andrewlighten.com

I’ve gone through a lot of keyboards over the years. Most of those I’ve encountered have been cheap and flimsy pieces of junk. The OEM keyboards supplied by the likes of Dell and HP are nothing but rubbish unless you opt for the “Premium” keyboard, in which case they’re slightly less rubbishy, but still a joke.

My current go-to keyboard for serious work is a trusty IBM Model M keyboard made in 1994. It’s beautifully crafted: solid as a rock, proper mechanical key switches that feel good, and decent feedback.

Ever since I heard about Das Keyboard (maybe 9 months ago?) I’ve been interested in them. They have the same design philosophy as the model M: solid build, gold plated mechanical keys and beautifully finished. The dollar has been getting better and better, and I finally decided to get one.

They have two models: a professional and an ultimate. They’re the same price and have exactly the same features with one subtle difference. The Ultimate is blank.

Yes, completely blank. No labels. Nada.

I’ve spent 30 years touch typing so I never look at the keys. After using my new Ultimate all day I didn’t have a problem.

What I bought this keyboard for is the keystroke, however, and I have to say that the feel of this keyboard is heavenly. It is without doubt the nicest keyboard I have ever, ever used. The feedback and the feel of each keystroke is sublime. Beautifully weighted, each keystroke has the perfect amount of feedback and a well balanced ‘click’ as the keystroke registers.

This keyboard is that good that I’m actually looking forward to getting back to work on Monday so I can start typing again.

It’s a beautifully crafted piece of hardware that stands head and shoulders above the junk that people sell as keyboards these days. A truly great product. 10/10.