
Blank Keyboards (Das) - MaximHarper
http://maximharper.co.uk/post/23924579501/daskeyboardultimate
======
moistgorilla
Mechanical keyboards are amazing. Typing on one is actually a pleasurable
experience. I could go on about the benefits but other people have written
guides that are much better than what I could post here. Here is one great
guide. <http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide>

What I will say is that for anyone that has a job that involves massive
amounts of typing I really recommend you invest in one.

I personally do not like Das because of the glossy finish which makes smudges
and fingerprints very noticeable. I currently own a leopold tenkeyless with
cherry brown switches, which I find to be great. The guide I posted goes into
great detail over the different types of switches and the value of keyboards
so you should read over it if you are interested.

~~~
swah
How noisy is it? Can you type at midnight with someone sleeping near you?

~~~
exDM69
> Can you type at midnight with someone sleeping near you?

No, you can't. Not even with the "silent" model.

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tehwalrus
I have been using the Das ultimate for a couple of years now. Typing IS much
faster, although using the windows version on a Mac can be frustrating at
times, especially if you've used it on Windows first.

I also noticed some wrist fatigue at first, although I put this down to the
lack of wrist support (I'd been used to working with a high support integral
to my keyboard before this, and laptops where the keys are the same height as
the wrist rest). A £7 wrist gel thingy has served me fine from a week after
the Das arrived, although it does now look a bit dirty.

I've used it in two offices, for years, noone has complained about the noise
ever.

And finally, I really like the number pad, especially when the numbers across
the top have no markings - I still mash the wrong symbol keys at the top
fairly frequently.

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Deadsunrise
My blank apple keyboard:
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/deadsunrise/4338226640/in/photo...](http://www.flickr.com/photos/deadsunrise/4338226640/in/photostream)

It took me about 3 hours to sand all the keys.

~~~
MaximHarper
That's amazing!

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pudgereyem
QUOTE : >"In 2005, in a personal quest to improve his own typing speed and
accuracy, Metadot Corporation founder and self-proclaimed “Uber Geek” Daniel
Guermeur asked to have a totally blank keyboard created. To his surprise, his
typing speed doubled after just a few weeks of use."

When reading the history of _Das Keyboard_ I get the feeling that the founder
(Daniel Guermeur) felt an increase in typing speed due to the "blank" keys?

As hackers tend not to look at the keyboard when typing, is there any reason
to have blank keys other then the badass feeling of it?

~~~
Paul_S
The only reason I can think of is to confuse your coworkers. Maybe it's to
force people to learn to touchtype by going cold turkey on the visual aid?

As far I as I can tell it's just an overpriced gimmick.

~~~
cocoflunchy
I think the price is fairly standard for a mechanical keyboard... not that it
is cheap.

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lazerwalker
Can anyone speak to the difference in key feel between using one of these and
using one of the more traditional modern-day Model M clones (e.g.
Unicomp/<http://pckeyboard.com>)? I love the idea of getting a mechanical
keyboard, but can't shake the feeling that the blank keys is just something of
a gimmick.

~~~
sethco
Cherry MX Blue switches are similar in feel to the Model M style buckling
spring switches but have I think a slightly shorter travel and require a
little less force. Cherry MX Brown switches have a lighter touch and less of a
click when the switch activates.

Probably you need to try them out for a while to decide which keys work best
for you.

I used a Unicomp keyboard happily for a few years but am most comfortable with
an MX Blue keyboard now.

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sethco
I am a big fan of mechanical key switches; blank keys are partially a gimmick
but also can be a useful tool to force you to touch type. I use a Filco
tenkeyless board with cherry blue switches and blank key caps today and am
very happy with it.

I have a Das Ultimate in the closet but overall I didn't like it. The usb
controller was flakey and occasionally froze or doubled key strokes, hopefully
they have fixed this issue but it was just too much. Other than that, it has a
glossy finish that shows dirt and smudges too much and the size is
overwhelming; I like to keep my trackpad close to the right side of the
keyboard and having the number pad on that side meant a long movement.

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ZeroGravitas
A tip for typing one handed, shift your hand from it's correct position to its
mirror opposite i.e. from jkl; to asdf or vice versa it's easier than you
would think to translate key memory if you do it like that, though it's still
not exactly ergonomic.

I believe you can get footswitches and/or software that flips the keyboard for
you so you don't have to move the hand back and forth if it's a more permanant
situation.

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jgrahamc
If you want to try this you can go the cheap way and just stick black stickers
on your existing keyboard.

~~~
sneak
Or just stop looking at it. I've never understood this. Why does it need to be
blank?

~~~
Confusion
Because you may _think_ you're not looking, but -- unless you're a trained
touch-typist -- you actually are looking. Even if only occasionally noticing
something in your peripheral field of vision. 'Looking' is not necessarily a
conscious act.

~~~
sneak
I thought we were all trained touch-typists?

How on Earth would we work if we didn't? That'd be like having a workstation
with 256MB of ram.

Again - I don't get it. If you look at the keyboard ever, you're Doing It
Wrong.

If you don't look at the keyboard, then it doesn't matter if there are letters
on it or not.

Buying hardware is not the solution to "I don't know how to touch type".

~~~
cocoflunchy
Well it is _a_ solution. Because you won't be able to look at the keyboard,
you will learn much faster and get rid of the last looks at your keyboard.
Another (cheaper) solution is to put a cloth on your hands when typing so you
don't see the keyboard.

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vitno
Its a beautiful keyboard... perfect for us dvorak users. I unfortunately had
to leave my das in rochester with my main desktop because it couldn't be
fitted in to the car.

I am typing this on a scissor switch keyboard...

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swah
I wish they made tenkeyless. I'm trying to buy a Leopold but stuck in that
"Paypal can't ship to a country that isn't the one you live" problem (I want
to use a forwarding service).

~~~
metafour
Check out Geekhack.org or Deskthority.net. You may be able to find a keyboard
from a member that's in your country or someone willing to act as a forwarding
service.

~~~
swah
I was able to buy, the seller generated a custom invoice for me. Thanks for
the tip anyway. (There are some Model M's in Brazil, but it takes too much
desk space IMO).

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jb55
I have a blank Das keyboard and after a lot of typing I find the extra
pressure very noticeable and even fatiguing. I eventually switched back to my
mac keyboard because of this.

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centro
I have two, one for home and one for the office. If you balk at the price
thing about how much RSI surgery will cost. Best Keyboard Available!

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glimcat
I type by muscle memory, but I wouldn't use a blank keyboard. Brainfarts
happen.

