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Alps. The forbidden fruit. Well, not exactly Alps. It’s rare to find new switches made by Alps. However, you can find switches that have an Alps-style mounting point and Alps-style switch design. Those are in the Matias line of key switches. This is virtually the only place you can get them new, making Alps switches rare. That hurts customizability, but ask anyone who’s a fan of Alps-style switches, and they’ll tell you it’s worth the difficulty.

Matias took the original Alps designs and, over time, made them their own. Alps switches are a favorite among those who appreciate old mechanical keyboards, especially those made by Apple in the late 80’s and 90’s. They’re durable, tactile, sound amazing, and are often just plain old better than their Cherry MX counterparts, including the many switches that were designed off of Cherry’s designs.

So, I bought a keyboard for the switches. Specifically, I got a KBParadise V60 Vintage. This is a vintage-style 60% keyboard, with fantastic, classically-styled keycaps, dip switch customization, a ton of switch options (including Cherry and Matias), and a very basic, plain design. It’s been a fun keyboard to test, and I’d love to share it with you.

UPDATES below: Key switches were not reliable. You may be able to clean them, but will likely have to solder in new switches.

Matias

First, we’ve got to discuss these switches. Now, if you consider the fact that there are so many switch manufacturers now, many making clones, modified designs, or small evolutions of each other, then maybe Matias switches aren’t that rare. After all, they have an exciting line of keyboards made specifically for the Mac, and are one of the few keyboard manufacturers that don’t treat Mac users like second-class citizens. They intentionally designed their keyboards to be fitting replacements for the infamous and beloved Apple Extended Keyboard II, a wonderful keyboard with a “full” layout and incredible tactile Alps switches. You can actually take the keys off of one of those old boards and transplant them on a new Alps mount keyboard like the KBParadise V60 or any of Matias’ offerings.

Matias has almost single-handedly kept the Alps mount alive. Their keyboards, all incredibly well praised, carry Matias’s custom switches with Alps mounts. That means, in stead of the little ‘+’ post you see on most mechanical keyboards, there’s instead a hollow rectangle under these keycaps.

Matias’ Switches

Matias switches come in three flavors. First, there’s the “Matias Click” switches. These are tactile and clicky switches. Comparing them to Cherry MX Blue wouldn’t be fair. They’re far more tactile than Cherry MX Blue switches, and have a deeper “thunk” sound. They sound and feel better to type on, and are far more tactile than what most mechanical keyboard users are used to.

Next are the “Quiet Click” switches. These are actually tactile switches. Again, comparing them to Cherry MX Browns would be an extreme disservice. They’re far more tactile switches than Cherry MX Browns. I’ll get into these in more detail below, as these are the switches I went with on my KBParadise V60.

You can listen to sound recordings and comparisons to Cherry MX switches here.

Finally, there’s their linear switches. These are smooth, stable, and linear. They’re actually made for Stenography, and are incredibly fast and responsive. Matias doesn’t sell keyboards with these switches, however, you can buy them yourself and make a keyboard, or find a third party manufacturer who has included them in their lineup. KBParadise does this for the V60. They’re linear, fast, and quieter than even the quiet click switches.

Matias Quiet Click Switches Review

Tactility

I went to see Avengers: Endgame on release night. The only theater we could get tickets at bans skateboards. So, I left my skateboard at the office and grabbed it on my way home.

While I was in the office around 12am, I noticed my coworker’s Matias keyboard. I had heard incredible things about Matias’ keyboards, so I typed on it a bit.

That weekend, I ordered the KBParadise V60 to get those switches.

They’re incredible. There’s a relatively early tactile bump that’s not as large as what you’d find in a Halo Clear or Zealios V2 switch. It’s more of a “click” kind of tactility. It’s sharp and defined. There’s also a secondary bump right before bottoming out, which can help keep you from bottoming out. This will make you a faster typer and also reduce your chances of developing RSI. The first bump is far more tactile than anything from Cherry, including their MX Clears. The second bump is only slightly less tactile than the primary bump on Cherry MX Browns. That’s just how tactile these are.

While they don’t feature the extreme, over the top tactility of a switch that has a click bar like Kailh Box Whites or Box Jades, or the large, rounded bump of Zealios V2s or Halo Clears, it is a very firm, tactile, and fun little bump early on in the key press. Some people will prefer this distinct tactility that’s not over the top.

These are some of my favorite tactile switches. They’re on a league of their own. Different from my other switches, but just as good.

