Das Keyboard 4 Professional Mechanical Keyboard

How much was this keyboard when it was on drop?

First of all, I want to point out that regardless of flaws, this keyboard is the love of my life. I type an average of 20 WPM faster on it than my next closest favorite mechanical keyboard designed for Mac, the AZIO MK-MAC-U01 (wired with white LEDs version). Both have my favorite switches, the Cherry MX Blues (luckily I work from home primarily so I don't have to worry about the clacky keys upsetting coworkers). I find the keys on the DasKeyboard Professional to sit at the perfect height for me to feel comfortable. After much research, I have concluded that "wrist pads" actually cause more harm than good, so it's nice that they keys on the DasKeyboard are not outrageously tall. I also enjoy how the keys are shaped so they cradle the tips of your fingers as you type, greatly reducing errors. So far in my quest to find the ultimate mechanical keyboard natively designed for MAC, this is my favorite from a functional point of view, as well as build quality. This keyboard definitely feels like it will be with me many computers from now, and will probably outlast typing in general...say when we have computer chips imbedded into our brains that type what we are thinking...lol. Now for the bad...with this keyboard being called the MAC version, I was expecting all of the shortcut keys on the top function row to work (launchpad, show all screens, desktop, etc). They work perfectly well on my AZIO, and even my 1st generation Apple bluetooth keyboard, designed well before the operating system with such features. I will most likely get the Mistel Skeeker next in my quest for the ultimate mechanical keyboard for MAC, and that keyboard even shows the icons for these shortcuts on the function bar. Every video I have watched showing how to make a keyboard MAC friendly simply shows the modifier switch, and does not discuss the shortcuts. Furthermore, I do not see support of adding such shortcuts in native OS utilities. I'm sure there is some 3rd party controller I could download, but to me that defeats the purpose of getting a MAC edition/version keyboard. Next, while I feel like a teenager for considering the lack of LEDs a fault, the truth is we have learned to be accustomed to it, and once you have been, it's really helpful. Even white LEDs are very useful in dark editing environments or at nighttime. The lack of LEDs on the DasKeyboard is one reason why I am continuing my search for the ultimate keyboard. Compared to the AZIO, I like the lowered key height, curvature of the key caps, heavy/sturdy build, and overall typing experience. While the media keys do work, my audio is sent via a USB DAC to a tube amplifier and desk speakers. Therefore, the volume knob us useless to me. I wish I could program it to do something else. I also just realized that the brightness buttons do not work, which is odd as this is supposed to be a MAC edition keyboard. Anyway, my experience can be summed up as a stormy hot and heavy love affair. The main purpose of a keyboard is to type, and it does that oh so well. However, the perks we have come to expect from a keyboard are where the faults lie.

Interesting thing I've noticed: the product page for this model still shows the legends as they are on mine, bu the thumbnail it has on the product directory shows the new legends, as sold here. I'm still not fully convinced they're printed. The description here doesn't specify either one, and it's perfectly feasible to have a uv coating on the keycaps to protect the requisite infill material from staining. Edit: looked closely at the images here. Definitely printed. A shame.