Das Keyboard Black Wired Model S Ultimate Keyboard

The other guy already posted a long review, but I'd like to pitch in my opinion. The Das Keyboard is simply a mechanical blue switch keyboard. There're not features that separate it from other keyboards except from the lack of labeling. In my opinion, lack of labels does not justify a higher price; it justifies a lower price. If you want to type faster, quit looking at the keyboard yourself. You don't need a keyboard without labels to do that for you.

There is no back-light option unlike the Ducky II. There are no macro keys. Hitting keys such as "end" or "home", which I rarely use, become a problem. The warranty is good. There is a 30 day money back, and a 1 year warranty on these. Note that mechanicals typically last ten times the length of the warranty, so it doesn't mean that much.

Yes, the keyboard is good. But all other mechanical keyboards do this and then some at this price point. The Deck is reowned for its build quality and best keys. WASD allows customization of everything. Ducky II fits in back-light options (lots of them) for $10 more. The Cooler Master or Rosewill offerings are getting close to half the price of this keyboard and have the same switches. I don't see a reason to get this, especially with the glossy surface.

Okay, here we go..... my first review! I've overlooked this since the new platform launch, and let me say, this is awesome, and I'll definitely be doing many reviews

I'm reviewing the Das Model S Ultimate Keyboard. This keyboard is stepping down to a backup keyboard because I'm getting a Ducky Shine, so I figured before I retired it, I'd write a nice review for those interested.

So let's start! First off, this a great keyboard. This was actually my first mechanical keyboard, and I'm glad I chose this specific keyboard. The price isn't too much, but it isn't too cheap either. However, with every mechanical keyboard, you get what you pay for. So for the price of $129.99 including shipping, I feel I got exactly what I paid for. Now that I've said that, let's dive further into the pros & cons of this keyboard.

Pros:

• It has two 1.1 (also 2.0 compatible) USB ports on the right side of the keyboard. Really awesome and comes in handy for miscellaneous things such as webcams, flash drives, etc.
  
• NKRO when using the PS/2 that comes with the keyboard.
  
• Blank keys. I think this is a pro, and I'll explain why. Personally, I like blank keyboards. I feel they greatly increase your typing skills, even if you don't look at the keyboard often to begin with. With blank keys, you never really have to look at the keyboard, which greatly increases your WPM, unless of course you're unfamiliar with the numpad or something and you need to take a quick "scan" of the keyboard to see what is where.
  
• A lot of people get discouraged when looking at a blank keyboard to purchase and figure "I definitely won't be able to do this, it'll take too long to adjust to". I thought that too honestly, but I dove into it and purchased it anyway. When it arrived, it only took me about a full week to get almost fully accustomed to no longer taking quick glances at the keyboard when typing. Now, months later after owning the keyboard, I can type very quickly and not have to ever look at the keyboard unless I am dealing with the numpad, which I am unfortunately unfamiliar with.
  
• Mac compatible. Basically, you can plug it into a mac and it'll load without any special drivers or anything. Mac users can swap the command / control / options keys to match the Mac keyboard layout using the Mac OS X keyboard control panel.
  
• 6.6foot USB cable, so it's longer than the usual. Unfortunately, it's not braided.
  
• Cherry MX Blues, very clicky! Well, you're reading this review, so you're either very bored, or you're interested in making a purchase in this keyboard, and you like the clicks. Well, if clicks are in mind, this keyboard is LOUD!!! and I love every little keystroke. I have recorded a 9~ minute video of myself typing on this keyboard which will be included further into this review, so if you'd like to hear what it sounds like when typing rather rough, you can watch that
  
• Caps lock, Scroll lock, etc are blue LEDs. Looks really nice on the black gloss.
  
• This keyboard can take a beating. I type very very hard and with a lot of force. Every non-mechanical keyboard I have used, I have broken the space bar CLEAR off every time, I just type with a lot of force. This keyboard takes my abuse with no issues or hiccups.

Cons:

• Gloss. To me, this is a gigantic con. I hate gloss, I hate it with the largest burning passion. I bought this keyboard knowing it was gloss, but I thought I'd be able to handle it. Nope, I was wrong, very very wrong. I just dislike gloss on things, especially electronics because it gets dirty very quickly, and cleaning it is more than a chore because of how fast it gets dirty. For example, it comes with a nice fiber cloth to clean the glossy finish, but you'd be cleaning it every day if you're using this keyboard for more than just a few hours.
  
• I use this keyboard for more than 12-14+ hours a day, and it looks like a war zone after a week. There's fingerprints everywhere, dust, you name it. I find it disgusting, and I cannot stand it because I have slight OCD.
  
• The plastic build quality is nice, but feels slightly cheap at the same time. For example, when I lift this keyboard up and apply some pressure, you can hear it crack and such, it's weird and rather hard to explain. The keyboard feels sturdy, but that sound kind of takes away from it.

That's really it for cons. There aren't too many cons I have with this keyboard, because it really is a great keyboard for what you pay.

Overall:

This is a really great keyboard that is built well, with very few cons, and nice pros. You will love this keyboard if you enjoy MX Blues and Blank Keyboards, but you will not enjoy this keyboard as much as you would if you have a dislike against glossy finished products. I do recommend this keyboard if you're a mechanical keyboard enthusiast, and enjoy collecting various mechanical keyboards. This is a must add for your collection

Oh, and here's the video I promised for those who are curious: