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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Gamenets on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:10:19

Title: Did I make mistake?
Post by: Gamenets on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:10:19
I recently bought my first mechanical keyboard and it was a DAS Keyboard Model S Ultimate. Sadly I didn't come across this forum before I purchased it. While on this forum DAS Keyboards are considered to be low quality, I read petty good reviews on newegg. Should I just return the dam thing and look a better keyboard around the same price or what?
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: kmiller8 on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:21:35
That depends, do you like the board?

Then why does it matter what a few elitist think about it.

Don't let people change your opinion on something. People are biased as heck on this site.

I wouldn't be surprised if the next reply is "buy a HHKB"
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: bueller on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:22:33
I wouldn't be surprised if the next reply is "buy a HHKB"

Hahaha wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. Agree with your other points as well, I wouldn't call the DAS low quality at all.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: neunelfer on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:24:08
As far as I know, the new non-Ultimate Das Keyboards are made by a different manufacturer in China. Since you got an Ultimate, it should be made in Taiwan and be higher quality. As long as you like they keyboard, you didn't make a mistake. I looked past them because of their glossy case - an easy way to get smudged and scratched.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: 1pq on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:26:50
I wouldn't be surprised if the next reply is "buy a HHKB"

lmao

Personally, I prefer TKL over full size, and I've heard that the build quality of the more recent DAS boards has gotten pretty bad since they switched manufacturers. I have one of the older DAS boards (although I recently replaced it with a filco), and while it's a decent board, the shiny case isn't the best and the keycaps are horrible. If I were you, I'd return the thing and get a QFR: it has better build quality, it's cheaper, and it looks better. If you're happy with your DAS, though, you should definitely keep using it.

Or, you could go straight to a HHKB and save yourself a lot of time and money (that one was for you, kmiller8 :P)
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: 1pq on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:28:02
As far as I know, the new non-Ultimate Das Keyboards are made by a different manufacturer in China. Since you got an Ultimate, it should be made in Taiwan and be higher quality. As long as you like they keyboard, you didn't make a mistake. I looked past them because of their glossy case - an easy way to get smudged and scratched.

Oh, I didn't know that the Ultimates were still being manufactured in Taiwan. Good to know.
Still hate the case & the kecyaps though :(
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: HoffmanMyster on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:28:31
I know a lot of people who started with them as their first boards and don't regret it.  When you're new to the hobby you don't know what you'll like and where you'll be in a few months.  I haven't owned one, but from what I can gather they're a very respectable board to start with.  Most people tend to gravitate toward TKL or 60% after awhile though, that's why (I think) you don't see many DAS boards around here.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: eth0s on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:31:12
Well, I was going to tell you to return Das Keyboard to Das Newegg (Neues Ei), and then get two HHKB's.  But, after reading the suggestions above, I guess you could just get one HHKB.  That would save you about $300.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:32:42
It's fine .... the only complaint has been the shiny case.. but otherwise.. even if the quality is slightly worse after changing OEM..

How bad could it be...   Whatever it was, it wasn't changed to iONE... so... ur good to go...
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: HoffmanMyster on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:33:15
Well, I was going to tell you to return Das Keyboard to Das Newegg (Neues Ei), and then get two HHKB's.  But, after reading the suggestions above, I guess you could just get one HHKB.  That would save you about $300.

Might as well just buy one for all your friends too, while you're at it.  Save everyone a whole bunch of time.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:36:00
Well, I was going to tell you to return Das Keyboard to Das Newegg (Neues Ei), and then get two HHKB's.  But, after reading the suggestions above, I guess you could just get one HHKB.  That would save you about $300.

HHKB is not a good idea. unless you've tried the topre switch and have decided that you MUST have that switch.. and that the preference for the SWITCH overrides ALL OTHER factors of the keyboard..

The reason is..

The only thing unique about the HHKB is the fact that it's Topre..

There are NO other facet of its making, that couldn't be had in a Higher quality MORE feature full cherry mx-based keyboard..

ONLY when you decide that your preference for "that switch" is all consuming.. should you get the HHKB.. otherwise... it's NOT objectively a great keyboard..

Now.. Egdx on the other hand... (http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/onion-head/victory-onion-head-emoticon.gif?1292862523)
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: phoenix1234 on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:37:07
I recently bought my first mechanical keyboard and it was a DAS Keyboard Model S Ultimate. Sadly I didn't come across this forum before I purchased it. While on this forum DAS Keyboards are considered to be low quality, I read petty good reviews on newegg. Should I just return the dam thing and look a better keyboard around the same price or what?
My curiosity is that based on which factors/posts/threads you can conclude on this forum DAS Keyboards are considered to be low quality? Which model are you using and where is it made in?

If you have problem with stabilizers, you can try to work around with some silicon grease and Teflon tape.
Everything will just be fine  :thumb:

Maybe different models from different OEM can have different quality but I don't think just because of one defect found on one model we should generalize all of their keyboards are bad.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:38:20
I recently bought my first mechanical keyboard and it was a DAS Keyboard Model S Ultimate. Sadly I didn't come across this forum before I purchased it. While on this forum DAS Keyboards are considered to be low quality, I read petty good reviews on newegg. Should I just return the dam thing and look a better keyboard around the same price or what?
My curiosity is that based on which factors/posts/threads you can conclude on this forum DAS Keyboards are considered to be low quality? Which model are you using and where is it made in?

If you have problem with stabilizers, you can try to work around with some silicon grease and Teflon tape.
Everything will just be fine  :thumb:

Maybe different models from different OEM can have different quality but I don't think just because of one defect found on one model we should generalize all of their keyboards are bad.

No one fully determined that DAS has become "" LOW" quality..  it has only been determined that part of the line-up is no longer produced by the original COSTAR, OEM.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: 1pq on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:46:09
ONLY when you decide that your preference for "that switch" is all consuming.. should you get the HHKB.. otherwise... it's NOT objectively a great keyboard..

This statement is sooo far from objective...

Just wondering, tp, how long did you type on topre switches?
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: bueller on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:47:11
ONLY when you decide that your preference for "that switch" is all consuming.. should you get the HHKB.. otherwise... it's NOT objectively a great keyboard..

This statement is sooo far from objective...

Just wondering, tp, how long did you type on topre switches?

Haha come on man, we all know that tp4 doesn't actually have any mechs.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: Gamenets on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:48:15
I think I should clarify somethings that I should have in my first post. So ordered the DAS Keyboard Model S Ultimate day before yesterday and still haven't received it. I just found this forum doing some research on mechanical keyboard and found that DAS keyboards have been lowering in quilty as time progresses. Since I suffer from buyer's remorse I was posting to get some sort of feedback on if I should return it when it arrives and if so what keyboard in the 100~150 range should o be looking at.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: 1pq on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:49:17
ONLY when you decide that your preference for "that switch" is all consuming.. should you get the HHKB.. otherwise... it's NOT objectively a great keyboard..

This statement is sooo far from objective...

Just wondering, tp, how long did you type on topre switches?

Haha come on man, we all know that tp4 doesn't actually have any mechs.

For a guy who says that layout/ergonomics is more important than switch feel, it's not hard to believe :P
Maybe he should try the MS Ergo 4000...

JK no hate tp -- but could you mention the ergodox more?
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: phoenix1234 on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:51:27
As far as I know, the new non-Ultimate Das Keyboards are made by a different manufacturer in China. Since you got an Ultimate, it should be made in Taiwan and be higher quality. As long as you like they keyboard, you didn't make a mistake. I looked past them because of their glossy case - an easy way to get smudged and scratched.

No one fully determined that DAS has become "" LOW" quality..  it has only been determined that part of the line-up is no longer produced by the original COSTAR, OEM.

Great points, then they might just have changed the OEM, the Das Ultimate S Keyboards keyboard is still made in Taiwan and everything is ok.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: 1pq on Thu, 26 December 2013, 23:52:08
I think I should clarify somethings that I should have in my first post. So ordered the DAS Keyboard Model S Ultimate day before yesterday and still haven't received it. I just found this forum doing some research on mechanical keyboard and found that DAS keyboards have been lowering in quilty as time progresses. Since I suffer from buyer's remorse I was posting to get some sort of feedback on if I should return it when it arrives and if so what keyboard in the 100~150 range should o be looking at.

