The best keyboard for your Mac is not an Apple keyboard

Apple does a good job of convincing buyers that it makes the best hardware in the world. And while this isn’t too far from the truth, there are companies out there that can give the company a run for its money.

Das Keyboard is one of those companies.

Specializing in keyboards, Das Keyboard has been in the business of making keyboards since 2005, starting out by making a keyboard with blank keycaps.

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Fast forward to today, and the company is making some of the best, most robust, most beautiful keyboards available, and the company’s first Mac-specific keyboard embodies all this keyboard manufacturing experience.

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The MacTigr is a huge, imposing, industrial-looking keyboard. Featuring an aluminum unibody with a stainless steel top, the keyboard feels heavy duty and striking.

The keyboard uses the Cherry MX red switches. 

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These are gold-plated switches that are good for up to 100 million keystrokes. If you’ve never used a keyboard that makes use of Cherry MX red switches, then you really have no idea what you’re missing. These are so responsive and positive, and they make my MacBook Pro keyboard — which normally feels like a good keyboard — feel mushy and unresponsive.

Topping these switches are durable, low-profile PBT keycaps featuring sharp, crisp, white symbols. These are designed not to wear, shine, or fade. Yet, they feel soft to the touch.

The symbols are backlit, making the keyboard perfect for low-light conditions.

There are also dedicated play, pause, skip, and rewind media keys, along with eject, command, and screen brightness keys. There’s a large volume control knob and an energy-saving sleep button to put your Mac to sleep.

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On the back are two USB-C ports for fast data transfers and charging. This is a keyboard that would become the centerpiece of any desktop, whether that’s a workstation or a stylish office.

The keyboard also features Full-NKRO (n-key rollover), which means that users press multiple keys simultaneously, something that’s a must-have for gaming or people who can type fast.

This keyboard looks aesthetically pleasing, feels sturdy and well-made, and oozes quality.

It also comes with a suitably reassuring $219 price tag. That might seem like a lot, but Apple’s smallest Magic Keyboard starts at $89. 

Good keyboards aren’t cheap, and a decent keyboard is worth its weight in gold.

And the Das Keyboard MacTigr is a great keyboard.