for months to get his hands on a keyboard with these famed switches to no avail. He even - rather foolishly - overspent on a rather new NTC board without querying the seller beforehand and ended up with yet another keyboard with excellent, but undesired White Alps. Until one day recently, a fellow posted a board for sale that none had heard of in decades until a gentleman from the forum they call 'Geekhack' inquired about an intriguing keyboard he had found. He cleaned it up, then proceeded to write the tallest of tales in varying sizes of font on an Ebay listing, proclaiming this as quite possibly the RAREST BOARD OF THEM ALL! Well, whether his inspiring words were the reason or not, the board was promptly snatched up and sent on its way across the Atlantic to Austria, where it was destined to make another short stop in the hands of our fine DT community member with the moniker Nastrovje. Rightfully so, he could not bring himself to part this rare board of its switches and, after having found another set of blue Alps but a few weeks later, the decision was made - the K2AX would be saved from the soldering iron! The Canadian now had his chance, he would stop at nothing - not even poor credit - to have this board and finally count blue Alps among his collection. And so the K2AX made its way back across the Atlantic to its new home in Toronto, in the kingdom of Ontario, Canada. The board had travelled thousands of miles and arrived unscathed.

Well then, now that you've indulged me for a bit and know the exciting tale of how this board made it to my mundane suburban residence in Canada, let me get into my thoughts on the board, broken down into Build Quality, Aesthetics & Ergonomics, Switches and finally, Typing Feel & Sound. I will also post a video towards the end that shows a brief comparison of these switches to my aforementioned 'expensive' NTC board with NOS pine white Alps.

Build Quality

This is a board that was build in the era of AT boards and so it is almost expected that it should have mostly metal construction, or at least a metal back plate. The board does not disappoint in that regard - The top half of the case is a typical beige plastic and is reasonably sturdy, while the bottom of the case is a steel panel with a water droplet paint effect done in black. The key caps are thin, double-shot ABS and appear similar to Tai-hao key caps, which were very common in this style. They certainly aren't Alps double-shots as they don't have their trademark circular nubs underneath. This is quite a common design choice and I wouldn't be surprised if all of these AT Alps switch boards were all built by the same OEM in Taiwan in the 80's, as they all look very similar (The Focus FK-5XX and 7XX series, Datacomp DFK-7XX series for example). While it is a fairly standard layout as far as AT boards go - basically a copy of the trend-setting IBM Model F AT - I find it is still a well-built board with extra touches, such as reinforced metal screw mounts built into the case, a soft, black coiled cable and strong spring-loaded feet. The knobs for extending and retracting these feet, however, are a known weak point in these boards as they are prone to cracking off or getting caught on things if one isn't careful when moving the board. It is definitely not as solid as the Model F AT and feels about half its weight, it is no slouch either.
The keyboards simplicity continues through into its innards, as is quickly revealed by the almost entirely unmarked PCB, save the 'K2-A-1' identification and what appears to be an inspection date tag, which is a little odd in itself as it seems to indicate that the board was assembled in week 17 of 1989 - quite late for an AT board and especially for blue alps of this sort. It has but a single chip - an Intel from 1988 that I can't identify. The globs of glue under each of the LED mounting holes seems odd as well. There are 4 sturdy screws holding the switch mounting plate and PCB to the front of the case, where the flip out feet and their spring-loaded mechanisms are also found. A grounding wire and an AT/XT switch can also be found on the PCB of this board. One would presume this PCB to be manufactured by Alps given the switches used, however there does not appear to be an Alps logo to be found on this board, nor do I think that 'K2-A-1' fits in as a standard Alps code. I will wait for those more knowledgeable than I in this subject to chime in and help to clarify.

Aesthetics & Ergonomics

As I've mentioned previously - I quite like the look of AT layout keyboards such as this or the Model F AT. They just strike a very nice, horizontal sort of balance that isn't found in most other keyboards in my opinion. That, coupled with the almost symmetrical layout of the keys themselves, makes this into an aesthetically pleased and balanced keyboard. Not too much, not too little. And it's certainly not 'busy' like more modern keyboards with angles, crevices and varying textures everywhere. This one is a simple and sturdy beast which immediately strikes me as charming and functional.
The K2AX has an easy to read and nicely legend-ed (so what, I made it up!) bank of lock lights in the top right. Just underneath that, running almost the entire width of the upper keyboard is an effective ridge which serves it's purpose as a pencil or other instrument holder well. The key caps form a nice angled typing surface and appear to be a Tai-Hao (Cherry?) stepped profile, with the two bottom rows having a steep downwards angle towards the top of the cap, the third and fourth rows with a much shallower angle in the same direction and the fifth row being flat and taller than the fourth row. The key caps themselves have very classic legends, as they should, since these are from 30 years ago! double-shot legends are very bold and quite legible. This particular example is also in stellar condition, with even the most regularly used caps still retaining their pleasantly textured surfaces. One small gripe with the ergonomics of this board are its tiny feet. I mean, come on! They raise the back of the board a whole half an inch, whoop-dee-doo.

