Introduction

The Das Keyboard brand has history and reputation on its side, simply by virtue of existing before the vast majority of gaming keyboard companies that rose out of nowhere these last few years and offering solid typing experiences for mechanical keyboards with Cherry MX switches. Things started to change slowly, beginning with the Prime 13 that added in backlighting and USB pass-through, among other things, and then we saw the short-lived Division Zero gaming brand that used non-Cherry switches. In a world where RGB backlighting and software drivers are ruling the market, and even hardcore enthusiasts found other alluring options, Das Keyboard had to do something different, something unique. Enter then the Das Keyboard 5Q—a cloud-powered keyboard that attempts to do more than just about any other keyboard today.


The Das Keyboard 5Q originated as a Kickstarter project which, as even Das Keyboard would agree, could have gone smoother. Indeed, a look at the status updates and comments tells you that the vocal fraction of backers were not pleased with the delays and changes that happened from when the project was announced and was finished with units shipping out. In a way, that alone makes this a better crowd-funded project than most others, but we are not here to discuss why this was the chosen route. As it is, this review is of the retail product in its current configuration, and we can see from the preview image above that the Das Keyboard 5Q is an evolution of the company's ID—different and yet relatable. We will explore the keyboard in more detail as we begin the review with a look at the specifications below, and thanks again to Das Keyboard for providing us with a review sample.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Das Keyboard operates a web shop in the USA and thus, we begin with a look at the shipping packaging. It is.. not very good, with a box chosen that was just bigger than the product box and no protection materials in between. Our product box had a small dent in it when it arrived my way on a journey that is not very long either, so I encourage them to reconsider this approach and spend more on transit packaging as it can also lower the potential for RMA returns and replacements.


The product packaging itself is more colorful than what I had come to expect from Das Keyboard products—a departure from the subtle colors of past Das Keyboard products. It uses a predominant orange color with large printed illustrations of the keyboard all around. On the front is the company logo and product name alongside salient marketing features, and this continues on the back with more information available to see if you happen to spot this in a physical store. This entire outer packaging is an outer sleeve, as it turns out, with flaps on either side that can be opened to access the inner box.


The inner box in question is out of plain cardboard with tucked innards and side flaps as seen above, and opening the box reveals even more packaging inside. This does help mitigate transit issues due to the lacking shipping packaging we saw before, if this is even how it is for every paying customer, so I do feel better about the odds of the keyboard arriving in perfect condition now. My sample had a short reviewer's guide included, but otherwise is the same as any retail unit. There are accessories to be seen under the keyboard, including in another compartment altogether. These include stickers, a "Getting Started" guide that is quite handy indeed, and a plastic ring-style keycap puller. I would have liked to see a metal wire-style puller here instead to lower the potential of scratching the keycap sides, and it is all the more expected for what is a flagship product in 2018.


The final accessory, in a compartment of its own lined with foam to add yet more protection to the provided components, is a removable wrist rest. It is one of the more premium wrist rests I have seen, with a hefty feel and dimpled rubber finish to the top surface, as well as the company logo in the bottom-left corner. Magnets are used on the mating surface here, which is presumably how the wrist rest attaches to the keyboard.