Weight

Both the tactile and clicky Matias switches have a peak force of 60±5 gf. That places they around the middle of the road when it comes to weighting. Topre rubber domes for the HHKB Pro 2 come in around 45gf. I have switches that go up to 100gf, and regularly use (and love) 78gf switches, so Topre are a bit too light for me. The Quiet Clicks are as well, but it’s just barely in the sweet spot, so I don’t mind it.

The weighting is comfortable. It’s a little light if you’re used to something heavier, but still quite nice for anyone. It’s not as light as a Cherry MX Red, but feels more like the pressure required to depress a Cherry MX Blue, if you’re familiar with either.

The peak pressure is at the point of tactility, which is often the case. But it’s such a sharp drop off afterwards, showing just how firm that tactile click is. Also, note that on this curve you can find the second tactile bump, a drop of about 10 grams of force. That’s only slightly less than the ~15gf in the primary bump for Cherry MX Brown switches. These are definitely very “active” switches.

Smoothness

When I first started testing these keyswitches, I wrote down that I thought they were lubed. Turns out, they are. Matias lubes them from the factory. They’re designed to have a very smooth sliding mechanism. Unlike scratchy Cherry MX switches, Matias switches are designed to only resist your touch with a spring and a tactile bump.

The smoothness and tactility is the closest to Topre I’ve gotten in a keyboard. They’re like Topre’s switches from the HHKB Pro 2, but a bit heavier, a better tactility, a better sound, and less chances of bottoming out. Basically, anyone thinking of getting an expensive HHKB Pro 2 with Topre switches would be better off getting something like this. Plus, the KBParadise V60 is less than half the price of a HHKB Pro 2. If you like Topre, you’ll love these, especially if you think Topre’s rubber domes don’t provide enough pressure on the key press.

There’s no discernible friction or scratchiness on your key press. There’s just the pressure under your fingers, that tactile click, and the steady pressure of the spring. Sublime.

Sound

I just love switches like these. It reminds me of the sound of Topre switches. It doesn’t sound much like them, but it has that kind of subdued sound. It’s comforting to listen to it. Check out the video review below to see what I mean. It’s quite quiet, though a little louder than Topre. It has a sort of bassiness to it that I really like. The sound is relaxing to listen to. It certainly won’t disrupt your coworkers, making the perfect keyboard for a quiet office of if your partner is sleeping.

Mush

Now into some of the negative aspects of these switches. There is a slight feeling of “mushiness” to these. It’s not as bad as what you’d experience with a rubber dome or Topre keyboard. I think it’s because the springs offer a surprising amount of force and the double tactile bumps. You won’t bottom out as much, but you might not like the fact that, after the initial tactile bump, the switch feels cushioned a little. I don’t mind it, and it keeps me from bottoming out, but it’s not my optimal switch feel.

Customization

You will not be customizing a keyboard with these switches very much. First, there are few keycap options for Alps-style mount switches. These Alps switches feature a rectangular post, and are incompatible with Cherry MX style ‘+’ stems. Nearly all keycaps on the market come with the Cherry-style stems.

You may be able to find adapters that you can 3D print, or buy from someone who printed them, but they’re rare, expensive, or a lot of work. Your results will vary with them as well.

You can, however, get keycaps from Matias, as well as old Apple keyboards. I’d love to get my hands on the keycaps from Apple’s Apple Extended Keyboard. However, note that these won’t perfectly fit your board, as some of the keycaps sizes will be different. Furthermore, you’ll have to clean the keycaps, as it’s likely they’ll have gotten dirty or faded over time.

Some third party manufacturers such as Taihao make some decent ABS Doubleshot Dolch style Alps keycaps. They look nice, and I may buy some for this keyboard. The retro style of the stock keycaps is nice, but, as I’ll discuss later, these aren’t the best keycaps around.

One thing I noticed while moving the keys around to reflect the customizations I made is that the keycaps stick on the switches quite firmly. I often felt as though I was going to break them. However, I didn’t break a single one, which is more than I can say of Cherry MX Clear switches.

In short, you will be able to customize your keycaps, if you’re really willing to work for it. You also won’t be able to use these switches on PCB boards made for Cherry-style switches, as the pins on the switch housings are slightly different. If you get an Alps keyboard, you better like it.

KBParadise V60 Vintage with Alps-Inspired Matias Switches

Now we’re going to get more into the categories that are specific to this keyboard. However, when discussing customization, the Alps-mount switch criticisms will come into play for any Alps-mount keyboard.