Switches

Perhaps the main reason why this keyboard draws attention to itself, even more than the fact that it is thus far the only model of its kind that's been documented, is the particular switch found within it. Mounted in its inner metal plate are 84 'Complicated' SKCM Blue Alps switches. These are said to be a slightly rarer variety as they contain tall white switch plates instead of the more common gray ones. The hues of blue sliders in this particular board are also quite consistent compared to others I've seen, that can vary from almost gray/white to deep blue switch sliders. Though I got lucky with this board, I do need to point out that Alps switches are not the most robust or resilient when it comes to operating in extreme conditions or climates, such as industrial environments and as such need to be kept free of dust and debris, lest the feel of the switches be affected. By the same token, the ease of opening this switch from the top to access its parts for replacement or cleaning earns it points. The original US owner from the land of the geekhack apparently used pliers to get into the switches to clean them, which is unfortunate, as particularly evidenced by the switch top that would be found under the letter 'O' proves, but this is a minor gripe and certainly not a mark against the board's quality.
Blue Alps would technically fit into the category of a moderate/heavy clicky switch based on it's actuation force of approximately 70g, compared to Cherry MX blue, Kailh Blue, which sits at around 50g. I've done some highly specific testing myself with Canadian nickels (which only weigh 4 grams, by the way) and after testing three different switches, they consistently clicked and/or actuated between 16-18 nickels, or 64g to 72g. This puts the switch in the territory of IBM's F capacitive buckling spring but is a little lighter than the Model M's aroughly 70g or Cherry MX Green's 80g.

Typing Feel & Sound

This is the famous question that anyone that hasn't tried blue alps asks - what do they feel like? What is the nearest switch in terms of feel and sound? How can I mod MY switches to sound and feel like these?? The answer to the first question is difficult to put into words. Sure, many simply say they feel amazing and they blow any other switch clear out of the water, but I disagree. There are many switches that have their merits and all have different pros and cons. The real magic behind this switch is how it carries it's weight. It is such a smooth switch that is actually feels almost as light as a Cherry MX blue and as smooth as it's linear brethren - the SKCL Green and Brown. I can actually type at the same speed with this switch as I can with vintage Cherry MX blues, which were previously - along with Topre - my most rapid switches for typing speed. So, they feel similar in tactility to white Alps, but with the click coming towards the mid-point instead of at the top. They also feel slightly lighter than white Alps and glide quite a bit more effortlessly. These switches are known to be lubed by the factory, which surely contributes to their feel, but I believe it's just one factor in the sum of it's parts, which are all of higher quality than Alps' later switches.
Now, that should answer question 2 - the nearest switch in feel and sound is of course, unsurprisingly, it's successor - white Alps. Question 3: To be blunt - No. Sure, there are plenty of people that have switched around different Alps switch components or even played around with other brands of switches, myself included. The truth is that, while some may sound or feel slightly similar, those tend to be switches that share all the same parts as the blue Alps switch to begin with! This is not to say that Alps and other switch modding projects serve no purpose - of course they do! I just feel that blue Alps shouldn't be the only end result sought after with custom switches and projects. All of the custom switches and Alps mods (linear blacks, clicky oranges, clicky yellows, even linear blues!) have their own merits and should all be valued equally by the community and keyboard enthusiasts at large.

