Introduction:
Earlier on this year I reviewed the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate. Which was a brilliant keyboard that I really enjoy using. Having two computer it was really annoying switching from a mechanical to membrane keyboard, as membrane ones felt really mushy.
Today I'll be looking at my recently purchased DasKeyboard Professional Silent using Cherry MX Browns and a minimalist design.
Technical Specifications
First Looks
The packaging for the keyboard is quite simple as you can see with a nice big picture of the keyboard at the front and some technical specifications at the back.
The keyboard itself is wrapped snugglie with a bit of foam to protect it from minor bumps and scratches.
The keyboard itself is made from a glossy plastic, which will no doubt attract fingerprints, however DasKeyboard were smart enough to realize this and added a microfibre cloth to keep it nice, shiny and clean. This particular model comes with lasered keys that are sculpted for extra comfort. The lasered lettering also means the lettering will be a lot more durable than the commonly utilised pad printed keys, and if you are paying $150 AUD, which is enough for a HD6790, you would want your keyboard to last.
There are also alternative models that feature Cherry MX Blues and with or without lettering.
The keyboard comes with a 2 metre or 6.6ft long and a USB to PS2 adaptor. If you are given the choice between the two PS/2 is the way to go since it supports full nkey rollover, meaning you can press every key down at the same time and all the keys will register. If you are using it in USB mode you will be limited to 6 keys at the same time. The other cable connects to the USB2.0 headers at the side of the keyboard. The USB headers on this particular keyboard will run at USB2.0, but if you plug in two devices the bandwidth will be split.
The Caps Lock, Num Lock and Scroll Lock LEDs are nicely concealed at the top right and can only be seen when they are activated. Not when you look look at it from the side you can just glimpse the blue LED underneath.
Testing
Typing on this keyboard is a different experience, it's distinctly different from both the Blackwidow , which has Cherry MX Blues and your regular membrane keyboards. The keys on this keyboard require very little force to push down yet they do offer nice tactile feedback when typing, and is really quiet unless you bottom out the key, since for mechanical keyboards you only need to compress the keys halfway. The only thing that's really bugging me is if you press down on the spacebar really hard you a weird hollow metal echoing noise, it's also audible from the enter and other long keys, but it's most prominent on the spacebar, and it's a high pitch ringing, which I personally find really annoying. But when it comes to the actual feel of the keys they are extremely comfortable to type or game on.
The lettering on the keyboard is quite prominent and can be easily felt when you rub your hands over the keys. The keyboard also has my preferred layout without the L shaped enter key. The keyboard itself does lack features, as there aren't any drivers, macro keys, backlighting or LCD Screens, but no everyone needs does with their keyboards. Also This keyboard does lack media keys, so no skipping songs in the middle of a BF:BC2 game.
Conclusion
The DasKeyboard Professional Silent is a wonderful keyboard to type on. It combines a minimal design with the lack of 'gaming' features such as backlit, macro keys or LCD screens. This keyboard is probably for those purists that don't want any of does gimmicky features and at the end of the day, all the keyboard needs to be is, well a keyboard and this is definitely a really nice keyboard to type on. Using this keyboard you can not only type on it comfortable, but if it is in PS/2 mode you can also roll your face on the keys and it will register everything.
However this keyboard also has its flaws. The glossy plastic looks great, but does attract fingerprints, however it's definitely more resilient to prints when compared to my BlackWidow. The main issue I have with the keyboard is the echoing/ringing spacebar, now since it is of a higher frequency, older users probably won't be able to hear this ringing noise, but I however can, so I'll definitely be wearing headphones when using this keyboard. Finally there is the price, this keyboard is priced on par with the Razer Blackwidow and Logitech G19, yet doesn't have any of their features, but whether or not that matters is up to you, personally I don't care, but some might.
Overall this is a great keyboard one only want to use their keyboard as a keyboard, not as a a pretty light show or something with a screen to check their CPU temperature on. The keyboard is fairly solid, with the only real issue being the weird ringing spacebar, which will hopefully disappear through some extended use.
Pros:
Mechanical Keyboard
Full N-Key Rollover
Sleek Looks
Mediocre:
Glossy surface requires occasional cleaning
Con:
Ringing Spacebar
Price!
