Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Das Keyboard Prime 13 Backlit Wired Mechanical Keyboard, Cherry MX Brown Mechanical Switches, Clean White LED Backlit Keys, USB Pass-Through, Aluminum Top Panel (104 Keys, Black)

Excellent, high quality mechanical for a professional setting

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2019

My first mechanical keyboard with modern switches (instead of the older buckling-spring assemblies) was a Velocifire VM01. It served me well, but I decided recently to splurge and go for a more premium deck – in this case the Das Keyboard Prime 13 with Cherry MX Brown keyswitches. It does, I must admit, have a very different feel to my significantly cheaper VM01 Keyboard. It’s not unpleasant. The switches feel very similar to the way my old Unicomp Model M buckling spring keyboard felt. There’s a very satisfying buoyancy to the keys (for lack of a better word). It’s a genuine joy to type on. I look forward to using this keyboard for National Novel Writing Month.
The backlighting is even and strong – much more so than the VM01. The steel faceplate is cool to the touch and very solid. There’s no noticeable flex, even when I press very hard down on the center of the keyboard or pick it up and twist the corners away from each other.
The keycaps feel nice, have a clear and professional-looking font to them, and have very little wiggle which is a nice change from my VM01. That’s a difference that $75 will get you. I may still need to put O-ring dampeners on the keys. We’ll see how loud the keyboard actually sounds once I get it set up in my office.
I don’t notice the audible “PING!” when releasing larger keys such as the space bar and backspace buttons that annoyed me with the VM01. That’s a level of quality I expected – but it’s nice to see that my trust in the Das company wasn’t unfounded. This is definitely one of the nicest premium keyboards I’ve ever used – if not the best period.
One very minor criticism – on keys that have two legends on them (like the number/symbol keys along the top and the bracket/curly brace keys on the side) the backlight only illuminates the top symbol and not the bottom. This is probably due to the fact that Cherry switches have their LED on the top of the switch…but it would have been nice to have both light up still.
I don’t know if it’s just my unfamiliarity with the Cherry MX Brown switches, but I notice myself adding a lot of extra spaces in my writing. I’ll have to see if that goes away with more regular use. It could be that the space bar on my old Velocifire VM01 was just less sensitive and I’m used to really banging it to get it to actuate. Haha. The large buttons on this keyboard do require what seems like a lot less pressure to register than I’m used to on the VM01. I’m not sure if that’s real or imagined.
Although I was assured when I bought the VM01 that the OUTEMU off-brand brown switches were comparable to Cherry MX Browns – I’m going to have to disagree. There’s a decidedly different feel to these branded Cherries on the Das. Again, this may just be confirmation bias since I paid almost twice as much for this keyboard as the VM01 – but I feel like the Cherry switches are just smoother, and require less actuation force.
This is the closest feel I’ve found in a post-Model-M keyboard to the buckling spring monster I used back in the day. The keys pop back up in a satisfying and strong way. The sound is nice and clacky without being *completely* over the top. The overall look and feel of the keyboard itself is very high-end and professional looking. I see some of my coworkers bringing in high-end VGA keyboards and realize that the “gamer” aesthetic isn’t really for me. I would feel juvenile using a board with multi-colored lights on it like some twenty-something’s sports car.
The cord is braided, which you’ll either love or hate. I personally like the look and feel of it myself. It terminates in 2 USB 2.0 plugs – one for the keyboard and one for the USB pass-through port on the top right of the keyboard. I like to use this for my wireless mouse receiver. It’s discreet and keeps it out of my way.
This was my first purchase from Das, and I don’t believe it will be the last. It took me a long time to be able to justify the price to myself but now that I’ve used it first hand I don’t know that I’ll be willing to go back to squishy ten dollar membrane keyboards again. Das may well have ruined me for them.

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Roger

A nice functioning and overall sturdy basic keyboard. Updated 2021.08.09!

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

Updated 2021.08.09, see notes at bottom!

A nice functioning and overall sturdy basic keyboard.

This is my second DAS mechanical keyboard, and fourth/fifth mechanical keyboard purchase. This is my first lit key cap keyboard, as I'm typically frightened by distractor' such as overly bright or flashing LED lights.

PROS
1) Nice soft (brown) key switch actuation, noticeably softer than the blue key switches. (I well notice I can type more characters in a day using the brown versus blue key switches.)

