Are DAS keyboards any good?

[Jixr]

Hey everyone, I have a QFR in blues at home that I love 100%, but I have been looking to get one at work, and have either decided on reds or browns ( i've used reds but not browns ) and I found a das ultimate s in browns.

Can i get some opinions on this keyboard?

I've been working a lot lately, then at home go pretty much straight to the computer to work on my other personal projects and such, and my hands have been hurting a bit recently, and i think its from pounding on my office dell chicklet keyboard like its my blues at home.

[SpAmRaY]

I have no opinion as I've never tried a DAS but I do know there are differences between the older models and the current models that some people seem to not like.

[Photekq]

All I can say is.. that gloss.

The gloss is the worst part about it.

[Jixr]

well I can find them on the local CL, but i've never used browns, but if i buy another board online I may quickly find out i prefer reds or another color to browns.

[pixel5]

I've had a Das before. I can tell you that they really aren't worth their cost. Get a Quickfire XT.

[Jixr]

Yeah, i'll probably just end up ordering another QFR in reds ( or mabye greens, they seem so tempting ) and just get another set of custom keycaps for it.

[suparnemo]

I've had a Das before. I can tell you that they really aren't worth their cost. Get a Quickfire XT.

I'd go for a Quickfire XT as well.

[divito]

Own a Das Ultimate with blues and have no complaints. Only thing I've grown tired of over the past year is the gloss, but I'm about to mod it so that's not really an issue anymore.

[TimIsABat]

There are definitely better keyboads in the market. You can be awesome as well and not go standard layout and get a Filco or Leopold...or even better...go 60%.

If you want to get a fullsize keyboard, CM Storm has many good ones, Filco, Leopold...and if you have more money: Realforce.

Or be uber awesome and get an IBM Model M

[Leslieann]

Depends on the model.
Some DAS are still made like the older ones, inside it's a Costar, same as a Filco or QFR. Unfortunately not all are made by them anymore.

The biggest complaints against the Costar boards is price, gloss finish and shape. None of which is really a quality issue.
If you just want a cheap quality board, get a QFR.

[SonicRevolution]

I own the DAS Cherry Blues with blank keycaps.

Couple of things.  The keycaps on these new ones especially are very thin but not in a bad way.  For comparison, the Cherry Blue's on my Razor Ultimate are exactly the same switches, but because Razor's are thicker slightly, it seems to wobble more.  This is very different from say my Noppo Choco Cherry Blues which have thicker keycaps but have less wobble.

So in my experience, besides switches, the next thing to consider are the type of KEYCAPS you like.  There's no right answer, whatever works for you.  It appears that each company, especially the mass produced BIG companies have wide array of keycap types.  I'm not sure how to classify them.

Personally, I love the DAS, but only after I installed the O-Ring dampeners from WASD keyboard which reduces noise and the bottoming out.  It feels great and current has the honors of being my main gaming board, dethroning the new Corsair K70 Black with Cherry Red Switches - which is crazy because this Corsair I would say is the BEST of the mass-produced non-import gaming mech hands down!

As for the glare, it's a good motivator for wiping and keeping your keyboard shiny and clean.   

[zoolzoo]

Well...they are big, shiny, and ugly. So no.

[Atlus]

I was planning on getting a Das Keyboard Model S Professional but after reading the reviews about the new model I decided against it and got a QFR instead. I hear the ultimate is still a Costar board which is the one you said you were interested in and people don't seem to be having issues with.

[Hyde]

I own the old Costar Das Keyboard with MX Brown.  Which at the time of purchase was the cheapest full size Costar board out there.  Also I don't mind the gloss, it kind of stands out amongst my other keyboards and it's kind of fun to not have all your keyboards looking exactly the same.  Quality wise it's a Costar so no problem at all.

However at the current moment you're very unlikely to find a older model Das Keyboard.  The review on the new ones doesn't seem that good.

So I'd advise you get a QuickFire XT or QuickFire Rapid instead.