Alps SKCM Orange vs Alps SKCM Salmon
The Alps SKCM Orange and the Alps SKCM Salmon are separated mostly by spring weight, 10 g of it at actuation, with the Alps SKCM Salmon the firmer press and the Alps SKCM Orange the easier one to hold down. Our library of every switch we simulate links the two to each other for that reason. Play the A/B bursts below to hear them back to back, match the volumes, then read the spec 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 Orange | Alps SKCM Salmon |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Tactile | Tactile |
| Brand rates force at | actuation | actuation |
| Actuation force | 60 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
Alps is on both sides of this one and both are tactiles, so the question is which of its own tactiles suits you. There is a real weight gap too: 70 g against 60 g at actuation, so the Alps SKCM Salmon asks noticeably more of your fingers over a long session. With the numbers this close, the honest tiebreak is the voice: clean deep tap, snappy and dry on the Alps SKCM Orange, firm deep tap with vintage snap on the Alps SKCM Salmon. The Alps SKCM Orange comes out ahead of the Alps SKCM Salmon for gaming and for typing, and it is the one that carries less across a room, so this comparison has one answer instead of a set of them.
- Overall pick
- Alps SKCM Orange
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Alps SKCM Orange takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
Force curves
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 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 Orange or Alps SKCM Salmon: the long answer
Start with feel, because it settles most switch arguments before sound comes up. The Alps SKCM Salmon carries the heavier spring at actuation, 70 g to 60 g. That is a real 10 g without being a change of bracket. The stroke itself is shared: each one puts a felt event in the middle of the stroke. Travel is a straight match, 1.7 mm of pre-travel and 3.5 mm in full on both. With the stroke shared, that spring gap does most of the deciding here.
What the table cannot tell you is how either one lands in a room. Through the A/B player above, the Alps SKCM Orange comes through as clean deep tap, snappy and dry, while the Alps SKCM Salmon reads as firm deep tap with vintage snap. One caveat we repeat wherever a player appears: no studio recording sits behind either of these. They are built from what each maker publishes and what the community reports.
On the practical side, 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.
So who should buy which? The same switch wins every way we score it: the Alps SKCM Orange is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the honest answer is that either would do, and it wins on a margin too small to feel. On typing feel, its keystroke stays consistent and comfortable across a full day of writing. On noise, it is the one of these two you would not apologize for. That leaves the Alps SKCM Salmon to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. The player above is the cheapest part of this decision, so use it before your wallet is involved.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Alps SKCM Orange page and the Alps SKCM Salmon page, or test how your current keyboard performs with our free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for gaming, the Alps SKCM Orange or the Alps SKCM Salmon?
We pick the Alps SKCM Orange for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Which of the Alps SKCM Orange and the Alps SKCM Salmon is quieter in a shared room?
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 has the heavier spring, the Alps SKCM Orange or the Alps SKCM Salmon?
The Alps SKCM Salmon, and the comparison is clean: actuation on both sides, 70 g to 60 g.
More comparisons
More vs Alps SKCM Orange
More vs Alps SKCM Salmon
Or browse every switch comparison on the site.