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Let me give you a quick run-down of what this thing actually is. There are keyboards that are manufactured in mass quantities today, and then there are keyboards which sound like small claps of thunder every time you type on them. These are generally older model keyboards and are, for the most part, removed from today’s computing. But what were they exactly, and why the hell were they so loud?

The answer may surprise you. I’m lying, the answer is actually pretty boring, but for a dude like myself it’s interesting. Those types of keyboards are called Mechanical keyboards. I won’t go into the exact mechanism as to how they work (you can look that up yourself), but most claim that these old-style keyboards actually make you type faster than most modern keyboards. This is partly due to the distinctive “click” of the keys, and partly due to the way they feel. You also don’t have to fully press down on the key for it to register, which may sound weird at first, but when you start typing at increasingly fast speeds and your fingers blaze over the keyboard like a hobo on crack, you’ll notice that you won’t press down all the way when your finger comes into contact with the key.

Okay back to the actual review at hand: The Das Model S Professional for Mac. Das has been making mechanical keyboards for a little while now, and they certainly have their fans (for good reason). This keyboard actually isn’t any different than their standard Professional S model aside from the fact that it’s designed for Mac usage.

The good part of this keyboard is that it feels like a mechanical keyboard, and if you’re a fan of them then you’ll know what I’m referring to. The keys aren’t stiff and glide down easily and provide a good tactile feedback with each push, along with the distinctive click. While it is designed for mac, the function of the F keys are slightly different than the keys that are on a standard Mac keyboard. For instance, there are more than 12 F keys, and F14/F15 are the brightness controls, rather than being F1 and F2. I’m sure it’s possible to re-assign those keys, but the decal for the brightness controls is on those keys, thus I refuse to move them. It’s easy to find out what the new layout is: simply go into system preferences and look at the keyboard settings. Everything will be there, and it also doesn’t change the function of your other keyboard, or in my case, the keyboard on my laptop. Freeing up the F keys though is useful for people like me who dabble in programs where we’re constantly pressing F1-F5 and don’t want to adjust brightness or bring up mission control every time we hit those. Yeah, you can turn on the option to make them function as standard F keys, but I don’t want to do that every time. Plus the extra F keys are nice to have around.

The downside to this keyboard is that it, for some reason, takes up two USB spaces. The reasoning behind this is that there are an additional two USB spaces on the side of the keyboard, which receive more power than an ordinary keyboard hub. This seems like a bit of a waste though considering there are keyboards out there that probably use more power, have way more functions, and manage to only use the one USB slot and have two more slots for daisy-chaining. Sure your devices might charge faster, but if you have them plugged in only for charging purposes, it’s probably best just to use a wall outlet. Not that I don’t like having the extra USB space, it just seems a bit odd. I think a Firewire 800 connection really would’ve been awesome, since most Macs since 2008 come with that peripheral, plus you could then chain more USB ports off it (no idea if you can even put a keyboard into this though). The other downside is cost. Even at the discounted price, which you can get if you pre-order it now, rings up at $113.00. Something the average computer user is probably not willing to pay for a keyboard.

Should you buy this? It’s hard to say. If you have previous experience with mechanical keyboards, this one is certainly nice, and I myself do not regret my purchase at all. If you’re simply curious about what mechanical keyboards are, there are cheaper alternatives than this, and if you’re a gamer I believe Razer makes a decent mechanical gaming keyboard.

It doesn’t quite measure up to the golden-standard Model M keyboard, and considering you can find a Model M on ebay for a relatively decent price, this might seem like a waste of money. The fact of the matter though is that Das does make one hell of a keyboard, and it’s hard to go wrong with anything they make. If you have the cash and you’re a fast typist, looking for a sleek, modern, mechanical keyboard for your Mac, I say splurge away.

-Brandon

-Want more info? Visit Das Keyboards.