3) No more gimmick magnetized ruler on the underside of the keyboard for elevating and angling the rear of the keyboard.

4) No volume control knob, I rarely use as I and most other power users are connected to home stereo audio system via digital S/PDIF or HDMI cabling. The keyboard does have volume controls, using the FN key + Function keys. (Keyboard volume controls are likely intended for laptops and computers having all-in-one sound card with included amplifier.)

5) Long USB cable. NOTE: This keyboard has two USB cables, one for the keyboard and the other for USB ports.

CONS
1) They reversed the positions of the shifted characters labeled on the key caps for the keyboard! Example, instead of the number one "1" on the bottom row of the key cap, the number one character is labeled on top with the exclamation mark on the bottom row. This key cap is entirely backwards and somewhat assume the engineers had to do so, in order to make the key cap lighting work? I sympathize with those just learning to type, and note the number pad are the only key caps not having this shifted lettering character anomaly or reversal.

2) The key cap lighting does apparently have an adequate lowest lighting level setting, so that I'm not distracted by bright flickering LED lights. However at night or within dark rooms, the lowest LED lighting level is still too bright and does somewhat still flicker. I'm betting if the current lowest lighting level were halved or were a 50% level of the lowest current light setting, then the resulting light level would then be more than likely adequate for use within dark rooms or at night. But dimming LED lights tends to further induce flicker. Few LED lights are currently on the market with dimming features, while boasting stress free reading light. (Remember, the LED lighting around the keyboard is within the field of vision of the user while typing.)

2) The shifted characters (eg. !, @, #, cursor number pad keys, ...) are not lit.

3) Some different icons are used for key cap lettering, such as a double-ended arrow for the TAB key lettering, upward pointing arrow instead of CAPS LOCK lettering. If you're half blind and just learning how to touch type while looking at the keys, it might be a better system. But for children or those with eye sight, learning a keyboard will likely be far more easier seeing/reading "Enter", "Caps Lock", "Shift" on the key caps. The remainder of the less commonly utilized keys (eg. CTRL, INS, HOME, DEL, END, ...) are spelled-out, likely due to not having a common icon. I remember when the power icon first arrived within software several years ago, it took me several years to learn what the circle with slash really stood for as this power icon was rarely seen prior within software and far less likely hardware. One would rationally think, fewer and fewer non-typing older people with poor eye site will exist within future years, while commonly children typically see extremely well and are more apt to learn to type nowadays. Since I can type, this becomes a moot point, but if you're learning to type, you're likely going to want to study a keyboard layout with these keys spelled-out instead of attempting to comprehend these new icons.

So far, the only time these reversed unshifted/shifted lettering and unusual icons become distracting, is when I look down at the keyboard rather than typing without looking. For a second, I'm stumped as this looks extremely odd, then I just switch to typing from memory rather than trying to discern what I am typing. (eg. "Use the force Luke!")

2021.08.09: Still using this keyboard 4+ years after purchasing, and especially now after recently shopping around the past day or so trying to find a better typist specific typing keyboard. Nothing even comes close to this DAS keyboard, having a standard full-sized non-wireless/USB keyboard with gentle back-lighting. As of 2021, everything on the market is still not geared to the typing profession, but to playing games! My keyboard is primarily used on Linux based operating systems. Nothing has broken on this keyboard and has recently survived being washed in the bathtub after a milk-based drink spill into the key areas. Just wish they had a sensitive scissored key switch model, or something similar to an electronic typewriting experience!

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Chris

Simple. Elegant. Perfect.

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2016

Verified Purchase

I wanted a high-quality mechanical keyboard with a simple, elegant look. This fit the bill exactly. At first I was a bit gun-shy because of the price, but after receiving it I feel it's absolutely worth it. This thing is solid, well-designed and has a nice feel while typing; the MX brown switches aren't too noisy. In addition to just the overall build quality, here are some features/details that I appreciate:

1) I use a KVM switch, and the USB extension wire that forks off the main cable is long enough that it can still reach the PC without me having to move things around (it's ~2 ft. away from the switch).
2) The media keys are easy to reach but virtually impossible to hit accidentally.
3) The (metal!) legs underneath are sturdy and tilt the keyboard at the perfect angle for me. They're not going to fold up from moving the keyboard around.
4) The dimmable backlight is fantastic. It's easy to set the level you want no matter what the ambient light is like in the room.