Is that going to convince those who haven't tried blue Alps to give up their search and be happy with what they have? Hell no. Based on my experience alone, anyone who loves clicky switches and wants to try them as much as I did won't stop until they've tried the real thing. Do it - I encourage you to. You will never know if the hype is real or not until you try the real thing. It's natural human curiosity. In order to give you a better sense of the sound of these switches and this keyboard, I've recorded a video for you here:

Conclusions

I've already rambled on for quite some time with this review and if you've read this far - congratulations, might as well reward yourself with more reading! It's no secret that this board was extremely expensive, but it's hard to put prices on vintage keyboards, especially ones as rare as this and with sought after switches in their prime condition. If you were to ask me whether or not it was worth it, I would answer with an enthusiastic yes. This board is all I expected and more. It is solid, beautiful and is in one of my favorite layouts - AT. Its switches are sublime and though I hesitate to shout from the rooftops about the wonder that is blue Alps, there is absolutely no denying that this is a fucking fantastic switch. I will be honest - I had a slight pang of regret and disappointment the first night I used this keyboard, but most of that stemmed from being used to my office and previous daily keyboards. After using it for nearly a week, those doubts were washed away thoroughly.

Build Quality: 9
Great build quality, but the case materials could stand to be thicker, as they lend a slightly hollow sound to typing.

Aesthetics/Ergonomics: 9.5
Excellent layout, classic legends and features such as pencil tray. Thin keycaps, though normally a detrimental factor, accentuate clicky Alps switches quite well. Amputated keyboard feet could stand to be more useful - ie: taller.

Switches: 9.5
The choice of Blue Alps was an excellent one. Though it is a sensitive switch, it makes up for it in ease of maintenance and modding options.

Typing Feel/Sound: 10
This is the sound I would dub to absolutely every keyboard in every film, video game or other production, regardless of what model it is. It's that good. Quite literally an 'eargasm'

Reliability: 10
It still works perfectly after roughly 30 years and having crossed the ocean at least twice. I'd call that a 10.


Total Score: 9.5



'But, but Harshmallow' - you say - 'Aren't you forgetting to bow down in praise and admiration for the one switch to rule them all??'

Nah. This one is still the king in my books:

Moar Photos & White Alps Comparison Video

Jealous... those alps AT layout boards always interested me for some reason.

I like the extra H keycap =P

Can't wait for your opinion on it! And more pictures!

Look at that spacebar though!

paecific.jr wrote: Look at that spacebar though!

It looks like an actual 10 units rather than the more common 9.75 units. Long spacebars were very normal in the AT/XT era, though.

I love the long AT space bars - so much freeedom! Also, funny thing I noticed - Both the original US seller AND Nastro have had the tab key on upside down the whole time. I thought it looked odd when I got it. It was righted after I took the above photo, so you can see what I mean.

Harshmallow wrote: Going to bed soon, but I had to post this one teaser photo up so that ya'll knew who just blew a good two months of keyboard budget on a fucking awesome board. Be glad this one did not get stolen away and hidden in b****a's vault! Now I have some virtually new complicated blue Alps in a solid board, with tall white switch plates! More to come soon.

Glad you are enjoying the board! Can't wait for more photos as I couldn't manage to make some.

Harshmallow wrote: 5 star seller

Thank you, that means a lot for me, coming from a 5 star buyer

Harshmallow wrote: Also, funny thing I noticed - Both the original US seller AND Nastro have had the tab key on upside down the whole time.

I somehow never noticed and apparently put it on the wrong way again after removing all the caps

Ahh the cousins to the Focus FK-7x7 and 555 series. The OBSCURE Montereys. Yeah, the K_AX series is really cool. I've never heard about them until recently. I should've went for that darn K9AX. Oh well~

E3E wrote: Ahh the cousins to the Focus FK-7x7 and 555 series. The OBSCURE Montereys. Yeah, the K_AX series is really cool. I've never heard about them until recently. I should've went for that darn K9AX. Oh well~

Yeah, because you have nowhere near enough blue Alps, right? xDDD :p

Hey all! I just updated the OP with my review, more photos and a couple videos. I put quite a bit of work into this one as I'm trying to develop a more consistent and professional looking reviewing method. I'd appreciate you taking the time to check it out, hope you enjoy it!

Harshmallow wrote: Hey all! I just updated the OP with my review, more photos and a couple videos. I put quite a bit of work into this one as I'm trying to develop a more consistent and professional looking reviewing method. I'd appreciate you taking the time to check it out, hope you enjoy it!

Quite a *harsh* post! Congrats on your nice Monterey.

Harshmallow wrote: Intel chip with a mix of numbers and letters - but what to they MEAN?

The only clearly-identifiable code on the chip is "8823", which is the manufacture date. The yellow label is dated 1989-04-15.

AX05M1 is presumably the identifying code for the software inside the chip. C36082AE may be the model of microcontroller — I didn't get anything for that (or 36082/C36082). I don't even know whose logo that is, although it's a very common brand of microcontroller.

