Author Topic: Considering to buy a "Das Keyboard Ultimate S", but more than a fancy G80-3000?  (Read 1260 times)

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Offline JayvH

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As you can see from my first thread I have a history with mechanical keyboards although I wasn't aware of it in the old times. Anyway I got a Cherry G80-3000 LSCDE-2 (blues with german layout and in black) for my working place and I'm pretty happy with the feeling of typing again. So I'm considering to get a mechanical keyboard for my dekstop at home as I'm currently using a G81-3000 (from 2003) which is ok and far better than the regular rubber dome stuff which my colleagues use (default Dell keyboards). The design of the G80-3000 isn't too bad but it hasn't the quality of the old one. The new (made in Czech Republic) compared to the G80-3000 HFD (made in Germany, early 90s) which is connected to my mother's computer, that I passed on to her when I moved away, is by far lighter. The keyboard is also lighter than my G81 (also made in Germany 2006) and the distance between the keys is bigger in comparison to the old G80-3000.

So I'm interested in getting a "Das Keyboard Ultimate S", which seems to be a heavy board by reading the reviews. I like the blank keycaps (badass), I like the USB hub (not a reason to buy it), but I'm not a big fan of the glossy finish because everything on my PC is matt finished. The big question is, is the board more than a 3 times expensive G80-3000 with blank keycaps, USB hub and glossy finish. Is the feeling to type on it better than on the new G80-3000?

I think ideal keyboard would be an old G80-3000 in black, with windows keys and all of them two-shot injection molded.

Offline furry_angina

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Considering to buy a "Das Keyboard Ultimate S", but more than a fancy G80-3000?
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 13 February 2012, 02:48:01 »
I've had some experience with the Das Ultimate S.  It definitely is a looker, although I prefer tenkeyless layouts myself.  You can always get a set of blank keycaps for Cherry's somewhere.  The USB hub is a nice addition especially for laptop users, since only a handful of mechanicals have this feature.  I can't really compare the board to the G80-3000, but I can tell you that I'd rather have a Filco than the Das.  The Filco feels a little bit more solid than the Das.

The best way really would be to try the Das for yourself if you can find it on display somewhere.
HHKB2 w/ M705 Realforce 87UB w/ G9

Offline JayvH

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Considering to buy a "Das Keyboard Ultimate S", but more than a fancy G80-3000?
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 13 February 2012, 04:04:59 »
Unfortunately the Das Keyboard is only distributed in Germany by an online shop. It has a right of cancellation for the first fourt weeks but I'd like to avoid the annoyance of running to the post office and stuff.

I don't think I would replace the keycaps on a G80, it's not a deal breaker. It's more the feeling of the typing and I'm curious if the Das is more like an old G80 than the new ones.

Offline SBI

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Considering to buy a "Das Keyboard Ultimate S", but more than a fancy G80-3000?
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 13 February 2012, 06:39:55 »
I love my Das Keyboard, but I guess it's always a matter of taste. I chose the Das instead of the filco for one sole reason: availability here in Switzerland. Now, the Das is, like the filco and many other high-end mechanicals, plate mounted. It's quite heavy and very solid. I have a lot of keyboards to compare to, the Model M of course is more solid, but the G80-1000 that I have is lighter, but about equally stable thanks to the very solid and sturdy case. I'd say the Das is more stable though, thanks to the metal plate. Typing is different, because the G80s are all PCB-mounted. The sound is heavier with the blues, and less pingy (on the G80 that is). I love them both, the old and the new, but my Das is my daily driver.

Offline JayvH

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Considering to buy a "Das Keyboard Ultimate S", but more than a fancy G80-3000?
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 13 February 2012, 16:47:55 »
Thank you for your input. I think I will go for the Das. The Filco looks nice to but 149€ is 30€ more than the Das, which is already pricy.

Offline BiNiaRiS

  • Posts: 486
Considering to buy a "Das Keyboard Ultimate S", but more than a fancy G80-3000?
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 13 February 2012, 18:28:48 »
t!ng has 2 das for sale over on DT you might wanna check that out.

I'm not a fan of the glossy das surface though. It completely ruins it for me.
Check out my sales thread.

KMAC 2 w/ErgoClears
KBC w/Reds and Cherry doubleshots in imsto\'s case
G80-1800HAU w/ErgoClears
Realforce 87UB 55g
KMAC Titanium/Winkeyless (in the mail)

Offline JayvH

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Considering to buy a "Das Keyboard Ultimate S", but more than a fancy G80-3000?
« Reply #6 on: Wed, 15 February 2012, 15:51:38 »
Thank you for the tipp, but I didn't hesitate after my last posting and ordered straight away so now I am already typing on my new keyboard and it is already something totally new. The keys feel a lot different to a standardt Cherry G80-3000 I've to say.