Layout

After the switches, I knew this would be the biggest thing I’d have to talk about. This is a 60% keyboard. If you know my reviews, you know I don’t like anything below a 65% board. I need my arrow keys. I’m a software engineer as well as a writer, and I use them frequently. In fact, if you’ll remember my HHKB Pro 2 review, I hated this about the keyboard more than the rubber domes.

Why I Went 60%

So why did I buy a 60% board instead of going for a tenkeyless design or Matias’ compact 75% board? Matias didn’t offer the quiet click design in the small form factor for Mac. They only had this for PC. I knew their boards aren’t extremely customizable, so I didn’t go for the PC version. Furthermore, the KBParadise V60 was less expensive than their 85% “tenkeyless” design. It’s also more compact, which is always important to me.

I bought this board for another reason though, and that was its take on the arrow keys.

Arrow Keys

60% boards don’t have arrow keys. They hide the arrows under a layer, so you have to press the fn key along with other keys. On the HHKB, this is in an absurd location, the {:”? keys. If you look at your keyboard, you’ll notice that this isn’t the traditional ‘┴’ shape. It’s more of a ‘+’ shape, which is awkward to use. On the KBParadise V60, however, you can use the wasd keys OR the PL:” keys. This gives you two locations with arrow keys. In fact, you can set this board up with two function keys, so you can and will use both.

Do I like this design? Not as much as having dedicated arrow keys. However, within a week of using this keyboard every day, for a lot of writing and coding, I found I got used to the layout. I really can survive without arrow keys on this board.

Furthermore, there’s a third option! You can set the lower modifier keys, your shift key, command key, menu key, and control keys on the lower right side to function as arrow keys. If you believe you’re going to be navigating a lot of text, this is perfect for you. Just toggle it with fn + enter, and you’ll enable arrow modifiers. By far, this is the best middle ground for people getting used to a 60% board. You eventually won’t need it, but it’s nice to have. This does cause a problem if you use right shift for anything, but I only do for the ‘?’ symbol. Since I forced myself to use the standard fn + other keys arrow setup, I didn’t use this mode for anything outside of games. That being said, this arrow setup is vital for games, and I can’t imagine playing games with a 60% keyboard that doesn’t have this amazing option.

~

The ~ key is important for programmers. On Unix systems or Unix-like systems, like macOS and Linux, you can access your home directly quickly in Terminal with ~/. It’s a shortcut you’ll use often. Usually, the `~ key is put under a function layer, and then under the escape key. This means you have to press fn + shift, + escape to do the ~ key, a key you’ll use often.

However, KBParadise thought of this. You can access the ~ key with fn + shift + escape, or you can just press fn + j. As I’ll point out below, you can set other keys to be the fn key, including setting multiple fn keys. This makes the ~ key extremely easy to type. In fact, it’s such a nice feature, I’m adding it to all of my other keyboards. I’ll get into customization of this board a bit below, but I’m going to modify my Tada68 layout as well as my Drop ALT layout to use fn + j for the ~ key, as well as add the functionality of a second fn key and multiple layers.

Home, End, Pages, Volume, Playback, etc

I will say, the placement of the Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, print screen, scroll lock, and pause keys is a bit strange. Keep in mind these are all accessed with the fn key. Home is T, End is G, Page up is Y, page down is H, and the other less used function keys are UIO. You could accidentally hit these while going for the arrow keys. macOS doesn’t use print screen, so I have it set up as a macro, but Scroll Lock and Pause are in control of screen brightness. It’s not optimal, but once you memorize the locations, the home, end, page up, and page down keys are in good, easy to reach locations.

I thought I’d hate the 60% layout. However KBParadise made their 60% layout so user friendly that, for the most part, it’s better than some 68% boards. They were creative in ways I didn’t think of, and it made a really great board.

Features and Customizaion

Switches

Obviously, as I mention above, the switches, Alps-style switches, do not make for great customization of this board. However, you can get the KBParadise V60 with a large variety of switches, including Cherry MX switches and clones. Therefore, this board itself is incredibly customizable. Very few keyboards allow you to choose between Matias key switches as well as Cherry MX switches. The mounting points are different, and this creates a lot of work. Still, you can get this board in a variety of switch configurations, including Matias switches. In fact, you can even get it with Matias Linear switches. Matias doesn’t even make a keyboard with their own linear switches!

When it comes to switch variety, KBParadise may have created the most comprehensive set of options for a keyboard ever. The fact that they don’t charge an arm and a leg for that customization is surprising and welcome.

