The Das Keyboard Model S Professional is a mediocre mechanical keyboard. Gamers will appreciate the low pre-travel and low actuation force with the Cherry MX Brown switches on our unit. They provide a light and tactile typing experience, encouraging a faster typing speed, which office workers may also appreciate. However, if you don't like the softer feeling of the brown switches, you can also get it in Cherry MX Blues, which offer tactile and clicky feedback. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with a wrist rest and has a rather high profile, which forces your wrists into an awkward angle. It also doesn't have any companion software, RGB backlighting, or macro-programmable buttons, making it a disappointing choice for programmers and gamers.
Our Verdict
The Das Keyboard Model S Professional is a disappointing keyboard for gaming. It has low pre-travel and doesn't need much force for actuation, creating a responsive gaming experience. Build quality is decent enough, but it can exhibit quite a bit of flex and feels a bit cheap. Unfortunately, the keyboard lacks a wrist rest and the high profile can cause minor wrist pain. There's no backlighting or macro-programmable keys.
-
Low pre-travel.
-
Little actuation force needed.
-
No companion software.
-
No backlighting.
-
No macro-programmable keys.
The Das Keyboard Model S Professional isn't suitable for use with mobile devices as it has no Bluetooth capabilities.
The Das Keyboard Model S Professional is a decent keyboard for office use. Typing is great with the Cherry MX Brown switches on our unit, and they're quiet enough to not disturb those around you. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with a wrist rest and the high profile can cause minor wrist pain.
-
Quiet switches.
-
Great typing quality.
-
Fully compatible with Windows.
-
Adequate ergonomics.
-
No companion software.
The Das Keyboard Model S Professional is a disappointing keyboard for programming. It has great typing quality due to the low pre-travel and low actuation force needed. Ergonomics are only okay, as there's no wrist rest included and its high profile can cause minor wrist pain. While it's fully compatible with Linux, there's no companion software to customize settings. Also, there's no backlighting or macro-programmable keys.
-
Great typing quality.
-
Fully compatible with both Linux and Windows.
-
Adequate ergonomics.
-
No companion software.
-
No backlighting.
-
No macro-programmable keys.
-
No companion software.
- 6.2 Gaming
- 2.8 Mobile/Tablet
- 7.5 Office
- 6.1 Programming
- 3.0 Entertainment / HTPC
- Updated Oct 28, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Sep 28, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Aug 21, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Aug 12, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Aug 10, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Aug 03, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
- Updated Jul 24, 2020: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Das Keyboard Model S we tested has Cherry MX Brown switches, but it's also available with Cherry MX Blue switches. You can see the label of our unit here.
Compared To Other Keyboards
The Das Keyboard Model S Professional is an okay keyboard that doesn't have RGB backlighting and companion software. Unfortunately, it can cause fatigue and pain on the wrists due to the lack of a wrist rest and high profile. If you need a keyboard with better ergonomics, consider the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2, as it includes a wrist rest.
For other options, you can see our recommendations for the best gaming keyboards, the best keyboards, and the best RGB keyboards.
The Das Keyboard X50Q is a better keyboard than the Das Keyboard Model S Professional. The X50Q has full RGB backlighting, dedicated media keys, and uses the Das Keyboard Q companion software. That said, the Model S offers a similar typing experience and has USB passthrough.
The Ducky One 2 is a better keyboard than the Das Keyboard Model S Professional. The Ducky has a better build quality, comes with onboard memory, and is available in a much wider range of Cherry MX switches. That said, the Das is fully compatible with Linux and has a USB passthrough.
The Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 is a better keyboard than the Das Keyboard Model S Professional. The Corsair comes with a detachable wrist rest, has full RGB backlighting, and software for customization. That said, the Das Keyboard has a Windows key lock.
The Ducky Shine 7 is a better keyboard than the Das Keyboard Model S Professional. The Ducky has a much better build quality, full RGB backlighting, and offers a better typing experience, along with being compatible with the Ducky RGB companion software. That said, the Das has USB passthrough.
The Razer BlackWidow Elite is a better keyboard than the Das Keyboard Model S Professional. The Razer has full RGB backlighting and all keys are macro-programmable. That said, the Das Keyboard is compatible with Cherry MX Brown and Blue switches, while the Razer uses proprietary switches.
The Logitech G613 LIGHTSPEED and the Das Keyboard Model S Professional are very different keyboards. The Logitech is a wireless keyboard with dedicated media and macro keys, and you can customize it through software. The Das Keyboard is a wired keyboard with few features, but it does provide a better typing experience, and it has a USB passthrough so that you can connect another peripheral like your mouse or headset.
The Logitech K845 is better than the Das Keyboard Model S Professional. The Logitech feels better built, has backlighting, and it shouldn't tire your fingers as much, thanks to its low front. However, the Das has a USB passthrough, which the Logitech doesn't.
The ZSA Moonlander and the Das Keyboard Model S Professional are keyboards with very different designs. The ZSA is a fully split mechanical board with an ergonomic design. It has an outstanding number of incline settings, a wrist rest, and many customization layers for remapped keys. The Das is a mechanical board with a straight design. Since it doesn't have customization software, you can't set macros or remap any of the buttons.
Test Results
This is a large, full-size, wired keyboard.
This keyboard has a decent build quality. The entire frame is made of cheap-feeling plastic that exhibits quite a bit of flex. The keys have quite a bit of wobble to them, and the board itself rattles when you shake it. The feet are made of cheap plastic, which may be sturdy but also leads to the keyboard sliding around. While the keycaps are made of ABS plastic, they feel higher quality than others that use this material.
This keyboard has okay ergonomics. It has a straight design and one incline setting, with feet that are sturdy despite feeling cheap. Unfortunately, some wrist pain may occur due to it being rather tall, and there's no wrist rest to fix this problem.
The Das Keyboard Model S doesn't have backlighting. If you'd prefer something with white backlit keys, check out the Logitech K845.
The Das Keyboard Model S has a long, insulated cable that has random writing on the rubber. It has two USB connectors, one for operating the keyboard, and the other for the two USB-A passthroughs on the right side of the keyboard.
The Das Keyboard Model S is a wired-only keyboard.
The Das Keyboard Model S has limited extra features. It has media hotkeys, two USB passthroughs, and a 'Sleep Mode' button that puts your computer on standby. If you want a similar keyboard with dedicated media controls, check out the Das Keyboard 4 Professional.
Our model uses Cherry MX Brown switches, which offer tactile feedback. The pre-travel distance is slightly higher than the standard 2mm, but this may be due to manufacturing tolerances, and it's low enough to provide a responsive gaming experience. Also, the actuation force is light. You can also purchase it with Cherry MX Blues, which are clicky and offer tactile feedback.
This keyboard has great typing quality. The Cherry MX Brown switches on our unit provide good tactile feedback and are very light to type on, allowing you to type faster. Despite being made of ABS plastic, the keycaps don't feel cheap, and the keys are nicely spaced out. That said, there's quite a bit of wobble to the keys, especially with the spacebar, and due to the high profile, some minor wrist fatigue may occur. It's also available in Cherry MX Blues, which have tactile and clicky feedback.
The Cherry MX Brown switches on this keyboard are quiet and shouldn't bother those around you.
This keyboard doesn't have any companion software or onboard memory.