The Keyboard 6 Professional
RRP $200.00
“The Das Keyboard Professional 6 is one of the best keyboards I’ve ever used, and it adds a few quality of life features that make it an excellent choice.”
advantages
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Excellent writing performance
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Robust, compact aluminum design
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USB-C passthrough
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Cherry MX brown or blue switches
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N-key rollover
Disadvantages
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Pricey given the lack of customization and features
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No choice for linear switches
We review many keyboards, some of which are gaming keyboards. What if you’re not a gamer and mainly use your keyboard for work and productivity? Sometimes a well-made keyboard that excels at the basics is best. The Das Keyboard 6 Professional is one of the best keyboards I’ve ever used, and it adds a few quality of life features that make it a great choice. However, the price of $200 might be a bit high when there are other outstanding mechanical keyboards at a lower price.
design and functions
The Das Keyboard 6 Professional is a full-size, wired aluminum mechanical keyboard with 104 keys and weighs a whopping 2.89 pounds. However, that weight underscores just how well built this keyboard is. During my testing, I had no concerns about durability as I’m sure this keyboard will stand the test of time.
Despite being a full-size keyboard, it actually has a relatively small footprint and has just what you need, with no extra macro keys or features that take up more space. That might be a negative depending on your needs, but the 6 Professional is aimed at those who just want a great keyboard for most typing.
The keys themselves have double-shot ABS keycaps and are backlit with only white light, but the light is uniform and has multiple levels of customization. There is a sleep mode button to turn off the keyboard to save energy. However, a dedicated sleep button on a wireless keyboard makes more sense to conserve battery power.
Given the price, it would have been nice to see a bit of RGB customization. The white light itself is fine, but there are probably a lot of people who would like to turn it on every now and then.
In the top right corner are media function keys, as well as one for adjusting the backlight brightness and the aforementioned sleep key. Finally, there’s an oversized volume knob that makes it easy to adjust the volume.
The Das Keyboard 6 Professional also acts as a USB hub with two USB-C ports on the top. This was very helpful as I have an external microphone and wired mouse that I use frequently.
The 6 Pro comes with bolt-on feet so you can prop it up on a slight incline if you prefer. I could see people prefer this to the adjustable feet on other keyboards because it avoids the risk of accidentally snapping them off.
This is strictly a wired keyboard but comes with a long USB-C cable that also comes with a USB-C to USB-A adapter for those who need it.
performances
My review unit came with tactile Cherry MX Brown switches, although you can opt for clicky blue switches if you prefer. Unfortunately, there’s no linear option (my personal favorite), but at least there’s a choice that’s different from the last keyboard I reviewed.
The typing experience was excellent, making typing effortless and relatively quiet.
The good news is that the typing performance of these brown switches is impeccable. It’s hands down one of the most effortless typing experiences I’ve tried. The 4mm of travel didn’t feel too harsh and made me want to type even more.
I think what makes typing so easy is the fast actuation with a relatively low input lag. I’m generally more accurate when typing on the 6 Pro and can type for long periods without tiring.
While not marketed as a gaming keyboard, it features full NKRO (N-Key Rollover), meaning you can press multiple keys at once and have them all register. This means that if you want to use this for both work and play, you shouldn’t have any problems.
I tested the gaming performance on Call of Duty Modern Warfare and have encountered no issues with movement despite my preference for linear keyswitches for gaming.
When reviewing the Corsair K100 Air Wireless, I mentioned that some buttons were noticeably louder than others. The keys of the Das Keyboard Professional 6 were pleasantly muffled and delivered a consistent sound that didn’t bother me while typing.
The Das Keyboard 6 Pro is rated for 100 million operations for the brown switches and 50 million for the blue switches. I would go for the brown switches if you want a durable keyboard that can also be used in an office space.
One downside I have to point out is the lack of interchangeable keycaps or switches. While this isn’t a gaming keyboard, other keyboards like the Keychron K5 or K8 offer interchangeable keycaps and switches while being $100 cheaper. Logitech’s G Pro X offers a lot more customization options in software and also has removable keycaps and switches, while being $50 cheaper than the Das Keyboard 6 Pro.
should you buy it
Granted, the $200 price tag might be a bit steep for some people. For people willing to pay, however, this is an easy recommendation based on sheer performance and build quality.
However, the value proposition of a $200 mechanical keyboard that doesn’t offer more customization and features can be hard to sell. The Logitech K845 is a well-reviewed wired mechanical keyboard that costs just $60. For someone on a budget who needs a decent mechanical keyboard, they would probably prefer the Logitech to the Das Keyboard 6 Professional.
In fact, one of our favorites for our best mechanical keyboard is Das Keyboard’s own 4 Professional keyboard. It has essentially all the benefits of the Das Keyboard 6 Professional (N-key rollover, volume controls, media/sleep buttons, build quality, etc.) but is still $30 cheaper.
The 6 Pro isn’t a keyboard for someone who occasionally checks email or social media. There are cheaper mechanical keyboards for these use cases. This is a keyboard for those whose livelihood depends on their ability to type and use a computer.
The Das Keyboard 6 Professional isn’t the flashiest keyboard, nor does it have a ton of features. There’s no software to customize RGB lights or macro keys to bind an insane number of keyboard shortcuts. It doesn’t have many wireless options (although Bluetooth would have been welcome).
Sometimes, being a great keyboard is as simple as having a well-built, reliable device with a solid typing experience and a few handy quality-of-life features. For many pros, I’d bet that’s enough and $200 is well spent if that pro is willing to spend the money.
Editor’s Recommendations
