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A Few Months With A Das Keyboard Model 4

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  • A Few Months With A Das Keyboard Model 4

    Phoronix: A Few Months With A Das Keyboard Model 4

    A few months ago, after moving into my new apartment, I decided that I was ready for an upgrade to my PC. New CPU? Nope. New graphics card? Nope. More RAM? Nah. I decided to try my hand at my first ever mechanical keyboard. After doing some Google research and attempting to sort through what others thought the best 'starter' mechanical keyboard was as far as reliability and quality one name continued to come up: Das.

    Phoronix, Linux Hardware Reviews, Linux hardware benchmarks, Linux server benchmarks, Linux benchmarking, Desktop Linux, Linux performance, Open Source graphics, Linux How To, Ubuntu benchmarks, Ubuntu hardware, Phoronix Test Suite

  • #2
    You should try an old IBM model M keyboard.

    I still use a 1988 one, and one from 1986 on spare.

    Nothing can beat it, nothing beats the quality.

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    • #3
      I prefer a very quiet mechanical keyboard for gaming and typing, although I'm using an Apple keyboard which is very thin. I blindtype with keyboard below my monitor.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by ossuser View Post
        You should try an old IBM model M keyboard.

        I still use a 1988 one, and one from 1986 on spare.

        Nothing can beat it, nothing beats the quality.
        I have IBM model M too. Also I have bit older IBM keyboard which have a bit strange layout. Sadly one key is stuck in it, will have to fix it. I wonder how many M keyboards has been tossed into a bin and how people were not aware at all that better keyboards would not be supplied with computers in ages

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        • #5
          I agree, you need an IBM type "M". Which is now made by Unicomp. I have been using one since 2005 same keyboard, they are really indestructible. Here is where I have got mine and all of my friends computers who have fell in love with my keyboard. http://www.pckeyboard.com/ I have never seen one go bad but just in case the website does sell parts.

          I just can't say enough good about they type M keyboards, they are the gold standard of keyboards in my opinion.

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          • #6
            Think I'd rather stick with the $80/90 Coolermaster Storm Quickfire mechanical keyboards, which does come with a keycap puller, extra WASD keys, doesn't bend, comes with a detachable USB cable, PS/2 to USB adapter and, optionally, LED backlit. The Cherry MX Blues are very clicky, but the Browns and Reds aren't loud at all. The browns simply have a slight bump when you press them down.

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            • #7
              $173 for a keyboard with staggered keys! Ouch! I would suggest a TypeMatrix (non mechanical) or TrulyErgonomic instead.

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              • #8
                Backlight is a must for me.
                Last edited by DanL; 19 July 2015, 11:56 AM.

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                • #9
                  Hi Michael,
                  I have the same keyboard, for over one year now, just brought it when it came out. My keyboard was also a bit bent, and I was also disappointed because of the general quality for that price. But it looks good and I really like typing on it, so it's okay.
                  My Question: After buying, there was a very strong "new product smell", which became less and less, so I did not recognized it any more after maybe three months, in the case of normal working. But even after one year now, there is still a pretty strong smell, if you get closer to the keyboard with your nose. A *very* strong unhealthy stinky smell. I asked the support, but they told me, there were no other reports of that problem. Does your keyboard also smell, if you get nearer with your nose?
                  Thanks in advance and also thanks for all your other articles!

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                  • #10
                    I prefer high-quality scissors keyboards (Logitech Ultra X, BTC 6340, etc to name a few). They have smaller key movement, yet provide great tactile feedback. So it is a real fun to type on such keyboards. Mechanical keyboards usually fun to use too, sure. At least, mechanical keyboards would beat common cheap membrane-based keyboards any day. But mechanic keyboards usually have very large key travel distance and I do not like that - it counts as major disadvantage for me. If you type a lot on keyboard (e.g. programming), large key travel puts extra strain on fingers. On other hand, high-quality scissors-based keyboards are really fingers-friendly. As long as they have high-quality scissors. Low quality "slim" keyboards could lack scissors mechanic at all, using just membrane, which is real shit. But scissors mechanic is rather complicated, so it adds some extra bucks to keyboard price and generally, good scissors keyboards cost around $30+ or so. If something goes below that, there is chance there was no scissors or scissors have very low quality (as seen on some Genius keyboards, etc).

                    I can especially mention BTC 6340 kbd, which proven to be high quality scissors device while its price tag tends to be quite modest. And it also washable! So if it gets dirty, or you spill coffee on it, you can clear it reasonably and it would survive that. Logitech had very cool Ultra-X series. Yet they mostly abandoned it in favor of some strange crap, either overengineered, expensive (and I'm personally not a big fan of sending my passwords over the air, so I do not want wireless keyboard at all). Or they have some low-quality "office keyboard" shit. And no anything similar to their Ultra X anymore . Or I miss something. Actually that was a reason to try "similar" BTC after my last Ultra X finally died (after 5+ years of intense service) and I failed to find same keyboard in local stores.
                    Last edited by SystemCrasher; 19 July 2015, 02:01 PM.

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