Alps SKCL Green vs Alps SKCM Orange
This one is a linear against a tactile: the Alps SKCL Green and the Alps SKCM Orange feel different from the first press, and no amount of tuning closes that. Our switch library puts these two on each other's shortlist, and the player below is the fastest way to settle it: match the volumes, then work down through the table and the verdict.
Hear them back to back
simulated from real specssound loads on your first tapShortcuts: press A or B anywhere outside a text box to fire that burst. Use the volume trims to loudness-match the pair before judging which sounds better.
Spec by spec
| Spec | Alps SKCL Green | Alps SKCM Orange |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 50 g | 60 g |
| Bottom-out force | not published | not published |
| Pre-travel | 1.7 mm | 1.7 mm |
| Total travel | 3.5 mm | 3.5 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | No | No |
| MX-compatible stem | No | No |
| Price tier | Premium | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Alps advertises an actuation force for both of these, so the two headline figures in this table are measured at the same point and can be read against each other.
Verdict
Start with feel: the Alps SKCL Green gives you a linear stroke and the Alps SKCM Orange a tactile one, and no amount of tuning changes that. The springs are far apart, with the Alps SKCM Orange at 60 g actuation versus 50 g for the Alps SKCL Green, a gap you feel within a paragraph of typing. With the numbers this close, the honest tiebreak is the voice: smooth dry vintage glide, muted landing on the Alps SKCL Green, clean deep tap, snappy and dry on the Alps SKCM Orange. Split by use: the Alps SKCL Green for gaming, the Alps SKCM Orange for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- Alps SKCL Green
- Typing pick
- Alps SKCM Orange
- Office pick
- Alps SKCM Orange
Force curves
Alps SKCL Green
Alps publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Alps SKCM Orange
Alps publishes no bottom-out force for this switch, so the dashed end of the curve is an estimate, not a spec. Everything up to actuation comes from the published numbers.
Alps SKCL Green or Alps SKCM Orange: the long answer
The table above already holds the answer. Here is what it means under a finger. One of these is a linear and the other a tactile, which means the Alps SKCL Green runs smooth the whole way down while the Alps SKCM Orange raises a bump at the point it registers. Springs split them by 10 g at actuation: 60 g for the Alps SKCM Orange, 50 g for the Alps SKCL Green. Distance is not the difference: both register at 1.7 mm and stop at 3.5 mm. Settle the stroke you want to live with first and treat everything below as a tiebreak.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Two different voices: smooth dry vintage glide, muted landing on the Alps SKCL Green, clean deep tap, snappy and dry on the Alps SKCM Orange. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
On what they cost to fill a board, both are premium priced. Lube is on you with both of these, which is a real cost in time whichever one you order. Worth knowing before you order: neither of these uses an MX style stem, so neither will drop into a standard hot-swap board or accept ordinary MX keycaps, and they do not share a mount with each other either.
This one genuinely splits. The Alps SKCL Green for games, because a linear stroke puts no bump between you and the next press. The Alps SKCM Orange for writing, since a felt confirmation on every press is what stops a typist bottoming out all day. The Alps SKCM Orange for an office, as it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. Match the trims above, play both, and trust whichever one you keep replaying.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Alps SKCL Green page and the Alps SKCM Orange page. If you are here to check the board you already own, use our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Alps SKCL Green or the Alps SKCM Orange?
We pick the Alps SKCL Green for gaming. On a fast repeat the tactile bump on the Alps SKCM Orange is one event too many, and the linear does not have it.
Alps SKCL Green or Alps SKCM Orange: which one is quieter?
They are close. Neither is a silent switch and neither clicks, so loudness depends mostly on how hard you bottom out and the board they sit in. Their character differs though: the Alps SKCL Green leans toward smooth dry vintage glide, muted landing, while the Alps SKCM Orange is clean deep tap, snappy and dry.
Which has the heavier spring, the Alps SKCL Green or the Alps SKCM Orange?
The Alps SKCM Orange is heavier: 60 g against 50 g, both measured at actuation, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
More comparisons
More vs Alps SKCL Green
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.