Earlier on this year I reviewed the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate. Which was a brilliant keyboard that I really enjoy using. Having two computer it was really annoying switching from a mechanical to membrane keyboard, as membrane ones felt really mushy.
Today I'll be looking at my recently purchased DasKeyboard Professional Silent using Cherry MX Browns and a minimalist design.
Technical Specifications
First Looks
The packaging for the keyboard is quite simple as you can see with a nice big picture of the keyboard at the front and some technical specifications at the back.
The keyboard itself is wrapped snugglie with a bit of foam to protect it from minor bumps and scratches.
The keyboard itself is made from a glossy plastic, which will no doubt attract fingerprints, however DasKeyboard were smart enough to realize this and added a microfibre cloth to keep it nice, shiny and clean. This particular model comes with lasered keys that are sculpted for extra comfort. The lasered lettering also means the lettering will be a lot more durable than the commonly utilised pad printed keys, and if you are paying $150 AUD, which is enough for a HD6790, you would want your keyboard to last.
There are also alternative models that feature Cherry MX Blues and with or without lettering.
The keyboard comes with a 2 metre or 6.6ft long and a USB to PS2 adaptor. If you are given the choice between the two PS/2 is the way to go since it supports full nkey rollover, meaning you can press every key down at the same time and all the keys will register. If you are using it in USB mode you will be limited to 6 keys at the same time. The other cable connects to the USB2.0 headers at the side of the keyboard. The USB headers on this particular keyboard will run at USB2.0, but if you plug in two devices the bandwidth will be split.
The Caps Lock, Num Lock and Scroll Lock LEDs are nicely concealed at the top right and can only be seen when they are activated. Not when you look look at it from the side you can just glimpse the blue LED underneath.
Testing
Typing on this keyboard is a different experience, it's distinctly different from both the Blackwidow , which has Cherry MX Blues and your regular membrane keyboards. The keys on this keyboard require very little force to push down yet they do offer nice tactile feedback when typing, and is really quiet unless you bottom out the key, since for mechanical keyboards you only need to compress the keys halfway. The only thing that's really bugging me is if you press down on the spacebar really hard you a weird hollow metal echoing noise, it's also audible from the enter and other long keys, but it's most prominent on the spacebar, and it's a high pitch ringing, which I personally find really annoying. But when it comes to the actual feel of the keys they are extremely comfortable to type or game on.
The lettering on the keyboard is quite prominent and can be easily felt when you rub your hands over the keys. The keyboard also has my preferred layout without the L shaped enter key. The keyboard itself does lack features, as there aren't any drivers, macro keys, backlighting or LCD Screens, but no everyone needs does with their keyboards. Also This keyboard does lack media keys, so no skipping songs in the middle of a BF:BC2 game.
Conclusion
The DasKeyboard Professional Silent is a wonderful keyboard to type on. It combines a minimal design with the lack of 'gaming' features such as backlit, macro keys or LCD screens. This keyboard is probably for those purists that don't want any of does gimmicky features and at the end of the day, all the keyboard needs to be is, well a keyboard and this is definitely a really nice keyboard to type on. Using this keyboard you can not only type on it comfortable, but if it is in PS/2 mode you can also roll your face on the keys and it will register everything.
However this keyboard also has its flaws. The glossy plastic looks great, but does attract fingerprints, however it's definitely more resilient to prints when compared to my BlackWidow. The main issue I have with the keyboard is the echoing/ringing spacebar, now since it is of a higher frequency, older users probably won't be able to hear this ringing noise, but I however can, so I'll definitely be wearing headphones when using this keyboard. Finally there is the price, this keyboard is priced on par with the Razer Blackwidow and Logitech G19, yet doesn't have any of their features, but whether or not that matters is up to you, personally I don't care, but some might.
Overall this is a great keyboard one only want to use their keyboard as a keyboard, not as a a pretty light show or something with a screen to check their CPU temperature on. The keyboard is fairly solid, with the only real issue being the weird ringing spacebar, which will hopefully disappear through some extended use.
Pros:
Mechanical Keyboard
Full N-Key Rollover
Sleek Looks
Mediocre:
Glossy surface requires occasional cleaning
Con:
Ringing Spacebar
Price!