I really have to nitpick to find any "cons":

- The Num Lock indicator doesn't dim with the rest of the backlights (clearly by design, but if you want it perfectly dark you'll just have to turn off num lock).
- The shifted character is printed on the lower part of each key. Not an issue 95% of the time because I'm usually touch-typing, but in the unusual case where I'm absent-mindedly looking down at the keys while typing, it does throw me a little bit. Again, not really a con as I'm sure I'll get used to it.
- Um... I wanted to get custom keycaps, but the stock keys look so good it would be a shame to replace them.

So yeah... overall, it's hard for me to imagine a better keyboard. I haven't really gamed with it yet; I'll update this review in a few months if I change my mind after using more broadly.

4 people found this helpful

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Lawrence Dexter

Very Nice Minimalist Mechanical Keyboard

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2022

Verified Purchase

Das Keyboard Prime 13
Amazon Price: $129 + tax

This is a sturdy, heavy keyboard (anodized aluminum top panel) that feels well built. The Cherry MX Brown switches provide a good tactile feel and satisfying click. Requiring no driver, it still offers many features accessed via key combinations. For example, it has six levels of white backlighting, controlled using the Fn key with F2 & F3. The first photo shows no backlighting, the second setting 1, the third setting 3, and the last the highest setting. And although the keyboard is not targeted specifically at gamers, it does provide FULL NKRO, switchable by pressing Fn+F12.

There are two USB 2.0 cables wrapped in a braided nylon sleeve for connecting to your computer. One is for the keyboard, whilst the other is a pass-through for the single USB 2.0 slot on the upper right-hand side of the keyboard. This is good for plugging in a mouse dongle or headset.

Unusually, the layout of the numeral key row displays the shifted symbols below the numerals. This is not a real bother, except that the shifted symbols do not get well highlighted. I use a higher setting to see them. This could be down to my age though.

There are media control keys, again, controlled via the Fn key, but no big knobs or jacks. The price was right for me at $129, compared to the $169 I was considering shelling out for the Das Keyboard 4 Professional. I decided I did not need the wonderful but unneeded extras.

I wanted a minimalist unit. The Das Keyboard Prime 13 is ideal for my purposes. If you are looking for a comfortable, sturdy, no-nonsense typing keyboard, it's a good choice.

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MM

A fine intermediate priced keyboard

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2022

Verified Purchase

First to state what I wanted in a premium keyboard as a senior with modest typing skills:

A. Sturdy construction
B. High quality Clicky keys requiring significant pressure to actuate in order to prevent misfires, specifically Cherry MX Green 80 cN or Blue 60 cN.
C. Full size 104 key layout with key character legends brightly backlit in white or yellow for optimal legibility, ideally with multiple brightness control settings.
D. Volume/Mute and Multimedia controls.
E. Flexible USB cable to computer
F. USB socket for wired mouse

My previous premium keyboard is a Das Keyboard 4 Pro which is significantly more expensive than the Prime 13. That kbd met all of my criteria except for absence of backlighting, and the key character legends (visible notations) have gradually become too indistinct over the years.

In contrast, the Das Keyboard Prime 13 is rated according to my preferences as follows (and allowing for the fact that this is intended to be an intermediate cost utility keyboard):

A. Sturdy construction: Yes, 5*
B. High quality Clicky etc.: No, Cherry MX Brown was chosen by the mfr, rather squishy, no click and minimal tactile feedback, medium 55 cN force to actuate: 3*
C. Full size 104 key layout with key character legends brightly backlit etc.: Exceptionally good (except that lower characters are not illuminated), still 5*
Volume/Mute and Multimedia controls: Not quite as elegant as DK 4 Pro but perfectly satisfactory: 5*
Flexible USB cable to computer: A bit rigid and clunky, bifurcated passthrough USB, 4*
USB socket for wired mouse: Present but requires a second USB cable connection from computer, OK for desktop computer but not optimal for my MS Surface Pro 3 with only 1 USB port, I thus have to use a USB splitter, USB hub, or bluetooth mouse, 2*

Altogether, because I like the mfr based in the US and appreciate the overall quality of construction and especially the outstanding backlighting, especially in a reduced price model, I give this keyboard 5*.

Mike M.

2 people found this helpful

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Kyle S.

It's okay, but I wish I had gone with something different...

