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Review: Das Keyboard Professional

Das one-ups IBM¿s classic Model M keyboard with its Pro Model S, which blends the fun clackity-clack of yore with modern benefits.
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Rating:

9/10

WIRED
Gold-plated mechanical switches under the keys make a nice old-school clatter. Fire up a cigar and pour a stiff drink — you'll be pounding out emails like Hemingway in no time. Recognizes up to six keys pressed simultaneously for your sick Warcraft macros. Two USB ports.
TIRED
No more typing on the sly while on conference calls. Zero ergonomic features.

People have practically written poetry and love songs to the prince of keyboards, the IBM Model M. Its mechanical, spring-loaded switches gave it legendary durability and a distinct clacking sound that dominated computer labs in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Although IBM and Lexmark have long since abandoned the Model M, Das has done them one better, creating an updated version of the classic, complete with modern flourishes. This keyboard, called the Professional Model S, is much like the Model M, with mechanical switches and gold-plated contacts. The switches are rated for 50 million keystrokes and are just as clackity-clacktastic when pressed. Typing is actually fun on a Das, not a mushy chore like it is on the typical slimline keyboard.

When you push a key on the Das Keyboard, just as with a Model M, you know the stroke has registered. By comparison, today's pathetic keyboards, with their flimsy rubber domes beneath the pads, there's no telling whether any single keystroke has been a success.

Set up for the current era, the Das Keyboard Professional Model S offers a much smaller footprint than the Model M, an extremely long USB cable, and an integrated two-port USB hub. Gamers will also appreciate that the Das Keyboard Professional can recognize up to six simultaneous key presses. Hands down, it's the best keyboard on the market today.