das keyboard silent

R

rampantandroid

[H]ard|Gawd
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Hi All,

Just got my Das Keyboard Model S Silent....and my impression is...well, it's mushy. REALLY mushy. Terribly mushy (i feel no resistance to my fingers hitting the keys, the keys have movement to them, but that's all. My typing has gotten an order of magnitude WORSE on this thing.) I'd throw the damn thing across the room, but it'd probably damage whatever it hit. My question is: is this the silent version being a POS, or is this just the feel of das keyboard, and I need to just realize it's not for me and move on?

If it's the silent being crap, I'll see if they'll exchange it and be happy...if not, return it if possible....esp since I had to retype this message 5 times because of typos.

Thanks!
RA
 
The regular DAS Keyboard mimics the IBM Model M style buckling spring switches fairly well. It's a good feeling keyboard. I've never heard of the silent model, but it doesn't surprise me that you'd hate it. To get a silent key stroke they'd have to do something crappy with the switches.
 
Dan_D said:
The regular DAS Keyboard mimics the IBM Model M style buckling spring switches fairly well. It's a good feeling keyboard. I've never heard of the silent model, but it doesn't surprise me that you'd hate it. To get a silent key stroke they'd have to do something crappy with the switches.
Click to expand...

It's part of the newer model S, they have the normal version, and the silent version. Trying to be kind to my officemate, I got the silent...but for the price of the damn thing, well...the silent version is annoying for me. They have a 30 day-no questions asked return/exchange offer, so I think I'll use that.
 
Which switches are on the silent version? Pop off the escape key. I just got a filco tenkeyless with linear black switches and they are awesome.
 
The switch is brown? Not sure what that is (Cherry MX Browns? Poking around, they're supposed to be "softer"...and I just don't like it.)

What KB do you have? Is exchanging for the non-Silent Model S worth it (I think it uses Cherry MX Blue switches, which are a step below your blacks?), or should I look straight to Filco or something?

The FN keys on the Das Keyboard ARE soemthing I want... :)
 
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I would describe my Das Keyboard Ultimate as anything but mushy. Of course, it uses different key switches than the silent model. It's noisy, but it's wonderfully "crisp" to type on compared to my rubber membrane boards.

Aren't the Browns supposed to be tactile, though? I thought there would still be an audible and tactile click, just quieter than the Blues...the Blacks are what I would expect to feel mushy, since it's just a linear press all the way down with no tactile activation point. But the Blacks get a lot of love also, and I doubt they would if they were in fact mushy.
 
The blacks i guess are not offered by Das. They dont click at all and are pretty stiff mainly for gaming. The blue's are really noisy with the click, and the noise you are probably hearing from the browns is because you are bottoming out the keys. The blacks also make noise when you bottom them out.
 
imyourzero said:
Aren't the Browns supposed to be tactile, though? I thought there would still be an audible and tactile click, just quieter than the Blues...the Blacks are what I would expect to feel mushy, since it's just a linear press all the way down with no tactile activation point. But the Blacks get a lot of love also, and I doubt they would if they were in fact mushy.
Click to expand...

I just got a Filco with the brown switches. The switch is tactile, but you can only just barely feel the click if you press the key down slowly. In normal typing, I don't feel it at all -- I just feel the key bottoming out. But if you have a light enough touch to sense the click and not bottom out the key, it would be nearly silent. I really like the keyboard though...it's not mushy, has nicely textured keys, and looks really nice. I prefer it to my Das Pro with Cherry blues. I may even like it better than my buckling spring boards, but I've only had it a few days.
 
Metaluna said:
I just got a Filco with the brown switches. The switch is tactile, but you can only just barely feel the click if you press the key down slowly. In normal typing, I don't feel it at all -- I just feel the key bottoming out. But if you have a light enough touch to sense the click and not bottom out the key, it would be nearly silent. I really like the keyboard though...it's not mushy, has nicely textured keys, and looks really nice. I prefer it to my Das Pro with Cherry blues. I may even like it better than my buckling spring boards, but I've only had it a few days.
Click to expand...

I'd call the browns mushy myself, but to each their own :p They have no click, I might almost call them linear, they seem very easy to press, and I don't normally slam on the keys. I just found out I can get a non-silent KB cross shipped to me, so I'm going to go forward with that and get that...which will also give me a day or two of having the two KBs side by side...I may post a quick comparison here, since no one has ever bothered to review the silent version yet.

sok0 said:
The blacks i guess are not offered by Das. They dont click at all and are pretty stiff mainly for gaming. The blue's are really noisy with the click, and the noise you are probably hearing from the browns is because you are bottoming out the keys. The blacks also make noise when you bottom them out.
Click to expand...

For someone who wants tactile feedback, would the blacks be better than the blues, given my thoughts on the browns?

Thanks all!
 
As sok0 mentioned, the blacks don't have any tactile feedback at all. They're what's referred to as linear switches. In other words, they're even less tactile than the browns, so these would be the exact opposite of what you're looking for if you didn't like the brown switches.
 
Metaluna said:
As sok0 mentioned, the blacks don't have any tactile feedback at all. They're what's referred to as linear switches. In other words, they're even less tactile than the browns, so these would be the exact opposite of what you're looking for if you didn't like the brown switches.
Click to expand...

OK, wasn't sure; Thanks! Much appreciated.
 
The browns are very very light though arent they? And the blacks, have a solid resistance all the way down.
 
I haven't tried the blacks, but I'd say the browns are roughly as light as the blues, just with a much less sharply defined (and very quiet) click. Floating around the 'net somewhere is a chart comparing the force vs. travel of several keyswitches (I don't think it had blues, but it had browns, blacks, and buckling springs, among others). I'll post a link if I can find it.
 
They boards come down to a number of things in the switch type.

Cherry Blues: These are the most common ones that people know. These have the audible click was well as a the click feel as you press the key. This are the middle range keys in terms of force needed to trigger. (Das Keyboard, etc). I think the force on these is about 70grams to trigger.

Opinion on Cherry Blues: I use this at home. I find it a joy to type on and I've grown accustomed to the clicking noise while typing. The CLICK of the keys triggering is also pretty satisfying.

Cherry Browns: These are the lighter weight keyswitches. They require less force to press and don't have the loud click effect when you press down the keys. I think the force on these are about 50grams.

Opinion on Cherry Browns: I use this at work. It is definitely quieter. The keys do seem a bit odd because of the lighter throw weight. The click also isn't as satifying or definitive as the blue switches. The keys wouldn't be defined as mushy, but it definitely depends on the style of typist you are. I do miss the definitive tactile CLICK you get on the blues. It just isn't the same and doesn't feel as good regardless of what is advertised. That being said...these switches are still leagues better than the cheap keyboards you can pick up for a few bucks.

Cherry Blacks: These are the heaviest force keyswitches that are made by Cherry. I think they are around 85grams (maybe 90?). I really haven't used these for extended periods of time...but this is about as close to a Model M as you can get.

I've heard good things about the Topre Realforce keys (which have a uniform force throughout the entire throw of the key....but I've never seen or used one in person.
 
So, having my replacement Das Keyboard, I' rather satisfied; not being used to a non-ergonomic KB I still miss a few keys here and there, but the cherry blues do FAR better for me...I can feel the switch actuating, and I find it far more satisfying to type on. The pressure required to press is about right (but I want to try a keyboard with cherry blacks now)

Overall, I find the non-silent KB to be the best...Now I need a DK for home as well to replace my MS Sidewinder keyboard that can't handle holding down ctrl + w + r (can anyone tell I play FPSes?)

Either way, I now love my KB, though my office mate probably does not...
 
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