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is a solid keyboard that feels premium at first glance, but I have a few problems that make me regret my purchase:

# Uneven Frame

I think the frame is slightly bent or something because it doesn't sit evenly on my desk. It rocks ever so slightly (like maybe 1-2mm).

I always considered Das Keyboards a premium keyboard, so I assumed the rocking was my fault. I cleaned my desk and the underside of the keyboard, but it was still rocking when I typed or put any pressure on one of the sides.

This got annoying fast and I had to put something underneath one of the corners to prevent the rocking.

# Uneven Backlighting

The backlighting on the primary letters is perfect (same with the sides on the top row of function keys). But the backlighting of characters on the bottom half of the keys is dim/dull. The colon, for example, is perfectly well lit, but the semicolon is dim/dull looking.

This complaint might seem petty, but the backlighting was the reason I purchased this keyboard over a different model. I own custom backlit keys I planned to use and the backlighting helps me see quite a bit.

At this price range, and given the fact that the keyboard comes stock with characters on both halves of the keys, I kind of expected the backlighting to look even and clean across the top of all keycaps.

I've had other backlit keyboards where this wasn't an issue. But perhaps this was a trade-off to reduce unwanted glow below the keycaps.

# Support

I'm a big fan of AutoHotKey and other open-source software solutions for keyboards. After I ordered this keyboard, I learned that Das Keyboard has been banning users from its support forums for mentioning open source alternatives to the software they provide.

Rather than cultivating an avid fanbase of loyal users in their support forums, they seem more interested in forcing their users to use only their proprietary software. I regret contributing to a company with that approach, especially since it could harm my ability to obtain useful support suggestions later.

If I hadn't already thrown away the box, I would have returned the keyboard based on this issue alone.

# Final Thoughts

Despite these qualms, I'm still giving this keyboard 3 stars. Although I wouldn't buy this keyboard again, it does have a very high-quality feel and I've enjoyed using it every time I sit down.

I've owned other mechanical keyboards at around this price range that didn't feel anywhere near as high-quality as this one. With a few minor improvements, Das Keyboard would have had a fanboy for life.

11 people found this helpful

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Skylark

Prime 13 lives up to DAS quality

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2021

Verified Purchase

The DAS Prime 13 keyboard lives up to the DAS quality standards.
I was on the fence having read some of the negative reviews on amazon but having received and used the Prime 13 keybd, I'm glad I bought it.

The keyboard I'm replacing is a DAS keyboard with Cherry brown switches so I wanted a keyboard with Cherry brown switches. Plus in a youtube video with a blind test of many different mechanical switches, the popular choice for switches with tactile feedback was the Cherry brown switches. The Cherry brown switches in the Prime 13 are quiet and there's no problem using it in an office environment, though I'm using mine at home.

One amazon review complained about strobing of the back lit keys using lower light levels. But that's not true on the keyboard I received. There's zero strobing of the back llighting and it is constant and steady. Holding down the FN key and pressing F1 or F2 lowers or raises the back lighting intensity. It works perfectly.

I love that the back lighting under the keys cannot be seen at all using the lowest lighting level. The symbols on the keys show through nicely without any distracting back lighting under the keys. However since the LED on the function keys are facing the user, they can be seen. With the lowest light intensity, that's a minor thing. The LEDs on the function keys face the user to be able to illuminate the symbols of the side of the keycaps facing the user.

There is one USB2 port on the upper right end of the keyboard and that's perfect for connecting the 2nd USB numeric keypad that I use for AutoHotKey macros on the left side of the keyboard. Mouse with right hand, numeric keys with left hand.

I'm loving being able to see the symbols on the keycaps compared to my old DAS keyboard that didn't have back lighting.

Please note that the symbols on keycaps that have two symbols on them have the symbols reversed. IOW, the 2 key has 2 on the top and @ on the bottom. Dual symbols keycaps are all reversed so that the primary un-shifted symbol is the one that is brightly illuminated. This is really a non issue as I immediately got used to that arrangement just by making a mental shift in thinking. Other brand of keyboards that use back lit Cherry keys also have the dual symbols reversed. So this is not just a DAS thing. I like the arrangement for back lighting.

I like minimalist keyboards and don't want one with dynamic lighting effects. I just want back lighting to show the symbols on the keys and that's all with minimal distractions. The DAS Prime 13 is that keyboard.

2 people found this helpful

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Ted G

Fine except Key images are inverted. Might be a "me" issue.

