Disclaimer and TLDR
These reviews reflect the opinion of Alectardy98, and by no way reflect fact. I have taken into consideration condition, and only review good condition switches. Please understand that opinions vary, and that if your favorite switch is reviewed badly then by no means do you have to stop using it. At the end of the day we all like different things and I hope this section helps people understand how switches feel, and relate to one another.
If you don't want to browse all of the reviews, see a quick tier list to your left. Try it for yourself if you wish.
Alps SKCC Green
TLDR
Class: Linear Actuation Force: 60gf Smoothness: 9/10 Price: $$ Worth The Hype: Yes
SKCC Green is an early Alps Electric Pre Din Switches that is different from many of the latter more commonly known Alps switches. These switches should not be confused with the latter SKCL Green alps and can be differentiated based on the shape of the slider. SKCC Green alps have a sideways T-shaped slider, in contrast to the latter SKCL greens which have a rectangle shape slider. SKCC green alps can be found in a variety of keyboards, and are most well known for being in the IBM Pingmaster 4707 display terminal and the oldest versions of the Sharp X1. One note is that SKCC green switches are famous for there loud metallic ping. It is this ping that gives the IBM Pingmaster its name. The Ping that these switches make can be largely mitigated by lubing the spings if someone chooses to do so, though I personally think it is charming.
Pros -
SKCC Green is one of my personal all-time favorite linear switches, as it is very smooth and seems to have a longer key travel than most switches. This may be in part due to the fact that these switches are quite tall. Before the din standard of the 1980’s, key switches tended to be quite tall. This is definitely the case for SKCC green. Though there is a long slider, I find it quite tricky to bind key presses, though this might also be due to the fact that my sample keyboard is NOS. The weighting of SKCC Green might be where people differ in opinions. The switches are really quite light, and people with heavy hands might find themselves accidentally pressing keys. Personally, I find the weighting to be great and not “too light” to type on.
Cons -
The biggest issue about SKCC green is the fact that it uses a unique mount that most other keycaps do not fit. If you come across an SKCC green keyboard missing caps I would avoid it, as finding a replacement will prove challenging. Also, just like any alps keyboard, It is important to find one clean and tested. Alps keyboards, SKCC included, tend to be very picky about how they have been treated. It is common to find SKCC keyboards that need a full restoration, which is pretty difficult. Unlike SKCL/SKCM alps switches, SKCC switches are clipped into the keyboard mounting plate. This means that the whole keyboard must be desoldered in order to replace just one switch. Furthermore, taking SKCC Green switches apart is more difficult than taking SKCL/SKCM switches apart. I have personally broken a few switch plastic housings due to the brittle old state of the plastic. Remember, even more than normal, to do your research and nab a good SKCC green keyboard.
Conclusion -
Overall, I love SKCC Green, and I am very happy to have an SKCC green keyboard in my collection. That being said, I would only recommend an SKCC green keyboard to a more experience vintage keyboard hobbyist. SKCC green keyboards will be difficult to maintain if something were to ever break. Also, note that most SKCC green keyboards can be a bit challenging to convert to work with a modern PC. That being said, if you are ready to take on a bit of a challenge, and you like the idea of a smooth, light, long throw switch, then SKCC green might be one to look out for
Alps SKCC Tall Cream
TLDR
Class: Linear Actuation Force: 70gf Smoothness: 9/10 Price: $ Worth The Hype: Yes
SKCC SKCC tall cream is an early Alps Electric Pre Din Switches that is different from many of the latter more commonly known Alps switches. These switches should not be confused with the latter SKCL or SKCM Cream alps and can be differentiated based on the shape of the slider. SKCC tall cream alps have a sideways T-shaped slider, in contrast to the latter SKCL or SKCM cream which has a rectangle shape slider. SKCC tall cream alps can be found in both the Apple M0110 and Apple M0110a. Though SKCC green switches are famously quite pingy, so too are SKCC tall Cream. Though this might not always be the case, I found that the ping was even louder with SKCC tall cream. For those who don't find the spring ping charming, lubing the springs largely removes the ping sound.
Pros -
SKCC tall cream is a nice linear switch. They are quite smooth and seams to have a longer key travel than most common switches. This may be in part due to the fact that these switches are quite tall. Before the din standard of the 1980’s, key switches tended to be quite tall. In the case of SKCC tall cream, as the name suggests, are tall even for SKCC standards. I expect this is the reason why I find that SKCC Tall cream is slightly more bindy when pressing keycaps off-center than other SKCC switches. As for the weighting of SKCC tall cream, don't be fooled by 70gf statistics. I personally find these switches quite heavy. I wouldn't say they are “too heavy” to type on but I am not sure if I would use these switches all week. People who prefer lighter switches might not be too happy with SKCC tall cream.
SKCC tall cream uses a unique keycap mount that most other keycaps do not fit. Thankfully, there are not many variations of keyboards that use SKCC tall cream, and finding replacement keycaps is generally pretty easy. It is important to note that not all Apple M0110 and M0110A come with SKCC tall cream, and some come with Mitsumi or SMK switches, so not all keycaps you find will be instantly compatible. Within SKCC Tall cream keycaps, there are two color options. The first is the darker “original set” found on all M0110 that have SKCC Tall cream. The M0110a can have the “original set” as well as the “platinum set” with lighter legends. So when getting replacement caps, be mindful of what caps you will need.
Cons -
Like any alps keyboard, It is important to find one clean and tested. Alps keyboards, SKCC included, tend to be very picky about how they have been treated. It is common to find SKCC keyboards that need a full restoration, which is pretty difficult. Unlike SKCL/SKCM alps switches, SKCC switches are clipped into the keyboard mounting plate. This means that the whole keyboard must be desoldered in order to replace just one switch. Furthermore, taking SKCC tall cream switches apart is more difficult than taking SKCL/SKCM switches apart. I have personally broken a few switch plastic housings due to the brittle old state of the plastic. Also, SKCC Tall cream keyboards generally have a locking switch that will remain pressed down until pressed a second time. These switches can be taken apart and put back together safely, but they are a bit challenging to put back together properly. I would recommend leaving SKCC tall cream lock switches alone unless you are confident in your ability to put them back together. For these reasons, even more than normal, do your research and nab a good SKCC tall cream keyboard.
Conclusion -
Overall, I quite like SKCC tall cream. Keyboards with them tend to be pretty easy to get, making the cost of getting one not too bad. That being said, I would only recommend an SKCC tall cream keyboard to a more experience vintage keyboard hobbyist. SKCC tall cream keyboards will be difficult to maintain if something were to ever break. Though there are converters out there for both the apple M0110 and M0110a, both suffer from a poorly implemented electrical matrix with a hard two-key rollover, meaning that fast typists may find that key presses are being missed. If you are someone who wants to dip your toe in pre-din keyboards, and you don't mind a bit of a challenge, then the smooth, heavy, long throw SKCC might be the best place to start.