Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate
There’s something nice about typing on mechanical keyboards. Part feel, part sound— it’s like the clink of a MagSafe plug, the crack of a glowstick, or the knock of car doors locking. And sure, modern keyboards are awesome too (hell, I use an Apple Wireless Keyboard daily) but it’s hard to argue that anything else has quite the same panache as a mechanical keyboard clacking when you’re getting into the typing groove or pwning stupid nubs online.
If you aren’t familiar: a mechanical keyboard is an older type of keyboard that uses a physical switch with a spring under each key. Because of this switch and spring, mechanical keyboards are bulkier than most modern keyboards but feel amazing to type on: they click and snap on release. If you haven’t used one before but spend a lot of your day typing, definitely give one a try.
Because each key has it’s own switch it also benefits from something called n-key rollover. This basically means you can hit as many keys as you want at once and they’ll all register (unlike most modern keyboards). Go ahead, try it — hit more than 10 keys on your keyboard and you’ll notice that only a few register when you start hitting more than 5–6 simultaneously. This is especially useful for PC gamers and typists, which explains the recent resurgence in enthusiast mechanical keyboards.
I’ve mostly used Logitech keyboards throughout my clueless Doritos fueled teen years, but my last keyboard was a Das Keyboard 2. After using that for a few years I knew I wanted my next gaming keyboard to be mechanical too, so when I started putting my new gaming computer together I set off to find the best mechanical keyboard out there. Surprisingly, I landed squarely back at the Metadot Das Keyboard — now in version 4 and set in an awesome matte black aluminum body. A huge upgrade from the glossy black plastic of the version 2. I knew it was gonna be my next keyboard on first sight.
The Das Keyboard 4 sells for $170 and unfortunately comes in a flimsy cardboard box with everything tucked frustratingly tight. The box includes the keyboard, a big red ruler (literally) that doubles as a footbar, and some documentation. Despite the mediocre unboxing experience, as soon as you pull the Das Keyboard 4 out it’s clear why it’s the king of mechanical keyboards. It’s heavy, finished in gorgeous matte black aluminum with matte black keys. The cable is thick and long (2 meters!), perfect for just about any setup.
Here’s a quick rundown of the layout: it’s a standard full keyboard with a numpad and includes a sleep button, music controls, and a volume knob. There are also two USB 3.0 ports on top, handy for quick access to peripherals like USB headsets, thumb drives and so on. The red ruler / footbar magnetically attaches to bottom of the Das Keyboard, tilting it by a comfortable 4 degrees. It feels a lot sturdier than the standard clips that most keyboards come with, though I’m not sure how useful the ruler will be. I’m sure I’ll appreciate it when some catastrophy happens and I desperately need a ruler.
While the volume knob can be useful, for some mind boggling reason (probably branding related) they’ve decided to coat the rim in an obnoxious metallic red. It’s still the most minimal mechanical keyboard on the market, but the knob combined with the blue indicator LEDs and the red footbar feel like a ghostly reminder of other “gaming” keyboards (which look like the outside of a Monster Energy can).
Protip: they’ve now released the cheaper “Compact Edition” which doesn’t have a numpad or volume controls. Definitely worth a look if software volume control isn’t useful to you.
Typing on the Das Keyboard 4 is, as expected: a joy. The gold plated Cherry MX switches have their signature clack (guaranteed to annoy the hell out of the people around you) and feel great to press. I went with the blue switches which make a “clicky” sound and give great feedback when the keystroke registers. Here’s a video of me typing on one for about three minutes.
I mentioned n-key rollover before: the Das Keyboard 4 actually allows you to toggle n-key rollover on and off. A neat feature, but I can’t imagine why you’d ever want it to register fewer keys.
All-in-all the Das Keyboard 4 is definitely the best keyboard I’ve ever had for gaming, holding a nice balance between aesthetics, feel, and utility. No, it isn’t outright beautiful, but for a keyboard with fucking mechanical springs, it’s the best out there. It’s clearly not for everyone though: it’s thick, chunky, and expensive compared to most other keyboards. Unless you’re a hardware enthusiast, gamer, or typist you’ll probably never need or want one of these beasts. If however, you are one of those three types of people — the Das Keyboard 4 is probably the best mechanical keyboard you can get.