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024

Verified Purchase

Keyboard is ok. Keys feel great. The space key has a very unique metallic ring to it that I cannot tolerate any longer. Also, when ordering, I didn't notice that the symbols on the keys are not "standard" -- The "shift" symbols are below the primary key values. These are typically shown above a key's primary value ("<" is above ",") . I thought this was not going to be such a big deal-- that I would get used to. It turns out it is a big deal and I am getting more frustrated the longer I use the keyboard. For the price of this keyboard these are issues that I cannot tolerate. Returning product.

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David Cain

[Update - 18 more months of extra spaces.] Wouldn't buy again. Customer service worthless.

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2022

Verified Purchase

Adding this blurb at the top so it's clear: This keyboard inserts extra spaces, wherever it feels like it. Combined with spellcheck, grammar check, autocapitalization and auto-period-insertion, it gives me a crap-ton of stuff to edit in any paragraph more than a few words.

The extra spaces are what grate on my nerves day upon day, morning, noon, and night. Typing now has to be a highly observant activity, checking each space between words for errors, vs. a quality, freeing, easy experience.

I've typed on $15 USB keyboards that don't insert extra spaces. Why does a keyboard of this price do so? Worse still, why won't the manufacturer make it right and RMA the thing immediately (I asked not long after purchase. Nope.)

Never, never again.

----

It's what I ordered, with the keyswitches I wanted, and so far so good.

However, the keyboard inserts extra spaces throughout my writing (which, combined with automatic period insertion after two spaces, and auto-capitalization makes me read like I'm on acid). This has gone on from jump and lasted the 16-plus months I've owned it.

I first contacted support about the NKRO mode not passing any events through my KVM. Neither would the media control keys work through the KVM. I kind of understand about the media keys, but why would NKRO silence the keyboard? That's one of their selling points. Their support system is very good about closing tickets and sending notifications and asking for feedback, but not good at providing actual support. They basically said "we don't know" and pointed the finger at the KVM company. OK, maybe.

I next contacted support about the extra spaces I'd been dealing with for months. Rather than a quick "Let me RMA that for you, we want you to be happy" I got notes about how to clean the keys. And lots of notifications, quickly closed ticket, survey about how did we do?.

Not well, D.K.

No other keyboard I've owned has cost over $50, and no other keyboard I've owned has had these problems (with the sole exception of media keys passing a KVM).

To solve the NKRO and media keys problem, this is what I did:

1. Bypassed the KVM's control port and plugged the Das Keyboard through a powered hub (both cables) into the KVM's shared (switched) USB port. This worked to pass media keys, but cost me keyboard control of the KVM, which is mounted in a cable tray under, and at the back of the desk. The KVM has an infrared remote, but I don't want to leave the keyboard to grab that every time, so...

2. Researched and built a custom infrared remote recorder with an Arduino, recorded the IR signals from the KVM remote, then reconfigured the Arduino to broadcast the remote IR signals, hooked up wires from a 4-key "keyswitch taster" that I had around from choosing my keyswitches, ran these cables alongside the DK cable to the arduino, which is 3M taped in a place where the IR signals trigger the KVM to switch its 4 inputs directly.

In all, a giant PITA. Wouldn't have gone this way if I could have seen the end from the beginning. And I've been correcting extra spaces since I began writing this.

2 people found this helpful

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S.Perry

Nice keyboard but was loud until.....

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2022

Verified Purchase

Cherry MX brown switches have a great feedback feel but are to loud when they bottom out. I installed Cherry MX blue 40 A-R - 0.4mm rubber O-rings under each key that I purchased on Amazon & its much quieter. In fact now I'd saying typing on it is near perfect.
The white backlit keys are great. When I present I have upper room lights off & only use my selfie light which makes keys hard to find. Not anymore with the backlit keys.
The cord for the keyboard comes out in the middle which I think is a horrible idea because now it lays across my laptop & its just in the way. It should come out on more to the side where it can lay next to laptop or be tucked under it.
I find it a little irritating that number / special character keys are backwards. Every keyboard I ever used shows the number as the lower character & the special character as an upper character. This keyboard is reversed, however typing a special character is the same, meaning you push the shift key & whatever special character you are trying to type.
Overall I'd recommend this keyboard. I can type faster on it & it feels much better than my old Microsoft ergo keyboard that had rubber dome switches on it.

One person found this helpful

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