Das Keyboard II: First Impressions

I have placed my fingers on the keys of a Das Keyboard II. It is a rather standard keyboard with one minor exception, no markings. The keyboard is completely blank.

The idea behind wiping it blank is that you stop looking at the keyboard. Taking away the crutch of checking that you hit the right key should increase the speed of your typing.

To help keep you oriented the Das Keyboard II modifies the shape of the home keys, the J and F. A curve in the key helps seat your hands. You will find that most keyboards already have some physical identification to these keys like a raised bump. The Das Keyboard II just makes this really obvious.

The keyboard itself is obviously a quality piece of hardware. It is well built with adequate heft.

One of the best features is the keys. You have to love Cherry Corporation. They provide the mechanical key switches for the Das Keyboard II. Thought by many to be the finest key switch maker around, they provide a long lasting switch that makes a fantastic click when pressed. You just can't beat that click.

The Das Keyboard II is a good piece of hardware, however the typing benefit will take a few weeks to materialize.