Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca vs JWICK (JWK) Black V2
The JWICK (JWK) Black V2 and the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca sit in different price brackets, which across the 70-odd switches a board needs is a bigger difference than most of the spec sheet. Our full switch library cross-links them because this matchup keeps coming up. Start with the A/B bursts below, then take the spec table and the picks in order.
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 | Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca | JWICK (JWK) Black V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | bottom-out |
| Actuation force | 48 g | 42 g |
| Bottom-out force | 62 g | 58.5 g |
| Pre-travel | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Total travel | 4 mm | 4 mm |
| Silent (dampened) | No | No |
| Factory lubed | Yes | Yes |
| MX-compatible stem | Yes | Yes |
| Price tier | Premium | Budget |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Both makers rate these at bottom-out, which is the one case where the advertised numbers compare directly. Every other force row still has to be matched basis to basis.
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two linears feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. Price splits them too: the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 is the budget friendly option while the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca sits in the premium priced bracket, which adds up across a 70 switch board. The Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca is the firmer of the two at bottom-out, 62 g to 58.5 g, though 3.5 g is not much to choose between. By use case, then: the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 for gaming, the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca for typing and a shared office.
- Gaming pick
- JWICK (JWK) Black V2
- Typing pick
- Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca
- Office pick
- Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca
Force curves
Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca
JWICK (JWK) Black V2
Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca or JWICK (JWK) Black V2: the long answer
Cost is the honest headline on this pair, so take it first. The Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca is premium priced, while the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 is budget friendly. Both arrive lubed from the factory, which is one project you can skip either way.
Now the part the spec table measures. These are two JWK / Durock linears, so both give you spring resistance and nothing else. The Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca is nominally firmer at bottom-out, 62 g to 58.5 g, but 3.5 g is not a gap you buy a switch for. Distance is not the difference: both register at 2.0 mm and stop at 4.0 mm. Same family of stroke, so read the detail rather than the headline.
Now the part spec sheets cannot carry: the voice. Two different voices: smooth clacky-bright bottom-out, benchmark clean on the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca, clean smooth clack, Alpaca-adjacent on a budget on the JWICK (JWK) Black V2. As everywhere on the site, these are simulations built from published specifications and documented character. Accurate enough to compare, not a recording.
Answer the use case and the switch follows. Games point at the JWICK (JWK) Black V2, because the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. Writing points at the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca, since it holds the same feel from the first hour of writing to the last. A shared room points at the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca, as it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. None of this beats hearing them yourself, which the player above lets you do in about a minute.
Want the full story on either switch? Read the dedicated Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca page and the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 page. Or leave switches aside for a minute and run your current keyboard through the free keyboard tester.
Frequently asked questions
For gaming, should I buy the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca or the JWICK (JWK) Black V2?
We pick the JWICK (JWK) Black V2 for gaming. Honestly either is fine here. It takes the nod once the scoring is added up, and only just.
Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca or JWICK (JWK) Black V2: which one is quieter?
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.
Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca vs JWICK (JWK) Black V2: which one is the heavier press?
The Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca is heavier: 62 g against 58.5 g, both measured at bottom-out, so this is a fair like-for-like comparison.
Which is cheaper to fill a board with, the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca or the JWICK (JWK) Black V2?
The JWICK (JWK) Black V2 sits in the budget friendly bracket and the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca in the premium priced one. We do not hold a reliable per-switch price for both, so the bracket is the honest answer rather than a total.
More comparisons
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