Daniel Beardsmore wrote:

Harshmallow wrote: Intel chip with a mix of numbers and letters - but what to they MEAN?

The only clearly-identifiable code on the chip is "8823", which is the manufacture date. The yellow label is dated 1989-04-15.

AX05M1 is presumably the identifying code for the software inside the chip. C36082AE may be the model of microcontroller — I didn't get anything for that (or 36082/C36082). I don't even know whose logo that is, although it's a very common brand of microcontroller.

Thanks Daniel, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the yellow label indicated. I could only make out the 4/15, but the other numbers were 78 and that didn't make sense. Seems like a pretty late blue alps board as far as those go...especially in AT form. I also noticed the K9AX FCC ID was granted 1 month prior in 1986 to this board...they must have intended this one to be a backwards compatible board for older systems right from the start.

It's the Minguo calendar.

OH - I had never heard of it before. Now that makes sense. April 15...just a few weeks shy of being a birthday board.

Great review, my man! Very well written! Thanks for the videos also! The comparison between the white alps and the blue was well done and helpful.

As an added bonus, the board has an amazing sounding spacebar. I personally find it hard to enjoy typing on boards that have an annoying or rattly spacebar >_<. The k2ax definitely has a nice and bassy spacebar!

//gainsborough wrote: Great review, my man! Very well written! Thanks for the videos also! The comparison between the white alps and the blue was well done and helpful.

As an added bonus, the board has an amazing sounding spacebar. I personally find it hard to enjoy typing on boards that have an annoying or rattly spacebar >_<. The k2ax definitely has a nice and bassy spacebar!

Thanks dude! I think I went a little overboard on the details, but I really had a good time yesterday writing it up lol. Yes, I hate uneven/rattly space bars. too. I've been lucky for the most part - pretty much all of the vintage mechs I've gotten have nice sounding space bars...that could just be due to their quality though. Cheap rubber domes are the worst culprits.

This K2AX space bar is surprisingly stable, considering it's a full 10 units long. I almost want to quieten it a bit with a couple rubber pads under the stabs, so that it's more in line with the rest of the switches, but that's just a nit picky thing. I'm also surprised the lone regular blue switch under here performs so well - AT space bars often have a much heavier switch or stabilizers to help out (like the ridiculous model F ones that give you a bionic thumb). The more I type on this thing, the more I fall for it and its switches...I don't know, it's edging close to the F AT, but I still stand by my ranking

Harshmallow wrote:

//gainsborough wrote: ...I don't know, it's edging close to the F AT, but I still stand by my ranking

I'm currently restoring an F AT! I might need to change my ranking soon too - we'll see!

Do the BS style switches not sound so metallic/pingy in real life? I'm sure the Fs feel great, but not sure how used to the sound I could get based off the youtube videos. Only tried buckling springs at a meet so I didn't get a good idea of the sound due to music, but they did feel pretty good. Was really surprised at them being essentially linear, though - for some reason I always assumed they were super tactile.

cumwagondeluxe wrote: Do the BS style switches not sound so metallic/pingy in real life? I'm sure the Fs feel great, but not sure how used to the sound I could get based off the youtube videos. Only tried buckling springs at a meet so I didn't get a good idea of the sound due to music, but they did feel pretty good. Was really surprised at them being essentially linear, though - for some reason I always assumed they were super tactile.

Everyone just has different preferences - but yes, they are just as pingy in real life. I wouldn't call it a ping, so much as I would a very high pitch twang like strumming a very taught guitar string or wire. I still do prefer the Model M's deeper sound a bit more, but the feel of the F just really gets me. It's not super tactile, no, but on top of the tactility, you also get this sort of vibration/reverberation through your fingertips when you activate them - that's the cherry on top for me.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, you can floss mod your springs to lessen/get rid of that metallic ping if you want, but I've come to love the sound.

I just love how they manage to feel so smooth, robust and perfectly weighted - a perfect sum of their parts and with no added 'aids' needed such as lube. I hear you can actually lube them with dry lube like teflon or cerflon, but I wouldn't say it's necessary. So yeah, I think you should try to get one for a longer session to give it a real 'college try' haha.

cumwagondeluxe wrote: Do the BS style switches not sound so metallic/pingy in real life? I'm sure the Fs feel great, but not sure how used to the sound I could get based off the youtube videos.

No. They're much pingier in real life than they are in any youtube video.