Hello all,
I’ve loved and used the everloving life out of my old Das Pro (MX Browns, standard keycaps, no media controls) for well over a decade now, and since my work keyboard situation has become untenable I’m extremely tempted to move the old keyboard into the office and get a new shiny for home. I think I’ll have to stick with Browns despite wanting something clicker (I live in an apartment and feel like my typing noises late at night are plenty loud enough with the Browns). I got the Das at the very beginning of the mechanical keyboard renaissance, so I have no idea where the market is these days-- I’m sure I’d be perfectly happy with a new Das, maybe without the labels, but I wanted to throw it to the community: is there anyone who’s directly competitive with Das for a similar-format keyboard these days? Maybe tenkeyless?
In the time since your Das Keyboard, a lot has changed in the space. My favorite change since the OG days of MX, Low profile switches.
I think keeping your wrist as flat as possible feels better. Personally I am off the deep end making DIY ergonomic boards. When I am doing CAD or gaming it’s best to use a full size board for speed. If you search Amazon for “low profile mechanical keyboard”, you will see many examples.
I have a ten keyless and full size ANSI (brown) and my GF has a ten keyless ISO (blue). They are all different brands, but quality is good enough for a comfortable daily use.
Keychron makes some nicer high end boards, but I have not personal tried them
Look at Keychron or GMMK. OneofZero has a sale (25% off) Keychrons.
I think the special feature about the Das keyboard is probably the media controls, so finding a replacement/similar build should be easy :)
If you want something with more click but the same noise-wise, you could look into the Kailh Box Royal switches? They’re definitely a lot more tactile than browns (which imo feel linear over long periods of use). If you want dead-silence, check out Aliaz silent switches, they’re browns but with silicon at the contactpoints so they’re quieter than normal non-mech keyboards.
When it comes to pre-built keyboard brands, Ducky, Leopold, Vortex are all good options. A Glorious GMMK keyboard is probably the safest bet though, and good price/performance.
I think the special feature about the Das keyboard is probably the media controls, so finding a replacement/similar build should be easy :)
Ah, that’s just it: mine doesn’t have those! Back when I got this, just having mechanical keyswitches was the special feature. I’ve watched in absolute awe as the scene has exploded, but I’m very much behind on what the state of the art is. The biggest tech-y enhancement this one has over the switches is a two-port USB hub that I plug my mouse, and occasionally a thumb drive or other USB controller into.
I’ll look into those switch recommendations but honestly the pre-built boards are going to end up being where I go. Given how long I’ve used the Das, do you know if there’s a standout for solid build quality in the sub-200 range? That’s where the Das would be anyway
The 3 brands I mentioned are solid choices, with Ducky I think offering the most “flashy” options (RGB-wise but also feature-wise). Have only owned 2 Duckys but they were secondhand-purchases that are 6 years later still going strong after a lot of abuse.
The Glorious GMMK is hot-swappable, meaning you can just pop the switches in-out without having to solder anything, so if you’re set on certain switches, it’s a good option.
I’ll give them all a look. Thank you!
