What about the Matias quiet switch again?

So, another good comparison for the Topre switches are the Matias quiet ones.  I had trouble with the clicky tactile version, but I enjoyed using the Matias quiet version quite a bit after I get used to the slight wobble and jitters.  It’s almost unfair actually, since the Topre is so smooth and the Matias just a hair too jumpy or bouncy for me.  So, the decision is simple in this case.  However, again viewed from a more practical stand point of view, the whole picture changes.

The Topre is just too expansive, but Matias are priced just a little higher than the Cherry MX family.  So, it’s a reasonable option.  Against the vast aftermarket options that Cherry MX family line has amassed, Matias doesn’t stand a chance to compete.  So, the switch must be superior to compensate.  At this level of the game, the switch superiority is more or less a personal preference.  Like the Topre or Cherry MX, the switches are built to last.  So, there’s no mechanical issues that’s holding it back.  The questions boils down to, do you like ALPS switch in general versus the more common Cherry MX family?

Like the Cherry MX family, ALPS switches comes with a wide variety with varying different personality and specifications.  However, most of that is lost now because ALPS is out of the keyboard switch market.  So, like the buckling spring, we have a small company left to pick up the mantle and run with it.

I believe Matias has done an admirable job reviving the ALPS legacy, especially with the Mac community.  Like Unicomp, it’s sort stuck in the shadow of the large gaming community that prefers the Cherry MX linear switches.  Matias has wisely began to make and market a linear switch that’s popular with the gaming community, but I haven’t seen it gaining any traction yet beyond an experimental stage.  I will keep an eye at this as it develops.