Monday 2008/06/16
6:45 PM

Categories: Tech

Das Keyboard III

das_keyboard_3.jpg

Das Keyboard, Take Three. If this had been announced a month ago I might have paused before importing the Filco. It appears to use the blue Cherry keyswitches, which are a bit clickier (and consequently louder) than the brown switches on the Filco. It also has a USB hub, which the Filco lacks. It would be nice to try one, if only to feel (and hear) how it behaves.

More importantly, the new Das comes in two flavors, one of which has the characters printed on the keys. I can appreciate that not having the keys marked would make you a better touch typist if you stuck with it, but I like that they’re finally giving users another option — especially if they’re less concerned with touch-typing elitism and just want a great-feeling keyboard.

As for the Filco, I’ve settled in after a period of adjustment. It’s a bit higher than the Macally Icekey that it replaced, so my hand position had to change slightly. The keys have a very “light” feel — it doesn’t require much pressure to type a character, so I find myself bottoming out less unless I’m really typing fast.

Responses

James

Friday 2008/09/12 2:24 PM

How do you feel about the Filco now that you’ve had it a while? I’m a real stickler for key-feel, and most keyboards are too mushy for me. I like some scissor-switch laptop keyboards, but I can’t find a desktop one that is in a standard layout (they’re all messed up one way or another).

I’d love to get a mechanical switch keyboard like the filco or the das keyboard, but my main concern is the loudness. I’m a relatively loud typer, so having a clicky keyboard will be annoying for everyone, myself included. How do you feel about the loudness of the cherry brown switches? I truly wish there was a way to try out these keyboards before buying, as I’ve already spent (wasted?) money on a $100 Razer Lycosa (not horrible, but not great) and it’s risky importing the filco w/o being able to try it first.

Thanks for the reviews, at any rate. They definitely help me backseat-type.

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