Mechanical boards designed specifically for Macs have long been overlooked, save for the lesser-known Matias keyboards or Apple’s own Mac keyboards from the ’80s. Enter the Das keyboard to correct the balance with the fun MacTigr. This keyboard offers a full Mac layout, mechanical switches, volume knobs, and tons of comfort—but is its $219 asking price worth it?
First, my credentials: as someone who splits my time between Windows and MacOS, I’ve been agitating for a proper dedicated MacOS keyboard to swap. Mac users have been plagued by this crap when it comes to keyboards for a long time – the current selection is often riddled with non-mechanical options with clunkier keys and less consistent key action – not even Apple’s own Magic Keyboard . magic. As such, the MacTigr has the potential to offer a sizable upgrade, with features Mac users rely on and mechanical switches they didn’t know they were missing.
MacTigr is a motherboard that offers all the features of a traditional Mac layout, weird function keys, and more, in a clean and crisp look. The case is made almost entirely of metal, with a steel top plate and aluminum casing, which means the MacTigr has plenty of weight—it’s 2.4 pounds, just over a kilo for metric users. It’s very well made, doesn’t show any sign of deck flex even under intense typing loads, and feels very good. Despite its heft, the MacTigr has a particularly slim and modern look, especially since it uses MX Low Profile switches, which I’ll get to more on that later.
The motherboard’s two-tone PBT keycaps also contribute to this feel, which adds to the overall feeling that it’s a premium product. If you don’t like the keyboard, the keycaps may seem trivial, but in reality, aside from the switches, the keycaps are what you’ll be pressing all day long to type, so a well-made keycap is more important than you might think. PBT is a higher quality plastic than traditionally used ABS, and the keycaps on the MacTigr provide texture for my fingers, making this board quite comfortable to use indeed.
It’s the little things that make this particular motherboard stand out, like a USB-C end cable for connecting modern Macs; a pair of USB-C pass-through ports for Macs, or nearly 20 function keys; and solid multimedia controls buttons, and a handy dandy volume wheel. My only complaint about its design is that there aren’t any feet to lift the MacTigr up, but its slight recline makes for a comfortable typing experience.
When it comes to a comfortable typing experience, MacTigr uses smooth and linear Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile keyswitches. Compared to more standard full-size key switches (4mm), they have a shorter travel (3.2mm) for faster operation, and a force of 45cN actuation force, which also means they are suitable for both typing and game. I find them particularly fluent in bashing essays and prose. While I usually prefer heavier, more tactile switches, MacTigr’s Low Profile Red feels great to use.
In addition to simply offering snappy light switches, the MacTigr comes with a handy creature comfort that typists and gamers alike can use – a full NKRO or N-Key flip. Essentially this means you can press as many keys as you want at once and they should all be recognized. This has been a standard feature on gaming keyboards over the years, but has crept into more general-purpose keyboards like this one. Interestingly, full NKRO is not something MacTigr has always enabled, but a feature that needs to be enabled. Fortunately, the key commands to do this are easily accessible – it’s the Fn key and the play/pause button. Pressing it will cause a small LED below the Caps Lock key to flash to tell you it’s enabled. It’s a useful feature, but it’s baffling to me why Das would choose to put it after a key command,
If you want to use the MacTigr for gaming, with the full NKRO and MX LP Reds built in, then definitely do. I ran Counter-Strike a few times with it, although I admit it sucks, and the MacTigr responded as I expected, largely depending on the switches. Granted, it’s not going to be one of the best gaming keyboards in the world because it doesn’t have insanely high polling rates or additional software for configuring the keys, but for oddly light gaming you should be fine.
There isn’t any RGB lighting, though, which might put it off a bit, so the MacTigr isn’t compatible with Das’ usual Q Software suite. To that end, you also can’t reprogram any of the board’s keys or assign them to perform different functions, which could be a deal breaker for power users.
The only other real downside to the MacTigr I can think of is its high price of $219. Arguably that means it’s only for the elite, but after all, if you’re already spending a lot of money on a Mac these days, getting a proper keyboard to go with it might just be a well worth the expense, especially considering Apple itself the price of non-mechanical alternatives.
Plus, you can get cheaper mechanical keyboards for MacOS and Windows, like the wireless Keychron K2, as well as offering full-size Gateron switches and configurable software, all for less than half the price of a MacTigr. This is another keyboard I can recommend as one of the best mechanical keyboards out there, but it lacks the finesse and charm of the MacTigr, which is arguably why this Das option is best worth your time, as the Mac offers a sleeker More modern design than comparable Windows desktops and all-in-ones, and more powerful in more ways than one.
Nonetheless, MacTigr is a great typist’s board for Mac. It’s well-built, offers some exceptionally handy features, and most importantly, a great typing experience, all in a smart and forward-looking package that goes well with any modern Apple computer.
