So I’ve been using my Keychron K8 tenkeyless keyboard for quite a while now, and I’ve been pretty happy with it – but sometimes I do miss having a full number pad, so today I decided to swap back to my old Das Keyboard Pro and see how I felt. (It also gave me a chance to try out the new key caps I’d put on that keyboard.)
![](https://www.starkeith.net/coredump/wp-content/uploads//2022/12/das-keyboard-with-red-and-black-keys-800x600.jpeg)
Well, the fact that I swapped back within the space of about an hour should tell you all you need to know. It seems I’ve become a bit of a tenkeyless convert. My mouse hand (I’m right handed) kept bumping into the keyboard, and the angle I had to use to hold my mouse and also be able to type without bending my wrists just wasn’t working.
However, I did some tests of my typing speed while I was switching between keyboards and I found some interesting results.
![Monkeytype.com results for Das Keyboard: 118 WPM](https://www.starkeith.net/coredump/wp-content/uploads//2022/12/das-keyboard-typing-results-800x251.png)
![Monkeytype.com results for Keychron K8: 105 WPM](https://www.starkeith.net/coredump/wp-content/uploads//2022/12/keychron-k8-typing-results-800x251.png)
Much to my surprise, I was actually slower at typing on the Keychron keyboard vs the Das Keyboard.
Now, I knew the Das Keyboard was a great keyboard – I’d used it for years, and there was no doubt that I loved (and still love) the feel of it. But clearly, it goes beyond just feeling good – it also allows me to type a little bit faster.
The thing is, however, both of these keyboards have the same type of switch – a tactile style switch – so you’d think they would be basically the same… but clearly they aren’t. (The switch brands are different – Cherry vs Gateron – but the function is nearly identical.)
However, one thing that isn’t identical is the key caps – as I mentioned, I’d just put a nice new set on the Das Keyboard. So, to even things out (and because I happened to have another set lying around), I decided to swap out the key caps on the Keychron K8.
![](https://www.starkeith.net/coredump/wp-content/uploads//2022/12/keychron-k8-with-gray-and-yellow-keys-800x600.jpeg)
I had actually bought these key caps at the same time and from the same place as the black & red ones I had on my Das Keyboard, so they were a good comparison.
And what were the results?
![Monkeytype.com results for Keychron K8 with new key caps: 118 WPM](https://www.starkeith.net/coredump/wp-content/uploads//2022/12/keychron-k8-with-new-keycaps-typing-results-800x251.png)
Well, well, well… would you look at that! Exactly the same speed as on the Das Keyboard. (And my accuracy went up as well.) Who would’ve thought that key caps could make such a difference?
Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how this came out – and with how it looks. Though, I do miss some of the extra info that was on the Keychron keys for when you used the function button – now I have to remember which function keys operate which media controls. But that’s a small price to pay – and one I think I can live with.