Dip Switches

Once you get your keyboard, your customization options are a bit more limited if you chose Alps-style switches. Also, unlike some modern keyboards, there isn’t a way to re-flash the firmware using software. Instead, you get a series of dip switches under the keyboard. You can use these to select different options and configurations. Fortunately, they offer a ton of options. I was able to set my keyboard up for a mac, use the top left key as an escape key instead of `~, replace the caps lock key with another function key (you can still activate caps lock with fn + tab), sort the keys in the lower layers, and I could have done more. The only thing I would change about the final layout is that I can’t replace the “Menu” key, which does nothing on macOS, with a second alt key. That’s the only small change I’d make. Otherwise, my dip switch configuration has my keyboard set up perfectly.

I think most people will prefer the dip switches to firmware based customization. Sure, you can’t do as much, but you can have your board set up nearly perfectly in just a few minutes. It’s convenient, and the kind of customization I could see non-technical people comfortable with.

Keycaps

Not only can you customize your board using the dip switches, KBParadise also included keys for each configuration. That means they had an fn key to replace the caps lock key. They had keys with the command symbol on them. Keys with menu, control, escape, `~, and much more. Any configuration you could do with the dip switches had a dedicated key. This was fantastic attention to detail, and I really appreciate they did this.

Furthermore, because this keyboard is a 60% keyboard and therefore requires the function layer a lot, there are side legends showing you exactly what pressing the function key and that key will do. So, even if you can’t remember that fn + T is the home key, you’ll have a nice legend to remind you on the side.

KBParadise makes a black and a vintage style for these keycaps. I wanted vintage because I knew it would look unique in my mostly black keycap collection. A friend at work complimented them, saying they remind him of old IBM keyboards. High praise. The legends are small, giving more space for the key to shine through. I really like this, as it adds to the vintage, 80’s/early 90’s feel.

The keycaps have laser printing. These will maintain their legends longer than printed keycaps, but the laser etching can wear off over time. They’re also ABS, and not very thick. They have a lighter feel and sound than double shot plastics or PBT. Also, because they’re ABS, they could become shiny and fade with exposure to sunlight over time. They’re not the highest quality keycaps, and, after you get used to where everything on the function layer is, you may want to swap them out for a higher quality set, unless you don’t want to give up the vintage look.

Design, Quality, and Construction

The rest of the case is black plastic. This doesn’t fit well with the vintage aesthetic. Vintage keyboards would be made of a beige plastic, like the keys themselves. This case was clearly reused from their black model. It clashes a little, but it doesn’t look bad. It just doesn’t look great. Fortunately, it’s a deep matte black, so your eyes don’t pay much attention to it. The matte black may actually make the keyboard look smaller and more compact, which may have been what KBParadise was going for.

The case itself is plastic, and made of what feels to be a decently thick and durable matte plastic. It’s not a high end enclosure, but it’s also not a cheap one. I can tell it’s not as high quality as my $200 Tada68 with aluminum body, but for being half the price, that’s not bad. In fact, it feels as though it’s a slightly higher quality than a HHKB Professional 2, and those things cost at least $230.

One thing you may or may not like is that there are no flip-out feet. The KBParadise V60 is permanently raised up slightly. However, it’s also surprisingly low profile. The recessed switches are protected by the case, and bring the entire thing lower than my low profile Tada68 or Drop ALT. Those are “low profile” aluminum cases, and this is lower than even them. The KBParadise also had to make room for dip switches and different switch mounting options, so that’s really impressive. A lot of engineering went into making this a compact keyboard in every direction.

There are rubber pads on the bottom. They’re very large. Because the KBParadise V60 doesn’t use little flip out feet, they could use larger, grippier pads for the bottom of the keyboard. This means it doesn’t move around. To me, this seems like it was a fair trade-off. The keyboard feels like it’s the perfect angle, and it grips my desk.

Odds and Ends

There are a few extra little things about this keyboard we should discuss. First, this keyboard has only 6-key rollover. One of the benefits of mechanical keyboards is usually “n-key” rollover. This means if you press down 10 keys, 10 inputs go to your machine. Most rubber dome keyboards only have 2 key rollover, which means if you press more than 2 keys at the exact same time, it won’t know what to do. This can handle up to 6 keys at once, which is less than many mechanical keyboards, but still half decent. It’s unlikely you’ll ever press more than 6 keys at once anyway. I tested this, and, indeed, it is only 6-key rollover.

Secondly, this uses mini USB. Many keyboards, including my beloved Tada68, use mini USB instead of micro USB or USB-C. This is less convenient and you may have fewer of these cables laying around. Fortunately, since I use it for my Tada68 and Blue Yeti, I have these cables, but not many of them. The keyboard does, of course, come with a mini USB to USB-A cable.

