In early 2017, a private run of the AEK64 case ran for the stainless steel variant, long before the aluminum group buy started on Clueboard. As far as I'm aware, 11 such cases were produced: 10 numbered variants, and one pre-production unit that was left unfinished. As luck would have it, some of my friends at the time were in that buy, and I was able to get a direct line of access to the designer, Matt Leanse. For $800 shipped, he sold me the pre-production run, along with various Alps and Alps clones he had laying around.
I built this keyboard with orange Alps and the poor remains of some Apple Extended Keyboard II. I actually quite liked it! Though the Alps stabilizer left much to be desired, it was overall a nice (albeit loud) typing experience; certainly far better than the tactile Cherry switches available at the time, which mostly comprised of modded Zealios or MX Clears. The biggest draw for me was the weight: compared to the far more common aluminum cases, this has far more heft to it, and thus felt very substantial sitting on my desk. This case uses an integrated steel plate, which makes typing feel a bit stiff. I personally prefer more flexible mounts, though others may enjoy this better.
The pre-production SS AEK64 differs in a couple key respects compared to the private, numbered run. It's unfinished, unnumbered, and was engraved with "AEK64" on the back. The finish is probably the most interesting thing about it, as it's very raw steel. It has machining marks and shines with polish, contrasting with the more matte and subdued look of the final version. Some find it particularly fetching in this state, though I lost my lust for it after the initial honeymoon phase.
All AEK64 models are built for the TMK AEK64 PCB, and thus use the dated mini-USB connector that most customs had at the time. These days, USB-C is the norm, thankfully.
Now, of the 10 numbered variants, one was particularly notorious: Reese's neon green Alps build. It was a keyboard built completely with NOS Alps SKCM Green switches he sourced from an electronics distributor at the sky-high price of ~$8 per switch. That's about 8x the price of Zeal's custom switches. If you're wondering how it was possible for any set of consumer keyboard switches to reach those prices, it's because neon greens are an exceedingly rare Alps switch, which by then were already out of production. Adding to the mysticism, neon green Alps were described as "mechanical Topre," with the force graph to match. Given that these switches were sold out everywhere and found exclusively on rare, vintage Xerox keyboards, there was a fair bit of hubbub around Reese's AEK64, which I believe was the first custom to utilize them.
In early 2018, Reese decided to let it go, and sold it to me for a clean $1100 shipped. It's numbered 2 out of 10 (with Matt holding number 1, I believe). It's a gorgeous keyboard with a very clean, bead-blasted finish. For a small period of time, I owned all three available versions of the AEK64: pre-production SS, numbered SS, and a regular aluminum one in space gray.
As I was in the unique position of owning two SS AEK64 with different Alps switches, I was able to compare the switches—both NOS!—and get a good feel for two very different approaches to a tactile switch. For good measure, I also had a 55g HHKB, a keyboard with lubed 67g Zealios, and a small numpad with Cherry MX Clears, possibly the scratchiest stock switches of all time.
As far as tactility goes, I don't think anything beats Topre. Rubber dome may be a joke among the community, but it's hard to beat whatever black magic 株式会社PFU has developed in Topre domes. It's distinctly not mechanical for obvious reasons, but I personally prefer it far and away from any tactile mechanical variant: it's smoother, more pronounced at the top, and actuates exactly when you expect it to, unlike the MX variants which seem to have a running case of actuating slightly before or after the bump, depending on tolerances.
With that being said, I do prefer the neon greens over any other mechanical tactile switch, and it's largely because it has a very similar Topre bump, though not quite as smooth. I find that Alps tactile switches are far more "tactile" than MX switches to begin with, and the neon greens have an especially pronounced bump. I wouldn't say this feels like Topre though; despite the similar force curve, it feels very distinctly mechanical. Orange Alps are in comparison much more similar to Zealios and MX Clears, with a short bump a little before halfway down the keypress.
The sound of Alps switches, at least on stainless steel integrated plates, is extremely loud. I made the mistake of bringing the pre-production AEK64 to work and it was far louder than I thought it would be, and I ended up leaving it in it's sleeve in my backpack for the remainder of the day. These keyboards are a fair bit more intense than most clickies I've heard, but have a pretty satisfying thock to them. I find it to be a pretty nice auditory experience, but it's far too loud to be using anywhere near other people. Chyrosran22 has a great typing demonstration at the end of his review of these unique switches, which somewhat gets the sound across, but not the volume.
Overall, I'm quite happy with the SS AEK64. I did end up selling the pre-production board to the kind /u/Weaston, despite enjoying the keyboard very much; I sadly have no particular need for two nearly identical keyboards, and I'm not a huge fan of the unfinished look. This is one of the more unique keyboards out there, so I doubt they'll be showing up for sale anytime soon, but I definitely recommend getting your hands on one if you have any interest at all in Alps customs.
