Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate Blank Wired Mechanical Keyboard, Cherry MX Blue Mechanical Switches, 2-Port USB 3.0 Hub, Volume Knob, Aluminum Top (104 Keys, Black)

This keyboard is a fine keyboard indeed! very impressed with it. It arrived just this morning but I do have some really good first impressions. I have been hopping from keyboard to keyboard lately trying to find something that really fit my needs long term. I am a typist that spends work as well as down time typing out documents and spreadsheets. I have tried so many keyboards over the last month and was beginning to lose hope. The Das keyboard revived my hope.Typing:First of all this is the best typing experience I have had in a long time. The strokes are clean and light. Lighter than most blue switch key boards I have been trying which surprised me. I suspect this has something to do with the keycap quality. I feel fluid and just as fast typing on the Das as I would on any of my other preferred keyboards. Something I hold to a high regard is the acoustics of the board when I am typing. Many keyboards that I keep trying, often over 130 dollars and "built like a tank" sound dreadful. Notably the Razer black widow and the Code 104, both of which I wanted to love. But again their over the top hefty construction of plastic made it sound like you were hitting wood against Nerf Guns with each keystroke. Often times it would just completely drown out the sound of the clicky keys themselves which was infuriating. Again the keystrokes on the Das are crisp and the sound it makes is satisfying and not obnoxious at all, at least to a person who likes mechanical keyboard sounds.Appearance:The Das keyboard looks amazing. I went with the ultimate version with the blank keycaps and the black lettering in the top right corner. Man is it clean and professional. The aluminum front plate is super clean and sharp. Doesn't reflect a bunch of light and still has the nice cold and textured touch. Super lovely choice on their part. Again, I love the blacked out look of the keyboard. I dont mind the red accents on the volume knob and the ruler either. Subtle and slick. A part of me wishes those accents came in something more neutral like gray but again, its so subtle that it would never compete with a set up up that had a theme to it.Materials:The keycaps are very nice. While they are still ABS plastic they have to be some of the best ABS caps I have every used. Sturdy and slightly textured as well as being kinda light too. I love them honestly. The plastic and aluminum body is super nice. It's got heft but it's light by comparison to other boards that strive to be built well. The cord is a thick rubber cable. I hear a lot of reviews wishing it was a braided cable and I can vouch for that desire but I really dont think its worth docking any points for something like that. especially because a lot of braided cables I've had, especially with Logitech, which unravel, fray, and start looking gross after a while. This rubber cord is sturdy and will look the same throughout its shelf life so I am happy with it.Functionality:On top of all the great things I can say about the board from a minimalist and professional use standpoint, it actually has some of the best feature sets for me. The volume knob and media controls is fantastic and super well done. The knob is tactile and gives you some clicky feedback when you turn it which is a pleasure to use. The ruler on the back is something I might use? The addition of the ruler is not a con whatsoever in my opinion. It's implementation does not interfere with the experience of the board at all and its there if you need it. Some have said that they wish it lifted the board up a bit more. I understand where they are coming from but for me it's actually perfect. The Das also has 2 USB passthroughs which is a luxury I have been living without since my old Black Widow days back in 2012. I am very happy to have that again.Other biased pros:Fits perfectly with my favorite wrist rest which is a HUGE plus for me. It doesn't take up a ton of room on my desk which is niceCons:I do have just one small complaint. The keyboard had some blemishes right on the box which kind of upset me a bit at first. Theres a scuff on the aluminum on the right side of the board as well as on the long + key on the same side. They are small enough to where I will live with it because you cant notice unless you really look but again that's a little upsetting. For 165 dollars I just think that is pretty sloppy and unacceptable.All in all I love this keyboard and I think finally my hunt for a keyboard can finally be put aside for awhile as I will most certainly be using this keyboard out of the rest of mine going forward.Update: 6/4/2018So I've had this keyboard for a bit now and it's still a daily driver. I do swap it back and forth between my Filco and that will most likely continue to happen just because I like hopping from board to board. But this thing is such a beautiful beast. I HIGHLY recommend getting a new set of quality keycaps for it though. It was a huge game changer. I bought some ninja font thick PBT keycaps for it and wow does it sound and feel amazing compared to the stock caps which were cheap by comparison but still pretty good for stock caps. Anyway get some fancy caps for this thing as the mileage from the upgrade will be more worth it than other keyboard in my opinion.

This is a wonderful keyboard! It was a tossup between this and the Logitech G710+ with MX Browns, and I prefer this one just a little more.I wasn't that great a touch typer before getting the Das, but I seem to be improving consistently, due to the blank key caps. Trial by fire if you will. Knocking off the training wheels. They also make it look both professional and intimidating. You'd be surprised how well you know the locations of the letters. Even without seeing them printed on the keys, I can still judge pretty precisely which is which, based on location.The volume knob was a must-have, and Das cut no corners on it. It's of solid construction, and has slight, satisfying clicks as you rotate it to give you physical feedback of the volume increments.I use the Das both to type and to game, and it has served beyond well for both purposes.I did not encounter the problem that many reviewers have been complaining about - something about half the switches being defective or mushy. That's not the case on mine. I don't know how likely it is, but don't let it deter you from getting this keyboard if you're looking for one with MX blues.I use the sleep button way more often than I thought. That button, along with the three dedicated media keys, and the mute button all do not depress far at all when pressed. Maybe half a millimeter. Probably less. I was curious about whether they depressed as far as the rest of the keys, and couldn't find out before buying.The sleep button is flush with the surface of the keyboard, while the dedicated media keys and the mute button are seated about a millimeter up from the surface. I was also a bit worried I may accidentally press it and put the computer to sleep, then go through the trouvle of waking it back up again. Hasn't happened yet, and not likely to happen at all. The buttons are well-placed. None of the pictures gave a very good hint to the depth of things on the keyboard, so I've included one to aid the description. Also not included in the pictures is that the F and J keys (as well as num pad 5) have their traditional bumps so you can feel where home row is.It's got two USB 3 ports, and uses only one itself (netting you one extra port - on top of the NKRO, which is pretty impressive). The cable is not braided, but that's alright.The DasKeyboard logo in the top right of the keyboard is not as distinct as the picture makes it out to be. I like the subtlety of it all. Very sleek and mature feel to it. The surface of the keyboard itself is a matte finish, not glossy, and does a good job of mitigating collections of fingerprints. Helps the board look clean and presentable.I haven't used the ruler as a measure or straight edge yet, but it's certainly something to make the keyboard unique. Also eliminates the risk of the traditional fold-out feet breaking. The ruler is a sturdy support, and the keyboard doesn't slide away while typing or gaming.Das didn't pay me to post this, but it certainly was a pleasure to type it on their keyboard. If I had the money, I might even buy it again. You can never have enough mechanical keyboards.