QFR all the way. Or if you want top notch quality, you could shell out a few extra bucks for a filco.
That's MX, anyway. I believe you have all the info on the switch-that-cannot-be-named boards.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: kmiller8 on Fri, 27 December 2013, 00:00:17
I think I should clarify somethings that I should have in my first post. So ordered the DAS Keyboard Model S Ultimate day before yesterday and still haven't received it. I just found this forum doing some research on mechanical keyboard and found that DAS keyboards have been lowering in quilty as time progresses. Since I suffer from buyer's remorse I was posting to get some sort of feedback on if I should return it when it arrives and if so what keyboard in the 100~150 range should o be looking at.

Listen dude, don't let buyers remorse ruin your first keyboard experience. People are going to recommend some ****ty small keyboard that will have a crappy layout you're not used to, and then you're stuck learning a new layout and how to type on mechanical switches. At least let the board arrive and give it a few days before posting a thread about what a terrible decision you've made. Just because some crazy people think they're "degrading" in quality doesn't mean anything, they're still just a costar-stabilized plate-mount MX keyboard, no matter if you pay $50 or $200, all the boards will feel and perform the same with the same switches.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: 1pq on Fri, 27 December 2013, 00:16:01
I think I should clarify somethings that I should have in my first post. So ordered the DAS Keyboard Model S Ultimate day before yesterday and still haven't received it. I just found this forum doing some research on mechanical keyboard and found that DAS keyboards have been lowering in quilty as time progresses. Since I suffer from buyer's remorse I was posting to get some sort of feedback on if I should return it when it arrives and if so what keyboard in the 100~150 range should o be looking at.

Listen dude, don't let buyers remorse ruin your first keyboard experience. People are going to recommend some ****ty small keyboard that will have a crappy layout you're not used to, and then you're stuck learning a new layout and how to type on mechanical switches. At least let the board arrive and give it a few days before posting a thread about what a terrible decision you've made. Just because some crazy people think they're "degrading" in quality doesn't mean anything, they're still just a costar-stabilized plate-mount MX keyboard, no matter if you pay $50 or $200, all the boards will feel and perform the same with the same switches.

If he's happy with the das, that's great. However, there are lost of concerns about the taiwanese-made das that he should know about (this is from someone who's owned one): it's shiny case gets dirty quickly, and the keycaps are terrible and shine up very easily. I'm suggesting the QFR because it doesn't have any of those flaws, plus it's cheaper.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: tbc on Fri, 27 December 2013, 00:24:01
personally, I think having someone start with a $100+ mech is rather silly unless you require backlighting and the TK won't work for you.

keyboards takes YEARS to differentiate themselves when you're playing in the <~$150 area (eg the mechs you can buy from computer stores).  unless it's a razer board; then it only takes 6 months.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: Tony on Fri, 27 December 2013, 00:46:53
Don't be so worried, we are human. That is only your first mistake.

I am glad to tell you that once you bought a mechanical keyboard and came here asking for opinions, you will surely make several mistakes in a row. That's how collectors like me get so many keyboards.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: dustinhxc on Fri, 27 December 2013, 00:47:57
Hey its all up to you man! Do some searching and if you decide you want a different board based off reviews in the next 30 days then return it!  :cool:
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: terran5992 on Fri, 27 December 2013, 01:26:11
If you like the keyboard , its not a mistake
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 27 December 2013, 01:30:26
If you like the keyboard , its not a mistake

ahh.... 

the only exception.. If you buy a razer... MISTAKE..........!!!!!(http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/onion_custom/th_aji.gif)
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: Pacifist on Fri, 27 December 2013, 01:32:02
If you like the keyboard , its not a mistake

ahh.... 

the only exception.. If you buy a razer... MISTAKE..........!!!!!
Show Image
(http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/onion_custom/th_aji.gif)


but i liek my green gamer lights
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 27 December 2013, 01:33:41
If you like the keyboard , its not a mistake

ahh.... 

the only exception.. If you buy a razer... MISTAKE..........!!!!!
Show Image
(http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/onion_custom/th_aji.gif)


but i liek my green gamer lights

razer f.. ed me up the azz so many times...  almost as bad as OCZ...
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: rowdy on Fri, 27 December 2013, 01:40:06
One of the guys at work has a Das Keyboard - he absolutely loves it.

