Metadot Das Keyboard 4 Professional Review

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By Matt Clark

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Metadot has come a long way in its effort to stake its claim in the competitive mechanical keyboard market. With the Das Keyboard 4 Professional (See it on Amazon), it feels like the company has really found its niche: making sturdy, reliable keyboards devoid of some of the flashier elements that sometimes feel unavoidable when buying a "gaming" keyboard.

Unfortunately, a lack of custom lighting and expected high-end features like dedicated macro keys don't translate to a bargain price, so at $150-$170 the Das Keyboard 4 is in direct competition with high-end mechanical keyboards that offer more features.

Design and Features

While its design is somewhat standard-looking, that doesn't mean the Das Keyboard 4 is lacking in build quality. The deck of the keyboard is made from pleasantly thick metal with a soft, matte-black finish. Beyond the satisfying heft and feel, the face of the Das Keyboard 4 also excels at repelling fingerprints, allowing its slick and understated appearance to never be tarnished. The keycaps themselves are made from quality ABS plastic, while the letters and digits that appear to be laser etched onto the keycap faces. It's difficult to say how well those little white letters will hold up over time, but they do seem well-made.

Under the keycaps you'll find either Cherry MX Brown or MX Blue switches, depending on what version you choose. I checked out the Brown switch version for this review and as expected the switches had a nice tactile feel without being overly clicky. Cherry MX Brown switches are a great “all-around” switch, lending equal performance to both gaming and typing, although I still kind of missed my Cherry MX Red switches while playing games.

You won't find any RGB lighting under those keypads. And you also won't find any dedicated macro keys, either. The lack of lighting could be seen as a bonus to someone who needs a mechanical keyboard for work first and gaming second. But a lack of macro keys in this day and age seems like a misstep.

The upper-right edge of the Das Keyboard 4 features a row of handy media control buttons which work fairly well. But the real star of the show here is the extremely nice volume control wheel. Like the face of the Das Keyboard 4, this pleasantly sized wheel has a great metal look and a subtle red accent around its rim. The wheel works great for adjusting in-game volume and gives the Das Keyboard a unique look, despite its otherwise standard features.

A volume wheel isn't the most unique feature on the Das Keyboard 4, though. Metadot has removed the ubiquitous fold-out plastic feet on the underside of most keyboards for raising the board's angle. Instead, there's a magnetic ruler in the box you can attach to the underside of the keyboard. Yes, you read that correctly, it's a red plastic ruler with two rubber feet on each end. The little stand gets the job done well enough, but it's a strange design choice. Why is it a ruler? Why is a fat ruler a keyboard stand? I spent 10 minutes wondering why there was a ruler in the box before I realized it was a stand. I would have appreciated a wrist rest, instead.

Thankfully, Metadot made a better choice when it came to USB passthroughs. Two USB 3.0 ports are located at the top of the Das Keyboard 4 and they're awesome. At this point, USB passthrough should be on every keyboard, but to get two—and USB 3.0, no less—is excellent. Plugging in a headset and mouse is a breeze. Das Keyboard also includes a simple keypress toggle to turn N-key rollover on and off, which is a nice addition for typing.

As far as software goes, there isn't any. Without crazy light arrays and macro keys, there's just no reason to tack on some bloated user interface. And frankly, it's a nice reprieve from the usual headache of other gaming keyboard software. The keyboard has one USB cable to plug in and it's ready to go. No firmware updates or annoying driver downloads. No dual USB plugs to power the keyboard and RGB lights—freeing up another USB slot on your computer. Much like its design, the Das Keyboard 4 gets right down to business.

Gaming

Without a doubt, the Das Keyboard 4 Professional lives up to its name as an exceptional mechanical keyboard for work-related tasks. The switches feel great for typing and offer that confidence in accuracy only a mechanical keyboard can provide. On the gaming side, the Das Keyboard 4 is fairly average - there's no surprises but not much delight either. It just works as expected.

Sure, it's simple and doesn't distract you from the game with flashy lights. Whether that's a benefit or a drawback is up to you. But the bottom line is this keyboard is sold at the same price as some that include universally useful features, like macro buttons, with no significant benefits of advantages. By design, the Das Keyboard 4 is very much what you see is what you get. It's well made, it feels great, and it very deliberately runs away from the "gamer" aesthetic. It may not be the best high-end mechanical keyboard on the market, but it has definitely earned a place among the elites.

Purchasing Guide

The Das Keyboard 4 Professional has an MSRP of $173. It's usually sold for closer to $160 or $150 online:

• See the Das Keyboard 4 Professional on Amazon

The Verdict

Ultimately, the Das Keyboard 4 Professional is an exceptionally constructed mechanical keyboard. But calling it a “gaming” keyboard would be a bit of a stretch. You'll miss out on features like backlighting and macro keys, which is a shame given its price. Still, if you're in the market for a great mechanical keyboard without the flash, it's a high quality option.

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