Das Keyboard 5QS Mark II Review: A Keyboard Lost in Time

The 5QS Mark 2 can be equipped with Cherry MX2A Brown, Red and Silent Red switches. Das sent me a review unit with their most popular option, the MX2A Silent Reds. The low mounting system, copious amounts of silicone dampening, and silent red keys combine to create an incredibly dull typing experience. The keys, which are muted using internal silicone strips, are naturally soft and slightly soft, and the bottom mount makes this sweet even more obvious when typing. The sound dampening inside the case absorbs any other vibrations and typing feel elements that might otherwise be present. Stabilizers are common plate mounts that still rattle right out of the box despite being factory lubricated. This was also more apparent with the keyboard muted.

Finally, this keyboard feels soft to type on and sounds almost silent, while maintaining subtle highs and boomy tones that are unpleasant but subtle enough to be covered by headphones, earphones, or even speakers.

Photo: Henry Robbins

Unlike many keyboards today, the 5QS has no hot-swap sockets. This means that unless you’re handy with a soldering iron and have the manufacturer’s warranty, you’re limited to whatever keys the keyboard comes with from the factory. The Lego-like customization offered by hot-swap sockets has gone from a new luxury to an industry standard on modern keyboards, so it’s a bit disappointing that this model doesn’t have it at this price. However, this means that the 5QS will be slightly more reliable than a hot-swappable board, as hot-swappable sockets can occasionally fail during extensive use.

Q Functionality

Das’ biggest selling point with this keyboard is the ‘Q’ software used to customize the RGB lighting and other features. This can be used to apply animations and patterns to RGB, in addition to changing the individual function of each key.

RGB can also be configured via individual “applets” that you install in the main application. These can connect to external applications and website logins to display information such as unread messages, alerts and system information. Some of the more interesting ones include a four-day weather forecast, value trackers for stocks and cryptocurrencies, and price trackers for flights and video games. Additionally, there are several timed reminder apps for small tasks like drinking water and constant reminders if you’ve been sitting for too long.

While these are all great concepts, even the best are held back by one major flaw: RGB lights simply aren’t an effective way to convey complex information. For example, a weather forecast app has many color options for different forecasts, but only some of them make sense at a glance: White for snow, yellow for sunshine, and blue for rain. The other options—pink for cloudy and red for thunderstorms—are less intuitive. Unless you spend a lot of time with that keyboard and adjust your routines to accommodate the new system, I doubt it’s going to be useful to play a memory game with information that’s two clicks away on the average person’s computer. Other keyboards (eg Razer BlackWidow V4 75% Pro) combines secondary displays, this solution seems overly complex and difficult.