This is a nitpick, but the keyboard does not have additional ports. The HHKB, Matias’ keyboards, and the ALT have additional USB ports, so you can connect a mouse or USB thumb drive to your keyboard. Many keyboards don’t have this though.

Perhaps the worst part about this keyboard design are the stabilizers. This has “Costar” style stabilizers. These have little inserts that will come off the metal stabilizer. Cherry stabilizers use practically the same mechanism, but they do it under the board, so you can easily remove and replace your keycaps. If you take the shift keys, spacebar, enter, or backspace keys off, you’re going to have a hell of a time getting them back on. I hate this design, and you typically only see it in cheaper keyboards. However, some people do prefer the firmer feel they have. Interestingly, even on Alps keyboards, these stabilizers use the ‘+’ style mounting point.

Price

Last, a quick discussion about price. This keyboard with most switches is only $95, with free shipping. Adding on the Matias keyswitches, and it goes up to $109. That’s still a very cheap board, for a quality mechanical board, anyway. In fact, you’d have to build a board from scratch to get anything less expensive. Matias’ own keyboards start at $129.95 for the smaller size. They are a slightly higher quality though, and you get USB ports on the keyboard for this. However, you don’t have the insane number of customization options that the KBParadise version has.

For $110, or so, you can get a fantastic keyboard with lovely Matias switches and a surprisingly level of customization. Add on a $30 keycap set, if you want, and you’ll have something that sounds amazing as well. Truly, this keyboard is a steal. It’s less than half the price of the HHKB Pro 2, and I think it’s a better keyboard in every way.

Overall

If you’re thinking about getting into mechanical keyboards, and you’re willing to learn how to use a 60% keyboard, this would make a great entry level board. It’s incredibly easy to customize with dip switches. This is far easier customization than software based tools, though it is more limited. If you’re not a computer engineer though, and don’t know your way around Terminal, this may be the only kind of customization you’d be willing to do anyway.

The keyboard looks nice, and has a nice retro feel. The switches are wonderful. Shipping was fast. Overall, this is a lovely little keyboard. It’s not my favorite switch style, these aren’t my favorite key caps, it’s not my favorite layout. However, I learned a lot about what I like in a keyboard from this keybaord, mostly in positive ways, and I’m going to continue to use this board very frequently after this review.

I personally own 6 mechanical keyboards, and have used many others. This is towards the top of my list. You may have noticed many comparisons to the Drop ALT and Tada68 in this review. Those are my two favorite keyboards. Still, this is a close comparison for only a little more than half of the price of those boards. I can’t recommend this enough. It’s a fantastic, well built, and well thought out keyboard. Well done, KBParadise!

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I bought mine through the aptly named MechanicalKeyboards.com. Yes, purchased, this is not a sponsored review (I’d tell you if it was).

You can get yours there too, in a variety of styles. The company is based in the U.S. (Tennessee), and shipping was fast. I went from feeling the urge to buy this keyboard to having this keyboard in just a few short days. I’ll definitely do business with this company again, probably sooner rather than later, because, frankly, when it comes to mechanical keyboards, I can’t help myself. Thanks, MechanicalKeyboards.com!

UPDATE

I’ve been using this board as my primary board again because its low profile and softer keys are perfect for me while my wrist is recovering from a break. However, I found it features a problem that is unfortunately common with Matias switches: chatter. These switches feel so amazing to type on, but they also have a nasty habit of being defective. This defect causes a key to send a signal twice, making it seem as though you typed the character twice. It can get worse over time, and it can make your keyboard unusable.

My Paradise V60 has begun to chatter on the space bar. It seems every other sentence I type has at least one instance of a double space. I’ll be working this out with. MechanicalKeyboards.com.

Until then, I can only tell you that while it’s one of the best typing feels, Matias’ switches aren’t reliable.

Update 2

I’m typing on this keyboard once again. A while back, both Matias and KBParadise sent me additional Matias QuietClick switches. However, I had never soldered before, so I didn’t know how to desolder the old switch and put a new one in. However, quarantine has made us all a little more adventurous with our hobbies, and I decided to learn to solder. The keyboard is back in working order.

I’ve heard you can often dismantle a Matias keycap and simply clean the contacts to remove this chatter. However, when I did this, the contact broke, making the switch useless. You can start with attempting to clean these switches, but be ready to need to replace them entirely.

I really have come to appreciate the retro look and sound this keyboard make. It reminds me so much of old keyboards from the 90’s. I’m so glad to have it back.