Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca vs NovelKeys NK Silk
The Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca and the NovelKeys NK Silk are rated at different points on the force curve, which is the first thing this page has to sort out before it compares anything. Our switch library already points each of these at the other. Hear them back to back below with the trims matched before you read a single number.
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 | NovelKeys NK Silk |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Linear | Linear |
| Brand rates force at | bottom-out | actuation |
| Actuation force | 48 g | not published |
| Bottom-out force | 62 g | not published |
| 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 | Premium |
| Street price | varies | varies |
Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) advertises a bottom-out force for the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca and NovelKeys an actuation force for the NovelKeys NK Silk, so the two headline numbers are not measured at the same point. Compare row by row, not brand claim to brand claim.
Verdict
Stroke character is a tie. Two linears feel alike under a finger, which pushes the decision onto the rows below the type row. Weight cannot be called at all, because NovelKeys publishes no force figure for the NovelKeys NK Silk. What really separates them is sound, with the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca tending toward smooth clacky-bright bottom-out, benchmark clean and the NovelKeys NK Silk toward soft, well-lubed nylon linear; low and even. One pick, not three: the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca takes gaming and typing, and it is the one that carries less across a room. The NovelKeys NK Silk is the answer only to a question our scoring does not ask.
- Overall pick
- Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca
Our three scores agree on this pair. The Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca takes all of them, which is why there is a single card above instead of three.
Force curves
Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca
NovelKeys NK Silk
NovelKeys publishes no force figures for this switch, so the dashed curve is the shape a linear switch takes, not measured data. Travel is the only number here off a spec sheet.
Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca or NovelKeys NK Silk: the long answer
Take the mechanical side first, since that is where this pair separates. One side of this is blank: NovelKeys does not publish a force figure for the NovelKeys NK Silk, while the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca is rated 62 g at bottom-out. A weight comparison would have to be invented, so this page does not make one. Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) and NovelKeys are both selling you linears here, so nothing sits between the top of either key and the bottom. The two stroke depths are identical, 2.0 mm to actuation inside 4.0 mm of total travel. Neither one out-feels the other on type, and the force rows are measured too differently to break the tie, so the rest of this page has to.
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, soft, well-lubed nylon linear; low and even on the NovelKeys NK Silk. 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 cost and convenience, both are premium priced. Both come factory lubed, so neither needs work out of the box.
This one does not split. Every axis we score points the same direction: the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca is our pick for gaming, for typing and for a shared desk. On speed, the two are close enough here that either works, and our scoring gives it the nod by a hair. On typing feel, nothing about it gets tiring by the afternoon, which is the whole test for a writing switch. On noise, it is the quieter of the two once the room is listening. That leaves the NovelKeys NK Silk to anyone who preferred its voice in the player above, which is a good enough reason on its own. Whichever way you land, listen to both above with the volume trims matched before you spend anything.
There is more on both than a head-to-head can carry. Start with the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca page and the NovelKeys NK Silk 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 Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca or the NovelKeys NK Silk?
We pick the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca for gaming. The two are close enough for gaming that either works; our scoring defaults to it by a small margin.
Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca or NovelKeys NK Silk: which one is quieter?
Volume is roughly a wash: no dampening and no click mechanism on either, so your typing force and your case decide the level. The character is not a wash, with the Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca reading as smooth clacky-bright bottom-out, benchmark clean against soft, well-lubed nylon linear; low and even from the NovelKeys NK Silk.
Durock (JWK for PrimeKB) Alpaca vs NovelKeys NK Silk: which one is the heavier press?
At least one of these switches has no published force figure, so an honest number-to-number answer is not possible. Use the type and travel specs in the table above, and your own fingers, as the guide.
More comparisons
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