Razer seems to have the lowest satisfaction rating around here - but there are also people who have no problems at all with their Razer.

If you can't see anything wrong with it, then stick with it!  Remember why you bought it in the first place.

When you start to get curious about a different layout, or different switches, then maybe try a different manufacturer.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: 1pq on Fri, 27 December 2013, 01:40:40
If you like the keyboard , its not a mistake

ahh.... 

the only exception.. If you buy a razer... MISTAKE..........!!!!!
Show Image
(http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/onion_custom/th_aji.gif)


but i liek my green gamer lights

razer f.. ed me up the azz so many times...  almost as bad as OCZ...

Razer mice are nice...and my Vertex 4 is a great SSD (although I heard they had problems with earlier SSDs)
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: terran5992 on Fri, 27 December 2013, 01:51:42
If you like the keyboard , its not a mistake

ahh.... 

the only exception.. If you buy a razer... MISTAKE..........!!!!!
Show Image
(http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/onion_custom/th_aji.gif)


Its just because razer doesnt liek tp4
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: kyb on Fri, 27 December 2013, 02:50:51
I recently bought my first mechanical keyboard and it was a DAS Keyboard Model S Ultimate. Sadly I didn't come across this forum before I purchased it. While on this forum DAS Keyboards are considered to be low quality, I read petty good reviews on newegg. Should I just return the dam thing and look a better keyboard around the same price or what?

Nah, the DAS is a nice board. I've got one as my first mechanical (well, a lie - I had a M back in the 90s but was too dumb to keep it) and if I wasn't the keyboard sperglord I am I would still be totally happy with it. The problem is: I got more into keyboard Asperger's and spent a ****load of money on this hobby. So yeah, I consider different things when looking at keyboards than the average user. Things that the normal guy who just wants to type comfortably doesn't need to know about.

Keep your DAS, give it a try. Only send it back/sell it if you think that you don't like it. And "bad build quality" in this forums is like "bad build quality" in Leica camera owner's forums. Where Nikons and Canons that cost $2000+ are considered "bad build quality" because they're "worse" than the $8000 Leicas. Even the Chinese DAS is still better than all rubber domes on the market combined.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: 1pq on Fri, 27 December 2013, 10:58:34
Ooh, Leica...
M Monochrom is my dream camera!
Insanely overpriced though. I'll never be able to afford one :(
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: jangozo on Sun, 29 December 2013, 01:52:22
I went with Das Ultimate with Cherry MX Browns for my first keyboard also. I'm so glad I chose this keyboard. To me it looks so much nicer and sleeker than the rest of the keyboards offered.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: terran5992 on Sun, 29 December 2013, 07:25:20
I went with Das Ultimate with Cherry MX Browns for my first keyboard also. I'm so glad I chose this keyboard. To me it looks so much nicer and sleeker than the rest of the keyboards offered.

Did you get the old one or the new one?
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: jangozo on Sun, 29 December 2013, 07:33:31
I went with Das Ultimate with Cherry MX Browns for my first keyboard also. I'm so glad I chose this keyboard. To me it looks so much nicer and sleeker than the rest of the keyboards offered.

Did you get the old one or the new one?

It's made in Taiwan and the space bar is with two stabilizers. I haven't looked at the board itself to check the soldering but I think it's old one.
Title: Re: Did I make mistake?
Post by: BucklingSpring on Sun, 29 December 2013, 10:23:02
Listen dude, don't let buyers remorse ruin your first keyboard experience.

EXACTLY!!! -> Enjoy your keyboard man. Use it until it fails you.

(Unless you want to turn into another keyboard junkie.)