When comparing Das Keyboard 4 Professional vs Leopold Tenkeyless Tactile Touch, the Slant community recommends Leopold Tenkeyless Tactile Touch for most people. In the question“What are the best keyboards for programming?” Leopold Tenkeyless Tactile Touch is ranked 6th while Das Keyboard 4 Professional is ranked 11th. The most important reason people chose Leopold Tenkeyless Tactile Touch is:
The Leopold Tenkeyless Tactile Touch uses Cherry stabilizers on all of its keys.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Reliable and long-lasting mechanical switches
Das 4 Pro keyboards feature Cherry MX switches, know for their established reputation. They have excellent durability and outstanding performance. Users can choose between the Cherry MX Blue and Cherry MX Brown switches. The main difference is that the first ones are clicky and the second ones are quiet.
Pro Conveniently located two-port USB 3.0 hub
The location of the hub, on the top right side, makes adding a mouse very convenient.
Pro Solid, durable construction
The Das uses the best materials available to create a stable, durable board. Some parts are made of aluminum which prevents any flexing and others of resistant textured plastic, making this a keyboard that withstands damage very well. And the switches are genuine Cherry MX switches, which are durable and reliable. The keycaps text is laser etched, meaning it withstands the test of time pretty well.
Pro Beautiful design
The Das 4 Pro keyboard has a beautiful nearly-minimalist design. The volume wheel and slight protrusion on the top right help it stand out from the crowd. The front is covered with a matte aluminium finish that resists fingerprints.
Pro Ultimate version looks very slick
The Ultimate version of the keyboard looks badass with its blank keycaps.
Pro Top panel resists fingerprints and provides rigidness
It has an aluminum top panel which not only feels great, but also resists fingerprints and prevents any flexing.
Pro Comes with dedicated media controls and an oversized volume knob
There are three rectangular media keys: previous, play/pause, and next. Just above the next key there's a circular mute button, and on the right of all the other media keys is a volume knob that can be spun to adjust the volume.
Pro Very thin
Das claims that this keyboard is the thinnest mechanical keyboard available on the market.
Pro Each key has the perfect stabilizer for its size
This keyboard uses an innovative mix of Cherry and Costar stabilizers. Costar stabilizers have many advantages, but they don't work very well on large keys, like spacebars. To get the best of both options, Das uses Costar stabilizers on all keys, except on the space bar, where it uses Cherry stabilizers.
Pro Cherry stabilizers
The Leopold Tenkeyless Tactile Touch uses Cherry stabilizers on all of its keys.
Pro Grainy keycaps
This Leopold keyboard ships with PBT (short for "polybutylene terephthalate") keycaps which have a grainy texture that some might prefer as it helps prevent fingers from slipping. They are also known to withstand wear well.
Pro High quality components for a low price
The practical design of this keyboard is typical of high-end mechanical keyboards, only differing in the details. The matte black chassis has rounded corners and a simple design. This keyboard uses Cherry MX switches, common among keyboards that cost significantly more than the Leopold.
Pro Removable USB cable
While this might not seem like a big deal, having to replace your beloved keyboard because the cable has been broken through frequent wrapping can be frustrating.
Cons
Con Has numeric keypad
If you are an accountant, a numeric keypad might be an advantage. But to those of us who want to use a mouse, it's a definite con. Moving the mouse further right opens the shoulder joint and is just bad ergonomically.
Con Not suitable for use in the dark
The Das 4 Pro keyboard doesn't have any backlighting. This means you will probably find it a bit hard to use on a dark environment.
Con Potentially uncomfortable to use, depending on your wrist placement
The edges of the keyboard are not rounded, so it can be painful if you rest your wrists on them.
Con No calculator button
There's no calculator shortcut button.
Con Not very portable
The Das 4 Pro keyboard has external dimensions of 18'' x 6.8'' x 0.8'' ( 457 x 173 x 20 mm ) and weight of 2.9 pounds (1.3 kg). Hence, it’s not an easy keyboard to carry around. This makes the fact that it’s the slimmest mechanical keyboard on the market loose value.
Con Expensive
This keyboard is quite expensive, especially if compared, in terms of extra features, to similarly priced keyboards made by other brands. It notably misses features like USB passthrough or RGB lighting, which is surprising for a keyboard with a retail price of $169.
Con No backlighting makes night-time use harder
Backlighting is common among high-end keyboards, but the Leopold doesn't have this feature. While most users looking for a mechanical keyboard will be able to type without looking at the keys, sometimes the special characters can still be hit or miss. In the dark, it might take a few tries before getting the intended special character.
Con Easily bends
This keyboard easily suffers from a bit of flexing, something other keyboards in this price range don't suffer from.
Con No extra features (such as macros or USB passthrough)
This is an affordable board, therefore it lacks some of the more premium features found on more expensive boards. It doesn't have any macro capabilities which can be useful for heavy users (macros are recorded key sequences which can be activated with a single button press - these can be used in games to automate some tasks, or in other programs to get repetitive tasks done quicker). There's also no USB passthrough option. Some keyboards let you plug your mouse or a USB key right into the keyboard, which helps keep cables looking tidier, while being more accessible.