Das Keyboard 4 Professional Review 2023

Is the Das Keyboard 4 Professional the BMW of Mechanical Keyboards?

Let’s find out if German engineering in keyboards is all as good as their cars.

Overview of The Das Keyboard 4 Professional

Metadot / Das Keyboards are completely obsessive about the action and feel of a keyboard button when it is pressed. It’s also an obsession with serious gamers, writers and programmers who demand a high quality of keyboard purely down to the amount of hours they spend on them.

Quest For Perfection

With the Das Keyboard 4 Professional, you can clearly see the results of Metadot’s relentless quest for perfection in this aspect of keyboard design and manufacturing. Also the aluminium surface on the new 4 series makes for a sturdier and firmer feel, almost like your fingertips are resting on a nice comfy sofa. For me, the heavy aluminium body installs a lot of confidence in my typing skills and I find I’m typing quicker in just a matter of hours of usage.

Although this keyboard is great for writers and programmers, gamers will feel a little disappointed at the lack of customizable keys, but the robustness of the product will no doubt of won them over. The guys over at TechRader tested it’s toughness by dropping it from 3 meters. No surprise, it still worked and didn’t even have a mark on it.

What’s New

New features on the Das 4 Pro is the nice addition of the volume rocker. I like this as I don’t really like using buttons to turn up the sound on my computer. There’s just something more satisfying using a volume tuner / knob. You can literally approach the keyboard from anywhere and quickly adjust the volume without having to find the tiny volume buttons, like on other keyboards.

One thing that has been added, which a lot of people find strange, is the magnetic strip on the underside of the keyboard which also doubles up as a ruler. Who uses are ruler these days??? Why not go the extra mile and stick a compass and protractor on there!

Brown or Blue?

A mechanical keyboard uses an actual physical switch underneath each key to determine when a key has been pressed. With the 4 Professional model you have the choice of switches:

• The MX Brown, which is quieter.
• The MX Blue, which is the more clicky and tactile.

People like both versions in equal numbers. The people who like the blue switches, which are louder, say that it doesn’t take long to adjust the noise through adjusting your typing style. They tend to get faster and smoother at typing with these switches. Also the click sound is quite satisfying to most who use the keyboard and motivates them to type faster.

Features and Specifications of the Das Keyboard 4 Pro

The Switches

• Comes in a choice of High Performance, mechanical Cherry MX Brown key switches or MX Blue. On this model you do have lasered key inscriptions.
• The MX Brown switch has gold-plated mechanical switches that makes the distinct click of each keystroke and provide better tactile and audible feedback
• High Performance, mechanical Cherry MX Brown key switches with key inscriptions: German-engineered, gold-plated mechanical switches that create the distinct click of each keystroke and provide better tactile and audible feedback

Connectivity

• Super Speed USB 3.0 hub provides a two-port 5Gb/s hub for faster high-resolution picture and video file transfers between USB devices
• A really long 6.5 ft. long cable, so you can extend your typing activities away from the desk and to other parts of the house / office.

Design

• A new anodized aluminum top panel for improved durability
• A magnetic foot bar to incline the gaming keyboard at a perfect 4-degree angle, which can also double as a ruler, instead of the traditional flip-out feet

Features

• Over-sized volume knob and dedicated media controls to quickly adjust volume while on a Skype call, in a Google hangout or streaming online music
• N-key rollover (NKRO) over USB for faster gaming, eliminating the need for a PS2 adapter, often required of older keyboards
• Instant sleep button on the keyboard can put the computer into sleep mode, saving you energy when you’re not typing.

Using The Das Keyboard 4 Pro

We purchased the clicky (blue switch) version of the 4 Pro, mainly because I’ve always used soft touch or MX Brown switch keyboards. I wanted to experience a more old school keyboard and get back to the days of loud, retro computer keyboards for a change.

One thing to have in mind is that if you’re used to a non-mechanical keyboard, especially a clicky keyboard, then you’re in for a surprise. The feel of these keyboards are very heavy and clunky and you will get frustrated with it. But keep with it. It’s worth it.
You will hit the wrong keys, and will feel unnatural, but this is the whole point. It’s making your brain adjust to a new and improved typing activity. Once you’ve come through the other side and your brain has accustomized your fingers to the keyboard, you can not only switch between clicky keyboards and MacBook-style short-throw keyboards, but you’ll also be typing at lightspeed and more accurate with it too!

Why People Like Clicky Keyboards.

It’s really all about the click. The click signifies the confirmation of the action. Typist, writers and programmers love the feedback they get from the keyboard in the form of a click. It sounds strange but it’s so true. The switch is activated way before the key hits the bottom of the switch, which is what the click signifies, so you know when you’ve typed a character or not. With other standard / non mechanical keyboards, you tend to have to press the key all the way down to make sure you have pressed the character.

To start with it’s a very noisey experience, but eventually your touch will become lighter and the sound will decrease. You can actually use a lighter touch than any Macbook or PC laptop with the clicky version of the 4 Pro. This makes typing less of an effort as you know that the keys are being activated and less pressure is applied.

KeyBoard Queen’s Verdict

I would 100% recommend the Das Keyboard 4 Professional for hardcore typists, writers and programmers. For gamers, no. It’s not for you guys, sorry. There’s a lack of customizable keys for you, and we all know that gamers need to be able to adjust keys according to whatever game they are playing.

There’s no doubt in my mind that the Metadot Das Keyboard 4 Professional are one of the best mechanical keyboards for typists and programmers you can buy. They just feel good in every way, from Its aluminium body and the quality of the typing experience it gives you. Yes it’s expensive, but you really do feel like you’re getting value for money and then some!

There’s not many keyboards out there that actually helps instil typing confidence in you, and for that reason, the Das Pro 4 is ideal for any writer or active typist,

If you just need to type or code, then the Das Keyboard 4 Professional should be high on your short list of potential keyboard suiters.

Scores:

Design and Aesthetics: 9.1
Looks very slick and masculine. My only gripe is that it sticks out like a sore thumb on your desk compared to everything else around it.

Mobility: 7
Yes you can move it around easy enough, but it’s not ideal to pop in your bag as it’s quite a beast in size.

Tactility / Button Action: 9.2
Awesome. Even the clicky version is pretty damn good.

Configurability: 5.9
Not great, but the Das Keyboard 4 Professional is not really aimed at gamers, as they require a certain level of customizable keys, which just isn’t available on this product.

Ergonomics / comfort: 8.6
Feels great, Comfortable typing experience. You can type all day without any aches or pains or the dreaded cramp!

Noise: 6.2
Quite noisy, but worth the added volume of clicks.