Closer Examination

The Das Keyboard 4 Professional comes in a soft foam wrap to further aid with packaging, and once removed, we get our first good look at it. It is fairly hefty at nearly 3 lbs as a result of the aluminum top panel - instead of the usual ABS plastic - and a steel plate as a double measure. As such, there is no give anywhere, and the keyboard feels extremely sturdy in your hands or under it. This is a full-size, 104-key ANSI layout sample I received, but other members of the Das Keyboard 4 Professional or Ultimate family will be similar. A mostly black color scheme helps keep up the professional look, as does the updated font of the legends, which I like personally. There is no backlighting on the keyboard, so they did not have to worry about the legends allowing enough light through. On the top-right corner is an extension with their signature oversized volume knob and dedicated media buttons. The knob is great to use and has feedback to signify steps traveled in either direction. The other media buttons are membrane switches based on a single strip, so there is some give when you press down on the extreme two of these.


A non-detachable, extra-long (2 meters) cable is present to help navigate a crowded office desk, and the cable terminates in a standard male Type-A USB connector. The keyboard itself will work just fine on a USB 2.0 port; however, there is a built-in USB 3.0 hub, right by the keyboard's media controls, which will only work if you use a USB 3.0 port - nothing that should be an issue in 2017. Note that you will only get the USB 3.0 data speed transfers out of the two ports in the hub, as the total power provided will be split up by the keyboard and the two ports. It should still suffice for a mouse and a USB drive, for example.


A steel-engraved badge on the back serves as a reminder of what you purchased, while acting as a reference point for the product's serial number should you need it. There are four rubber pads to help prevent the keyboard from moving around on your desk, and the top two are shaped such that they accept the foot bar between them perfectly. Once placed, the foot bar provides some tilting to the keyboard should you need it, and of course, it can be used as a ruler for those emergency situations where you need one. The foot bar is held in place by magnets and does not scratch easily, although you will wear out the finish and the markings if you move the keyboard around a lot on your desk.


The stock keycaps have the usual Cherry OEM profile, and the sculpted rows will help you transition over from a similar OEM layout keyboard. The stock keycaps themselves are opaque to where any backlighting will just have a ring of light from outside the stem show up, and despite being ABS, these keycaps are on the better side of average. The walls are thick at 1.2-1.22 mm and feel good to type on - for a while. As with any ABS keycap, these started developing a shine after two weeks of rigorous typing, and it will only get worse with time. The legends are laser-etched, which also means they will wear off in time. If there is one thing I could change here, it would be the keycaps - there are sub-$100 keyboards with doubleshot legends now. That said, Das Keyboard does use a "standard" keycap size layout, so you can use aftermarket keycap sets.


The Das Keyboard 4 Professional comes in your option of genuine Cherry MX Brown or Blue switches, and my sample had the Cherry MX Brown switches, as can be seen. Since there is no backlighting, Das Keyboard could just use the black housing switches, which also makes for a more reliable source of Cherry MX Blue switches. The larger keys use Costar wire stabilizers, so they are trickier to remove and install than when Cherry stabilizers are used, but that also makes for a less mushy feeling, especially on the space bar.