Alps SKCM Black vs Alps SKCM Salmon
Nothing in the spec sheet decides between the Alps SKCM Black and the Alps SKCM Salmon, so this comparison comes down to voice and to what each one costs to fill a board. Our library of every switch we simulate 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 SKCM Black | Alps SKCM Salmon |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 70 g | 70 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
This is a tactile versus tactile contest: the Alps SKCM Black and the Alps SKCM Salmon share the same stroke character, which makes the smaller spec gaps decisive. Both are rated 70 g at actuation, the only measuring point with a published figure for each, so the spec sheet will not settle weight. What really separates them is sound, with the Alps SKCM Black tending toward duller, softer vintage tap and the Alps SKCM Salmon toward firm deep tap with vintage snap. By use case, then: the Alps SKCM Black for gaming and a shared office, the Alps SKCM Salmon for typing.
- Gaming pick
- Alps SKCM Black
- Typing pick
- Alps SKCM Salmon
- Office pick
- Alps SKCM Black
Force curves
Alps SKCM Black
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 Salmon
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 Black or Alps SKCM Salmon: the long answer
Put the two side by side on paper before you trust your ears. These are two Alps / Matias tactiles, so each one puts a felt event in the middle of the stroke. They land on the same 70 g at actuation. That is the only measuring point with a figure for each of them, and bottom-out is exactly where two switches matched at actuation tend to separate. The two stroke depths are identical, 1.7 mm to actuation inside 3.5 mm of total travel. None of these gaps is large. Stack them up and they still point somewhere, but gently.
What the table cannot tell you is how either one lands in a room. The Alps SKCM Black sits at duller, softer vintage tap; the Alps SKCM Salmon answers with firm deep tap with vintage snap. The usual caveat applies. Nothing here is a studio recording; both packs are synthesized from published specs, and the players say so.
On what they cost to fill a board, both are premium priced. Neither ships lubed, so budget an evening with a brush if you want either at its best. 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.
Who buys which, then? Gaming goes to the Alps SKCM Black, because this axis is nearly a tie, and it comes out ahead only once the scoring is added up. Writing goes to the Alps SKCM Salmon, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. A shared room goes to the Alps SKCM Black, as it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. Before you order either, match the volume trims above and hear them back to back.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Alps SKCM Black page and the Alps SKCM Salmon page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Alps SKCM Black or the Alps SKCM Salmon the better gaming switch?
We pick the Alps SKCM Black for gaming. This is close to a coin toss. The scoring hands it over by a margin you would not feel in a match.
Is the Alps SKCM Black quieter than the Alps SKCM Salmon?
Nothing in either one is built to reduce noise, so on raw volume this is a tie decided by your keyboard rather than your switch. What you will actually hear is a difference of pitch and texture, which the player above shows better than a sentence can.
Which switch is heavier, the Alps SKCM Black or the Alps SKCM Salmon?
Neither, as far as the published numbers go: both are rated 70 g at actuation, the only measuring point with a published figure for each. Bottom-out is where two switches matched at actuation often diverge, but neither switch here has a published bottom-out figure at all. Treat this as a tie on the spec sheet rather than a proven match in the hand.
More comparisons
More vs Alps SKCM Black
More vs Alps SKCM Salmon
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.